The Olympic Games

There are moments in your life when having your parents be present means a lot. Getting married, having kids or graduating for example. It is a part of life where you are happy to show your parents what you have become and to make them proud.

To me, the Olympics were one of these moments. There is a lot of selfishness required to be an elite athlete, and my Olympic goal was mostly self motivated, and ultimately it was me who achieved it, but it would have been impossible to do without all my family, friends and supporters. Going to the Olympics was a showcase to everyone that my efforts and their efforts were all worth it!

It was also a tough moment because like I mentioned above, it was a time in my life where I would have loved for my dad to see me and to see what I had become. He passed away before seeing me become the athlete and the woman I became and it was a really emotional feeling to realize that he wasn’t going to be able to watch me achieve my childhood dream.

I remember when I was a kid looking at the Olympic ring he wore everyday and dreaming of my Olympic journey, and now at 21 here I was ready to fly to China and become an Olympian.
I was fortunate enough that my family was able to make it all the way across the planet and experience the magic of the Olympic Games with me. The 3 weeks I spent there with the team are forever in my memory. The preparation, the excitement, the racing, walking in the opening ceremonies in a stadium filled with 100 000 people, wearing proudly my red and white Canada gear! English is my second language but it is no excuse to have no words to describe what it feels like....even in French I can’t!

When I came home from the Games I went and got the Olympic rings tattooed on my right wrist. The Olympic rings mean different things to every athlete. To me, the Olympic rings are something me and my dad have in common. It represented to me what both me and him aspired to become and how he lived and I now live my life. Seeing the rings on my wrist everyday is a small reminder of my Olympic journey but it is also a way to make me feel like I will never forget him.