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 

"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

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



I Have A Dream.... (As posted on CBC)

As posted on CBC Sports Day in Canada Website.  Sports Day in Canada is happening on September 17, 2011 across Canada.  Go to CBC Sports Day in Canada to find out how you can be a part of the action, even in your very home! 

“A country can truly call itself sporting when the majority of its people feel a personal need for sport.” ~ Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the International Olympic Committee & father of the modern Olympic Games

I am an Olympian, a Team Visa athlete and the 2010 Commonwealth Champion in Athletics in high jump. Indeed, I am passionate about sports, not because of the medals I’ve won, but more importantly because of the positive influence sports has provided me off the track.

Ironically, it’s these superlative benefits that sports offer that are often not as recognized or as well understood. And this concerns me.

For if we did, would physical education be required only once in high school, when enough research has shown that if you can keep kids active throughout high school they are more likely to have a life committed to physical activity and healthy lifestyle behaviour? And that these students would also be more likely to achieve a higher level of education, be involved in their community, and would be less likely to engage in risky behaviour such as smoking, crimes and drugs?

Is there possibly a dollar amount that can be placed on the value of sports? I think not.

Sport promotes learning capacity, confidence, resiliency and the celebration of human excellence. As an athlete and Sports Psychology doctoral student, I know first hand the power that sport has played in my life.

I will always remember my high school teacher and basketball coach spending time with me during lunch hours, teaching me the skills of shooting, boxing out and rebounding. The year before, I sat on the bench and usually played the last 2 minutes of the game. The disparity between my skill level and my teammates was so great, I had naturally assumed I just wasn’t as talented. But during those lunch hours with Mr. Andy Symons, I learned how to become a better basketball player and in doing so, he also taught me one of the greatest lessons in life: the power of LEARNING through failure and practice. When something does not come easy, it is an opportunity to learn how to make that skill or ability easier!

It’s no wonder the researcher K. Anders Ericsson has found it takes 10,000 hours or 10 years of deliberate practice to master a skill

From the gym to the classroom to life, I’ve applied this fundamental lesson Mr. Andy Symons has taught me. It is what has allowed me to excel as an athlete and a student, entrepreneurially and creatively. And it is from this that the saying “where there is a will, there is a way” resonates with me. By the way, I did LEARN how to become a better basketball player that year and went from being a bench warmer to being the MVP.

Beyond its influence on education and excelling in life, sport promotes health. The number one cause of death in Canada is lifestyle related. Too many Canadians have adopted an unhealthy lifestyle and are expiring long before their time. Stroke, diabetes, heart disease and the various forms of cancers are all examples where the adoption of sports and physical activity can prevent their occurrence!

Canadians rightfully share a concern for our healthcare system that is under immense strain, Each of us must recognize the role we each play in adding to the pressure of a system that is about to burst and contribute to the solution.

It doesn’t need to be costly or difficult. It can be cheap, easy and fun. I’m talking about getting involved in sports - feeling that personal need for sport. It’s time we as Canadians begin to be proactive instead of symptomatic in our approach to healthcare in Canada.

I believe in a healthier Canada and I believe in the power of sports to facilitate this.

Sports Day in Canada is certainly one giant proactive step, and I hope the majority of Canadians will join me in being active on this day.

Visa, an Olympic sponsor for the last 25 years and sponsor of this year’s Sports Day in Canada, has long recognized the value of sports in society. In its second year in existence, it excites me to be a part of this event once again, as a Team Visa Olympic Athlete. It is exciting to be a part of this far-reaching initiative, and if I can have it my way, I’ll continue to be a part of this event for the rest of my life.

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

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.

Let's Make Sports Affordable For All Kids...

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times... Sports matters!  One in three families cannot afford the cost of having their kids in sports. Sport offers a multitude of benefits, and I emphatically believe no child should be denied this opportunity. Providing the opportunity to participate in sports we are positively changing the future and culture of Canada!

The Canadian Tires Jumpstart program is dedicated to affording the opportunity to participate in sports for all youths.  This is truly a remarkable program in place!  Please be a part of this change!!!

Tomorrow across Canada is Jumpstart Day.  Stop by your nearest Canadian Tires (or partner store) and for every dollar you donate it will be matched with $2.  Personally this video does a phenomenal job of demonstrating the significance of Jumpstart. 

 "On Saturday, May 28 come join the Jumpstart team at your local Canadian Tire Store. Select stores in your area will be featuring Jumpstart Day activities including balloon pops, fun games, BBQ's, great in-store deals and other fun surprises. We're asking everyone across Canada to donate $1 on Jumpstart Day and in return Canadian Tire will make it $3. Our goal is to help get 30,000 kids involved in sport and recreation this summer."

Nicole Forrester,

Canadian Tires Jumpstart Athlete Ambassador

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