Last week, in one big breath, Canada saw one of its very best athletes, diver Alexandre Despatie, retire, and an equally great champion, speed skater Jeremy Wotherspoon, announce his comeback. It was a remarkable juxtaposition; Despatie leaving the arena because he knows it’s the end, Wotherspoon jumping back in because he doesn’t want it to be. Continue reading
Category Archives: Olympics
Olympic Season Not a Reason to Change
“So, you must be really ramping up your training now that the Olympics are coming, right? You must be working hard these days?”
Throughout my career, I was asked this question frequently in the months leading up to an Olympic Games and came to expect it every four years. But the first time I heard it, I distinctly recall staring blankly back at the interested individual, blinking slowly, incomprehensibly. Ramping up my training? After a moment or two of peculiar silence, I found my words and replied awkwardly, “Uh, well, we train really hard all the time actually, so mostly just doing the same as usual.” This was met with an equal degree of incomprehension, a shrug and, “Uh, okay, well, good luck!” Continue reading
The Power of Patience
When I close my eyes and drift among the long history of all the races I’ve ever done, a very small handful shines through more brightly than the rest. I swiftly and easily recall the feeling of those rare moments, as it is forever carved into my bones and coursing through my muscles. Continue reading
Into the Peace of the Done
I remember clearly the first real speed skating race I ever won. It was at the North American age class championships in Lake Placid, New York circa 1991. It was a long track 800m mass-start race and I won it, surprisingly, beating a group of girls who, until that point, beat me handily nearly every time we stepped onto the ice to race. Continue reading
The GrovesLine 