Olympian Sami Jo Small speaks at PCI

Posted By Laura Shantora Nelles, The Daily Graphic

Updated 16 days ago

Canadian Olympic gold medalist Sami Jo Small was on hand Friday at Portage Collegiate Institute where she gave students an inspiring talk about lighting the fire within.

"You don't always get to choose your role in life, but you do get to choose how you play it," she said addressing the gym full of Grade 9 and 10 students.

She recalled the story of how she felt the day before the gold medal game at the Salt Lake City winter Olympics in 2002, when she was told she would not be starting the gold medal game, and the job had been tasked to her netminding counterpart Kim St. Pierre.

"I was so sad, and so angry," she said. "I walked around the athletes village for hours in tears. I was so close to my dream, and to have it taken away, it felt like a death in the family. I didn't know what to do."

She said when she returned, she decided she had two options. She could wake up in the morning and feel the same way, or to play the role as best she could. "I did whatever it took to support my teammates. I filled their waterbottles, I told them jokes, and I was one of the first ones over the boards when the buzzer went."

In closing, she parted with the notion that students should strive for exxcellence. "Start to dream — what are your ultimate dreams? Every one of you is capable of greatness."

sports.dailygraphic@shawcable.com

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