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 

Leave the Pebbles Behind

On October 23, 2011 a group of us National Team Athletes and Olympians will be making our ascent up the CN Tower, the second tallest free-standing building in the world for United Way.  To join our team or to support our fundraising goal for the United Way click on the following link http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=258894

In lieu of this for today's Blog post meet Tyler Mosher, an elite ambassador and my guest blogger, who is a Paralympian in Para-Nordic Skiing. Read hish inspiring story below!   Oh, and by the way he ran the CN Tower Stairs for United Way in 2009 with our team.

(Originally postedby November 16, 2009 on lululemon.

Time stood still. I was floating through the air upside down and actually took the time to think that I might die. I thought of the many things I still wanted to do, places I wanted to see. The cool things I was happy I’d done, and the many people in my life with so much love to share. It was not my day.

A second later I hit the ground head first from 10 metres above. My back explodes at L-1 like a pop can a kid jumps on and the vertebrae above and below break in nine places. I am stuck upside down in wind blown corn snow up to my ears and cannot move.

I am airlifted out of the glacier to the Whistler Health Clinic where my fears are confirmed Although I am alive, I am paralyzed from the waist down. Later that night I am sent down to Vancouver to be patched up to live in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.

Luckily, the doctors were wrong, and my spinal cord injury is incomplete vs. complete. But luck is an understatement. Nine years later, although I am considered 40% paralyzed below the waist, I have learned to walk again, learned to cross country ski, and even learned to snowboard again. Not everyone can do what I did. Most people with a spinal cord injury do not have the opportunity to get any muscles back and even if they do, they don’t get enough of what they need to walk.

So, I am lucky, but I worked hard at it. I set goals. I stayed positive and looked at the world with what I could do, not what I couldn’t do. I took up yoga and believed that I could think my way into a pose even if I couldn’t do the pose. I thought to myself to just try every day to do more, to learn more, to be strong and understand that if I fall down, it is because I am pushing the limits. In fact, I learned to walk again by falling down and getting back up and falling some more. Metaphorically I believe this is what success is all about – falling down and getting back up until you don’t fall down anymore.

Staying positive and looking for the positive aspect in everything I do is my key. I like to say I can turn two negatives into a positive. It sounds corny, but I believe it and I believe in myself. It doesn’t mean I don’t ask for help. It means that because I try to help myself in a positive manner, others will believe in me and help me too. All I need to do is ask.

Last month, I received an email from my super cool friend, Olympian Nicole Forrester, asking for people to climb the CN Tower with other national team members to raise money for the United Way - a charity I have always believed in. They help people ask for a better life, thus helping communities and families throughout the world.

I wasn’t sure if I could do it, so I drove down to Vancouver and trained in a stairway doing 20 flights at a time and taking the elevator down and doing it seven more times. I figured I could do it, the 147 flights of stairs (1776 steps), in about 35 minutes.

When I took the challenge two weeks ago I blew my attainable goal out of the water by clocking a time just under 20 minutes. Kayak Olympian and World Champion Adam Van Koeverden did it in about 14 minutes. Paralympian Stephanie Reid Lakatos ran it in about 17 minutes on her below the knee carbon fiber prosthetic, young Leah Robinson did it like me with some paralysis in her right leg and Wilfredo (Papito) Moré Wilson did it with just one leg and two crutches – was I ever impressed! As you can see, we are all capable of achieving greatness. As Muhammad Ali said, “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”

So here I am: climbing new mountains every day. Although there are several hundred things I can’t do, there are several millions I can continue to do. I can’t run and I can’t jump but I can get up and be happy every day. I can set goals and achieve the seemingly impossible and I am not afraid to try. So in March of 2010, look for me racing in cross country skiing at the Paralympic games. I hope you are able to climb your mountains and leave the pebbles behind.

Namaste – Tyler
Check out Tyler Mosher’s fan Facebook page for updates: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tyler-Mosher/42536243617

Tyler and his team about to climb the CN Tower!

