Our Olympian | An Interview with Coach Val
What was it like being on Team Canada in 2008? Give us a little glimpse at what the Olympic experience is like when you touch down in the Host City.
Representing Team Canada at the Olympics in 2008 was a dream come true for me, after 17 years spent training and competing in the sport. It’s a long, hard-fought battle and after many years of training and sacrifices so it is quite a surreal feeling to walk through that stadium surrounded by athletes who have all dedicated much of their lives to reaching their goals of excellence. Walking into that stadium with the maple leaf on our jackets is a memory I will never forget. I felt so proud to be there and felt so much love and support from the fans, family, friends, coaches and other athletes as we marched in that stadium.
After touching down in Beijing, we went straight to the Athletes’ Village. I recall that we had special lanes just for the Olympic buses and to decrease the air pollution. Cars ending with odd numbered license plates were only allowed on the roads every other day, alternating with those with even numbers. Traffic didn’t see so bad which I’m sure was not typically the case in Beijing!
At the Athletes’ Village, we spent much of the first day getting credentials, settling into our accommodation and touring the Village to figure out where the fitness centre, health and medical center and the food hall were. We were also fortunate to have a video arcade set up for our Canadian athletes where many would spend some of their down time.
After settling in, the next days were spent back in training and prepping for the upcoming matches at the training hall, fitness centre and recovery rooms. We were fortunate to have very top-notch medical professionals to make sure our bodies were well adapted and prepared for competition.
One of the most popular spots in the Athletes’ Village was the food hall, as this is where all the athletes from all sports, countries would go for food. I still recalling seeing just how tall the American basketball team was when they walked in! I felt really short next to the volleyball teams, too. There were endless options of food, all buffet style – including McDonalds! Of course, making sure we were well fueled is all part of the preparation for competition, so this was one of our favourite spots!
After we had finished competing, we were fortunate to be able to do some touring around Beijing and were able to visit the Great Wall and Summer Palace. Another highlight of the Games is the closing ceremonies and the exchanging of our team gear with many other countries. It was such an amazing experience to unite with people from all over the world and really celebrate our accomplishments in unity!
Competing in the Olympics is a pinnacle moment for athletes. Did you learn any lessons there that you wouldn’t have, had you not had that experience?
The Olympic Games is one of the biggest competitions for athletes to partake and often the pinnacle of one’s career. There is a different feeling of unity at the Games as we have an opportunity to see and connect with athletes from different sports to share in our dreams of excellence. It makes competing in our sport that much more special. I believe all the lessons I learned over the years were from various competitions and time spent travelling the world competing. One of the most challenging skills is to be able to relax, find your zone and focus on the performance while all the additional pressure and excitement that comes with a Major Games also rests on your shoulders. Ultimately, you have to be able to set all of that aside and just focus on your performance. This skill must be practiced and trained in order to be successful. At the Olympics, it was a matter of putting all that we had learned into practice to try and perform at our best.
The documentary, Weight of Gold (2020), highlights the mental health struggles that many Olympians face, and with Simone Biles deciding to put her mental health over competing in Tokyo, this topic addressed in the documentary is as relevant as ever. How has the importance of mental health support for athletes changed since you competed at the Olympics?
Discussing mental health is far more prevalent today than it was when I was competing. The mental struggles of an elite athlete are very real and it’s a great step forward that we are now talking about it and providing resources for athletes to help get them through. One of the biggest challenges for athletes is being defined by their sport as they spend much of their lives dedicated to being the best at what they do. We must not forget that athletes are people and not just their results. Simone Biles is very courageous for taking this stand to put herself first. The health and safety of an athlete should be the number one priority over the result. I applaud Simone for taking this stand which has set the stage to open more discussion about mental health and what we can do better support athletes. I hope this encourages athletes to reach out for more help and talk about mental health struggles they experience so we are always focused on achieving the best of a whole person and not just an athletic performance.
Looking back, what advice would you give to yourself back in 2008?
The main piece of advice that I would give myself back then is to always believe in possibilities. We had some great results back then and ultimately reaching a highest world ranking of 23 in the World. We had more difficulty challenging some of the higher ranked teams and breaking through barriers and I believe that we just didn’t believe in those possibilities enough to take our game to the next level. We can see now how our top Canadian Women’s Singles player has broken into the Top #9 in the World and it started off with her belief that she could.
How has your perspective changed transitioning from a professional athlete to a professional coach?
Coaching badminton has completely changed my perspective of the game. When you are an athlete, you have to be very focused on yourself and doing everything possible to play at your absolute best. You can’t worry too much about what others are doing aside from using those ideas to better your own game. When switching to coaching, it is a lot more challenging to be looking out for many players and how to guide them on making the right choices and training plans to play at their best. Each athlete has their own goals, playing style, mind set and as a coach, it’s our job to help guide them on the best course of action to reaching their full potential. One style does not fit every player, so this is sometimes a tricky balance and I continue to learn as I go. I do hope that I continue to inspire and motivate our young athletes to strive for their best in all that they do.
What advice would you give to elite athletes at the Royal Glenora Club who aspire to compete at an elite level, like the Olympics?
My advice for our elite athletes is to follow their passion and continue to set high goals for yourself. If you are passionate about your sport, you will be willing to do all the work necessary to perform at your very best. Be prepared to make many sacrifices and to dedicate endless amount of time to perfecting your craft to reach the top levels in the world. As you continue to challenge yourself with high goals, you will be constantly rewarded with each goal that you achieve. You will have setbacks, you will have fear, but learning to embrace, adapt, overcome and keep going is just part of being an elite athlete. Embrace the journey and if you put in the work, one day your dreams will come true.