Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelekin
Btw FFR, I do agree with you in regards to any competitors where being an athlete repesenting Canada is their job. The one thing I think that we sometimes forget is that this isn't the case for everybody. My ex-roommate had to work a full time job, and then spent his nights training, and he competed for Canada at multiple World Championships in Canoe/Kayak racing. He never got any economic supplementation to do so, even when they placed well. Other countries (i.e. Russia) give their athletes the ability to be full time athletes.
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Totally agree. I was an elite level athlete for a number of years and had to work a full time job to support my morning and evening training.
That's why I want to see a culture shift in Canada towards expecting winning. If we, as a nation, expect winning - it will demand more from our government and sport programs in terms of funding. Athletes in Canada are woefully underfunded and it impacts their ability to train to be the best in the world. I think that lack of funding stems from the general opinion that just getting to the Olympics and having a personal best is satisfactory. Why put more money and effort into sport (as a government) when we are happy with Canadian records and personal bests? It's a really attainable goal that will continue to be achieved. We need higher goals to effect change in Canada's amateur sport scene.