A group shot of the amazing athletes before climbing the CN Tower for United Way.

The team cheering for a great cause.

"Will We Be Seeing You in London 2012?"

Alas, it is Wednesday and if you have come to my blog this Wednesday (like most other Wednesdays) you’ll know that on this day of the week I blog on relationships, providing my non-expert insight.  However, since I am now blogging with Huffington Post, I’ve decided to move some of my relationship blogs over to “The Huff,” this week included.  So, if you check back in the next day or two, I’ll have this week’s “Wednesday’s Relationship Corner Bog” posted.

Given I have now begun my training for the upcoming 2012 season, and yesterday marked 10 months to the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, I thought I’d share with you a blog I wrote exactly 3 years ago.  This will be my final year of competing as a World-Class Athlete… A moment I planned for 5 years ago.  Even if I were to jump 3 metres next year, I will still be hanging up spikes at the end of the 2012 season… to begin my next phase in life. So, from here on out, I am deeply enjoying every moment left to experience in my athletic career.

Here’s a look back at what I wrote on September 28, 2008….  And  I’m happy to say my attitude/perspective hasn’t changed: 

"If there's magic in boxing, it's the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you." ~from the movie Million Dollar Baby

Well, it’s been a while since my last blog. I’ve just returned home from Europe and I am still trying to catch up with some left behind work. This time of the year can be challenging for me. It requires an adjustment, after being away from home for 4 months and trying to settle into normal daily activities. And unlike New Year’s, this time of the year usually conjures up many life questions.


Athletically, the past season is reviewed and plans for the following year are thought through. However, this year I’ve also had to consider whether I will continue the high jump for another 4 year. In fact, it seems to be a question many people ask me. In fact, I think that might have been the first question asked to me as I stepped off the track in the Bird’s Nest.


Over the last month I’ve struggled with answering this question. Not because I worry that I won’t be as sharp athletically in 4 years time. (I’m counting on my physical testing’s which prove otherwise as well as my late introduction to the high jump.)


In the end I realized it was the emotional investment that another 4 years would demand, that seemed to make me indecisive. Additionally, I have other facets of life available to tempt me away from my passion for the high jump.


By emotional investment I mean believing in the unseen, with no guarantee in place and the unplanned expectancies of life. For me my ankle sprained 3 days before the qualification rounds at the Olympic Games proves this.


You ride many waves in sports and life – waves of disappointments, jubilation, frustration and satisfaction to name a few. And I needed to ask myself would I be willing to do this for another 4 years? A sort of scary question…


But, isn’t that what life is about? And isn’t it the journey that makes victory sweeter? So, in these weeks following my last competition I’ve taken time to consider this question; and I realized that the only answer that is true to the type of person I am is “Yes”! Yes, I am committing to another 4 year cycle of Athletics.


I have some unfinished business to attend to… Now if you’ll excuse me. – I have some work to do. ;)


A disciple of excellence,
Nicole

What is Sports Day in Canada?

As a Team Visa athlete, for the last month I have been counting down and sharing my excitement for Sports Day in Canada via the various social media outlets – twitter, facebook and my website Likewise, for the last two weeks I have been blogging about the value and importance of sports in Canada. But this week I found myself wondering if my passion for this event might have overlooked explaining the obvious – what exactly is Sports Day in Canada about, and how can Canadians participate?

I thought I’d take a moment to see if I can give you a crash course on what this AMAZING day is all about. Trust me – you definitely don’t want to miss out on this event!

Sports Day in Canada is a nationwide celebration of all levels of sport. We know that the power of sports has the ability to improve academic success, create leaders, improve health, decrease risky behaviours, and the list goes on. Sports Day in Canada is about recognizing this power of sport while also promoting a healthy lifestyle. But I’ve got to warn you, only come out and join the action if you are ready to have fun!

