Grandchildren, Competition and the 2010 Olympics

The most essential factor is persistence – the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.

~ James Whitcomb Riley

As I watch the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. on our television, I am astounded by the sportsmanship, the talents and the abilities of the athletes.  What is even more amazing is hearing the stories of the trials, tribulations and sacrifices some of them have encountered just to get there.

Many of these athletes began their Olympic journey as small children when their parents enrolled them in school or after school sporting activities.  Some of the 2010 athletes are as young as 15 or 16 years old, and some have remarkable stories to tell of how they persevered to get to the winter games.  One of the female figure skaters had actually left her home country to seek citizenship in another so she could train with the best trainer in her field.  Her birth country called her a traitor.

Some of the athletes arrived with injuries that could have had prevented them from competing.  However, downhill skier Lindsay Vonn from the United States was persistent in her efforts and earned a gold and a bronze medal in the Ladies’ Downhill and Ladies’ Super-G respectively, despite her bruised leg causing her pain.  Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway won a gold medal in the Alpine Skiing Men’s Super-G after a serious crash on the slopes in 2007 left him with facial fractures and lacerations to his abdomen and groin.

One of the athletes who has a particularly heartwarming story is 22 year old Men’s Moguls Gold Medalist, Alexandre Bilodeau of Canada.  In the 2006 Olympics, he finished 11th, but later became the youngest athlete to win a World Cup moguls event.  His inspiration behind his win – his older brother Frederic with cerebral palsy, who is also one of his heroes.  It’s no doubt that persistence was a factor leading to his win.

Another athlete with a heart of gold is snowboard silver medalist in the Ladies’ Halfpipe, Hannah Teter from the United States. At 23 years old, Hannah, and her company Hannah’s Gold, uses her contest winnings and the profits from selling Vermont maple syrup and organic sweat bands to help people in Kirindon, Kenya.  The funds are helping to pay school fees, support a clean water project, support sustainable farming initiatives and to help HIV patients.

It is evident by watching the Olympics that not only have these athletes dedicated themselves to competing in their sport, they have developed long lasting friendships with their fellow team mates as well as with athletes from other countries.  They demonstrate a true sense of comaraderie among them, as well as philanthropy and spirit.

Participation in sports has so many benefits for children, and being able to see athletes who are true role models as young adults is important as well.  By helping your grandchildren find a sport of interest and supporting them as they develop their skill, they will build strong and healthy bodies while developing friendships inside and out of school.

Warm regards,

Kay L. Fontana
“The Grandcoach”