"The Olympics Is Every Single Day"

Adam van Koeverden wrote an article for The Toronto Star: "Remembering Randy Starkman". You can read the full article here.

I love his quote:

"Randy lived by the same motto as the rest of us. The Olympics isn't every four years, it's every single day. He just got it."

This is why I had started this blog. I wanted to write about the Olympics, not only during the Olympics. I wanted to follow the athletes' results and training between the Olympics. I wanted to know the athletes before the Opening Ceremonies. I wanted to cheer and cry with them when they achieved their dreams or when they didn't. I wanted to recognize the amazing 20th finish from an athlete achieving their personal best, not just the gold medals.

Randy Starkman gave me that with his blog. Although I may not have written as much as I would like, I have followed the athletes through his writing and tweets as well as through the athletes' blogs and tweets. Randy helped me find the athletes on Twitter and their blogs.

I wonder who will pick up the baton that has now been dropped. Who will be the amateur athletes' voice? Who will make sure that we hear their stories? Who will the athletes trust with their stories?

I wish I was worthy, but I am not a writer. I loved the quote in the movie Contagion:

"Blogging is not writing, it's graffiti with punctuation"

So although I am not a "writer", I AM passionate about the Olympics and our athletes.

There is 101 days to go until the 2012 London Olympics. I will write as much as I can leading up to the Olympics. I hope that those interested in our athletes and the Olympics will find my blog and enjoy my posts until Randy's baton is picked up.

RIP Randy Starkman

I am shocked and saddened to hear of Randy Starkman's passing today. He was my favourite sportswriter. He wrote about the Olympics for The Toronto Star.

I started this blog just under a year ago. I love the Olympics and wanted to write about it more without overwhelming my personal blog so I thought that this space could give me that avenue.

I have not written as much as I initially thought I would. There are numerous reasons for this, one of which is that Randy Starkman often gave me what I wanted to research and write about. I loved reading his Olympic blog and athlete profiles. Randy Starkman is the writer I wish I was. He wrote about amateur athletes and the Olympics. He attended twelve Olympic Games. His articles were the ones I loved most.

When my son was in Grade 5 (2006-2007), he participated in a Flat Stanley project. One of my favourite memories of Randy Starkman was of him taking a Flat Stanley to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics (like he had done in 2006). He took a Flat Stanley from my son's teacher's class. It must have been so great to be in her class that year and read about Flat Stanley's Olympics experience when he returned. You can read his pre-Olympic blog post here (link is now broken :-( ). I would have loved to have been a "Flat Stanley" and get the chance to experience the Olympics through Randy's eyes.

Adam van Koeverden wrote a blog post today about Randy. You can read it here. In it he says that Randy encouraged him to write more. I never met Randy, but I would like to think that if we had met and he could have seen my passion for the Olympics, he would have encouraged me to write more.

I am sad that my RSS feed to his blog will forever be quiet, but I will remember the impact he had on amateur sports in Canada and will hopefully use this memory to motivate myself to follow his lead and write more.

Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials

The Olympic Swimming Trials were held last week in Montreal at the 1976 Olympic Pool and broadcast every evening on Sportsnet.

If I thought I am emotional at the Olympic Games, that is nothing compared to the emotions of the swimming trials where one race determines your destiny.

Unlike in other sports where there are sometimes multiple chances to beat the Olympic qualifying times in order to qualify, these trials meant win the race and go to the Olympics (or be second and faster than the qualifying time). There were a few exceptions where swimmers had pre-qualified according to their placement at the World Championships lat year but overall, it was an emotional meet.

For me, these trials were heart-warming and heart-wrenching. There were some broken dreams with athletes who were expected to qualify and even compete for a medal at the Olympics who didn't perform on the day.

One of those was Annamay Pierse who held the World Record in the 200m breaststroke, but ended a disappointing 5th after struggling with illnesses in the past couple of years that hurt her training efforts. Two of her teammates qualified under the qualifying time to punch their tickets to London. It was difficult not to be excited for 18 year old Tera Van Beilen who won the race (as well as the 100m breaststroke) and Martha McCabe who qualified in 2nd and dreamed of going to the Olympics since the days of the "McCabe Olympics" held at their family's cottage.

There was heartbreak for Mike Brown who missed a medal at the 2008 Olympics by 9/100th of a second. After the 2010 Olympics, he decided to make a comeback and attempt to redeem himself at the 2012 Olympics. That dream died when he finished 4th in his race.

