An Ode to Sports Media

On Monday I had the opportunity to attend the 2011 Achievement Awards Presentation Luncheon for Sports Media Canada.  The room was filled with members from every organization involved in sports.  From the UFC to the MLB to the Canadian Olympic Committee, there we sat to pay well deserved homage to the people that tell our stories day in and day out best – sports media! 

As I sat and listened to the various recipients honoured for their work in sports I was overwhelmed with a deep sense of gratitude.  I mean it’s not like I’ve never taken the time before to be grateful for media.  But, in that moment I really, really felt indebted to the world of sports media.

I have blogged about “Angels in the Dugout” referring to the various medical personnel that work behind the scenes to allow us to perform center stage at the Olympic Games, World Championships, Commonwealth Games or in a Stanley Cup playoff.  But, I’ve also forgotten to include the media - working bees behind the scene. 

It is the media that really brings to life what it is we as athletes do.  Making it relevant and important to the public… I mean I’m only jumping over a bar, or someone is just paddling in the water, or shooting a puck into a net or a ball into a hoop.   It’s not like we are performing brain surgery.  Or maybe we are?  Yes, Sport unifies a nation.  Sport laughs in the face of racism.  Sport teaches us determination and to love that determined, relentless underdog.  And our sports media personnel TELL these stories.

Amateur athletes may seem to have a 4 year life cycle, but the various sports media personnel help to convey another story.  They also cover the years in between and show what it takes to become an Olympian.  We might be an ocean away, competing in a IAAF Diamond League, but we can always depend on a broadcaster like CBC to provide coverage and commentary; or CTV to tweet about a Banana Bread Bake-off between two stick-jumping athletes; or Randy Starkman to deliver continuous coverage of various Olympic athletes or about Mary the barber’s commitment to hockey. 

And so from the bottom of my heart I say a huge thank you to the various sports media personnel’s who have told mine and my fellow athletes’ stories.  I will miss you when I retire.  In this final year, as a world-class athlete, I hope to give you my best story yet.

Keep up the hard writing, commentating, photo-taking and fact checking work.  You are the windows to our pursuit in excellence… showing Sport really does matters!

Thanks!

Nicole 

Why It Is Vital Canada Hosts the Olympic & Pan American Games: Part II (ACHTUNG Baby!)

For the last 2 weeks I’ve been blogging on the value of sports and on Tuesday I began to make a case for hosting the Olympic Games or any major games.  Sport is an integral part of who I am.  Perhaps I am passionate about exposing its benefits because I’ve seen how it has transformed my life.

I’ve always viewed my achievements has one in spite of the system, and do not want anyone to have to take the path I’ve taken.  Let’s remember I’m only an athlete and have a life dedicated to healthy living because I was discovered working at McDonald’s one day.  Before that point I didn’t realize how sports actually raised my chances of success academically and in life.  For my entire athletic career I’ve had to train in the USA because of a lack of facility and coaches. 

And in all of this I wonder, how many people failed to achieve more because there wasn’t a Canadian system in place to fully support their development.  The success of sports correlates with a country’s economic success while promoting health and education.  What other factor has this magnitude on a country???

Many people will site Montreal 1976 as an example of the expense/failure with hosting a major game.  Yet, few fail to realize the infrastructure improvements (such as transportation) which tagged a large portion of the bill, have allowed Montreal to benefit as a direct result to this date.  From an athletic stand point, the legacy of hosting the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games can be seen in the large presence of Quebec athletes on most major games team.  They have a system of sustainable performances in summer Olympic sports which no other province has.

Similarly, Barcelona’s hosting of the 1992 Olympic Games has single handedly transformed that city making it a tourist hot bed.  Because of the Olympic Games, the port and coast of the city underwent an overhaul resulting in an artificial beach and waterside cultural area which attracts tourists.  Additionally, low-income housing became possible to residents of the area. 

The success seems to rest on the well planning of a bidding committee, which promotes infrastructures and improvement of a city.  Canada consistently fails to underperform at the summer Olympic Games because we don’t have facilities in place. 

Contrast this to hockey which most Canadians treasure and will often confuse with lacrosse as our national sport.  In every urban city there is an ice rink.  Is it any wonder we are strong in hockey??? Geeze, I wonder what that it would be like if in every major city in Canada we had a track – which by the way has a low overhead cost to maintain, accessible to everyone and promotes healthy living?