So how can you get involved? Well, it’s very easy. You can register and find events across Canada at www.cbcsports.ca/sportsday. If you are a sport organization, team or club you can create and host your own event, like an open house, game or competition. Just be sure to register it online so you can be recognized for your involvement! And if you don’t consider yourself a jock, don’t worry - NOW has never been a better time to get out and get active! Sport is transforming lives everyday, and it can transform yours! I know, because it has for me!

If you are in the greater Toronto area, I’d really love it if you’d come out and join me in Markham at Fletcher's Field with CBC and ParticipACTION on September 17, where Canada will take on USA in rugby! GO CANADA!!!!

Feeling the power of sports,
Nicole Forrester
Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/nicoleforrester

Why I Love the High Jump...

As posted on CBC Sports Day in Canada - happening September 17, 2011 across Canada

 

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”  ~Henry Ford

In the world of sports, there are few competitions where even the winner will always end on a failure.  The high jump is one of those sports… and it is my sport.

The high jump is a sport requiring athletes to successfully clear a bar, which is continuously raised in height.  Each athlete has three attempts to clear the bar; if successful, the bar is raised to a greater height.  The athlete who clears the highest height is declared the winner.  But even for that athlete they will depart the competition failing to have cleared their last height.  Inevitably, there is always a height each athlete will fail to clear in a competition.  Though this presents a continuous challenge, this failure also provides motivation to me as an athlete.

To be an elite high jumper you must be strong, powerful, fast and have equally strong mental prowess.  There is always a time during competition when the bar will look high and threatening, even to myself, a Team Visa Olympic high jumper.  However, in that moment, I am also fueled with excitement and exhilaration as I attack the bar.  Even though it is high, I am not afraid of it.  I welcome the challenge as it can only make me a better athlete. 

We will generally fail more times than we succeed.  But it is how we handle those moments of failure that define us and allow us to be even more successful the next time.  If we choose to see failure as obstacles, that is all we will ever experience, and our goals will become fantasies. 

I love the high jump because it mimics life.  It is about trying to keep my eyes on the goal of jumping high, in spite of a threatening barrier staring me in the face.  I must believe in my abilities to meet the challenge faced before me and not ever allow any doubt to creep into the corners of my brain.  The moment I doubt, I no longer see my goal and begin to see only the obstacles. 

It was almost a year ago that I won gold at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India.  During this time, I was incredibly ill.  A week before leaving for India I was diagnosed with 20 brain lesions, which carried with it a host of symptoms including migraines, numbness and pain on the right side of my body.  It wouldn’t be untilfour months later that they would be able to diagnose it as simply an autoimmune virus.  During the Commonwealth Games, I knew I was seriously ill, but didn’t know why, and I was incredibly scared.  But even during this time of challenge, I wasn’t going to allow it to dissuade me from my goal of winning.  I know with certainty that had I allowed myself to see my illness as an obstacle, I would not have realized my eventual goal of becoming the 2010 Commonwealth Games Champion. 

This is what life is all about - keeping your eyes on the goal, being brave enough to go after what it is you really want, and never settling.  Each time you pick yourself up from a setback and get back on the path of your desire, you are affirming your commitment to that goal.  If there is magic in the high jump and in life, it is scaling new heights and daring to go after a dream that nobody sees but you.

The greatest feeling to me is running with full speed at this seemingly imposing barrier, but not having a care in the world at how high it is, as my body leaves the ground and floats through the air clearing a magnificent height.  I’m on a mission to see just how high I really can jump; and though I may fail sometimes, every miss I have is actually a step closer to jumping higher.

How high do you want to soar in life?

Soaring high,

Nicole Forrester, 2010 Commonwealth Gold Medalist, Olympian, Team Visa Athlete & PhD Candidate



THE POWER OF SPORTS.... Thank You Sports!

With the second Sports Day in Canada taking place across the country in less than a month (September 17, 2011), I thought I would take a moment to re-post a previous blog on the role Sports has played in my life.  I believe in the power of Sports and you can bet I'm taking part once again in Sports Day in Canada, this year.  (Come out and join me in Markham, Ontario with CBC Sports, ParticipACTION and VISA).  Come on Canada, let's get active.  Sports Matters! 

