The PanAm Games are about to begin. They are the 2nd largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics. Almost 800 Canadians will be in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta with you, trying to achieve personal bests, win PamAm medals, set records and earn Olympic Qualification spots. (To be exact, 796 total = 97 coaches+137 support team+ 67 mission team+ 493 athletes).

You are ready.

At the Pan Ams you can draw from the energy and experience of the incredible Canadian team around you; you may learn something from them, and they may learn from you. There will always be something to do, somewhere to explore, someone to talk to and a competition to watch. These sources of inspiration can also be distracting. Be smart.

A multi-sport Games environment can be at the same time incredibly inspiring and motivating as well as challenging. Continue reading →

Recently, I remembered a story that Beckie Scott shared at an Olympic Preparation meeting.  She was recalling a conversation she had with her mom just after returning from the 1998 Olympics. After a less than optimal series of events, which included a flu bug that practically wiped out her team, she had come home very disappointed; questioning her pursuit of sport. Would success ever come? Was it all a waste of time?

As I recall Beckie telling it, her mom suggested to her that she try treating her sport like a career. Initially, Beckie scoffed at the idea – she had always thought of skiing as her passion, a ‘real’ career would come after. Her mom pointed out that she and her dad had invested as much, if not more, into Beckie’s skiing career as her friend’s parents had invested into their university driven ‘normal’ careers!! They saw Beckie’s sport as her career.

Beckie realized that her mom was right – it was time to change her thinking and be more proactive and involved in getting what she wanted. If she wanted to do better, instead of waiting for people to show her what to do, she was going to have to be a driving part of that process. Continue reading →