Canada, we are in desperate need of hosting a major summer games!  I’m so grateful that Toronto will be hosting the 2015 Pan American Games and has a phenomenal plan in place.  Incidentally, it will be the largest multisport game Canada has ever hosted, including the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. 

Could this be the beginning of even greater things to come?  I think so…

And just in case you have any further doubts of hosting a major game, see below for some of the benefits previous host cities have gained:

A Snapshot View of Benefits of Previous Major Games

2010 Vancouver Olympic Games

·         More than 45,500 jobs created

·         Over $463 million in tourism spending

·         Venue construction generated $1.22 billion in activity

·         $2.3 billion in real GDP for B.C

·         Hotel revenues $130 million higher than projected

2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games

·         Over 3.4 billion in total economic impact

·         Over 6,980 FTE Jobs created in East Manchester and surrounding areas leading up to the Games

·         35% increase in the contribution of tourism to regional GDP

·         7% increase in trips to Greater Manchester by overseas residents and 29% increase in expenditure (2000-20002)

·         Improvement in rank from 19^th to 13^th in European Cities Monitor for business locations

2000 Sydney Olympic Games

·         Over $3 billion in total business outcomes

·         Over $600 million in new business investment

·         Almost $2 billion in post-Games sports infrastructure and service contracts

·         Over$6 billion in tourism spending during 2001

·         The equivalent of $6.1billion worth of international exposure for Sydney, New South Wales, and Australia

·         Injection of over $6 billion in infrastructure developments in New South Wales

·         Injection of over $1.2 billion of convention business for New South Wales from 1993 -2007

(*info based upon longitudinal research findings of 2015 Pan American Games Committee)

 Desiring a change in how Canadians view sports,

Nicole W. Forrester

Olympian, PhD Candidate

Canadian Olympic Committee Member

2015 Pan American Games, Athlete Advisory Council Member

PART I: The Benefits of Hosting the Olympic Games, Pan American Games or Commonwealth Games

A country can truly call itself sporting when the majority of its people feel a personal need for sports.  ~ Pierre de Coubertin,

father of the modern Olympic Games

The International Olympic Committee is now accepting bids for the 2020 Olympic Games…. And Oh! how I’d love to see Canada put in a bid!  I’m well aware that there are some people that feel otherwise and today’s blog is dedicated to YOU.  In fact, this is such a heavy topic I’ll be continuing with it on Thursday. 

Every 2 years, for 2 weeks all that is wrong in the world seems to be on hold, while the world watches the Olympic Games.  That is the power of sports!  

Sports brings together people of all decent while discouraging discrimination.  It is a testament to the will of man and the realization of effort.

The benefits of hosting the Olympic Games or any major championship are often marred by the cost of staging such an event.   Oppositions are quick to site the expenses involved while completely disregarding the fact that hosting a major championship allows for belabouring city concerns to finally get taken care of in an expedient fashion.

For example Toronto will be hosting the 2015 Pan American Games.  As a result, commuting concerns are finally being put into place (like a shuttle that goes from Pearson Airport directly to downtown)… The flow of traffic and commuting options in Toronto will significantly improve as a result of hosting the Pan American Games... a project that should have been taken care of 15 years ago…

In truth the benefits of hosting a major games are so monumental that if you could put a price tag on it, the current expenses associated with hosting such an event, wouldn’t cover it.  Indeed, the benefits far exceed the costs… but no one pays attention to it.  As an athlete it irritates me to see people petition so loudly against Canada hosting the Olympic Games or Pan American Games, yet will be the first to sing with Canadian pride when we are on the podium. Where was the Canadian pride before, when we needed it most?!

The hosting of a major championship provides an increase in GDP, drives an increase in jobs, economic gains for small and medium business while showcasing a city to the world.  Tourism has been shown to increase substantially during and long after a championship.  It becomes an elevated tourist destination.  The influx of tourists provides more revenue gains for the hosting and nearby cities.

For example the hosting of the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games will result in Major Economic Benefits to the City of Toronto.