A Letter of Thanks... How Sports Has Personally Influenced My Life

Dear Sports,
I am not sure if there are words to describe how you have impacted my life.   I’m incredibly indebted to you. 

Thank you Sports for teaching me that anything I put my mind to, I can achieve!  You have taught me that effort is more important than ability.  You have taught me the value of learning and mastering a skill and through this I am able to conquer any challenge – whether with you or in any other realm of my life.

Sports you have created a fire in me, which is committed to achieving excellence.  The teachings I’ve learned from you have allowed me to excel academically with honors.  Even now as I complete my PhD, I can’t help feeling that how I approach learning and problem-solving is still reminiscent of you, Sports.  I am constantly using the skills I’ve learned via you in my studies and everything I do.

Sports you have taught me that I will fail more times than I will win.  But, through persevering through my failures and realizing what I’ve learned along the way, I am better positioned to not only succeed the next time I try, but surpass my initial objectives.  I know no barrier thanks to you!  When someone tells me it can’t be done, I think “Maybe for you… Where there’s a will there’s always a way, and I just have to find that way.”

Sports you’ve allowed me to have a resting heart rate of 43, a body composition of 7.8% body fat and a blood pressure level that as a doctor once said “This is obviously the benefits of Sports.”  Oh, how I do value health because of you!!!  I am committed to healthy living.  I see myself becoming something like the Jack Lalanne (female version) even after I retire from my professional level with you.  I’ll be knowing you until  my deathbed… and even then I imagine I might be doing leg raises or some exercise in bed as I gasp for my last breath.

I have travelled to more than forty countries thanks to you, including places I never knew existed. I’ve learned and experienced various cultures and developed a fond appreciation for diversity.  I’ve met incredible people along the way including presidents, royalties, celebrities, philanthropists and people who are just simply good persons inside.

Sports you’ve allowed me to develop lifelong friends with people who have also benefited from you in their lives.  These friends are also committed to excellence and are rapidly becoming a force to reckon with.  They make me want to be a better Nicole.  And I know they attribute much of who they are because of you Sports, as well.

Sports you have taught me the importance of caring for others and the responsibility we all have as a society to volunteer…. Striving for altruism.   I am committed to helping others achieve excellence!

I walk with confidence and assurance because of you Sports.  I feel blessed beyond words.  I know with certainty I would not be the woman I am today without you in my life.  I am a better person all because you have entered my life.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you and I love you Sports!

Nicole

My “New Foot,” 2011 Season, and the Story of the Vanishing Tendon

Imagine running your fastest and jumping off one foot as high as you can… Not so difficult to imagine.  Maybe even fun… Now imagine running your fastest and trying to jump off one foot again, except this time when you go to jump you invert your ankle and it smacks the ground….  



 That is what happened to me earlier this year. It resulted in a fracture, a torn ATFL and an evulsion.  But most concerning, I also ruptured my posterior tibialis tendon… that tendon that connects your inside ankle bone to the arch of your foot.  The job of this tendon is to invert and flex your foot.  It literally holds your foot in its nice position you are accustomed to.  When the posterior tendon ruptures your arch collapses and usually requires surgery. 

Posterior tibialis tendon and
collapsed arch

I’ve ruptured mine and by only the finger of God has my foot managed to keep its form and I am miraculously able to run, jump and everything else off of it.  It’s an injury that’s gathered some amazing medical minds together.  I am an anomaly, further complicated by the fact that I am an elite athlete, who happens to be a jumper training for London 2012. 

In a race against the clock, I just completed a brief series of competitions in Europe to test my “new foot” sans a posterior tibialis tendon.  With enough time to make any necessary changes for London 2012, the goal was to see how my "new foot" would hold up.  While, I took a nice competition beating, the mission of testing my foot seems to have gone well (pending final approval of my medical team)... AND, I also faced my inversion sprain fear. 



