I love the Olympic Games. Since I was young, I have been that nerd who sits in front of the TV for two weeks straight, Olympic schedule in hand, following Team Canada, religiously. I yell and cheer at the TV screen when Canada wins, and my heart breaks in moments of anguish when an athlete makes a mistake. Most of all, I love the athletes. It takes a certain type of person to dedicate his or her life to a sport for no money or recognition, apart from one incredibly small chance at glory every four years. That passion is typically not echoed in professional athletes. So, you can imagine how disheartened I was when three of Team Canada’s high-profile female Olympians retired from sport in January: Brianne Theisen-Eaton, Hayley Wickenheiser, and Roseline Filion, all of whom retired for different reasons.
Brianne Theisen-Eaton came first. If you are anything like me, you fell in love with the international track-and-field power couple, Brianne and Ashton Eaton, during Rio 2016. On January 4, after both had medaled in Rio, they announced their dual retirement. In Brianne’s valedictory, she wrote, “I was mentally exhausted. I have never been so thankful to be finished something in my life. I felt like I never wanted to do another heptathlon again. This feeling confused me.” Track-and-field was her life, and she stopped enjoying it. Many athletes encounter this feeling after directing all of their energy towards a single sport. It’s mentally and emotionally draining. They lose sight of why they enjoyed playing in the first place.
Next up was Hayley Wickenheiser: five-time winter Olympian, one-time summer Olympian, four-time Olympic gold medalist, first woman to play full-time professional hockey in a position other than goalie, seven-time World Championship gold medalist. No one questioned Hayley’s decision to hang up the skates. She had nothing more to prove, and at 38 years old, she had finished a long and healthy career.
Then, came Roseline Filion. Roseline captured her second diving Olympic bronze medal in Rio. She quit diving to pursue a different goal – opening her own business. Roseline is somewhere in between Brianne and Hayley. She did not quit because she stopped enjoying her sport, but she did not find it as motivating as it used to be. I may be wrong, but undertaking a four-year long Olympic campaign, and training every single day for something that does not reciprocate financially, may have been a crucial factor.
We need more Hayleys in amateur sport.
No, I don’t mean powerhouses who dominate and grow their sport. Well, okay, we need more of them, too. But, I mean athletes who aren’t forced away from sport. All three women are phenomenal people who are passionate about their sport, but only one carried that affection throughout her entire athletic career. How do we retain the Briannes and Roselines of the Olympic world? Without them, the amateur sport world is diluted.
The easiest answer is money. The pressure of performing creates enough stress on an athlete; add in the financial burden and it’s enough to make anyone want to move on to a different career. Another answer is opportunity. One shot at glory every four years is not enough – and that’s if you actually make it to the Olympics! They need more support. Follow them, promote them, sponsor them, and more Hayleys will come.
Sami
