Guest blog by Wendy Azevedo

 

Olympians Don’t Just Happen, They Are Created

A guest blog by my mom, Wendy Azevedo

I’m terrified of roller coasters and ferris wheels; I hate heights.  I’ve never been on or desired to be a part of an athletic team.  I don’t like to exercise, don’t own any lycra, and my “appreciation” of the great outdoors can be summed up in three words…………..“NOT MY THING.”

How, then, can I truly claim to share a genetic code with a member of the USA Women’s Bobsled team?  Not just any member.  Emily is an Olympian.  She was one of six women that competed in the 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver, and has been a rank and file member of the USA team for seven years. She scales the tops of mountains only to ride in the back end of what appears to be the gut of a canoe that should be slowly making it’s way down a quiet stream instead of traveling at anywhere from 4-6 g’s at 80-90 mph.

 Having had four daughters who have all been successful in the sporting world, it is not unusual for me to be at a sporting event, or awards ceremony and get asked the question, “So, what sports have you been involved in?”  I try to smile when I say “none,” but the confused look that I get back often makes we wonder if I should have tried to lie instead.  Is it truly possible for an Olympic athlete to come from a home where the only trophies and medals that are displayed are a result of the hard work of the children in the family?

 As an only child, my exposure to the sporting world was limited.  I never experienced the joy of cheering on a sibling at a sporting event or the angst of competing with them to be the best.  Instead, I learned that to truly be the best that I could be, I needed to compete with myself.  And so I did; on a daily basis.

So what do I bring to the table when it comes to creating an Olympian?  I may not have the athletic background, the “sports gene,” or the body structure to contribute to the mix, but to go to the Olympics you must have confidence, believe in yourself, have learned discipline and an understanding that with a strong work ethic and determination you can be anything you want to be.  Combine that with passion and the understanding that if you go to bed at night feeling like you have given your all, you are number one no matter what the scoreboard says.  I gave her that, and she wears it well.

Never Ever Give Up!

I don’t know Diana Nyad nor had I followed her extreme dream before this her fifth and final attempt of swimming the 110 miles from Cuba to Florida.  I found myself glued to the television cheering the 64 year old on and tearing up as she limped her way up the Florida shore.   Swimming this far in open water is something that I would never have the desire to do, but it was something she dreamed of accomplishing for a solid chunk of her life.  She was determined to never ever give up on this dream.  The mind is a very powerful tool.   It is incredible what can be accomplished when you convince your mind the impossible is possible.  Diana had the courage and will to try and do something that many would say is super human.  There was not another athlete entered in her race but she was in her own race against her own body, fighting to complete the difficult swim before her body was fully depleted and shut down.   She convinced her mind that this was a task that she would be able to perform.

I can 100 percent relate to Diana Nyad and her message of never giving up.  Even after four previous failures and many doubters she believed deep in her heart that this was something she was going to accomplish.  This is a woman who never ever stopped believing in her dream.  She achieved her extreme dream.   I too have had what I thought to be an intangible dream.  My dream is not one that has me in the ocean face to face with sharks, but it does have me sliding down an icy track up to 90mph.  I grew up in Chico, California, which is known more for the brewery Sierra Nevada than it is for bobsledders.  Although my path may have been unorthodox I had my own extreme dream of becoming an Olympian.   

Diana Nyad had a major support team behind her not just to make sure she stayed healthy, but to support her and to believe in her dream with her.  In 2006 I left California and headed to New York terrified, but brave enough to chase something some thought impossible.  Before I left my mom gave me a small picture frame with a message on it.  To this day I carry this frame with me, which simply says, “Believe in yourself” and display it at each of our stops.  She had also written a note on the back that said, “I believe in you.”  My support team is just as important as each day of training is.  Diana Nyad would never have been able to accomplish this incredible feat alone.  She had huge team behind her that believed in her maybe more than she even believed in herself.  We cannot achieve the impossible alone, but we can do it.  As Diana Nyad said, “Never, ever give up.”

My Athlete Life

My life as an athlete has been a small amount of luck, a hell of a lot of hard work and an indefinite amount of sacrifice.  I wish I could say that an Olympic athlete’s life is as glamorous as society would assume, but our jobs are a bit unorthodox and often times leave us with no stability. When I started sliding I never expected this being a ‘career’ choice that was going to make me money, but instead I was lured in my the idea of competing for my country.  After my first season in the sport I had 12 cents in my bank account.  Thanks to the support of my hometown Chico, California I was able to raise money and train full time as an athlete.  This ultimately helped for me to get the training equipment and coaching I needed to make the 2010 Olympic Team.  I remember lying wide awake in bed after walking in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in 2010.  I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning.   This was the moment I concluded that every single sacrifice was worth it for that one moment.  I knew then that I wanted to work even harder to work towards earning a spot to Sochi, Russia in 2014. 

