An Evening of Inspiration...
The other night I had the priviledge of listening to 5 women talk about their experiences in the world of elite sport. It was an event sponsored by CAAWS (Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport). It was for people who work in the area of promotion of sport and physical activity for girls and women. I was lucky enough to be in that category because of my job.
It began with 2 athletes who competed in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. It was inspiring to hear their stories. They both grew up in an era where sport was NOT done by proper girls. They spoke about their fight to follow their heart, and compete with the boys (as most girls didn't run) without becoming one.
They spoke about the struggle as little girls who loved to run, and compete while still wanting to fit in and be "normal".
They fought against the double standard in sport between boys and girls, and what that did to them and how the fight against it changed them. Eg. No money given to girl's sports so girl's teams got the old hand-me down basketball jerseys from the boys the year before. Besides sport clothing companies didn't even MAKE jerseys for girls yet.
It made me feel so blessed to grow up in the time when I did, when so many options were available to me because of women like this who wouldn't take "no" for answer. I have had many positive experiences and special opportunities in my life due to sport. I am very appreciative of the women who came before me.
One of the athletes was about 10 years older than me. She spoke about the competitiveness in elite sport and how important it is to keep sportsmanship as a higher goal than winning. She also spoke about overcoming many difficult obstacles that would make most people turn and run. Sometimes when you dig in and refuse to give up, in that moment of pain you can find a part of yourself you never knew existed.
The last two athletes were the same age as I am. One story I really loved because she achieved her dream when she was past her "prime" (21). Her dream was to go to the Olypmics. Everyone told her she was too old, her body wasn't right, and they reminded her of her failure--she had never done it before, why did she think she could do it now? After years of trying to qualify and not succeeding, she kept training harder and going back to try again. She showed the qualifying trial tape from CBC, the commentators didn't even consider her a contender. They didn't even have her in any warm up shots. She gave it her all and she came in first place, the commentator was dumbfounded. Not only did she make it to the Olympics, she went twice!
The final story made me cry. It was a young athlete who had trained hard as a cyclist for years. Her goal was to make it to the Olympics, and she was winning races at events in Canada, Pan-American Games, Commonwealth Games, and the World events. She was getting ever closer to her goal when she started to notice a pain in her left leg. The pain was then followed by numbness. The doctors couldn't figure it out, so they eventually turned to doctors in Europe who diagnosed a rare condition never seen in Canada before which required corrective surgery. Her goal of training for the Olympics went out the window. But she had the most amazing attitude, and has since begun to train in Cross country skiing. I cried when I heard her story, not because she missed the Olympics but because the older women honored her as an Olympian anyway. They said she recognized it was about the journey and what you learn along the way, and not about the destination.
I was also inspired by their stories about the feeling of representing Canada. When they expressed their emotions of wearing the maple leaf, knowing Canada was watching, they wanted more than anything to make their fellow Canadians proud. It is like being an ambassador for Canada in front of the whole world and wanting everyone on the planet to know how much you love your country. One athlete said she felt like she was carrying the entire country on her back in the same moment that they entire country was carrying her, by cheering her on.
What an incredible experience. To feel so connected (even for a moment) to your country would be an amazing experience.
I am so blessed to have been invited, and I feel priveledged to have been in the company of such amazing female role models.
Plus, they had cheesecake!
The other night I had the priviledge of listening to 5 women talk about their experiences in the world of elite sport. It was an event sponsored by CAAWS (Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport). It was for people who work in the area of promotion of sport and physical activity for girls and women. I was lucky enough to be in that category because of my job.
It began with 2 athletes who competed in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. It was inspiring to hear their stories. They both grew up in an era where sport was NOT done by proper girls. They spoke about their fight to follow their heart, and compete with the boys (as most girls didn't run) without becoming one.
They spoke about the struggle as little girls who loved to run, and compete while still wanting to fit in and be "normal".
They fought against the double standard in sport between boys and girls, and what that did to them and how the fight against it changed them. Eg. No money given to girl's sports so girl's teams got the old hand-me down basketball jerseys from the boys the year before. Besides sport clothing companies didn't even MAKE jerseys for girls yet.
It made me feel so blessed to grow up in the time when I did, when so many options were available to me because of women like this who wouldn't take "no" for answer. I have had many positive experiences and special opportunities in my life due to sport. I am very appreciative of the women who came before me.
One of the athletes was about 10 years older than me. She spoke about the competitiveness in elite sport and how important it is to keep sportsmanship as a higher goal than winning. She also spoke about overcoming many difficult obstacles that would make most people turn and run. Sometimes when you dig in and refuse to give up, in that moment of pain you can find a part of yourself you never knew existed.
The last two athletes were the same age as I am. One story I really loved because she achieved her dream when she was past her "prime" (21). Her dream was to go to the Olypmics. Everyone told her she was too old, her body wasn't right, and they reminded her of her failure--she had never done it before, why did she think she could do it now? After years of trying to qualify and not succeeding, she kept training harder and going back to try again. She showed the qualifying trial tape from CBC, the commentators didn't even consider her a contender. They didn't even have her in any warm up shots. She gave it her all and she came in first place, the commentator was dumbfounded. Not only did she make it to the Olympics, she went twice!
The final story made me cry. It was a young athlete who had trained hard as a cyclist for years. Her goal was to make it to the Olympics, and she was winning races at events in Canada, Pan-American Games, Commonwealth Games, and the World events. She was getting ever closer to her goal when she started to notice a pain in her left leg. The pain was then followed by numbness. The doctors couldn't figure it out, so they eventually turned to doctors in Europe who diagnosed a rare condition never seen in Canada before which required corrective surgery. Her goal of training for the Olympics went out the window. But she had the most amazing attitude, and has since begun to train in Cross country skiing. I cried when I heard her story, not because she missed the Olympics but because the older women honored her as an Olympian anyway. They said she recognized it was about the journey and what you learn along the way, and not about the destination.
I was also inspired by their stories about the feeling of representing Canada. When they expressed their emotions of wearing the maple leaf, knowing Canada was watching, they wanted more than anything to make their fellow Canadians proud. It is like being an ambassador for Canada in front of the whole world and wanting everyone on the planet to know how much you love your country. One athlete said she felt like she was carrying the entire country on her back in the same moment that they entire country was carrying her, by cheering her on.
What an incredible experience. To feel so connected (even for a moment) to your country would be an amazing experience.
I am so blessed to have been invited, and I feel priveledged to have been in the company of such amazing female role models.
Plus, they had cheesecake!
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