For four days we stayed on the northern edge of Vancouver's city center. Overlooking the water and Stanley Park towards North Vancouver and the mountains. I'm completely reminded of why I fell in love with this city at our training camp last July. It's an outdoor enthusiasts playground with all the benefits of the big city.
Johann Koss (long track speed skater) - the strength of the team
Johann got to compete at a home Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994. The (small in numbers) Norwegian speed skating team was out to prove that they could beat the ever powerful Dutch team. His comical story-telling was entertaining and inspiring as he took us back to his Olympic journey and the winning theories behind his triple gold Olympic performances. One message which stood out in my mind was about building a strong team, even though speed skating is an individual sport. Their entire team bought into the theory that if you work hard to make sure your teammates are strong - your entire team is then ensuring that you are as strong as you can be. Selfless and productive.
Adam van Koeverden (kayaker) - dealing with stress
After winning gold and bronze in kayak events in Athens, somewhat unexpectedly, Adam was back in Beijing to attempt a repeat. His 1000m event was supposed to be his strongest event. He came up short, falling back to 7th after leading the race. He can't explain why entirely, but his television interview following the race was direct, honest and quite refreshing following such a disappointing race.
He still had the 500m event to race the next day. He had to forget his past performance and start to prepare for his next opportunity. Which he did, and sussessfully so - as he pulled off a silver medal performace just 24 hours later.
Mixed in with the presentations by these powerful speakers were some motivational videos as well as some time to mingle with athletes and coaches from the other sports. A great weekend which brought the Olympic spirit a little closer home.
JC
The Canadian Olympic Committee also brought in some fantastic speakers to motivate and prepare us for the upcoming home Olympics. Through personal stories of victory, defeat, overcoming all odds and coming together as a team, they taught us about what it takes and what it means to be Olympians.
Sylvie Frechette (synchronized swimmer)- Dealing with the unexpected
Sylvie was an amazing speaker. She spoke to the crowd with real passion and emotion. Goose bumps and tears? Check. Her tale of Olympic success was truly a journey of unexpected events. Starting with the suicide of her fiance just 4 days before leaving for Barcelona in 1992, her Olympic experience almost never got rolling. But it did get rolling and she did compete. Her reason? "I'm still alive." Simple. The most powerful lesson anyone can take from her story can be summed up in those three words. If you're alive, then live.
Her story was full of road bumps and barriers to success. Full of tough decisions and chances to quit. She worked her way through them all and found herself facing another unexpected loss. A judging error in her first event meant she had no chance of winning gold. Her Olympic dream of being on top of the podium was over and she still had to compete in her final event. So what did she do? She performed the best event of her life and showed the world of her gold medal potential - and finished second. She left the water knowing she did what she had to do. She lived again. Fortunately, 19 months after competing in Barcelona, the error was corrected and she was awarded her gold medal. A symbol of her true achievement.
Ray Zahab (ultra-marathoner) - Finish what you start
Ray is truly 'high energy.' He gets on stage and takes over the room with his personality and energy to the point where it's tough to look away. A former couch potato-smoker turned ultra-marathoner. Really? Yup. Ray decided at age 30 he's done living a life that's going nowhere when he read a poster for an ultra-marathon across the arctic. He enters the race, his first ever ultra-marathon and wins! The start of many ultra-marathon events and extreme challenges. He crossed the antarctic the fastest to reach the south pole, all-the-while communicating with kids learning about his journey via the internet. He has also crossed the entire Sahara desert to raise awareness for the water crisis with the help of Hollywood star Matt Damon. Talk about zero to hero. 111 days in a row, no days off, averaging close to 70 kilometers a day through the desert. Ray was an example of living the "never quit" attitude.
Johann Koss (long track speed skater) - the strength of the team
Johann got to compete at a home Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994. The (small in numbers) Norwegian speed skating team was out to prove that they could beat the ever powerful Dutch team. His comical story-telling was entertaining and inspiring as he took us back to his Olympic journey and the winning theories behind his triple gold Olympic performances. One message which stood out in my mind was about building a strong team, even though speed skating is an individual sport. Their entire team bought into the theory that if you work hard to make sure your teammates are strong - your entire team is then ensuring that you are as strong as you can be. Selfless and productive.
Adam van Koeverden (kayaker) - dealing with stress
After winning gold and bronze in kayak events in Athens, somewhat unexpectedly, Adam was back in Beijing to attempt a repeat. His 1000m event was supposed to be his strongest event. He came up short, falling back to 7th after leading the race. He can't explain why entirely, but his television interview following the race was direct, honest and quite refreshing following such a disappointing race.
He still had the 500m event to race the next day. He had to forget his past performance and start to prepare for his next opportunity. Which he did, and sussessfully so - as he pulled off a silver medal performace just 24 hours later.
Mixed in with the presentations by these powerful speakers were some motivational videos as well as some time to mingle with athletes and coaches from the other sports. A great weekend which brought the Olympic spirit a little closer home.
JC
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