There was redemption for Scott Dickens who qualified in the 100m breaststroke after failing to make the team in 2008.

We did get some expected results with Julia Wilkinson, Brent Hayden and Ryan Cochrane winning their races and representing Canada once again.

It was especially exciting when the judge would put up four fingers meaning that we had qualified a relay team. The race would end with the winner knowing she was going to the Olympics, but when those four fingers went up, celebration erupted in the pool and in the crowd.

The best moment of the trials for me was the moment when Heather McLean qualified in the 4x100m freestyle relay after finishing third. Her younger sister had already qualified in the 400m freestyle and the 4x200m freestyle relay. In her last race of the week, Heather joined her sister on the team to London. It was impossible to keep a dry eye watching the two sisters hugging and celebrating after the race.

This week was an emotional roller coaster. It really reminded me that the Olympic Games is not only about the medals, but about the journey to get there. For some of these athletes, walking into the Opening Ceremonies and getting to race at the Olympics is the dream. Hopefully they're now dreaming bigger, training hard and quoting Mark Tewksbury saying to themselves "Why Not Me?" (Read the full quote here)

The full list of qualified swimmers can be seen on the Canadian Olympic Committee website.

Why Not Me

During an interview at the Canadian Swimming Olympic trials, Mark Tewksbury was asked to give advice to our Olympians. I loved his quote:

"Leave no stone unturned now because, I think when you get to the Games, the best place to be is 'I've done everything possible...Why Not Me' to win a medal and when you get that kind of confidence and sureness, anything can happen"

Great advice from the 1992 Olympic Gold Medal Winner (backstroke).

Olympic Legends Underground Map

I love this Olympic Legends Underground Map designed by Alex Trickett and David Brooks.

"Alex Trickett was a sports journalist and International Editor for the BBC Sport website and David Brooks is a sports historian, journalist and author of "The All-Time World Cup".

You can view a better sample here and buy the map here.

It showcases successful Olympians as well as Olympians who are famous for their defeats.

Canada has two athletes represented:

• Lennox Lewis (boxing) who would later represent Great Britain in his professional career
• Simon Whitfield gold medal in the inaugural triathlon in 2000 and silver medal 2008

The underground lines are dedicated to specific summer sports so for example all the tennis players are on the Northern line (with the basketball players). All the 2012 Olympic sports are represented on the map.

As much of an Olympics fan as I am, there are more athletes that I don't know than I know. It will be fun to learn about the different Olympians and which Olympics they participated in. When you purchase a map, you receive a fact sheet about the Olympians that are featured.

1st, 3rd, 5th in Chamonix

What an exciting weekend for the Canadian ski team.

We only have 3 skiers racing these days because of injuries. Today, our worst result was better than most of our best results. Three Canadians in the race and they finish 1st, 3rd and 5th!

Last weekend, Erik Guay was an amazing 2nd at Garmisch where he has had excellent past results including a downhill win last year.

I was sad that the race the next day was cancelled, but the momentum continued into Chamonix this weekend. On Friday, Erik was 0.08 seconds from the win but ended up just off the podium in 4th. Jan Hudec finished 6th and Ben Thomsen came in 11th halving his career best result of 23rd the weekend before.

On Saturday, Canada had their best showing since 1994. Jan Hudec 1st, Erik Guay 3rd and Ben Thomsen 5th.

Erik had bib #20. He arrived at the finish line in 1st. The excitement didn't last long as the next skier was faster. Jan would start #24. When he arrived at the finish line, he blew the field away leading by over half a second (remember the day before, Erik was in 4th 0.08 seconds behind).

Even knowing the results with the program tape delayed, my heart was still racing during their runs and I had tears in my eyes. It was so exciting!

Then, Ben Thomsen started 50th. Brian Stemmle had told the story the day before about the fundraisers Ben held in order to get the funds to be able to race. Alpine Canada had invited him to go race for Canada, but unfortunately didn't have the funds for him. Many (most?) of the sponsors for the Alpine Team withdrew their funding after the 2010 Olympics. When Brian was telling the story, he was getting choked up. You see how much this must mean to the Alpine Team and to Ben when you work so hard and the results come in. Those who helped fund Ben's dream must be over the moon.