This injury had the potential to be career ending.  I’ve had 3 other near career ending injuries in my life; each one being a grinder as you work your way back to normality.  I was initially angry I lost this season, but when the Olympic Games is on the chopping block, I gladly would take a missed 2011 season for a successful London 2012 season.

As I’ve said many times, injuries come with the territory of being an elite athlete.  It’s a very fine line we walk and a game of survival.  Ask any professional athlete and they will all complain about being “dinged up” somewhere.  And most times we can compete close to 100%, but every now and then you get that one injury that feels like you’ve been smacked upside the head. 

I’ve had a few in my career...  I'm beginning to feel like a cat with 9 lives.  I think I could do with a season of no injuries, great performances and smooth sailing.  Say 2012? 

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!

Strengthened by weaknesses,

Nicole 

LONDON 2012 Olympic Games, ARE YOU GOING??

With 1 year and 1 day to the start of the 2012 London Olympic Games the magic question we athletes can anticipate hearing (possibly daily) is “Are you going to be competing in the Olympic Games?”

It is a question that can conjure excitement and anxiety.  For athletes in an amateur, where attention may be limited to our pursuits every 4 years, it is nice to see this interest in our endeavors.  But, at the same time the road to getting to the Olympic Games isn’t nessarily as simple as a yes/no answer.  There is a little thing called selection, and depending on your sport may involve politics, standards and performance at a National Championship.

In Athletics (Track & Field) we are actually the last sport to name our team.  Which means, while our fellow athletes in other sports may punched their tickets to the big dance as early as October of this year, we have to wait until one month before the start of London 2012, before knowing if we will be going.

Pretty incredible, eh?  But, this is a reflection of the selction process in Athletics demanding fitness and competitive level demonstrated closer to the start of the games.  A LOT can and will happen within a year.  My 12 years as a professional athlete has taught me that.  So, by the time May 2012 roles around that question “Are you going to be competing in the Olympic Games?” can be met with a lot of stress, because the real answer is most Athletic athletes don’t know for certain. 

Yet, at the same time, as athletes we must prepare as if we KNOW we are going.  Because if you can’t see it happening than your chances for its occurrence is unlikely… I believe. 

For some athletes being an Olympian is all that they may strive for, but for many the journey doesn’t end there.  It is all about performance AT the Olympic Games.  Not, surprising once someone finds out you are going to the Olympic Games, their next question is “Are you going for gold?”  Clearly, not everyone who goes to the Olympic Games will medal, but in an event which gathers the very best athletes across various sports, whose every fibre is about competing, I have to believe most athletes share the goal of going for the gold.  That’s what championships are about, to see who can perform on THAT given day.

The saying “success isn’t about the destination but rather about the journey” never meant so much to me, until in 2008, after failing to make the Olympic Games three times before I finally was named to the Olympic Games team.  And even now has I prepare for London 2012, this journey for success has taken on a brand new meaning… But, that's what success is all about, I guess.

One last note, we should never forget those who come up short with qualifying for the Olympic Games.  Most Olympians, at one point have worn those shoes. Indeed, it is also apart of the journey, and only breathes more life into the term perseverance. 

The Summer Olympic Games happens every 4 years and for 2 weeks the world seems to stand still.  But, for us the athletes, this journey to the Olympic Games is one taking longer than 4 years… maybe more than a decade for some of us.  And we look to the Olympic Games with appreciation, excitement, determination and courage to display our passion and ability to the world on the grandest stage of all, the Olympic Games.

London 2012, I’m coming for you,

Nicole

Getting Back on That Horse of "Competition"...

In a few hours I will be leaving for Switzerland to compete in my first competition since winning gold at the Commonwealth Games last year in India. For several months I have been rehabbing a foot injury… one which has challenged me as an athlete, a person and yet, is positively shaping my life, daily.

