Making S.M.A.R.T. Goals

This post originally appeared on My Life Is Like A Song on September 17, 2008

Goal-setting is a topic I have been thinking about lately.

I used to set goals when I was younger and worked hard at accomplishing them whether in sports, education or business.

I left my career to become a stay-at-home mom. For the past few years, I have gone day to day, week to week, month to month without any real goals (no yearly performance reviews to think about). If my family was happy, I figured I was doing well.

But now that the kids are older, I have more time to proactively plan my days (rather than reacting to deadlines and demands) but my list of things to do, projects and requests from others is overwhelming.

I started an e-course on goal setting ("Someday My Ship Will Come In)...really looking at what I want and where I want to be. The person who wrote the course (Alex from somedaysyndrome.com) made quite a drastic change in his life. He moved from Toronto to the south of France to fulfill his dream. My dream is not so dramatic, especially since I am pretty happy with my life the way it is. I do have so many things that I would love to accomplish, learn or do. Many of these have been in my head for years and I always thought that "someday" I would get to them.

Isabelle Turcotte-Baird, a motivational speaker came to speak at my mother's group yesterday. Her main topic was goal setting and she talked about how she achieved her goal of competing at the Sydney Olympic Games in the triathlon.



She spoke of making S.M.A.R.T. goals. Our goals should be:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely

I remember making S.M.A.R.T. goals in business, but I haven't really been using that method in my personal life. Her journey was not easy. She had to overcome some obstacles. She had to understand her limitations and work with them. She had a dream and she put a plan in action to fulfill it.

She also told us that our goals will more likely be achieved if they are written down and if they are shared. She also reminded us that we should break our goals down into manageable pieces.

"Someday" has arrived for me. I am evaluating those things I have in my head and either deciding to act on them or deciding that they are not important enough to me so it's time to let them go.

Isabelle's presentation yesterday was good timing for me as I have been thinking about what my goals are. If I can just figure that out, then I can put the wheel in motion to attain them.

A goal without a plan is just a wish.

Olympic Memorable Moments (part two)

Originally published on My Life Is Like A Song on August 26, 2008

Last week I posted my Canadian Memorable Moments. I thought I would watch more on the weekend, but I was away, found out the results and really, my enthusiasm waned (except for Adam van Koeverden's silver medal race which I did watch in its entirety with the interview and medal ceremony). He is an inspiration when he wins and when he doesn't. He was so eloquent in his interviews. He wore his heart on his sleeve. On his website, he said that a great friend told him "Our time in the valleys helps us truly appreciate the views from the mountain tops". If he had been told before the Games that he would come home with a silver medal, he would have been disappointed. Having had a horrendous first race (for him), he truly appreciated the silver medal (even if he would have preferred gold).

I found out he won silver before I saw his race (if I had been home, I might have woken up at 3:30am to watch it live). I felt so sad for him. Then I saw the race. He's leading by a lot. The commentators are saying he's going to win, then the others start catching him (I'm thankful that I know he won't win so I don't get overly excited or disappointed). Then the resuts come up. First to Australia. Second to Great Britain. His shoulders slump. I can see his disappointment (he later says he's scared he won't be on the podium and will want to go and hide somewhere). Then they remove Great Britain and put his name for silver.

His reaction?

(not my photo)

So great to see him happy with silver when the country expected double gold. Also so great to see the country (and media) so happy for him with silver. I will never forget the Toronto Star article written by Jim Proudfoot (I remember his name to this day) when Brian Orser won the silver medal in 1988. I remember him using the word loser (which prompted many letters including one from me). A quick google search found that he labeled it "the ugliest defeat in the history of skating in Canada" - I had forgotten that one. Too bad Orser didn't lose in pairs the day before (or didn't see Kurt Browning not win a medal in 3 Olympics). Kurt would love Brian's silver. And thankfully Canada loves Adam's silver.

So my pre-Olympic favourite athletes: Adam silver, Simon Whitfield silver, Alexandre Despatie silver. Is silver my new favourite colour?

OK, this is supposed to be about my international highlights...so here goes.

Michael Phelps winning 8. The one in particular that sticks out for me was when the French relay team were winning by a lot. I'm watching this thinking the U.S. is going to lose (I mean they are so far behind with less than 25 metres to go) and I think, wow, I can't believe the news highlights aren't mentioning that the dream of 8 is gone (I was watching it recorded and had been on the internet so saw some headlines). As I am thinking that, the U.S. gets closer and closer and I am thinking "No way". I can not believe that the French lost that race. The French anchor (very experienced and did a lot of trash talking before the race) swam too close to the line and basically pulled the American along in his wake. It was difficult to feel sorry for that guy (after his earlier comments).

I have to add that I wrote this last week. On the weekend, relatives from the U.S. were talking about this race and how the Americans came back so brilliantly in this race. I had meant to ask if the U.S. commentators mentioned the French "mistake". The Canadian commentators definitely focused on the French losing rather than the Americans winning. It just reminds me of how different people see different things.

