So the Olympics are a few days old and, thus far, things have not gone well for Team Canada. But, if there’s one silver lining, it’s the emergence of my new favourite athlete.
Canada, meet Sherraine Schalm.
The Alberta native was competing in her third Olympics and was considered a good shot to medal. She lost today (yesterday?), beaten by someone ranked well behind her.
Why is she my new favourite then? Because of her post-match comments. Frankly, I had seen some pre-Olympic quotes and I was already very impressed with her candour. But it was the passion on display in her post-match musings that cemented it for me.
It’s like I imagine being a man, it’s like being kicked in the nuts repeatedly, that’s how bad it feels, you feel like you want to curl up and die . . .
I can’t believe I lost, un-freaking-believable. Wow. Sorry, it hasn’t sunk in yet, give me a couple of brandies and we’ll feel better. My psychologist is going to kill me if he reads this. He’s going to be like ‘all that work we did, and you can’t accept your losses.’
In a world where pro athletes are more polished than many statesmen, it is downright refreshing to hear from someone who competes, and speaks, with her heart on her sleeve.
You should read her book, Running with Swords. Great read. She’s a VERY literate and smart young woman. She also did a long series of diaries for CBC Radio’s “The Inside Track” a couple of years ago, likely still available online.
Joe! Great to hear from you! She’s hilarious, eh? I saw a little pre-Games CBC clip on her and she was crackin’ some pretty funny jokes. Nice bloggin’, yo!
There’s Canadian athletes at this year’s Olympics? My favorite Olympian is Phelps … he’s cool, smart, great bod, and is the finest example of perfection at this year’s games. I guess all our Canadian athletes can do is give great quotes. Frankly, I find nothing funny about her quotes, they just underscore our sad system and the apathy of our athletes.