I’ve chosen to use my blog to be open and honest about what I am currently going through.  It would be easy to hide behind a bravado of confidence but, that’s not me.  More importantly, I’ve often discussed how world class performance and injury are a fine line… well, here I am in the aftermath, sharing the realness of what it is I’m experiencing as I throw myself back into competition. 

In all honesty, my emotions have run the gamete from frustration to excitement.  Without going into the details of the injury and how it occurred, it is suffice to say that it was severe; and each time I now jump, I am facing my fear… literally.  (Perhaps at a later time I'll be willing to provide more detail, but at this point I do not wish to think about it.  It's a little too recent and scary.)

But, also each time I jump I am rebuilding my confidence.  This is an incredible experience.  My margin for error is now smaller and I must simultaneously trust my foot to be stable and explosive in my take-off… in an event where there is no room for doubt. 

How ironic that as PhD Candidate in Sports Psychology, I am now faced with this psychological challenge.  It’s a grinder and one that I will inevitably grow from as an athlete.  So, as I board my flight to Europe to do a series of competition, there is no question I am forcing myself to “get back on the horse.”  Any further delay in competing, I might have completely developed a fear of jumping.

I owe an incredible amount of gratitude to Mark Lindsay and my strength trainer Dave Harris who were prompt in their initial suggestions for treatment.  Additionally, I hold a lot of thanks to my medical team, including the many doctors who weighed in, Kate Fletcher (my physiotherapist) and of course God.

I hope my competitions in Europe result in some great performances.  Certainly, competing is a full emersion, and I am hopeful my natural instincts to compete will kick in.  But, I will also be pleased with certifying my confidence in my take-off foot once again.  I am just incredibly grateful and happy to be back on the track competing when it was only a short while ago I wondered if I would be able to ever jump again. 

Standing on the shoulders of giants,

Nicole

How is that Dissertation Going???

 Lately, it seems there are 3 questions people like to ask me (1) When are you going to be done with your dissertation?  (2) How is recovery from your injury going? and (3) Are you going to the London 2012 Olympic Games?

They are usually asked in that ordered and fired off rapidly.  So, I’ve decided to take today and next week to answer each of these questions, beginning with the dissertation question.

For anyone who’s been following me on twitter (www.twitter.com/nicoleforrester) they have become familiar with my regular tweets of a hot date - usually involving coffee, the library/coffee shop and Mr. Dissertation.  Mr. Dissertation is how I refer to my dissertation, the last hurrah in my PhD studies.

I LOVE my dissertation… Much like I love the high jump.  But, I am also a perfectionist.  I like to think of myself as an adaptive styled perfectionist, meaning I use this characteristic in a positive facilitating manner.  I am also researching a topic area which has not been done before, making my dissertation an ``exploration study.`` 

My perfectionist characteristic will find me spending hours cross checking references, conducting literature searches for studies I have possibly overlooked and re-editing my completed Chapters with an eagle eye.  I literally will read, and re-read a section I`ve written more times than I can count to ensure what I have before me is of erudite quality.

My data collection is much the same. 

Perhaps, it’s the feeling that what I am researching may be impactful OR it is the feeling of taking true pride in my work OR just the realization that the more I learn the more I realize how much more there is it learn… whatever it is, I am committed to taking no short cuts with my dissertation.

I will happily spend 8 hours in the same seat at a coffee shop, devouring a record number of coffee drinks as I pound away on my laptop or handwrite in my notebook, feeling my hand cramping.  It is a process; one, which is really shaping me as a woman and as a researcher.  Again, I cannot say enough about how fortunate I am to be at the school I am at and have the support I have had while I dually pursue athletics as a professional athlete.

So, to answer the million dollar question, when am I planning to finish.  The answer is this fall 2011.  Pending my committee`s approval, I will officially have graduated with my PhD.

