In some places, 3 is a lucky number and now it has become
mine!! Yes, I am embarking on the
journey to my third Olympic Games. At
the rip age of 29 I feel that I am finally ready to compete at home in the
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. It will be
a dream come true and an honour beyond words.
For some, this event has little meaning outside the
unjustifiable spending of money but for many this is a chance to show the World
what Canada is all about. The value of
the Olympics Games transcends the medals and the shows. Instead, it breaks down limiting barriers
between people, cultures and countries; it is the biggest unifying event in the
world in my eyes. I am so proud to be Canadian and I think that Canadians
should be proud too. By being given a chance to represent my country doing
something that I absolutely love to do, is an opportunity beyond words and I
hope that I can do it with honour, humility, success and passion.
My first Olympic experience took place in Salt Lake City in
2002 where I experienced a bitter sweetness like never before; milk chocolate
versus 80% dark cacao. I had just come back from a potentially career ending
injury in February 2001 to only come across another career altering obstacle;
another knee injury. This knee injury crippled me; not literally but
emotionally! I thought that my Olympic Dream was over. Little did I know that one man’s belief and a
support network that could move mountains would change that belief and grant me
my childhood dream; the Olympic Games. Now,
it was not all glory. It was by far the
hardest thing in my life I have ever achieved and as I stood there in the
opening ceremonies, I truly believed that it I could overcome this, anything
was possible. I went on to compete in
the Slalom and Giant Slalom disciplines which were my only races that years and
in which I represented myself proudly. On the day of my first race I realized
two things….one, I hate losing and two, I would be back!
So here I was, 4 years later, a medal hopeful, entering the 2006
Torino Winter Games with a feeling like I was on top of my game and ready for
“My Moment”! I had the expectations of
myself and my country on my shoulder and I ended up crumbled like an old Greek
ruin. The disappointment in how I
performed was indescribable and it took a long time to shake it and look at it
from a different perspective; 9th place isn’t all that bad! This is when I came to another two
conclusions…..Nothing can break me, and two, I would be back!
My hopeful third Olympic experience will be a culmination of
the past two Olympic Games and what I have learned in between those two massive
bench marks. To make things clear, as I
sit here and write this column I have yet to fully qualify for the Games as one
of my qualifications must take place in the year of the Games but I am under
the total belief that if I can’t reach the qualification standard I really
don’t deserve to be there! When I think
of February 2010, I try and think of it as one of the major peaks in my
mountain range of a career. I am prepared mentally, physically and emotionally
to take on the word. I feel an energy
that I have not felt in a long time and although my body sometimes disagrees,
it is like a new beginning and a new chance on a clean slate.
This fire inside of me has sometimes flickered and nearly
gone out but it never stopped burning. Now
it burns as strong as my loyal wood stove at home that kept me warm my whole
childhood. My goal is to stand in that
start gate at the Olympic Games knowing that I did everything possible in my
control to be prepared and ready; regrets are for the past. Just thinking of it know, I can feel the
energy of the people, the passion of my competitors and the burning in my soul
to do myself proud, my family and friends proud and my country proud. Feel the passion, Share the Passion, Be the
Passion. You are now on this Olympic Journey with me….welcome aboard!!!
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