After the Vancouver Games I have grown physically and mentally and truly learned how to be an elite athlete.  It is equally important to focus on recovery and diet as it is the physical training.  Our sport is measured by hundredths, so maintaining a strict sports medicine regimen, food plan and sleep schedule can be what makes the difference between making an Olympic Team and not.  This routine can be cumbersome and usually takes precedence over nights out with friends and family.  At this point I have to be somewhat selfish so that I can perform at the highest level for each individual training session.  I have felt very fortunate over the years to have friends and family who are very understanding and supportive.  They are willing to be ‘part time friends’ while I go after my Olympic dreams. 

There are no words that can explain what it feels like to have U.S.A written on your back.   To me, every workout, every tear shed and every family event missed is worth it for those few seconds that I push the sled knowing I am not just doing it for myself, but for my entire country.  The dream is what pushes me every single day and is what helps me to make the hard decision to put my life on hold.  I now truly understand and have lived the concept ‘for the love of the game.’


To buy cool memorabilia or to make a donation to curb training costs check out my website. www.emilyazevedo.com

Calling all Athletes!

Elite athletes are constantly under a media microscope and are considered role models in the eyes of society regardless if it is something they desire.  In a world where the tragic stories of Aaron Hernandez and Oscar Pistorious are what’s spread over the television or news of the performance enhancing drug scandals of Lance Armstrong, Alex Rodriguez and most recent Tyson Gay are the top stories, it is easy to question if athletes should be considered role models.  So often the media focuses their attention on the negatives of sport rather than the positive.  In a society that places importance on the number of twitter followers rather than performance, I think it is time that athletes step up and take being a role model more seriously.  Obviously, as we have seen all athletes are human and are not immune to making wrong life choices.  Because of this it is even more important for us to reach out to our communities and give kids something positive to emulate.

Many athletes have already worked towards making improvements in their society.  2012 Gold medalist and all around amazing person Tianna Bartoletta has created Club 360 which teaches young girls to live with three core principles; integrity, honor and self-respect.  I can attest to the fact that Tianna lives by the values she is instilling in these young girls and is helping to raise well rounded women.  It is clear that Tianna understands there is more to life than sport and uses her athlete platform wisely as an avenue to inspire and change the world one girl at a time.  Not only has she encouraged young girls to make improvements in their lives, she has also inspired me with her contagious passion for what she is doing. 

Tianna with girls from Club360

Tianna is just one example of many athletes who have already taken issues into their own hands.  KaraPatterson 2-time Olympian and American Record holder just recently selflessly took time away from knee rehab and training to spend countless hours coaching future Olympic throwers at the Iron Wood Camp.  She was not alone, alongside of her were many Olympians and World Team members sharing their passion for throwing with hundreds of young impressionable kids. 

Kara with IronWoodCamp Campers!

I have also witnessed the incredible change and impact athletes can have on youth in our communities with the Pen Pal Project my teammate Jamie Greubel and I have been running.  This program connected the Boys and Girls Club kids with athletes at the Olympic Training Center.  By writing a simple letter each week the athletes have given the kids someone positive that they can look up to and draw inspiration from for their futures.  The athletes have given these kids an outlet to express any issues they have in their lives and have given them an opportunity to have fun and just be kids.  It was refreshing to see the smiles on each and every one of the kids faces as they met their pen pals for lunch this past Friday.

Kids from the Boys & Girls Club  at the OTC

No matter if it is something as small as writing a letter or as time consuming as week at camp, athletes can make a huge impact with any community involvement they have.  Whenever athletes have an opportunity to touch a life regardless of what avenue it is they should take full advantage of it.  We are looked up to whether we like it or not so let’s choose the positive legacy we want to leave.

To The Bride and Groom!

Because I did not thoroughly read the Chisam/Azevedo Wedding Itinerary I missed the portion under the rehearsal dinner that said ‘wedding party speeches.’  Better late than never?

After taking Biology class in junior high I began to tease Chelsea that she had all of the recessive genes in the family.  I had many reasons for this, (some were not so nice) but the main reason was that my entire family has dark hair and Chelsea as born with blonde hair.  I concluded that either she was the mail man’s kid or she must have all the weaker genes in my family.  Now reflecting back I have realized that I was in fact wrong.  I didn’t know it at the time that Chelsea actually gained the best combination of our parent’s most genuine qualities.

Throughout Chelsea’s High School years I watched her grow as a person and an athlete.  She was tactfully able to balance her time between school, gymnastics and track and field.  Throughout the spring time she spent hours upon hours training for her two sports and somehow managed to also excel in school.  She has always put 100 percent into everything she has done including her relationship with Chris.   After a successful high school track and field career Chelsea had many college opportunities.  I remember her coming to me asking me what my thoughts were and how I enjoyed my time at UCDavis.  I was nervous for Chelsea to follow my footsteps and select UCDavis, but also knew she would love Davis as much as I had.  Chelsea is four years younger than I am so she was just beginning college as I was exiting.  Fortunately, I decided to stay another year in Davis, which is really when I got to know the person my sister Chelsea had become.

