Toronto Olympic Parade

My day volunteering at the Toronto Olympic Parade started at a breakfast and briefing (you can read that post here). I was assigned the swim team for the Olympic parade.

Afterwards, we walked to our float where we had half an hour waiting for the parade to start, which meant posing and taking photos. With everyone's cameras out (and the athletes out in the public), I felt okay taking photos (unlike at the breakfasts which to me were private moments).

One of the best moments from the Olympic trials was the moment when Heather MacLean qualified after her sister Brittany had already qualified for London 2012.  The joy and tears that flowed were felt throughout the country. I was thrilled to get a photo of the two of them together.

Richard Weinberger (bronze in 10k swim) was a highlight during the parade ensuring he (and his bronze medal) were in every photo that fans were taking of the float. He also took every opportunity to encourage the fans to go out and "swim". He took a moment to pose before the parade.

Taking a walk along the other floats, I spotted one of my favourite Olympians Jean-Luc Brassard (1994 gold medal - moguls) who was gracious and posed for a photo.

The women's soccer team (with their bronze medals) posed with a young fan.

Five minutes before the parade, the Olympians are onboard and ready to go.

The crowd was overwhelming, it gave me goosebumps.  There were so many people cheering with flags and wearing red and white.  There were countless signs.  I especially loved that the swimmers called Richard from the other side of the float to make sure he saw this sign (I was a little late getting my camera out, but the moment was priceless).

The swim team was so much fun. I loved how the men would raise a woman who would swim in the air. 

They also sang a lot of the song Call Me Maybe which would end up on a video (more on that in a later post).  There were also countless times where the crowd came up to the float to high-five the athletes.

There were a few quiet moments when there was time for photo ops.

I thought this was a lovely spot for a photo with city hall in the background so I took a photo of the beach volleyball players who were in the truck behind us.

At one point, I realized I didn't have a photo with me in it, so I asked the other volunteer to take one (without asking the athletes to pose). There is a better one of me, but I love the energy in this one (thanks to Savannah King for making this photo memorable).

As we approach the end of the parade, my sister is in the crowd and took a couple of photos.  I especially love this one that shows pure joy in my face as I try to get back to the float.

One of my favourite Olympians Simon Whitfield was just a couple of trucks behind me.  I had seen him at both breakfasts (and lunch) but had kept my distance. As we approach the bottle neck at the end, I walked back to take a photo...just to prove that I had seen him (and Paula Findlay).

There was a large crowd waiting at Maple Leaf Square where some of the athletes would be interviewed onstage.

With my volunteer duties finished, I managed to catch the end of the parade where Mark Tewksbury and Sylvie Bernier were in a convertible just ahead of the Hall Of Fame float.

One more photo of Jean-Luc Brassard with Rory Bushfield (Sarah Burke's husband).

I stayed in the square to hear some interviews where I saw Adam van Koeverden on stage, another favourite Olympian of mine, and interestingly the first time I had seen him in my two days of volunteering.  When a friend had said to me that I might see him (before I volunteered), I had replied that since I had seen him race last year, and seen him with his 2012 silver medal at a store appearance a few weeks ago, he wasn't top priority. I was hoping to see Olympians I had never seen before. So I found it funny that I didn't end up seeing him up close.

I left with a huge smile on my face not believing that I had spent the last two days volunteering with the Canadian Olympic team.  I'm hoping that it won't be my last.

Olympic Volunteer Day #2

After an incredible day volunteering at the Olympic Heroes Tour (you can read that post here), I was back with Olympians for the Toronto Olympic Parade.

The day started at a breakfast and briefing where once again Olympian spotting was at its best.  I kept my distance and respected their space; but I was smiling on the inside (and perhaps on the outside too). There were a few instances where saying hello or congratulations to some of my favourites was possible and I did take advantage of those moments.

There was an awkward moment for me though, not involving an Olympian but in our volunteer duties.  The day before we were assigned Olympians for the school tours.  Today, the head of our group asked us who we wanted to be assigned to for the parade and wouldn't you know it, I was the first who was asked.

