BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
Nicole Garceau doesn't waste the time she
spends away from her eight-year-old daughter Julia.
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A dislocated elbow prevented
Garceau from competing in the 2004 Olympic
Trials. |
Garceau, a 29-year-old freestyle wrestler, is
in intense training for her shot at the 2008 Olympic Summer
Games. A dislocated elbow kept her from qualifying for the 2004
event.
A former three-time Canadian National
Champion in the '90s, Garceau has plenty of motivational fuel
for her Olympic dream.
"My daughter holds me accountable," said
Garceau. "I spend a lot of time away from her training and
competing. I have to know every time I come home, when I look
her in the eye, that the time away from her wasn't wasted. How
can she go for her dreams, if I don't do it myself and set the
standard."
Her father, Jules, who was a boxer, also
lends inspiration to her efforts.
"My father is also a big influence," said
Garceau. "He was an undefeated boxer, but had a work-related
accident that left him semi-paralyzed when he was 26. Then, he
had a stroke. Doctors told him he wouldn't ever walk or talk
again, and he was confined to a wheelchair. He did walk and
talk again, after 10 years of constant rehabilitation. Then,
when he was 42, he and my mother had me. He never gave up, and
I won't either."
Coupled with her incredible drive is a
tremendous amount of self-belief.
"I know I can make it," said Garceau. "I am a
gifted athlete. If I don't give it my all, then it would be a
waste of God-given talent. Wrestling in the Olympics has been a
childhood dream for me."
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Nicole Garceau is training for her
shot at the 2008 Olympic games. |
Garceau, a student at Laurentian University,
was well on her way to the 2004 Olympics when fate decided to
throw her a curve ball.
In May of 2003, Garceau was competing in the
Canadian National Championships in the 67-kilogram division. In
her first match, she dislocated her elbow. The Olympic Trials
followed soon after, and Garceau couldn't compete for a shot at
the 2004 Olympics. At the time, she was ranked second in
Canada. Garceau is now currently ranked in the top three, and
will wrestle in the 63-kilogram division.
"That was tough year," said Garceau. "It was
a devastating injury that I am still recovering from, and made
me re-evaluate what I was doing. After a lot of reflection, I
knew the Olympics were my path, and the injury was just an
obstacle. What makes a true champion is overcoming those
obstacles.
Nothing is going to stop me this time. My
elbow is better, and I have my father's iron will."
Over the next four years, Garceau will train
and compete in preparation for the next Olympic Trials.
Her biggest foe now is the financial burden
that affects many self-funded Canadian amateur athletes.
Her part-time employer, Kim LeTourneau, owner
of Hope House, believes in Garceau and donated $500 to help
cover her costs. Brady Physiotherapy also signed on as a
sponsor.
Making the Olympics will be worth all the
sacrifices and arduous work.
"If my daughter looks into my eyes with
pride, then it's all worth everything I do," said Garceau. "To
represent my country at the biggest athletic competition would
be a honour, and my biggest dream come true."