I remember when Chelsea told me she had a ‘crush’ on a guy on her team.  She explained to me how much of a gentleman he was and how kind and caring he was to her.  I am obviously very protective of my sister so many questions followed.  After getting to know Chris I have seen that he is the ying to her yang.  He calms her down when things get tough and always supports her in any endeavor she chooses.  As Chelsea has grown older her hair became darker and heart became open to Chris.  She is one of the most caring and loving people I have ever met and now will be sharing this love with Chris and the rest of his family.  Cheers to Chris and Chelsea!

With a happy soul comes great training

I find that I am at my physical best when I am happy and having fun training.  Part of this is having balance in my life.  Every day of every week I push my body to the absolute maximum.  This of course is followed up with countless cold tubs and massage to try and alleviate the sore muscles.  Some athletes take their recovery to the extremes by spending hours in front of a television or computer playing video games.  I often wonder if other athletes are creating balance in their lives and what kind of ‘recovery’ is done for the heart and soul?    

When I started working at the Boys and Girls Club in 2010 I did not fully grasp the impact these children were going to have on me.  I expected to go into the club a few hours a week, do what I could to help in ways that were needed and go home, unphased back to my self-centered training lifestyle.  This has not been the case. To me, my In The Arena project at the Boys and Girls Club has helped to keep me grounded and understand the impact I can have on just one person.  It is my recovery for my soul.  I feel good about what I do there and in turn I am able to keep in my mind the bigger picture in life.  I find when my heart and soul feel good my body and training follow suit. 

I wanted other athletes at the Olympic Training Center to have the opportunity to feel this way and to be uplifted and inspired by kids at the Boys and Girls Club.  Most athletes have very busy schedules and are unable to take time away from training to physical go to the club, so instead I have created an Olympic Athlete Pen Pal Program.  This is designed to connect kids at the Boys and Girls Club with Olympic athletes and Olympic hopefuls at the Olympic Training Center.  Each week the kids at the club learn how to write a different type of letter.  The first week they learned how to write a formal business letter and this week they learned a friendly letter format.  After turning in their letters each week the kids anxiously wait for their pen pal to respond. 

Many of the athletes have already told me that they have had great days of training the days they receive each of their letters.  My hope is as the program progresses the athletes will get just as much out of the letters as I know the kids do.  For the kids this is hope and proof that their dreams can come true and for the athletes it is way to give back to the community and to focus on recovering in a different way.

Train with the Best to be the Best

I have often been asked what my favorite Olympic moment is.  There are many moments that stick out in my head.  The first being Kerri Strug bravely vaulting her way into history and helping the 1996 ‘magnificent seven’ Women’s Gymnastics Team win gold.  Or the moment I sat in front of the television and watched Dan Jansen earn his first Olympic gold after previous failed attempts and overcoming many personal struggles.  These are just some of the many moments in Olympic history that stand out to me, but nothing can compare to the history I experienced at the 2010 Olympic Games.  Of course participating in an Olympic Games was incredible and something I had only dreamed of.  That is a moment I will never forget and is hard to surpass, but watching Team Night Train win a historic Gold on an incredibly publicized and difficult track was an experience I was honored to, in a small way, be a part of. 

After experiencing my training partner and close friends win Gold, I began to reflect back on my own journey and the team that helped me achieve my goals.  I thought back to when I first started the sport in 2006.  Back then I was a scared young girl and had not thought competing in the Vancouver Olympics was even a possibility.  I really did not know what I had gotten myself into.  I was very intimidated after meeting all the other athletes in the sport and hearing their resume of amazing accomplishments.  I knew I had a long road ahead of me in order to gain the physical abilities necessary to be an elite bobsled athlete.  After that season I began training with Coach Jon Carlock, who at that time was working with many of the US bobsled athletes and is someone who to this day I work with and credit a great amount of my success to.  Curt Tomaseviz was also one of the athletes that chose to train with Jon and had quickly become one of my friends on the bobsled team.  I was inspired by his ability to quietly work hard and his capability to lead the team through his daily actions.  I knew this was someone I wanted to learn from and to train with.   Over the years I have piggy backed off his work ethic and have become the bobsledder I am today in part because of his mentoring. 

This trainingship between male and females is not very common, but I have read stories of how Dan Jansen and Bonnie Blair, two infamous and successful speed skaters of the late 80’s and early 90’s became friends and training partners over the years.  They pushed each other to be two prolific Olympic athletes.  My accomplishments in no way can compare to the success of Dan and Bonnie, but I can fully relate to the connection they had and the ability to push each other to be the best possible athletes.  I’ve often been asked how a male and female athlete are able to push each other in the weight room or on the track considering the difference in physical abilities.  To me, it is not the weight we lift or the speed we run that pushes us, it is both having a common goal and a mutual desire to win.  This desire fuels us to put our bodies through hell, together to make this happen.  We make each other better every day just as Dan and Bonnie did on the ice and off.   Many athletes are not fortunate enough to experience this kind of invaluable trainingship that I have had with Curt these past seven years.  I believe you have to train with the best to be the best and I’d be hard pressed to find better than an Olympic Champion.