Wow, 3 more bronze medals in 90 minutes on Day 4; I believe!!!! Now known as Triple Medal Tuesday.
Antoine Valois-Fortaine wins bronze in Judo. Looks like his first Olympics, only 22 years old! He beat USA.
10m synchro diving pair Meaghan Benfeito and Rosaline Filion for their bronze win. They finished 7th in Beijing, so this must feel great!
Christine Girard who lives in White Rock gets bronze for weightlifting, first ever for Canada! She was 4th in Beijing.
All 4 are originally from Quebec. I remember the 2010 Olympics and most of the short track speed skating team is from there too. Wow, they must have some passion and drive over there!
Also, Michael Phelps makes Olympic history with 19 medals, the most ever. Congratulations! When they interviewed him, he said he just had to relax, have fun, enjoy himself! And he did, he came back after the disappointing first few races. It was in him.
Women's gymnastics team placed 5th, a first for Canada. Even going to the finals was a first. Great job girls, Elisabeth Black, Victoria Moors, Dominique Pegg, Brittany Rogers and Kristina Vaculik! It all looks so good, I love gymnastics, but I can't do it, I tried in high school. Brittany is from Coquitlam, BC! The rest of the team hails from Ontario.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Who's your difference maker?
The London 2012 Olympics started 3 days ago and I am struggling to keep up with the memorable moments, the wins for Team Canada and just watching the supreme athleticism. It's all a joy to see as I have been into sports my whole life.
I knew a long time ago that I would not be a professional athlete, as I hate practicing for hours, doing drills, and repeating moves over and over again. I congratulate the determination, focus and drive of all the athletes. Your strength, your passion, your devotion is to be applauded.
On CTV, they have "The Difference Makers" hosted by Rick Hansen. They spotlight athletes and tell their stories of who made the difference in their life, in the sport and out.
I saw the story on Burnaby's Christine Sinclaire's story about her coach, Clive Charles, from the University of Portland. Soccer was a part of her life from early on, but this coach made the difference for her, on and off the field. He wanted her to be a better person. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer, but kept coaching. Their team won that year, the only national title in his coaching career, and he passed away the following year.
I also saw the spotlight on Misson's Brent Hayden. He also started swimming when he was really young, but was not focused. It was his karate coach, Sensei Tom McDonagh, that made the difference, teaching him discipline, fighting spirit and that to do anything good, is to play with heart; all or nothing. Brent won gold at the world championships. Tom passed away 2 years later.
Now, what could I accomplish with a coach like Clive, or a Sensei like Tom? I don't know, but everyone needs someone to push them, motivate them, believe in them. Give Your Everything Team Canada!
Then you look at Missy Franklin of USA. She was born in Canada and everyone was saying how she could've swam for us. Can we not be amazed at her achievement anyways? She won gold in 100m backstroke. She stayed in Colorado with coach Todd Schmitz in 25m pools and won Gold on her own terms. Way to go!
I also see so many disappointments. All that training comes down to mere seconds or minutes to be a medal winner. It's a lot of pressure and expectation from yourself, your coach and your country. Look at Nathan Gafuik. He was Canada's lone male gymnast hopeful and it was over in 29 seconds when he missed grabbing the high bar in qualifying on Day 1. I felt bad for him, but I also know that he proved worthy of attending the Olympics, so it was not all bad. I also saw other people not meet expectations, like America's Michael Phelps in the 400m Individual Medly, or Japan's Kohe Uchimura's tumble dismount off the pommel horse. We are all fallible, but we may not be remembered for our reach to the top, especially if we fall to the bottom; how unfortunate. Most sports have scores, to know how many points you can get off the other team, that means that no one is perfect, someone will be better, or someone will make a mistake. I just want to know that you gave everything, and you are happy with your effort.
Good luck, may the best athlete win!
I knew a long time ago that I would not be a professional athlete, as I hate practicing for hours, doing drills, and repeating moves over and over again. I congratulate the determination, focus and drive of all the athletes. Your strength, your passion, your devotion is to be applauded.
On CTV, they have "The Difference Makers" hosted by Rick Hansen. They spotlight athletes and tell their stories of who made the difference in their life, in the sport and out.
I saw the story on Burnaby's Christine Sinclaire's story about her coach, Clive Charles, from the University of Portland. Soccer was a part of her life from early on, but this coach made the difference for her, on and off the field. He wanted her to be a better person. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer, but kept coaching. Their team won that year, the only national title in his coaching career, and he passed away the following year.
I also saw the spotlight on Misson's Brent Hayden. He also started swimming when he was really young, but was not focused. It was his karate coach, Sensei Tom McDonagh, that made the difference, teaching him discipline, fighting spirit and that to do anything good, is to play with heart; all or nothing. Brent won gold at the world championships. Tom passed away 2 years later.
Now, what could I accomplish with a coach like Clive, or a Sensei like Tom? I don't know, but everyone needs someone to push them, motivate them, believe in them. Give Your Everything Team Canada!
Then you look at Missy Franklin of USA. She was born in Canada and everyone was saying how she could've swam for us. Can we not be amazed at her achievement anyways? She won gold in 100m backstroke. She stayed in Colorado with coach Todd Schmitz in 25m pools and won Gold on her own terms. Way to go!
Good luck, may the best athlete win!
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