You know, I still remember my letter of interest I wrote when I applied to Michigan State University, and it pleases me to see that my dissertation (exploring how athletes go from good to great) will fulfill my letter of interest.  However, I believe I naively thought I would become an expert in high performance upon my completion of a PhD.  The funny thing is now in the epilogue of my studies I realize just how MUCH MORE there is to learn.  The term expert, as it applies to anything, I view with caution.  My commitment to education has humbled me, to realize there are A LOT that we do not know, and it is perhaps ignorant to assume you know everything.  For if you knew all that there is to know, how can you make room to learn more?

Beginning to see the light at the end of this PhD tunnel,

Nicole 

World Youth Championship and the Long-Term Athlete Development - ACHTUNG Series!

The World Youth Championship involves track and field events for athletes 17 years of age and younger.   Taking place last week in France, there have been some incredible performances posted.  Throughout it all I received numerous inquiries as to my thoughts about the World Youth Championships and the phenomenal performances which were being demonstrated.

Frankly, I am a supporter of the World Youth Championship in so far as it encourages only fun!  The development of an athlete is long term process, especially in a sport where athletes compete well into their thirties.  The research concerning athlete development tells us that athletes should not specialize in a discipline until the age of 16.  The risks of early specialization are long including burnout and injury. 

However, while the youths participating in the Championship may have had fun, my concern are the parents and the coaches involved, where it is less about fun and more about performance. In spite of what the research may say and the Long Term Athlete Development model, some coaches and parents will continue to stress competition and performance. 

I shake my head in disbelief.  The truth of the matter is while youths may demonstrate phenomenal results in the grand scheme of things they are not necessarily indicative of future performances.  What many adults seem to overlook is a little thing called growth and maturation.  So, while, kids may share the same age, where they are in their biological development may not be in line.  This difference in maturation will tremendously influence their athletic ability.  And if not that, the stressing of performance at an early age gives way to early drop out from the sport and burnout.  The most important thing to be focused when it comes to youth and sports is fun!

Everyone is always looking for the next great one.  Great performances at a young age seem to be the indicator of future great performances to many coaches and parents, in spite of what the research tells us.  In the sport of track and field, few junior athletes who medal at World Junior Championships ever medal at the senior level or continue on this upward trajectory.  That is a fact!  Sure, you may have the occasional Usain Bolt, but such athletes are the outliers. 

If you are hoping your child or athlete becomes an elite athlete, my advice is to develop a well-rounded athlete across various sports and discipline, provide a supportive environment, emphasize fun and de-emphasize specialization and competition while they are youths… this is the real secret to elite athlete development….

P.S: I didn’t even begin high jumping until I was 17… thank God for that because I’m reaping that benefit now.

Supporter of the Sport for Life model,

Nicole Forrester, PhD Candidate

7-Time Canadian Champion

Olympian, Commonwealth Gold & Bronze Medalist

19-Time Canadian National Team Member

VULTURE COACHES - Achtung Series!

I’m not sure if there is any sport like track and field where the presence of Vulture Coaches is ubiquitous.  A Vulture Coach is the Messiah Coach meets Athlete-Knapping.  To refresh your memory, the Messiah Coach is the know it all.  The coach that feels he holds the answer to making any athlete go from good to great.  When this Messiah Coach begins to make his move of claiming an athlete, who is already training with another coach he becomes a Vulture Coach. (None of these terms have been officially accepted by Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, but they should be.)

At any track meet, you can catch a Vulture or Messiah Coach on the sidelines, critiquing the technique of another coach’s athlete, while knowing NOTHING about that athlete personally, including their yearly training plan.

The thing about coaching is it isn’t just a matter of technique and a periodization plan. Coaching involves being a parent, a counselor, and a friend at times.  It involves providing the right motivational climate for an athlete. It is completely dependent on the coach and athlete interaction.  So, just because a coach may be successful with one athlete or is presumed to be exceptional it DOES NOT mean that that coach will work well for every athlete. 