Speaking of great stories, Jan Hudec has a story of his own. When he was eleven months old, his parents defected from Czechoslovakia, escaping in a boat across the Adriatic Sea. They initially settled in Germany before immigrating to Red Deer Alberta and later Jasper. He won his first race at Lake Louise in 2007 but has struggled with injuries since January 2008. Today's win was his first podium appearance since the injuries.

CBC Sports Weekend included the podium presentation and national anthem in their telecast. It was so great to see Jan and Erik singing the anthem. Erik was so close to a medal at the 2010 Olympics with two 5th place finishes. These results show that our team is still contending and we have some young skiers to help the team grow.

[Later edit: Ben had gone from 23rd to 11th, to 5th and halved his result one more time to a career best 2nd in Sochi where the 2014 Olympics will be held]

My Daily ♥ #152: Winter X Games

Originally published on My Life Is Like A Song on January 28, 2012

I spent quite a bit of time this weekend watching the Winter X Games. The 2012 Winter X Games are dedicated to the memory of Sarah Burke. They prepared a beautiful video which includes Thursday night's glowstick descent down the halfpipe by her fellow Winter X Games competitors.

My daughter is thinking of writing her school speech about her. Sarah's impact has reached even further than skiing.

Athlete Profile: Simon Whitfield

Event: Triathlon

Simon's website and blog:

www.simonwhitfield.com

www.whatmyphonesaw.com

Simon's twitter: @simonwhitfield

Book: Simon Says Gold

Olympic results in triathlon:

2000 Sydney - gold
2004 Athens - 11th
2008 Beijing - silver

Flag bearer for Canada at the Closing Ceremonies of the 2000 Olympic Games.

One of the first torchbearers for the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay when it began in Victoria.

Simon Whitfield won his 10th national championships in August 2011.

Simon was nominated by Triathlon Canada for selection to the 2012 Olympic team.


Written on August 22nd, 2008
Olympic Memorable Moments (Part 1) (excerpt)

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't 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 (from Australia so late at night in Toronto).

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 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?

posted on February 17, 2010
Victoria Highlights (excerpt)

My hosts/tourist guides recommended going to Mile 0 to see the Terry Fox Statue and to go to the Frontrunners store because it has a Simon Whitfield jersey on display (as well as a Steve Nash jersey that my host forgot to mention...hello???) Ok, perhaps not your typical tourist stops in Victoria, but perfect stops for me.

As I approach the Terry Fox statue in Victoria, ... a very friendly man wearing a Terry Fox t-shirt strikes up a conversation, wondering where I'm from. The conversation finally gets to him as I ask him why he's wearing a Terry Fox t-shirt (and there is a television camera man there interviewing him).

It turns out that he is Rob Reid, the owner of Frontrunners, the store I was planning on visiting. He was the driving force to have the Terry Fox statue erected in Victoria.

[a little later] I end up at Frontrunners. I locate Simon Whitfield and Steve Nash's jerseys and ask permission to take photos.


I had so much fun in the store. I was like a kid in a candy store. Who needs a museum when you have Frontrunners?

The staff were amazing and completely indulged me in my enthusiasm.

The store also displayed Simon Whitfield's autographed jacket from the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and his running shoes.


(I bought quite a few items that day, including Simon Whitfield's book "Simon Says Gold")

200 Days until London 2012!

There are 200 days to go until the start of the Summer Olympics in London.

I am so excited to see who will qualify for Canada and especially who will be our flag bearer.

I love that the internet and multiple sports channels these days allow us to follow our athletes as they strive to make the Olympic team. There is more coverage than there used to be and I look forward to the next 200 days, and beyond.

Canada's Athlete Of The Year

The end of the year brings nominations for Athlete of the Year.

I don't always agree with the award winners, but I always enjoy the anticipation of the announcement.