Usain Bolt wins the 100m - smashing Donovan Bailey's 1996 world record by 0.15 seconds while slowing down in the last 10 metres. How fast can this guy really run? Then he breaks the record by 0.02 in the 200m (running all the way this time).

Again, I have to add the American/Canadian point of view. Our Canadian commentators were very pro-Bolt. Donovan Bailey is a mentor/friend of Usain Bolt and he was one of our analysts. If I remember what I heard on the weekend correctly, NBC's coverage focused on Bolt's lack of sportsmanship and focused on his showmanship. Again, interesting to see a different perspective.

The Jamaican women...1-2-2 (yes you read that correctly - gold and two silvers) in the 100m. What a close race. Amazing that such a small country can dominate the sprints like it did.

David Neville diving for the finish line head-first winning the bronze medal for a U.S.A. medal sweep in the 400m track final.

Getting the news from my neighbours that Roger Federer won the men's doubles. I missed most of the tennis this time around. I normally love tennis, but my lack of time meant that I didn't spend hours watching anything (except the triathlon). If Federer had been in the singles battling for a medal, I would have made the time for tennis. Wish I had realized he was battling for a doubles medal. I would have tried to catch some of it.

I understand that these are not the Olympic highlights. They are MY Olympic highlights. There are many sports (and certain days) that I did not watch, so hopefuly you'll share your highlights (and check out my Canadian Memorable Moments post for Eco's highlights in the comments ).

Olympic Memorable Moments (part one)

Originally posted on My Life Is Like A Song on August 22, 2008

I will write about my Canadian moments for now. I am saving up my international highlights for next week.

So here goes:

Carol Huynh (wrestling gold) on the podium - when she put her hand over her mouth - overwhelmed by emotion.

"and the anthem all Canadians have been waiting to hear"

This is one of my most vivid memories of the Olympics.

A hand on the face going from ecstasy to agony.

(not my photo)

When I saw this reaction by Adam van Koeverden this morning, I wanted to cry.  I woke up one morning this week relieved that I had only dreamed that he didn't win a medal in his race (seriously, I did). I thought it was inconceivable for him to not win two medals. I was in shock as I watched him fade at the end of his race. You could feel his pain and dejection as he was interviewed afterwards. He wore his heart on his sleeve especially when he looked in the camera and said "I'm sorry". This is one of the moments in this Olympics that has brought very strong emotions in me. There were such high hopes for him. He was one of our biggest hopes for medals. He knew it. The country knew it. I thought he could win a medal in his sleep (but would have to be awake for gold). Hopefully he puts it behind him and wins gold tomorrow in the 500. I refuse to believe in the flagbearer curse.

Another memorable moment for me was watching the gutsy run by Simon Whitfield in the triathlon. Man, as optomistic as I like to be, I thought he was done (a number of times) but especially when three runners start to pull away from him near the end. The commentator says that Simon had just said the other day that he did not want to be 4th. I'm thinking...ahh man - there isn't even anyone around to pass him so he can be 5th...lol.

Then, I see him throw his hat down. My first reaction is that he's annoyed that he's going to be 4th (has nothing left in the tank) or he's p*$#'d off and decides to go for it...ok, I was a little dramatic - perhaps he always takes his hat off for his final sprint, but that image is ingrained in my brain of seeing him throw his hat. Unfortunately, only those watching in HD could see this. I was recording in non-HD and it's not visible, so I'm glad I watched it live.

So I go from thinking he won't get a medal to thinking he's got it, he's going to win gold, to the final realization that he wins the silver...so moving...so exciting...what a roller coaster ride...definitely a highlight.

To see the video (although not in HD so you don't see him toss his hat) go to http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/ondemand/ You have to scroll to "day 11 triathlon highlights". It's at the 5 minute mark. [video no longer exists]

To add to the triathlon excitement, was to see Colin Jenkins finish the triathlon...jumping up and down like if he was the one who won a medal. What a great teammate. He was instrumental in Simon winning the medal (well, instrumental in ensuring he didn't lose it).

Actually Simon said something very interesting. The choice of Jenkins to the Olympic team was criticized in the media because he wasn't our 3rd fastest. He was chosen to help Simon in the first two legs (by staying near the front and keeping an eye on athletes who would make a charge and run away from the pack and letting Simon know). Then, at the Olympics, the media complains that Canada is not winning enough medals. So should we have sent 3 triathlon athletes to compete individually and none win a medal or should we have sent someone to help our best hope to win a medal?

Ryan Cochrane...winning our only swimming medal in the 1500m when we thought Canada's hopes of a swimming medal were over. Hadn't I read a few days earlier that Mike Brown had been our last hope at a swimming medal (when he finished 4th)?

Donovan Bailey's excitement about Usain Bolt. Can't help but smile when he's talking about him.

