Canada at the Olympics - Follow Friday - #FF

So, we started this week with some talk about the Olympics, and I took my usual turn and looked at the issues people weren't paying enough attention to, or really caring about. The feedback I got was really good, and I appreciate all the kind words about my triple jump. I'm considering trials for Rio already...if you're a triple jump coach, I might need some final help preparing.

Anyway, it occurred to me that one thing I didn't really get to do was celebrate our awesome Olympians. Thus, given my week of picking top 3s...here are my top three moments that made me proud to be Canadian! 


1. Rosie MacLennan

So, this super talented trampolinist isn't getting nearly the press she deserves (here's the best news article I could find). She's our ONLY gold medalist, she's been working hard her whole life, and even has her own website (take the Rule 40!) Now, maybe I'm watching the wrong news, or maybe this played out quickly and we've all moved on, but come on people, we have ONE gold medal and she got it! If I have to hear about those damn hockey players who trained for a day with our Olympic synchro team rather than see a story about our lone gold medal, I might go F#$cking nuts! It's a huge win folks, congrats to her, her family and trainers, and Canada! (Side note...this is a really touching blog post from Rosie.)

2. Adam van Koeverden and Mark Oldershaw

I just love this story and love how well Canadians do on the water (today's results not withstanding)! The quick version of this story goes like this: Mark Oldershaw is the third in a line of Oldershaws who have competed in the Olympics, starting with his grandfather, who used to train on Toronto Island back in the 40s. This would be cool enough, not to mention the bronze medal, but add to that the fact that Mark's dad is the coach for both he and van Koeverden, then you have a pretty cool story emerging. Many of you have probably heard all of this already, but if you want a whole lot more detail, then I encourage you to read this piece from the Star.

3. Emilie Heymans and Jennifer Abel

Even though they only happen once every four years, the summer Olympics actually go on for a long time...like 17 whole days. With this in mind, you can forgive some for forgetting who got us on the podium first, Emilie and Jennifer. Not only was it a great moment, early in the competition when few were expecting medals yet, but it was also a historic moment for a Canadian. Emilie becomes the first Canadian ever to win medals in four consecutive Olympics. More information can be found here. One way or the other, pretty cool and worth remembering.

We can debate about the merits of nationalism and the Olympics themselves another time, but for now I think it's important to celebrate these amazing feats of athleticism, by these amazing athletes!

GO CANADA GO!!




-exit soapbox-

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