Yahoo sports has a page where we can vote for Canadian Press Athlete of the Year. You can cast your vote here. Here are the nominations (you can also vote for another athlete if you don't like their choices):

Canadian Press Male Athlete of the Year

• Dylan Armstrong (Shot Put: #1 Ranked, World Silver Medallist and Pan Am Gold)
• Alexandre Bilodeau (Moguls: World Silver Medallist; Dual Mogals: World Champion)
• Lucien Bute (Boxing: IBF Super Middleweight Champion - since 2007)
• Patrick Chan (Figure Skating: World Champion)
• Dwayne de Rosario (Soccer: MLS MVP)
• Erik Guay (Downhill World Champion)
• Corey Perry (NHL MVP)
• Milos Raonic (ATP Rookie of the Year)
• George St Pierre (UFC Welterweight Champion)
• Joey Votto (MLB Gold Glove Award Winner)

Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year

• Paula Findlay (won first 3 World Cup Triathlons before injury)
• Alex Gough (luge World Bronze Medal - first female luge medal for Canada)
• Jennifer Heil (World Gold Medallist in moguls and in dual moguls)
• Christine Nesbitt (speed skating: 3 gold 1 silver at World Championships)
• Catharine Pendrel (Cross-Country Cycling World Champion)
• Marianne St-Gelais (Speed skating)
• Kelsey Serwa (World Champion ski cross)
• Christine Sinclair (MVP in League final her team won...competed with broken nose at World Cup, Pan Am Games flag bearer, Gold Medal Pan Am Games)
• Mary Spencer (boxing Pan Am Gold and closing ceremonies flag bearer)
• Tara Whitten (Cycling - World Champion)

Canadian Press Team of the Year

• Brampton Excelsiors (won league and won Mann Cup)
• B.C. Lions (Grey Cup Champions)
• Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw (World Champions Team Spring Cross-Country)
• Amber Holland curling rink (World Silver Medallist)
• McMaster football team (won Vanier Cup)
• Saint John Sea Dogs (Memorial Cup Winners)
• Jeff Stoughton curling rink (World Champions)
• Toronto Rock (National Lacrosse League Champions)
• Vancouver Canucks (NHL finalists)
• Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (World Silver Medallist)

The easiest for me to choose is Team of the Year.

Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw are the first Canadians to win a World Championships gold medal in cross-country skiing EVER. Every year, a team wins the Grey Cup, Vanier Cup or Lacrosse League. Although Canadian teams haven't fared as well in the NHL lately, making the final isn't that huge of an accomplishment for the Canucks. It's been done and surpassed many times before. Curling and figure skating? We've won World Championships or medals before. So hands down for me, Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw should be the team of the year.

For Female of the Year, I loved Paula Findlay as a candidate until she got injured. This is a similar story to Milos Raonic. Can we award Athlete of the Year on a partial season? Canada often do amazingly well at at speed skating and freestyle skiing. I'd be okay with Jennifer Heil or Christine Nesbitt winning. We have also done well in cycling but this sport isn't as popular as other sports on the list. Luge's first medal is exciting but I don't think worthy of Athlete of the Year with it being a bronze, although worthy of the nomination.

This leaves Christine Sinclair. Her league team won the Championship and she was named MVP. Canada had a disappointing performance at the World Cup however, which is why I'm struggling with choosing Sinclair. Canada won the Pan Am Games where Sinclair was the flag-bearer. The most memorable moment for Christine Sinclair though is at the World Cup when she broke her nose. For female athletes, I think this was the story most talked about in 2011. She breaks her nose after taking an elbow from a German player. The doctor on the sideline tells her she can't play but she persists and returns to the field as fast as she can. She ends up scoring against Germany who hadn't conceded a goal in World Cup action since 2003. Canada still lost the game, but Christine Sinclair won the respect of Canadians and soccer lovers. For overcoming adversity and capturing the nation's attention, Christine Sinclair gets my vote.

Male Athlete of the Year is a little tougher.

Although all worthy, I find it difficult to choose between an MLB, NHL or MLS star so will not vote for them. George St-Pierre's 2011 wasn't as amazing as his past few years (according to media reports). I haven't heard of Lucien Bute, although this nomination has introduced me to him.

Even though Dylan Armstrong didn't win the World Championships (where Patrick Chan, Erik Guay and Adam van Koeverden did), his accomplishment is more unusual. Dominating a Track and Field event is very difficult.

I used to love figure skating, until the judging scandal in 2002. I still follow the Canadian Championships and World Championships but I don't follow the sport like I used to. Since Patrick Chan has not gotten me passionate again about figure skating (like Virtue and Moir did last year), I'll say that he's not worthy of my vote for Athlete of the Year.

Erik Guay's Downhill World Championship was very exciting but John Kucera won it in 2009. Although, I do think that winning a Downhill World Championship is THE win of the year, so I am still amazed that Canada has managed to do it twice in a row. I hope John Kucera was up for Athlete of the Year in 2009.