Ron McLean explaining that his mother passed away two hours earlier and that he's going home. He spoke so eloquently and my heart went out to him.

Luan Jujie...such an inspiring story of a 50 year old returning to her native China to compete for Canada...her adopted country (and winning one of her matches in fencing).

Ian Millar finally winning a medal in show jumping (after 9 Olympics) only a few months after his wife has passed away.

The determination and sheer grit of the men's 8 in rowing. When they received their gold medals, they showed such passion singing the national anthem (especially Adam Kreek) that Simon Whitfield wrote Sing Like Kreek on the handlebars of his bike.

Later edit: I found the video of O Canada.



Of the Olympics that I have seen, these have been my Canadian memorable moments so far. What about you?

You can read part two here.

Olympic Schedule...Are You Following It?

Originally published on My Life Is Like A Song on August 14, 2008

Is it just me or is the Olympic schedule a bit confusing to follow? I am (normally) an intelligent and resourceful woman, so I don't think it's just me.

There are some events that I am really hoping to catch, but I'm concerned that I will miss them. Perhaps watching in fast forward isn't helping (I'm only half-joking there). I am recording the CBC coverage from 6pm in the evening until noon the next day. That is 18 hours of coverage a day. So, I am finding myself fast forwarding through much of the coverage - in-studio talking, events I'm not interested in or heats for events I am interested in. I have to decide sometimes that life is too short for heats. Give me finals. Who needs to see Michael Phelps having a leisurely swim (especially when he has 8 races with 3 heats/finals each).

The other issue is actually a great thing, that I would have loved at past Olympics but this time, is not helping me. I believe that the majority ofl events are being covered by CBC and its affiliates. You want to see a whole basketball/baseball/soccer game? Then TSN has you covered (they are showing the longer lasting events). You like horse jumping/dressage or sailing? Then change the channel to "Bold" (digital channel) and it's covered. You want to see badminton, table tennis or fencing? Then head online to cbc.ca and it's covered on one of its 9 online channels. If there's an event going on, I believe that it is being covered.

The only problem with it this time around is that the events are broadcast live. So, if you want to see the event, you have to be at your computer in the middle of the night. There are not many "on demand" features. They do have some videos of some races, but nothing really substantial. A few minutes here ... an interview there...

I would have loved to have seen the Federer/Blake tennis match (two of my current favourites). It was on CBC online last night and probably shown on TSN. To be honest, I didn't know they were playing each other. There's too much to follow, that tennis fell off my radar (I'm so used to those 2 week tournaments that I didn't realize how fast this one was happening).

So, I am giving myself a challenge and that is to figure out the schedule for the next few days because I'm going away, so if CBC is not going to give me what I don't want to miss, perhaps I should record TSN or Bold.

In the past, I have managed to get my hands on a schedule which showed when events were happening...for example, the 100m men's race is on this date at this time...and will be showed at this time (if it's not live).

I didn't find one of these yet...nothing comprehensive and easy.

TSN have an Olympic schedule which shows when events are being held (red) and when medals are being awarded (in yellow)

This helps a bit for those sports where I'm only interested in medal rounds. TSN.ca and cbc.ca have daily schedules but they don't necessarily have specific times for events. They tell you what they will be showing in 3 or 6 hour segments.

For example if I want to record on more than one station, it could be helpful to know which hour what event is being held at, so I don't have to record 18 hours on two channels. CBC have shown some of the times but it's not comprehensive and specific enough.

OK, hope you don't mind my live research blogging. I have found a schedule on the official Olympic website. You can click on any sport and get a detailed listing of events and times. So now I know WHEN events are being held. I'm not guaranteed that it's when my broadcasters will show them, but at least it gives me an idea.

For example, here's what I want to record:

Athletics 100m Final men: Saturday August 16th 22:30 Beijing time which means 10:30 am on Sunday EST (semi-finals are two hours earlier)
Athletics 100m Final women: same time as the men's but on Sunday in Beijing (Monday here)

Diving 3 m springboard: Tuesday August 19th 20:30 in Beijing (Wednesday at 8:30am). This is one of Canada's medal hopes - Alexandre Despatie...hopefully his broken foot is completely healed and he's had enough preparation time.

Rowing is another sport where we have medal hopes. The medal events are being held Monday morning (after 3am) in Eastern Canada.

Let's not forget our flag-bearer - Adam van Koeverden. The kayak medal races are being held next Friday and Saturday.

Simon Whitfield is racing in the triathlon on Monday 10pm EST. Wouldn't it be great if he could win a medal after his amazing gold in Sydney.

The men's tennis final is on Sunday at 16:00 (Beijing) so Monday 4:00am EST. This will be shown on TSN. The women are a day earlier - possibly later unless 4 matches are played at the same time.

The NBC schedule seems to be similar with different stations showing different sports at different times. Their schedule is interesting because it does show it graphically by channel and by sport.