Just like at the Olympic Block Party in June when I was interviewed by a journalist (who would later write - I'm including the whole segment for context, but the important part is the highlighted lines):

With her signature freshly scrawled on the board, Suzanne Sewell walked away and smiled to herself. To say she is an enthusiastic supporter of Canada's athletes would be an understatement.
"The Olympics are every day for me," said the Toronto woman.
She was first bit by the Olympic bug in 1988 and since then has turned the Games from a pastime into a passion.
"I'm here to support the Canadian team and wish them luck. I'll be watching every minute," said Ms. Sewell, who attended the Vancouver Winter Games in 2010.
To prove her passion, Ms. Sewell was asked to name her favourite Canadian athlete.
"Just one," she asked, before listing five.
Ms. Sewell follows the highs and lows of Canada's amateurs day-in and day-out, keeping track of their personal bests and following them on Twitter. She's even got her own Olympic-themed handle: olympichearts.

I couldn't pick "just one".  Names rattled in my head and I couldn't name one knowing I was not saying another. Next thing I know, the other volunteers pick up the signs we had brought over that said which athletes were in which groups.  There it was, I hesitate and I don't have a group.

I still felt okay, because there were volunteers who really wanted a specific group, so I was happy that they were getting the ones they wanted. When they were looking for a second volunteer for athletics, I raised my hand along with another volunteer. When she was picked, she gave me her sign that said "swimming".

How serendipitous that I was "assigned" swimming. I watched every moment of the National Championships on television in the spring that were held at the Montreal Olympic Pool. I was so excited for the swimmers who made the Olympic team and at the same time so sad for those who didn't. I was almost more emotional about the Olympic trials than I was for the Olympics. Athletics would have been cool as well since I saw many of them compete in Toronto before the Olympics (you can read that post here), but back to swimming.

Knowing I was going to a small town 30 minutes from Montreal in the summer for a family reunion, I vowed to go to swim (and dive) in the Olympic pool.

I had previously visited the Olympic pool, but had never been in it. The week before the London 2012, I arrived at the Montreal Olympic Pool (on my birthday).

It was a quiet Friday afternoon, so there was no problem taking photos (they don't allow other people in your photos so if it was busy, we would not have been able to take photos).

I can't remember the last time I was on a diving board so I was pretty nervous at first. I jumped in from the end of the board (the water is so warm and the pool is painted this beautiful deep blue colour). So many times in my diving days and even years later, I would dream that I missed the board on my last hurdle. I was a little nervous taking those steps for the first time, but eventually, it came back to me.

We almost forgot to document me swimming in the pool, but luckily did for my last couple of laps (we could only swim the width of the pool, not the length).

A happy girl in the Montreal Olympic Pool.

Before the Olympics, I had planned to post about the athletes and when they were competing.  I posted about the swim team (you can read it here), naming every Olympian with their races (including predictions) but then got too busy watching the Olympics and reading about them to post any more.  So once again, it's funny that this is the team I ended up with for the parade.

Well, that was quite the tangent I went on, but I think it was just to explain that although I didn't end up with one of my five all-time favourite Canadian athletes, I was thrilled to spend the day with the Canadian swim team.  Silver medallist Ryan Cochrane wasn't there, but bronze medallists Brent Hayden and Richard Weinberger were.  I was also thrilled to be surrounded by so many Olympians, because for me, realizing the dream to attend an Olympic Games is as valuable as winning a medal.

This post is long enough, so I will continue the parade part in a separate post.

Olympic Heroes Tour

A couple of weeks ago, the Canadian Olympic Committee sent a call out for volunteers to assist with the Olympic Heroes Tour this past Thursday and the Olympic parade yesterday.

I was thrilled to get a phone call confirming that I would be volunteering for the events.

I started my day thursday at the Olympian breakfast in the old Maple Leaf Gardens where they spent time with kids from the KidSport and Boys and Girls Club programs.

There was a period where the volunteers didn't have anything to do but look around and spot our favourite Olympians. I was so happy to see some of my favourites in person.

It was also interesting to see them interact with each other. You get reminded that they don't all know each other. They meet in competition once every four years where all the sports are featured at the Olympics.