Moreover, such assessments by the Vulture Coach only reveal the lack of knowledge he poses as a coach.  Indeed, to look at a snap shot of what an athlete is doing and to critique and presume you know better than what their current coach is doing shows naivety.  The really amazing coaches in track and field do not have to poach athletes; the athletes will come to them. It’s that simple.  I am reminded of one of my favourite quotes:

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Unless you are in the arena with the athlete day in and day out, no one is really in a position to pass judgment.  It’s all speculation and ignorance.  I’d like to see more coaches toss their egos aside, embody humility and be mindful and respectful of athletes who are not their own.  Now, wouldn’t that be interesting.

In my opinion, what makes a great coach is someone who is humble enough to realize, just maybe they don’t know all that it takes for an athlete to be great… Why?  Well if you don’t know all the answers you are open to learning more. 

P.S:  The same holds true in all walks in life.  Truly the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know.

Saying Poof! Be Gone! to Vulture Coaches,

Nicole

2011 CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONHIPS

Photo credits: Jarrtan Naphtal

Due to a recent foot injury I will not be competing at this week’s Canadian National Championship in Calgary.  Despite this minor setback, I look forward to opening my season in July instead.  I wish my competitors and all other athletes the best of luck this week.   I hope to see a few personal best performances! (You can catch all the action on Saturday 6/25, 4:00pm EST on CBC). 

On another note, I’m sorry to disappoint all those who had anticipated a HOOL-A-CISE demonstration with my co-founder Perdita Felicien, at the Canadian National Championships.  Please feel free to check out our videos.  It’s not too late to order your HOOL-A-CISE video!

See you on the track, soon!

Nicole

     

Want Your Kids to Excel in School... Get Them Involved In Sports!

The value of education is well understood.  And like healthcare, education is certainly a primary area of concern; specifically literacy, problem-solving skills, grades and post-secondary education.  As students enter high school they are tasked with the difficult job of balancing classes.  In Ontario, students are only required to take 1 year of physical education in high school.  Most students after grade 9, will no longer take physical education to make room for other classes, and will also discontinue their involvement in sports.

Photo: An important life lesson. Tyler Anderson

It is as if there is a pervasive myth that doing sports will take away from academic excellence.  Ironically, it has been shown that increasing the time allotted to physical education in schools does not lead to decreases in academic performance.  In fact, “students who participate in high school athletics do just as well academically, if not better, than non-sport participants and are less likely to drop out of school.”

The many skills which sports offer are transferable in the realm of academics.  In the classroom sports improves memory, observation, problems-solving, decision making, attitude, behaviour, and creativity (just to name a few).  Not surprisingly, students involved in sports typically achieve higher grades…. Oh, and they are also likely to achieve higher level of education!   

Essentially, sports assist in developing a balanced and well-rounded student.  And an added plus is that they are more likely to have a continued healthy lifestyle, live long and have a good esteem about their selves.  So my question to you… knowing all of this why wouldn’t you want your child to be involved in sports???

REFERENCES

Eccles, J. S., & Barber, B. L., 1999. Student council, volunteering, basketball, or marching band: What kind of extracurricular involvement matters? Journal of Adolescent Research. 14, 10-43.

Erin Hoops Basketball's Effect on Learning

Government of Canada

Guest, A & Schneider B., 2003. Adolescents' extracurricular participation in context: The mediating effects of schools, communities, and identity. Sociology of Education. 76, 89-109.  

Halstead, J. A., 1990. The Importance and Value of Sports. Ministry of Tourism and Recreation - Province of Ontario, Canada

Statistics Canada

Katz, N., 2001. Sports teams as a model for workplace teams: Lessons and liabilities. Academy of Management Executive. 15, 56-67.

The Value of Sport and Recreation. Governement of Western Australia - Department of Sport and Recreation.

Tremblay, M. S., Shields, M., Laviolette, M., Craig, C. L., Janssen, I., & Connor Gorber, S. 2009. Fitness of Canadian children and youth: Results from the 2007-2009 Canadian

Health Measures Survey. Health Reports. 21, Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 82-003-XPE.