Well, I'm exhausted. I won't be able to catch everything I want with the schedule I have this summer. So I'll stick to my favourites. Try to catch those and hope they're televised when I record. Hope the schedules I have posted help you find some of your favourite events.

I am posting this without proper editing because I need to go get packed (so I apologize if it's not too clear). I am leaving in the morning for 4 days. Maybe next week I'll have more time to explore more coverage.

Unless I get great inspiration before I go or blog from the BlackBerry, this is it until next week. Have a great weekend.

Is Winning Everything?

Originally published on My Life Is Like A Song on August 13, 2008

I am hearing and reading more and more from journalists/bloggers that Canada should stop sending athletes if they are not medal threats.

Seriously?

How does someone decide if you are a medal threat or not? Who would make that decision?

Winning Olympic medals does not always happen overnight. Sometimes, athletes gain experience from attending and end up winning at the next Olympics. Sometimes, attending the Olympic games is the achievement...just getting there against all odds is enough.

Our swimmers may not win medals this time around, but are their track records that much worse than Curtis Myden or Mark Tewksbury were? I remember Mark's gold medal win being a big surprise - perhaps it wasn't. Curtis Myden's only World Championship medals were in 1995 (he won two bronze medals at the 1996 Olympics). Should we not have sent him in 2000 as he wasn't as big of a threat then. He won the bronze medal in the 400m IM. Or should we not have sent him in 1992 when he didn't win a medal? Perhaps that experience got him ready for his two medals in 1996 and his 3rd in 2000.

One of the biggest stories of these Olympic Games for the Canadians and for the Chinese has been Jujie Luan. She was not a medal threat, but her story is so inspiring. In 1984, she won the gold medal in fencing for China (it's first and only gold in fencing). She moved to Canada in 1989. When she learned that China would be hosting the Olympics, she came out of retirement with the dream of qualifying for the Olympics. What a lesson to teach to your children. You can do anything you set your mind to! She is 50 years old and has 3 children.

She is a sports hero in China (they are saying even bigger than Yao Ming). She was on the front page of the newspapers over there on the first day of the Olympics. Now (personally) I don't understand why she is a national hero in China. They have so many gold medallists but perhaps it was because this was a sport that they weren't known for (just speculating). Linda Thom won a gold medal for Canada in shooting in 1984. Do you remember her? If she was coming back to Canada to compete in 2010 as a 50 year old, would she be treated like a national hero? I don't think so (nothing personal to Linda - at least I did remember her). Different countries...different mentalities. All I'm saying is what a great story and how inspiring. She makes me feel young.

Should we not send Ian Millar? He is participating in his 9th Olympic Summer Games. This ties the international record. He is 60+ years old. He is not a medal contender, but he is the best our country has. He has and will do us proud.

[update: Ian Millar anchored his team to a first place standing. He completed a faultless run that led to a jump-off for gold. Canada won the silver, so I repeat, should he have stayed home?]

I think these journalists and bloggers need to understand that the Olympics is not just about winning...yes, I would love for us to already have some medals - don't get me wrong...but the Olympics is also about personal struggles, dreams and disappointments. It's about trying to be the best that you can be. It's about sportsmanship. It's about the countries in the world coming together as one...as friends to compete and see who can win (do you have tears in your eyes yet? I can keep going if you don't).

Who will forget (and if you did, I'll remind you) when Sara Renner broke her pole in a cross-country skiing race at the Olympics in 2006. A Norwegian coach gave her a replacement and she (along with her partner) went on to win the silver medal. These are great lessons for our kids to see. People helping people no matter where they're from.

If it was just about winning medals, the poorer countries may as well stay home as well. They can't afford the new technologically advanced equipment. A friend of mine shared this article about the advances in technology. Canada could be considered one of these poorer countries. Our citizens and our government don't want to spend as much as other countries so that we are best represented.

David Ford is a 40+ year old kayaker. He lost his funding because Canada decided he wasn't a medal threat (see? we do it already) because he was too old. Yesterday, he officially came in 6th (there was some controversy about a penalty he received that was unproven - without the penalty he was 4th). What could he have done if he had proper funding? He wasn't able to attend the last training camp in Beijing because he didn't have the money to go. The five athletes who finished ahead of him did go (even the guy from Togo - is that a richer country?)

Sometimes, sports just sucks. There are some medal contenders who have never won an Olympic medal. Kurt Browning comes to mind. Dan Jensen (American speed skater) also does. He was world champion and did not medal in 1998 or in 1992. At his last race in 1994, he finally won a gold medal, but really, on paper, he should have won so many more.

That's the great thing about sports. Anything can happen if you peak at the right time, have done the right preparations and have luck on your side (ok, perhaps worth another blog about how few surprises there are these days compared to in the past).

