As the year 2014 begins – to many it is the first day of 365, but to the group of athletes that I work with it means that there are just 37 days until they begin the biggest test of their lives. As spectators, we see a collage of personal interest stories, a concern for social and security issues and we can’t wait to see the Olympic drama unfold. The sincerity, genuine emotions, and consequence of Olympic sport is hard to match. The athletes who will be competing there – they FEEL the Games approaching; their hearts beat faster with anticipation, their eyes gleam at the thought of what could be and they catch their breath knowing that there will be no second chances.

      I want nothing more than for our Canadian Team to know that they are ready when they get to Sochi. Even though each Olympic experience is one-of-a-kind, I believe that sharing with them the experiences of athletes who have walked their path before them is the best tool for them to make their own choices and live up to their potential. For that reason – I chose a story that is all about learning, improving and beating the “big bad wolf”.  

     In all of our lives we have a “big bad wolf”. That challenge that ‘huffs and puffs’ – pushing and challenging us. In a perfect world we’d never receive a scratch, but on most goal achieving paths we’d have to admit that the wolf might blow down a few of our houses. That’s okay, as long as we take each ‘battle’, learn from it and come back stronger. That’s how, in the end we ‘win the war’ and achieve our goals.

Happy New Year, Marnie

Happy New Year!  ( La version française suite )

Four years ago I had Brian Stemmle, 4x Alpine Olympian speak to the Figure Skating team. He was a huge hit. His story had incredible impact on them and I’d like to recount it for you.I love Brian’s career story – it has all the key bits of an intense drama; podium finishes, a torso-ripping-pelvis-snapping-near-death fall and an incredible comeback. Respectfully, I can’t help but think that my friend’s Olympic prep story closely resembles the fable of the Three Little Pigs, which is really is about learning from set-backs and challenges and getting better and stronger with each successive try. Continue reading →