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

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

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.*

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

Prologue: SPORTS MATTERS... more than you might imagine - PART 1 (ACHTUNG Series!)

The power of sports cannot and should never be underestimated!!!  Sadly, I believe many people do undervalue it.  Possibly seeing it only as just some extracurricular activity, while the true issues at hand (in Canada at least) are health and education.  What many fail to realize is just HOW and WHY sports is the solution to the major problems facing health and education! 

I got a reminder of this the other day, when someone dared to deny any benefit in the Olympic Games, with the exception of aristocrat gains and that Canada should not be trying to host the games.  This isn’t the first time I’ve heard such archaic claims. 

In fact, in our recent bid to host the Pan-American Games in Toronto, there were many who protested against Canada hosting such games.  Some politicians and people will scream the loudest of their disapproval for Canada to bid on hosting a major game, yet they will be the first in line to sing with Canadian pride as Olympians attempt to Own the Podium.

Many protestors will site the significant cost of hosting a major game as their primary reason…. However, what people fail to realize is that in fact the benefits of hosting a major games is so far reaching that the costs are negligible.  ACHTUNG THAT!

This is a topic I’m quite passionate about and cannot believe it’s taken me so long to finally blog on it.  However, I must thank my agitator for directing my future blogs on this topic.  Over the next few blogs, I will discuss the value of sports, our need to make it a priority, how it IS the cornerstone for health & education, the cost versus benefits of hosting the Olympic Games, and just why now more than ever Canada needs to take a second look at sports.

Oh, yah!  I’m not holding back on these next set of blogs…. Buckle up and hold on tight ... Another week of serious Achtung blogs are coming!

Something to chew on in the mean time.... (and while I am a MIZUNO girl and this is an ad from our competitor, in this case I think the message at hand is most important and universal to all.)

Achtunging,
Nicole

COUNTRY ALLEGIANCE, FALSE OLYMPIAN CLAIMS & THE OLYMPIC GAMES (Achtung Series!)

This blog is going to sting a little…. But, it is ACHTUNG MONDAY, so read at your own risk.

The Olympic Games is universally recognized as the paramount achievement in sports.  Many people may attempt to embark on competing at the Olympic Games, but only a few will become an Olympian.  For the longest time, qualifying for the Olympic Games felt like the biggest albatross around my neck.  I had failed twice before, each time feeling devastated and frustrated with the process and system.

In 2000, despite having the Olympic Games’ standard and being ranked number 1 in Canada I was not selected for the Canadian Team.  Canada typically has tougher standards than the IOC’s standard, and in my case I was off the Canadian standard by 1cm.  For similar reasons I also missed out on the 2004 Olympic Games. 

Having experienced the challenges with becoming an Olympian I have an even greater respect for this title.   I understand the temptation for athletes to switch allegiance, so that they may be able to compete at the Olympic Games. Yet, at the same time I can’t help feeling that when athletes represent a country they really should embody what it means to be a citizen of that country.  And the motivation to switch allegiance should not be about participating at the Olympic Games, but because one really feels they are of that citizenship.

I had the ability to represent other countries, but I knew it wouldn’t have felt authentic.  I wanted to represent the country, which every fiber of my being identified with, and that's Canada!  I AM CANADIAN through and through!  So, in spite of not agreeing with our selection criteria, I remained committed to qualifying for Team Canada, missing 2 Olympic Games as a result.  In 2008 when I did qualify (according to the Canadian standards) it felt as though my persistence had paid off.   I believe that the Olympic Games are about the best athletes from each country competing against each other in the name of excellence.  But, perhaps the Olympics are no longer about countries facing off on a grand stage as it was originally intended by Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic Games. Perhaps, it's more about being an Olympian.

Some athletes will even go as far as pretending they are an Olympian when in fact they aren’t.  This is shameful!!!!  How can anyone make this claim, and feel proud doing so?  One athlete, Okiki Akinremi, for example, has made a business making this claim along with being a 2-Time World Champion.  He is neither! On his website, he looks into the camera and states he will help you achieve success using his experience of becoming an Olympian and 2-Time World Champion. REALLY?!  That’s just wrong!

The road to the Olympic Games is truly a challenging journey.  There are a lot of tears shed, overcoming of setbacks and believing when there are many reasons to doubt.  You develop in more ways than just an athlete.  And once you become an Olympian you are still striving for that podium.  Pierre Coubertin intended for the Olympic Games to be about personal excellence demonstrated in sports but applicable to life.

Let’s continue to honour this vision.

Owning Excellence,

Nicole

How I Began High Jumping -- The McDonald's Story

The push for talent identification is an area I have concerns with for various reasons; mainly, stemming from the research in this area. 

But, on another level, I can’t help wondering how much future “Great One’s” we are overlooking simply because the resources, opportunities and exposure are just not available.  Talk to many Winter Sports athletes, and I’m sure you’ll discover their entrance into their sport occurred from opportunity colliding with coincidence.

As for me, my story is much the same.  Yes, it’s true… I was discovered working at McDonald’s when I was 17 years old.  Many of my competitors at that age are on their way of mastering the skill of high jump… And I didn’t even know how to high jump much less run.

This week I thought I’d share a video blog of how & where my road to the Olympic Games began for me. If you missed my jumps in the Beijing Olympic Games this video has a few of them in it. 

Ultimately the moral of my story is anything is possible!  We’ve just got to be ready for opportunities when they come our way and make the most of them… And for anyone so biased by talent identification, I wouldn’t stack all my cards on an early bloomer.  You might have the next gold medalist in Rowing serving you fries with your Big Mac.

Limitless,

Nicole