We have only won 3 gold medals in each of the past 3 Olympics. We are only 5 days into the Games. We have never started out strongly. Every Olympics, this is how the discussion goes. How poorly we are doing. I'm not saying that we are definitely going to do better this time around. What I am saying is that at day 5 in the past, we haven't necessarily been doing much better.

Curtis Myden was the first male athlete to win a medal in 1996 (I remember because my husband and I were struggling to name our unborn son...so we joked that we would choose the name of the first gold medallist (which we changed to medallist when he won)). So not sure if there was a female medallist before him. He won a bronze on July 25th. The opening ceremonies were on the 19th. According to my calculations, that is on day 6. In 1996, we ended up winning 22 medals. Second only to our result at the boycotted 1984 games.

So I say, relax people!!! Wait until the games are over, then give your critical evaluations if we don't perform up to par.

We have 10% of the U.S. population (I'm using the U.S. as an example because we have similar cultures - but imagine if I compare us to China's population). Does it not make sense that we should have 10% of their medal count? At the last Olympics, U.S. had 102. Canada had 12. They have 29 now, so yes, ideally we should have 3...but let's wait until the Games are over before we do the final comparison. Let's not forget that we also have a shorter summer. So obviously countries like Australia (who love their sport and spend more than we do - and have a longer summer) do better.

If we start trying to decide who to send and who not to send, choosing our representatives will become like a judged event. Do we take our budget and bestow it only on our medal contenders? We will be putting all our eggs in one basket and what if this person decides he/she doesn't want to do it anymore? Who will be there to take over? Should we not spend on our younger athletes as well?

To me, the Olympics is an experience that should be enjoyed by the best athletes in our country. They should grow old with the knowledge that they were the best in the country and represented our country against the best in the world. That is what sport is about...competing...having the dream to win...training as hard as you can...giving it your all.

If you don't compete, you can't win. And don't forget...winning isn't everything.

Are We There To Win Or Represent?

Originally published on My Life Is Like A Song on August 13, 2008

PJmixer had a good comment on my pre-Olympics post that I felt justified more than a comment response.

While talking about medal predictions, he wondered whether as "true Canucks (or maybe even Brits) are we just happy to compete?"

Thanks for bringing that point up. It's a very valid point and I think there isn't an easy answer.

A few years ago, Canada changed their Olympic standards. So although our top Canadian meets the Olympic standards (and if they were the best of a different country, they would qualify for the Olympics) Canada has stricter standards and choose to not send our athlete. This is the case in the marathon at these Olympics. We have at least two men and one woman (Gitah Macharia, Matthew McInnes and Tara Quinn-Smith) who met the Olympic standard but will be staying home.

Canada's reasons are that they want to spend their resources on athletes that have a chance of finishing in the top half of the field. If every country followed this reasoning, there would be no bottom half of a field.

Every athlete's dream is to compete at the Olympics. It must be heartbreaking to be the best in your country, to best the Olympic standard and be denied the chance to compete.

There is a fine line between the best in your country and the Eddy the Eagle/Jamaican bobsled team who may be the few who attempt the sport in their countries (and perhaps didn't really train for years for that moment). These stories capture the imagination of the public and are worthy for their own reasons.

When I was younger, I qualified for the All-Ontario championships in the 3000m. I remember having to reach the Ontario standard (which I didn't in the qualifying race). After that meet, I trained even harder to get that time and did reach it.

It was my first All-Ontario competition. I was not prepared mentally for it. I didn't perform close to my best time. There was a thunderstorm and I used that as an excuse. I was lapped, but I finished it. In hindsight, I was probably shocked and discouraged to see the pace of the other competitors (back home I was one of the fast ones, now I was one of the slow ones). Coming from small town Northern Ontario down to Burlington was quite an experience. I'm sure it allowed me to dream about my future even if I didn't get the result I would have hoped for. I later competed in All-Ontario Championships in volleyball and badminton. Again, I never came close to winning (the last time I was extremely close to beating the eventual semi-finalist-4th seed), but those experiences made me the person that I am today (ok, maybe that's not a great thing..lol).

So what if my hometown had decided that I wasn't going to be in the top half of the field so they weren't going to send me? That last year, I went to OFSAA with the goal of winning. I thought I had a realistic shot (I ran into the girl who beat me a few months later at University - she recognized me on campus (so I guess I made an impression) and she tried to recruit me for the university team. She told me I was her hardest match until she lost her semi.)

If I had never left Northern Ontario, I would have never found out how much better I would need to be to reach the national level. I didn't have it in me to reach that level, but others from my hometown have.

One of my favourite motivational speakers Vince Poscente has a great story. When he was younger, he had a friend ask him if he wanted to go luging at Lake Placid. While there they met the Canadian luge team. They dreamed of being on the Canadian team. Many years later, the Olympics are in his hometown in Calgary. He's in the stands for the opening ceremonies. He tells the story of watching the Canadian team entering the stadium. The crowd goes nuts. He says the noise in his head went silent as he watched his buddy walk in with the Canadian team. His friend followed his dream, trained hard and made the Canadian luge team.

