A Word from our CEO
February 18, 2014
By Bev Heim-Myers
I love the Olympics!!
I am always in awe of the resilience, courage, stamina, strength and commitment of the young, powerful adults that have dedicated their lives to being the absolute best, elite athletes that they can be. I am also in awe of their ability to overcome pain, disappointment, fear, rejection and injury, over many years. The minutes that we see them on the Olympic stage are a culmination of years of dedication. It is not an easy path.
My nephew, Brady Reardon, is a summer Olympian. He is a kayak paddler and competed in the Beijing Olympics. He is now training for the Rio Olympics. The Olympics look flashy and polished, getting there is less so. It takes a family’s commitment to help make it happen. Brady’s dad was also an Olympian and both his mom and dad know the sacrifices that have to be made for the elite athlete to achieve their dreams. Months away from home, taking twice as long to get that university education so that you can focus on training and the continuous pressure to improve and stay on top. After years of training they hope for a good day on the day of trials. It is when skill, stamina, strength and luck come together so that a performance is good enough to be selected for the Canadian Olympic team.
Kayak spring Brady Reardon, left, and bobsledder Jesse Lumsden – both McMaster alumni – are two of the five area athletes whose portraits will hang in the Ron Joyce Centre at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON.
Our Canadian Olympians are passionate, gracious and appreciative. They wear the expectations of over 33 million Canadians: a heavy load to carry. No matter what the sport, let’s all wish our athletes a good day when their moment in the spotlight comes. More than that, let’s hope that they can enjoy the moment.
We can learn a lot from our Olympians as we strive to reach our goals. Stay focused, positive and understand that we seldom make the journey alone, rather we stand on the shoulders of many. Most of all we should reap the benefits of our hard work, go easy on ourselves and always enjoy the moments.
Go Canada go!