·         $1.4 billion in Capital Investment:

o   12,467 jobs

o   $67 million in tax revenue

o   $837 million Labour Income

o   $1.1 billion to city of Toronto GDP

·         $106 million in Operational Spending:

o   1,679 jobs and

o   $299,00 in municipal taxes for the City of Toronto

o   $84.1 million in value-added to the City of Toronto GDP

·         19.5 million in Visitor Spending

o   222 Jobs

o   $9.3 million in labour income added through the incremental tourist spending

o   $42,000 in tax revenue generated by the incremental tourist spending

o   $13.8 million to the City of Toronto GDP

    Additionally, the visibility of high performance athletes in a large cluster can’t help but inspire youth.  I remember when Canada hosted the 1994 Commonwealth Games, and I, not even an athlete at that point, made a commitment to achieve excellence as I watched our Canadian team do so well in Victoria...  And I still live and breathe this commitment!  Don’t ever underestimate the power of inspiration, provided by hosting a major game!

    As mentioned hosting a major game attends to the improvement of various city infrastructures.  Likewise, it provides facilities.  And in Canada, God knows we are struggling.  I’ve been in third world countries with better facilities than our best National Team Training Centres…. Seriously!  Asking for great performances without the means to train is like asking for blood from a stone. 

     The development of an elite athlete is a long term process.   The lasting effects of the Calgary Olympic Games can be seen in our spectacular performances in VANOC.  And while not everyone who endeavors to be an elite athlete will achieve it, they are more likely to have a lifetime committed to healthy lifestyle, which thereby makes them less likely to be a burden to our health care system… Moreover, such facilities are not exclusive to elite athletes, but become pillars in one’s city for recreation… Like I said before we shouldn’t be focusing on getting more hospital beds but getting less people needing hospital beds (Number 1 cause of death in North America is lifestyle related!) 

     Hosting any major games isn’t just about dollars and cents; it’s about making a better Canada… far beyond the podium!

Desiring a change in how Canadians view sports,

Nicole W. Forrester

Olympian, PhD Candidate

Canadian Olympic Committee Member

2015 Pan American Games, Athlete Advisory Council Member

*On Thursday I’ll review previous major games failures and successes.*

Brain Lesions, Multiple Sceloris & The Commonwealth Games: What REALLY happened in New Delhi, India (ACHTUNG SERIES!)

On October 10, 2010 I stood at the top of the podium and heard for the first time, the Canadian anthem played in my honour.  What most people probably don’t know is that in the midst of probably one of my greatest achievements in Track & Field I was also at one of the worst moments in my life.

Just a week before boarding the plane for India, I was told I had 10 brain lesions that resembled Multiple Sclerosis.  There is nothing that can prepare you for news like that.  It felt as though my body had turned against me.  I mean I’m a world-class athlete.  I train 30hrs a week and eat well.  Being ill didn’t seem like something that could happen to someone like me.  But, here I was told I likely had MS and would have to undergo more tests.

I had been feeling ill for most of August,and ended up canceling my remaining competitons in Europe and returning home.  Among my symptoms were numbness on the right side of my body and crippling migraines which had a doctor admit me to the Emergency Room.     

While I competed in New Delhi, India at the Commonwealth Games, my symptoms were at their worst.  For the 3 nights prior to my competition I laid awake in incredible pain throughout my body, certain I had Multiple Scerlosis. 

But, something funny happens when you have a goal you are determined to achieve.  You only see the way.  So, while I suffered secretly on competition day, I didn’t care.  I didn’t care that I couldn’t feel my foot.  I didn’t care that my body and brain ached.  I had one goal, and that was to win.  And win I did!

As I ran around the Track proudly waving the Canadian flag, the happiness that I was overcome with, was the realization of how anything is possible, no matter how bleak your situation may appear...  I had a million reasons why I should have performed poorly, and I wouldn’t allow myself to see those excuses.

After Commonwealth Games, I returned home to a series of tests including a spinal tap and many more MRI’s which revealed I actually had over 20 brain lesions.   At which point, all I could do was turn it over to God.  Yeah, it’s safe to say my knees made contact with the ground every night…. And my prayers were answered.   Miraculously, my 20 plus lesions were determined to be the result of an autoimmune virus. I do not have Multiple Scelorsis! 

Can you believe that?  Wow!!!  Truly incredible!!!  Thank you God!  Today, my health has returned back to normal.  The torture I felt feels like a distant memory, though it was only a few months ago.

Ironically, I am grateful for what I went through.  I don’t ever want to forget it!  I really appreciate the fragility of health and life.  I’ve also learned just how capable I am to overcome.  And I don’t believe I am any different than anyone else.