Vince was 26 years old at the time and he decided that he wanted to compete in the Olympics. The next Olympics were in France. Speed skiing was a demonstration sport. Vince was a recreational skier, but he had a dream. The way he tells the story is that he did what his competitors were not willing to do. That's how you get ahead (in business - as he now addresses the business world).

To make a long story short (and if you ever have the chance to hear him tell the story live, it is definitely worth it) he made the final round and had been faster than the others going into the last run. As I was listening to him tell the story (and he showed the video), I remembered it. I came home and checked my old videotapes. There it was. Not in the middle of an episode. I started recording as his turn was coming up. I was watching it live and remembered being so excited (more than 10 years later, I still had it on tape). Unfortunately, he caught an edge and did not win.

He continues the story by saying how depressed he was afterwards, until he overheard his dad on the phone telling a friend: "those Olympics Games were the greatest experience of my entire life. I'm so proud of my kid". He was proud not because of the result but because of the "journey of integrity" that it took to get there. To be able to strive to that excellence. It's the path we take to get there.

I can understand the importance of results. Countries spend a lot of money sending athletes, coaches and officials to the Olympics. We have more important issues that perhaps our money should be spent on. But the Olympics represents dreams, passion, dedication and compassion. It brings a country together with our hopes, our disappointments and our triumphs.

So although my country doesn't think that our country's best are worthy of going to the Olympic games, I disagree. I don't think that it's only about winning. It's about being the best that you can be and representing your country and that's the best that our country has at that time in that sport. Who knows how much better we can be for the next Olympics. Leaving our athletes at home doesn't help our chances next time.

(sidenote: I wrote this post last Friday before the competition began- in my next post I will comment on the media questions surrounding our lack of medals so far)

Olympics Opening Ceremonies

Originally published on My Life Is Like A Song on August 9, 2008

If you read my pre-Olympic thoughts, you will know that I wasn't that excited about the Olympics starting. After writing it, I did look at the schedule a bit, read about my favourites (and my event favourites) and scheduled my PVR for the Opening Ceremonies.

Now, I'm not sure if it's because of the PVR (where you can start watching before it ends recording - not like VCRs where I would have had to wait), but when the 5 kids (including sleepover kids) were up and watching the ceremonies, I didn't rush down (like I would have in the past).

I really only sat down to watch it when the athletes starting entering. Seeing the joy in their faces made me forget all my negativity from the previous day. This is what the Olympics is all about (for me). Sport. Seeing those small countries with just a few athletes, living their dream with less resources than are available to the bigger countries is so inspiring and watching my favourite countries enter was exciting.

The highlight for me definitely has to be when the Canadians walked in (isn't it every time?). I loved Adam van Koeverden as our flag bearer. I loved his enthusiasm. I loved the way he was waving the flag like if it was much smaller and lighter (as opposed to many flag bearers who let it sit in the holster). The mother in me was thinking - don't injure yourself - but as a viewer, I loved it.

Another highlight for me was the American flag bearer. Unlike many of the other countries with professional athlete flagbearers (Roger Federer for Switzerland, Dirk Nowitski for Germany, Yao Ming for China), the U.S. could have chosen a very well known professional or amateur athlete (Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Williams sisters, Michael Phelps, Tyson Gay).

Instead they chose Lopez Lomong who will run in the 1500m. In 1991 (at the age of 6) he escaped Sudan with his family. After 3 days of running in the African wilderness to escape, he became separated from his family. He lived in a refugee camp for 10 years as one of the "lost boys of Sudan". In 2001 he wrote an essay about what he would strive to accomplish if he lived in the U.S. and was given that chance. He became a U.S. citizen last year and is now their flag bearer. Now that's a Cinderella story (more Cinderella stories to come on future posts).

Part of the opening ceremonies is seeing what the teams are wearing. Green really stood out for me, not a beautiful green but a vibrant bright sometimes neon green. You couldn't miss the teams from Lithuania, Iran and Turkmenistan.

The brightest team that I saw though was Estonia. Some athletes/officials came out in bright yellow/green, others in bright orange or blue. There weren't many of them, but they weren't lost in the crowd.

Hungary had the outfits I feared for Canada with what looked like red polka dots (more splashes than dots) on white.

The Canadian outfits were good (not as bad or loud as I feared). They wore white pants or skirts.

I especially loved the maple leaf design on the back - the leaf being in white and the red at the top outlining it.

I loved the soccer/football scarves of Angola and Portugal.

OK, this is getting way too long, so I'll stop there with the fashion.

I almost panicked when CBC missed Great Britain walking in during a commercial (and they were talking to a Canadian as the rest of the team was walking in - with two screens). Luckily, they replayed the whole team coming in a few minutes later - otherwise, they would have received a letter from me (perhaps others were quicker which was the reason they went back).

