Women's 8s rowing got silver! I got the news before I saw the event. When I saw the video replay I saw that Canada was 3rd most of the way, but they pushed so hard, just like the Men's 8s did, and got silver behind USA and in front of the Dutch!!! Way to go girls.
I just saw the interview on CTV. The coxswain is over 50 years old, and there were several athletes from the Beijing team at London. In 2008, they lost by only a little but got to the podium this time around.
Natalie Mastracci said that the veterans at the top are always climbing to do better. This helps the newbies know what to strive for. One of the girls also said that you have to believe that you can do it. Even the gymnastic team (placed 5th) and badminton duo Michelle Li and Alex Bruce (placed 4th) said the same thing. It proves that Canada can bring it!
If only we all had this drive, spirit and passion in our personal lives. What could we accomplish if there was a healthy competitive spirit, not a nasty one? No doping, shuttlegate (4 badminton teams (2x China, Indonesia and Japan got kicked out because they were deliberately losing).
I also saw the Difference Makers with Shotput athlete Dylan Armstrong. Another BC athlete, he's from Kamloops. At 9 years old, he loved track and field and began to dream the Olympic dream. He was doing hammer throw and was then picked up by Ukranian coach Dr. Anatoly Bondarchuk who told him that his body was more suited for shotput. Anatoly was previously a medalist in hammer throw. Dylan missed a medal in Beijing 2008 by only 1 cm. He's back for London 2012 and is on tomorrow. Dylan says he owes Anatoly everything.
Again, I reiterate that coaching and mentoring builds skills in you, allows you to believe in going for more, improving yourself with the help and guidance of a veteran. This makes all the difference in life.
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