The truth of the matter is that we are all more powerful than we realize sometimes.  As Marianne Williamson stated “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”

Facing my fears,

Nicole

Passport to the XIX Commonwealth Games Village

An inside look at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Athlete Village in New Delhi, India.... After some bad publicity leading into the games New Delhi, delivered a fruitful experience for myself and my teammates.

Farewell Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games Day 7 Recap

Well it’s been a few days since my Commonwealth Gold Medal performance in New Delhi, India. There is so much that has run through my head since that time, but probably the most profound thought, is that of gratitude. It was only 4 years ago, that I had an unexplainable performance at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia and I found myself crying so hard, underneath the stadium after the competition…. I was ranked to win and came last. My parents had flown to Australia to watch and I had felt I had let them down, my team, as well as my country…. And I couldn’t wait to come back in 4 years time to compete and win… only this time I wasn’t ranked to win.

Sunday, I entered the competition with only one goal in mind – to win! As I stood on the top of the podium and proudly sung the Canadian anthem, I soaked in every second of it… knowing that this would be the last time I would ever compete at the Commonwealth Games. Since 2008, I have said that unless the high jump ceases to be fun, after London 2012 I will retire. So, after 4 Commonwealth Games it was truly wonderful to leave with a gold medal in hand and to hear the stadium blaring with the Canadian anthem.

I am excited and look forward to the next 2 years of my career. There is so much still to accomplish in such a short window. But, if I’ve learned anything over the years, I can say with most certainty, anything is possible and really the sky is the limit. Moreover, for some reason I seem to like to save the best for last...

I can’t help thinking of how I watched the 1994 Commonwealth Games with such admiration and inspiration, never dreaming a day would come I would compete at the Commonwealth Games or the Olympic Games. And here I am an Olympian and Commonwealth Gold medalist. All I can say is ‘Wow!!!!’ I hope to continue to demonstrate the power of persistence, and the realization of dreams coming to life. 2011 and 2012 should offer some exciting moments! But, for right now, I’m going to continue to enjoy Sunday’s victory! Oh CANADA!!!!

One last note, I am overwhelmed by the support and congratulations I’ve been showered with. And as I’ve said too many times to count, “if I’ve achieved greatness, it’s because I’ve stood on the shoulders of giants.” So, to the many giants in my life, I’m so profoundly grateful for your involvement in my life.

Life is good and truly there for the taking. Live with no regrets!

Thank you and Oh, CANADA!

Much love,
Nicole

Taking a stroll down memory lane and a look forward to Londond 2012

In the spirit of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and my road to London 2012, here is a look back at some of my high jump performances at major championships... It is very easy to get caught up in constantly striving for improvements, sometimes forgetting to take a moment of gratitude to recognize our achievements. Making this video was truly fun, and nostalgic in some ways..... Looking forward to the next 2 years with my love, the high jump!

Commonwealth Games Blog -- Jai Ho!

Well… I’m here… in New Delhi, India for the Commonwealth Games and it is fantastic! In the true spirit and quality of the games, India is doing a great job. The opening ceremony was spectacular, the food is great and the village, as well as, the amenities available brings back memories of the Beijing Olympic Games. One really cool feature of the village that I like is having a practice track stadium within the village. Most times the practice facilities are outside of the village and a 30min, sometimes even an hour drive.

The Commonwealth Games is the LARGEST multisport event of the year, involving 71 countries and occurring once every 4 years! The games began in 1930 and were originally called the British Empire Games. As long as I can remember, I’ve always watched the Commonwealth Games, with much admiration and excitement.

In fact, the Commonwealth Games are very dear to me, as it is one of the first major teams I was a member of. I can remember watching the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia with awe and excitement, never dreaming a day would come when I would participate in the games, much less the very next one – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I have since gone on to run in the Queen’s Baton Relay, be a member of 4 Commonwealth Games teams, and win a bronze medal. I am blessed! It just goes to show, you never know what dreams the future will deliver!

With much respect to my competitors, I look towards New Delhi with great personal expectations! In the words of the Black Eyed Peas, “I gotta feeling, that New Dehli is gonna be a good, good, games….woohooo!” Let the games begin!

Jai Ho! (Be Victorious!)
Nicole