After the breakfast, I accompanied kayaker Hugues Fournel and Paralympian judoist Justin Karn to a high school in Scarborough where they told stories about their childhood, their love for sport and their achievements of becoming 2012 Olympians.

In the afternoon, judo bronze medallist Antoine Valois-Fortier and swimmer Charles Francis joined us to visit a middle school in Mississauga.

Once again, each Olympian took their turn telling their inspiring stories and Antoine thrilled the kids when he showed them his bronze medal.  The Olympians then went around to each classroom to give the kids a chance to see them up close and take a class photo.

The kids at both schools were thrilled to have Olympians visit their school. I'm sure that the Olympians helped the students to be more inspired to follow their dreams.

You would think that driving to Scarborough and back, then Mississauga and back would make for a boring day, but sharing a ride with Hugues and Justin made the time pass so quickly.  They are both funny and personable. I especially loved hearing about their experience in London 2012 - the incredible highs as well as the less than ideal experiences.

I was thrilled to have spent the day with Olympians and seeing the difference they make off the playing field (and out of the water).

Give Your Everything.
Giving Back.

Best of London 2012 by IOC

This doesn't include all of MY best moments of London2012, not even all of my best British or Canadian moments but it's still a great video, with a great song by Newton Faulkner.

Are We There to Compete or Represent?

It seems that every Olympics, there is a debate on whether we should send athletes to the Olympics who are not potential medal hopes.

I recently read a news article comment from a reader that said that "we should weed out those who don't have a chance and focus and spend money on those with a chance".

I love this debate.  I think it's a fine line between wanting Olympic success and personal athletic success and this question always makes me think and re-evaluate my position.

I loved an article I just read in Sportsnet Magazine.  My initial plan had been to scan it and post it, until I remembered about copyright issues.  My favourite quotes in the article (written by Christie Blatchford) are:

"Olympic medals don't matter that much. We fall in love with the athletes winning and losing them."

"...because the inevitable medal-counting notwithstanding, it really is the pursuit of excellence that is the noble and compelling bit here, not merely its achievement."

"Sport is the great teacher. Its lessons are born in effort and failure. It gives short, sharp lessons on losing and winning."

"And in our country, for most athletes, the pay is awful, the hours appalling, the glory non-existent. They do it because they dare to put themselves out there to see if they're good enough.  If they are, they may, if they're also lucky, come home with a medal; if they aren't, they try again or move on. But at least they have the tremendous satisfaction of that knowledge, that they weren't afraid to try and fail."

I have written about this issue before which is perhaps the reason I was compelled to scan the article rather than write about it again. But I'm glad to have gone to re-read my past posts because I quite like the arguments and examples I share in them. I also love to see the transition of the posts from before the Own The Podium days to after Own The Podium.

On my personal blog (before I started my Olympic blog) I wrote a post entitled Olympics - Are We There To Win Or To Represent? You can read it here.  This was written just before the start of the 2008 Olympic Games.

Six days later, I would write a rebuttal to the news organizations' criticism of our lack of medals entitled Is Winning Everything? in August 2008 that you can read here (not my best writing, but there are some great examples in the post)

I would later perhaps contradict myself when I said the following in a post about my favourite moments of the 2008 Olympics:

"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 [Canadian]. 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?"

I loved that we sent a triathlon "team" to the 2008 Olympics, perhaps I am especially biased because I am such a Simon Whitfield fan but on the other hand I also feel for our third fastest triathlon competitor who should have been on the team, but was chosen to be left off the team. As I said earlier, it's a fine line.

After the Vancouver 2010 Olympics I wrote a blog post entitled "The Olympic Spirit".  You can read it here.

My final thought in 2010 was:

"The Olympics is not all about winning to me. There will only be one winner and three medallists. Every country should try to field their best team, and every athlete should try their best...it's the Olympics not a popularity contest. That is what the Olympic spirit means to me."

Going back to the comment from the beginning of this post, if we had only sent the medal hopefuls in 2012, perhaps we wouldn't have sent Derek Drouin who won the bronze in the high jump or our women's soccer team after last year's World Cup performance.  We may not have sent Mark Oldershaw who had not won a previous medal on the world stage.  His reaction at the finish line when he won the bronze was one of my favourite moments.