After seeing the athletes walk in and being more excited, I did end up watching the beginning. I was very pleasantly surprised. As much as I am not a fan of the Chinese regime, I was awe-struck by the synchronization and the precision of the performers (especially the drummers at the beginning and the 2008 Tai Chi performers - all in perfect symmetry). It was also quite simple yet incredible. I had gotten kind of tired of the over-the-top theatrics of past ceremonies. This was quite refreshing.

Unfortunately, part of the excitement for me most years is wondering who will carry the torch and who will light the flame. Not knowing any Chinese athletes, this excitement was missing, but it was done in a simple, yet unusual way which made in interesting. I also had to pay better attention at the countries coming in since they didn't do it in traditional alphabetical order. I didn't want to walk away in case I missed one of my favourites.

Naomi Klein said: "when the opening ceremonies begin friday, you will instantly forget all that unpleasantness as your brain is zapped by the cultural/athletic/political extravaganza that is the Beijing Olympics." (thanks for the link Kelly).

I have not forgotten, but for a few hours, I did enjoy the Olympics. I concentrated on the athletes and will try to continue to do so during the next two weeks. With the Chinese dominance that I am expecting, it will be difficult to forget how they get to excel. As a mother I will wonder about the lives these athletes lead and their families.

I will be thankful for my Canadian athletes who perhaps will not win as many medals, but who have and will enjoy the freedom to do what they choose.

Olympics Opening Ceremonies

If you read my pre-Olympic thoughts, you will know that I wasn't that excited about the Olympics starting. After writing it, I did look at the schedule a bit, read about my favourites (and my event favourites) and scheduled my PVR for the Opening Ceremonies.

Now, I'm not sure if it's because of the PVR (where you can start watching before it ends recording - not like VCRs where I would have had to wait), but when the 5 kids (including sleepover kids) were up and watching the ceremonies, I didn't rush down (like I would have in the past).

I really only sat down to watch it when the athletes starting entering. Seeing the joy in their faces made me forget all my negativity from the previous day. This is what the Olympics is all about (for me). Sport. Seeing those small countries with just a few athletes, living their dream with less resources than are available to the bigger countries is so inspiring and watching my favourite countries enter was exciting.

The highlight for me definitely has to be when the Canadians walked in (isn't it every time?). I loved Adam van Koeverden as our flag bearer. I loved his enthusiasm. I loved the way he was waving the flag like if it was much smaller and lighter (as opposed to many flag bearers who let it sit in the holster). The mother in me was thinking - don't injure yourself - but as a viewer, I loved it.

(Photos are not mine)

Another highlight for me was the American flag bearer. Unlike many of the other countries with professional athlete flagbearers (Roger Federer for Switzerland, Dirk Nowitski for Germany, Yao Ming for China), the U.S. could have chosen a very well known professional or amateur athlete (Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Williams sisters, Michael Phelps, Tyson Gay).

Happy Birthday, Roger!

Instead they chose Lopez Lomong who will run in the 1500m. In 1991 (at the age of 6) he escaped Sudan with his family. After 3 days of running in the African wilderness to escape, he became separated from his family. He lived in a refugee camp for 10 years as one of the "lost boys of Sudan". In 2001 he wrote an essay about what he would strive to accomplish if he lived in the U.S. and was given that chance. He became a U.S. citizen last year and is now their flag bearer. Now that's a Cinderella story (more Cinderella stories to come on future posts).

Part of the opening ceremonies is seeing what the teams are wearing. Green really stood out for me, not a beautiful green but a vibrant bright sometimes neon green. You couldn't miss the teams from Lithuania, Iran and Turkmenistan.

The brightest team that I saw though was Estonia. Some athletes/officials came out in bright yellow/green, others in bright orange or blue. There weren't many of them, but they weren't lost in the crowd. Wish I had a photo, but I can't take more time looking.

Hungary had the outfits I feared for Canada.

The Canadian outfits were good (not as bad or loud as I feared).

I especially loved the maple leaf design on the back (hard to see from this photo) - the leaf being in white and the red at the top outlining it.

I loved the soccer/football scarves of Angola and Portugal.

Not sure what France was thinking with the red "belts" on the women's outfits.

OK, this is getting way too long, so I'll stop there with the fashion.

I almost panicked when CBC missed Great Britain walking in during a commercial (and they were talking to a Canadian as the rest of the team was walking in - with two screens). Luckily, they replayed the whole team coming in a few minutes later - otherwise, they would have received a letter from me (perhaps others were quicker which was the reason they went back).

After seeing the athletes walk in and being more excited, I did end up watching the beginning. I was very pleasantly surprised. As much as I am not a fan of the Chinese regime, I was awe-struck by the synchronization and the precision of the performers (especially the drummers at the beginning and the 2008 Tai Chi performers - all in perfect symmetry). It was also quite simple yet incredible. I had gotten kind of tired of the over-the-top theatrics of past ceremonies. This was quite refreshing.