Alexandre Bilodeau in my mind should have won Athlete of the Year last year...until I remember that Sydney Crosby was Athlete of the Year. The first gold medal on home soil or the hockey one? I guess even I would have to choose the Golden Goal.

Adam van Koeverden blew the competition away at the World Championships. He is a born leader, very supportive of his competitors and fellow Canadian athletes. He is also an avid Right To Play ambassador and supports other charities. He is a great role model for other athletes and non-athletes. He is the whole package, but yeah, I know. I am biased.

If I had finished this post on the 7th, I wouldn't have known about the controversy that Patrick Chan created with his comments about feeling under-appreciated. I wouldn't have read the amazing blog post by Adam van Koeverden about feeling appreciated (after The Toronto Star tried to compare Patrick Chan who competes in a popular sport compared to kayaking).

I was leaning towards voting for Adam van Koeverden for the way he competes and represents Canada, but then read a bit more about Patrick Chan.

After winning the World Championships last April, he has won every competition he has entered so far this season, including the Grand Prix Finals (on December 11th). This means that Patrick Chan is a World Champion and is dominating his sport in 2011. Hard to argue with numbers.

Newcomer of the year for me includes three candidates:

• Paula Findlay is a 22 year old triathloner who won the last two International Triathlon Union triathlons of the 2010 season and the first three triathlons in 2011 before getting a hip injury.
• Milos Raonic is a 20 year old tennis player who won his first ATP Tour tournament in 2011. His world ranking went up to #27, the highest for a Canadian while representing Canada. He got injured at Wimbledon which saw his ascent come to a halt. Nevertheless, he was named ATP's Rookie of the Year.
• Laurence Vincent-Lapointe is a 19 year old canoe sprint racer. She won the gold medal in the Canoe C-1 200m and in the Canoe C-2 500m at the World Championships. The only down-side is that Women's Canoe is not an Olympic sport.

Have I missed anyone?

Joannie Rochette Avec Coeur Et Passion

Joannie Rochette was on the television program Tout Le Monde En Parle this week. She is releasing a new DVD entitled Avec Coeur et Passion (With Heart and Passion) which is an exercise video meant for the young and old, beginner and advanced. She calls her DVD an exercise programme for "monsieur et madame tout le monde" (mr and mrs everybody).

Her mother Thérèse died of a heart attack a few days before Joannie was to perform at the Olympic Games in 2010. Joannie went on to win a bronze medal in figure skating. She relived those days in the interview which was very touching explaining how her personal life came to meet up with her professional life.

She explained on the programme that her mother although seemingly in good health, did not exercise. She says that lack of exercise is one of the main reasons why people suffer heart attacks.

Her mother's death inspired her to do something. She explained that starting an exercise regime is not an easy thing and that her mother didn't know where to start. This DVD is Joannie's way of reaching others to get physically active and hopefully live a healthier life.

Proceeds of the DVD are going to iheartmom (mamandemoncoeur), Joannie' Heart Your Health Campaign associated with University of Ottawa Heart Institute. In a clip on the site, Joannie says "my mom's heart was always in the right place, I just wish she would have taken better care of it."

Here is the Tout Le Monde En Parle segment in case you would like to see it:

Simon Whitfield and Paula Findlay

Triathlon Canada nominated Simon Whitfield and Paula Findlay to the Canadian Olympic Committee to be named to the 2012 Olympic team.

Simon has been my favourite triathlete since winning gold at the first Olympic triathlon race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He was Canada's flagbearer at the Closing Ceremonies. I have often written about Simon Whitfield on this blog (you can see those posts by typing his name in the search bar at the top left) or click here to read about my excitement seeing his jersey at the Victoria Front Runners store.

In 2008, Simon won a fantastic silver medal. Now 36 years old, he is the veteran of the triathlon team and I will be so excited to see him compete in his 4th Olympic Games. I'm hoping that Brent McMahon and Kyle Jones will join him on the team by qualifying next year. They were 3rd and 4th at the Pan Am Games (a 1st place finish was needed to qualify for London).

At 22 years old Paula Findlay is the future of Canada's triathlon team. In 2010 she was the surprise winner of the World Championship series event at the London Olympic course. She won on the world stage another 4 times before injuring her hip this past summer.

By being selected on the team, Simon and Paula can now concentrate on peaking at the Olympics rather than training for qualifying events.