In the past year I was following the Olympic qualifying events, and was fascinated to see the differences in sports.  For some sports it was a one day competition for the Olympic spot(s) while for other sports they looked at the season's performances.  Some athletes were nominated without needing to compete for their spot. It's heartbreaking to see athletes not qualify for the Olympics.  I can't imagine wanting to focus on a smaller group and therefore sending a smaller team in order to win more medals.  I loved watching National Championships and seeing dreams being made with athletes qualifying for London 2012 even if that meant that tears were shed for those whose dreams were shattered. I was more emotional watching these competitions than I was watching the Olympics.

Getting the chance to compete at the Olympics is a dream worth pursuing and worth being realized while at the same time as a team we should field our strongest team.  It's juggling those dreaming to be Olympians and those dreaming to be Olympic champions.  To me both dreams are worth funding and supporting.

SportCafé

In my last post, I wrote about my lack of writing this summer because I was spending more time reading than writing.

The increase in Twitter and blog activity by Olympians is one reason.

With my blog and twitter account, I was trying to follow and write about amateur sports. I was going from website to website, blog to blog, Twitter and Facebook trying to find information about athletes and their competitions. I was following athletes, sports organizations, sports channels and sporting events.  It was a little overwhelming at times.

A website that was launched this spring called SportCafé has made the task so much easier by having athletes' blogs in one place.  It's the other reason that I haven't been writing as much.

SportCafé has been a wonderful place to find articles and news about amateur athletes. It was founded by Etienne Morneau and Antoine Meunier who are kayak and canoe sprinters. You can read more about them by clicking here.

SportCafé is billed as a website "for athletes, by athletes" where athletes write about their experiences and share their blog posts.

It has made it much easier to follow my favourite athletes and get to know more about them but although it has made my search more efficient, it has also increased the volume as I learn about more Olympians and Olympic hopefuls.

When Randy Starkman passed away, I wrote a blog post (that you can read here) entitled "The Olympics Is Every Single Day" where I asked the questions:

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?

SportCafé have given the athletes the opportunity to share their own stories and help the Olympics to be every single day!

The Need To Write (Or Not)

I began this Olympics-themed blog because I love the Olympics and wanted to write about it more than I thought the readers of my regular blog would want to read about it.

I couldn't wait for the London 2012 Olympics. I thought that I would write every day being so excited to share my thoughts and opinions.

So what happened? Where have I been?

The television coverage was so extensive that for the past two weeks, I would wake up and try to catch up on the coverage I had recorded. Often times, I wouldn't catch up until dinner. I would try to avoid the computer because I didn't want to find out results before seeing the events - but unfortunately often I did. Either the station I was watching would tell us results of events on channels I was recording or I would find out when I would try to post a Facebook or Twitter update.

The evenings were spent catching up with email, Facebook, Twitter, Olympic blogs and articles.

At the last Olympics, there weren't as many athletes on Twitter or with blogs so I really felt like I wanted to say what wasn't being said.

This time around, I am following over 300 Olympic athletes and enthusiasts who are tweeting 140 characters at a time, but also sharing photos and blog posts. I spent more hours reading during these Olympics than I could have writing.

There is still so many articles and blogs that I would love to read, and my preference in the past few weeks have been to read and absorb the Olympic fever rather than writing about it. Reading athletes' experiences and tweets was far more interesting than writing my own thoughts.

If I think about my goal for this website though, it was also to follow the athletes year-round not just during the Olympics. I wanted to know who our Olympians were before the Olympics and I did succeed at that.

I was not surprised when Richard Weinberger won bronze in the 10k open water swim. I knew he had won the test even in London last year and the Pan Am Games. When most people were talking about Karen Cockburn, I was expecting Rosie MacLennan to do better (although hoping for a double medal).

I am happy that I knew about most of our medallists before they won.

But more importantly, I knew who our Olympians were. I was cheering the personal bests and I was sharing in the heart break when the legs didn't have it, when we hit speed bumps or simply flopped.