Unfortunately, part of the excitement for me most years is wondering who will carry the torch and who will light the flame. Not knowing any Chinese athletes, this excitement was missing, but it was done in a simple, yet unusual way which made in interesting. I also had to pay better attention at the countries coming in since they didn't do it in traditional alphabetical order. I didn't want to walk away in case I missed one of my favourites.

Naomi Klein said: "when the opening ceremonies begin friday, you will instantly forget all that unpleasantness as your brain is zapped by the cultural/athletic/political extravaganza that is the Beijing Olympics." (thanks for the link Kelly).

I have not forgotten, but for a few hours, I did enjoy the Olympics. I concentrated on the athletes and will try to continue to do so during the next two weeks. With the Chinese dominance that I am expecting, it will be difficult to forget how they get to excel. As a mother I will wonder about the lives these athletes lead and their families.

I will be thankful for my Canadian athletes who perhaps will not win as many medals, but who have and will enjoy the freedom to do what they choose.

Pre-Olympic Thoughts

Originally published on My Life Is Like A Song on August 7, 2008

The Olympics are starting Friday. In the past, I have (almost) been counting down the days. I have studied the television schedule. I have checked out my favourite events and can't wait for the opening ceremonies. So this time why am I not excited?

I will start by saying that the following thoughts are how I feel. My arguments are not necessarily all rational or accurate.

I think part of my lack of enthusiasm for these Olympics started when Beijing were awarded the games in the first place. My city also had a bid, so part of the reason is that they won over us, but it's not that simple (we also lost to Atlanta for the 1996 Olympics and I was excited about those). The time difference is also a factor (but I was excited about Sydney).

I sometimes live in a rose-coloured world. I (like to) believe that good wins out in the end. I (want to) believe that the Olympics is an event where the best (on the day) wins the gold medal. Yes there are upsets. The favourites have a bad day. There are Cinderella stories, but in the end I (want to) believe that those who have trained hard and believe in themselves put themselves in the position to excel on that day.

Unfortunately, as I grew older, I have learned that this is not the case. Did it start with Ben Johnson? I could not believe the news when I heard of his positive drug test at the 1988 Olympics. There had always been rumours about how East Germany and Russia managed to cheat to win the medals they did, but nothing ever substantiated - well nothing as huge as a Canadian getting caught (in a Canadian's eyes).

So drugs in sports has dampened my excitement for the Olympics.

The other thing that has dampened my excitement is politics. After Beijing won the Olympics I didn't trust Juan Antonio Samarach (IOC President). I didn't believe that he was doing what was best for the Olympics or the athletes. I believed the rumours that China did not win the bid honestly.

My trust for Mr. Samarach decreased even more six months later during the figure skating judging controversy in 2002 (and how it was handled afterwards).

My favourite athlete at the Olympics (Alexandre Despatie) will be competing in a judged competition (diving) against Chinese athletes... in China. The cards are stacked against him. His broken foot a couple of months ago are not helping his chances. I want to believe that the event will be judged fairly but past experiences tell me that this may not be the case.

I also can not get excited about a country who would take young children who have the physical attribute for a sport away from their family to train whether they like it or not (whether they love the sport or not). I have also read about the government forcing top athletes to procreate in order to manufacture superstar athletes. Whether these stories are true or not, these are thoughts that remain in my head.

I am also quite suspicious of the surprising results by the Chinese in the past decade in sports where they had not been competitive in the past. Perhaps the above tactics are what have made these changes come about (as well as increased spending - but don't they have more important issues to support?). If the stories are true, I guess it works, but is Olympic success more important than the happiness of your citizens? I guess coming from a democratic country, it's difficult to understand the communist ways.

I had hoped that with China hosting the Olympics, things were going to improve with regards to human rights and citizens rights (I perhaps could have gotten excited if I had seen this), but unfortunately that does not seem to be the case. My opinion of China did not improve with the Made in China fiasco of kids toys and reading about sweat shops. I don't believe that this is completely caused by China. North American consumers are demanding (and loving) lower prices which is causing companies to make their products cheaper in places like China.

Another thing with these Olympics which has annoyed me is the Canadian Olympic gear. I normally love seeing what the athletes will wear. I loved when Roots did the outfits. This year I am dreading to see what the athletes will be wearing when they march out during the opening ceremonies (or medal ceremonies) after seeing the horrendous pyjama looking outfits HBC released.



I also read that the gear is made in China.

Remember when we (Roots) were the envy of the Olympic gear world?

I apologize for the negativity of this post. I can't always be cheery and hopeful. It's not as well written as I would like, but I'll leave it like that so that I can go spend some time looking at the upcoming Olympics schedule...see when my favourite athletes are competing and when my favourite events are on. Hopefully my pessimism will leave me by tomorrow, my love of sport will prevail and I will be happily saying...Let the games begin!!