My May message to the athletes who are preparing for the 2014 Olympic Games was brief. Many of them were just finishing a brief holiday that followed their 2012/2013 competitive season and were getting back into training. Training for an Olympic season starts earlier and is more intense than any other year. In this year, selection, olympic qualifications and the Olympics themselves present unique consequences and with them unique pressure and stress. Their health, readiness and motivation will be relentlessly tested from now through the end of February. The goal of the May message was to remind the athletes that they are up to the challenge – and more importantly that they choose this stressful unique and wonderful life. mm

I saw this tweet recently and I realized that it’s the perfect place to start this month’s message;

Next season just became this season. My training for the 2014 Olympic Games commences in 20minutes and doesn’t end until February.  ‪@Denny_Morrison‬

Like some of you – this won’t be Denny’s first time “at the (Olympic) rodeo” and he knows that this will be a long, hard year. My favourite part of the tweet is the implicit choice that Denny is making to boldly go into that long hard year— ‘now’.

Seems that it’s a pretty good place to end this message too; short and sweet! Have a great May; the first month of the year.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the Olympic Excellence Series meetings.

Marnie

Mai, le premier mois de l’année 2013-2014

J’ai lu ce tweet dernièment, et j’ai trouvé que c’était l’intro parfaite pour mon message de ce mois-ci :

La saison prochaine est devenue la saison actuelle. Mon entraînement pour Sotchi commence dans 20 min. et se terminera en février. @Denny_Morrison‬

Comme pour certains d’entre vous, Denny n’en sera pas à sa première expérience au « rodéo (olympique) », et il sait très bien que l’année sera longue et difficile. Ce que j’aime particulièrement de son tweet, c’est le choix implicite qu’il fait en se lançant avec audace dans cette année longue et ardue – « maintenant ».

Je m’en tiendrai donc à cela en partageant cette réflexion avec vous. Je vous souhaite un très beau mois de mai; le premier mois de l’année.

Je me réjouis à l’idée de vous voir en grand nombre aux rencontres de la Série de l’excellence olympique.

Marnie

What makes you great as a start-up rarely keeps you great for your career.

<La version française suit>

In the next year – Olympic selection, qualification and ultimately the competition won’t be easy, but you are on the right track. Last year Canadian athletes collectively won 26 World Championship medals, 7 of which were gold. This should feel good.  With only 4 events left to be contested Canada is ‘on the podium’, just 1 medal behind Germany and 8 behind Norway. ( M & W Ice Hockey, M Curling and Mixed Team Figure Skating remain.) When I watch athletes who dominate their event it seems as if they know a secret to winning that allows them to put their hands firmly on the wheel. It is as if these athletes can control and steer towards more and more success. You may have felt this: When you know the secret – it feels great.

When I tried out for my first Olympic rowing team I was young but boldly confident. I had a bronze medal from the Jr. Worlds, an erg (rowing machine) score that ranked me with the women who were on the Sr. Team, and…I thought I was great. It turned out, in hindsight that I wasn’t.

When I was cut from that Olympic team the coach told me that he was “glad” that I didn’t make it (as you can imagine, I’ve never forgotten that part). He went on to tell me that the Olympic Team was not the place to learn how to be good, but the place to learn how to win. At the time I didn’t understand what he meant – but it was the best kick in the ass I ever got. He told me to go home and focus on the basics.

Pissed off – I went home intent on proving him wrong. Continue reading →