One of the advantages to not winning as many medals as our neighbours to the south or the host country is that I (along with many Canadians) can tell you each medal that we won.

Gold:
Rosie MacLennan (trampoline)

Silver:
Adam van Koeverden (1000m kayak)
Women's 8 rowing
Men's 8 rowing
Ryan Cochrane (1500m freestyle)
Tonya Verbeek (wrestling)

Bronze:
Brent Hayden (100m freestyle)
Women's soccer
Mark Oldershaw (1000m canoe)
Mark deJonge (200m kayak)
Antoine Valois-Fortier (judo)
Richard Weinberger (10k open water swim)
Emilie Heymans and Jennifer Abel (3m diving synchro)
Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion (10m diving synchro)
Christine Girard (weightlifting)
Women's team pursuit (track cycling)
Carol Huynh (wrestling)
Derek Drouin (high jump)

Here's a great article summarizing in chronological order our medallists with a description of each. Click here.

So although I didn't write as much as I thought I would during the Olympics, it was for a good reason. The television coverage and the writing was so extensive that my days were filled with Olympics without me needing to write.

Canadian Swimmers at 2012 Olympics

Wondering who will be swimming for Canada and in which events in London?

Here is a list of our swimmers, their events and the date. If there is more than one date, the medal race will be on the last day with preliminaries and/or semis on the first day.

Our medal hopes include Ryan Cochrane, Brent Hayden, Richard Weinberger, Martha McCabe and Erica Morningstar. Other swimmers could follow Mark Tewksbury's lead saying "Why Not Me?" and be surprise medallists as well.


Brent Hayden
50 m freestyle - August 2-3
100 m freestyle - July 31 - Aug 1

Blake Worsley
200 m freestyle Aug 29-30

Ryan Cochrane
400 m freestyle - July 28th
1500 m freestyle - August 3-4

Charles Francis
100 m backstroke - July 29th-30th

Tobias Oriwol
200 m backstroke - August 1-2

Scott Dickens
100 m breaststroke - July 28-29
200 m breaststroke - July 31-August 1

Joe Bartoch
100 m butterfly - August 2-3

David Sharpe
200 m butterfly - July 30-31

Andrew Ford
200 m individual medley - August 1-2

Alec Page
400 m individual medley - July 28th

Thomas Gossland
Brent Hayden
Richard Hortness
Colin Russell
4×100 m freestyle relay - July 28th

Tobias Oriwol
Alec Page
Colin Russell
Blake Worsley
4×200 m freestyle relay - July 31st

Joe Bartoch
Scott Dickens
Charles Francis
Brent Hayden
4×100 m medley relay - August 3-4

Richard Weinberger
10 km open water - August 10


Victoria Poon
50 m freestyle - August 3-4

Julia Wilkinson
100 m freestyle - August 1-2

Samantha Cheverton
200 m freestyle - July 30-August 1

Barbara Jardin
Savannah King
400 m freestyle - July 29

Brittany MacLean
Savannah King
800 m freestyle - August 2-3

Alexa Komarnycky
Sinead Russell
100 m backstroke - July 29-30

Julia Wilkinson
Hilary Caldwell
200 m backstroke - August 2-3

Sinead Russell
Jillian Tyler
100 m breaststroke - July 29-30

Tera van Beilen
Martha McCabe
200 m breaststroke - Aug 1-2

Tera van Beilen
Audrey Lacroix
100 m butterfly - July 28-29

Katerine Savard
200 m butterfly July 31-August 1

Erica Morningstar
200 m individual medley - July 30-31

Julia Wilkinson
Stephanie Horner
400 m individual medley - July 28

Samantha Cheverton
Heather MacLean
Victoria Poon
Julia Wilkinson
4×100 m freestyle relay - July 28th

Samantha Cheverton
Barbara Jardin
Brittany MacLean
Amanda Reason
4×200 m freestyle relay - August 1st

Victoria Poon
Sinead Russell
Katerine Savard
Jillian Tyler
Tera van Beilen
Julia Wilkinson
4×100 m medley relay - August 3-4

Zsofia Balazs 10 km open water - August 9th

Olympic Schedule

Olympic action for Canada is about to start. It's two days before the Opening Ceremony but women's soccer starts today.

I remember in 2008 being overwhelmed trying to figure out the schedule and when events were televised.

This time, the CTV website has a great viewer's guide that makes it easy to see which events are being shown at what time and on which channel. You can see it here.

There is also a world feed available online for the events that are not being televised.

Go Canada Go!

Toronto International Track & Field Games

Leading up to the London 2012 Games, we had a chance in Toronto to see some of our Olympians compete in the Toronto International Track & Field Games on July 11th.

The men's 100m race consisted of three members of the 4x100 relay for London 2012.  Justyn Warner, Seyi Smith and Gavin Smellie.

Bruny Surin (white shirt) presented the sprinters with their medals.

The women's 800m race was won by Melissa Bishop followed by Jessica Smith:

The men's 800m was won by Geoff Harris.

Later in the evening, Geoff ran the first couple of laps of the 1500m then Nate Brennan won the race.  It was starting to get dark during this race, so this is the only photo that turned out.

Jenna Martin was our Olympian running in the 400m.

It was also an opportunity to see some up and coming athletes and some events that I hadn't seen before, like the pole vault.

The men's 110m hurdles featured Olympic decathlete Damian Warner in lane 5 who won the race.

The main event, named after Randy Starkman was the 100m women's hurdles.  With such great depth in Canada, we have five women who could represent us in London 2012.  Unfortunately we could only send three and two of them were in this race:  Phylicia George and Nikita Holder (lanes 4 and 5).  Racing against them are past Olympians Perdita Felicien and Priscilla Lopes-Schliep (lanes 3 and 6).

The crowd was standing so my visibility was obstructed.  Nikita Holder won the race.

After the race, Nikita Holder and fiance Justyn Warner shared a photo op on the podium.

Later, current and past Olympians signed autographs and encouraged young runners 

to follow their dreams.

 Phylicia George

Perdita Felicien

Priscilla Lopes-Schliep

It was an exciting evening of racing that even had some excitement in the stands with Jamaican gold medallist Asafa Powell (2008 4x100m relay) who spent most of the evening signing autographs and posing for photos once it was announced he was in the crowd.

100m Hurdles Team

I have needed a few days to absorb the 100m hurdle result at the Canadian Olympic trials.

My first reaction was Noooooo! How do our two best Olympic hurdlers fail to qualify for the Olympics? How do Perdita Felicien and Priscilla Lopes-Schliep not qualify for London? They were medal hopefuls. They were included in the CBC torch bearer tournament which included only eight women.

Once my shock subsided, I realized that the three women who did qualify are three women that I already follow on Twitter. They're not nobodys. Next week when Toronto is hosting track athletes, the 100m women's hurdles race (named after Randy Starkman) was the race I knew the most athletes in the starting line.

As excited as I am for Nikkita Holder and Phylicia George (as well as our Canadian pentathlon record holder Jessica Zelinka who won the race), I have to wonder whether we are sending our best to the Olympics.

Yes they were the three best on the day. Perdita Felicien false started and was disqualified. Priscilla Lopes-Schliep hit the seventh hurdle and didn't recover. They weren't their best on that day, but could they be on Olympic day? Their best could win a medal. Can Holder, George or Zelinka win a medal with their best performance? Maybe not, but I would have said the same thing about Lopes-Schliep in 2008 when she won a bronze medal.

Holder and George are heading to their first Olympic Games. They are perhaps the future of hurdles in Canada. Isn't this what I don't like about judged sports, that sometimes the best on the day doesn't get the marks? Or do I like that my favourites may get the marks on their less than ideal days?

On the night, I was thankful for the sports where they accumulate results during the year to determine who makes the Olympic team. I was thankful for the COC who name athletes to the team so they don't have to worry about that "one day".

For me, it's a bummer that we have such a depth of talent in one event. I would love to see them all go and represent our country. My heart aches for Felicien and Lopes-Schliep but the way they have handled the disappointment has increased my respect for them both.