Diary Entry 17th June 2008
(53 days until Opening Ceremony)
2008 Beijing Olympic Team
The Naming of the final 16
Dreams realized or shattered….For 25 girls’, the day had finally arrived, the day we had all been waiting for so anxiously. After 3 ½ years of hard-work, setbacks, successes, failures, numerous tours and countless sacrifices we were notified if we were in or out. In my 22 years, this moment - the moment waiting for the Olympic team to be emailed, has been the most torturous time I have endured.
The day started at 7 o’clock am, we had a team run around the bridges. I have lost count of the number of times I have run around those bridges. But what made it worse than any other time was the fact that there were severe weather warnings on this particular morning, so the wind became a factor (a few curse words were shouted along the way). However, the overriding factor was knowing that in the back of our minds the team was going to be emailed at 8.30 am.
After a quick cool down and stretch that involved very little conversation as everybody was on edge, it was straight in the car ‘off and racing’ for home or to the nearest computer to check emails. Lucky no police were around, I would have received a ticket for sure.
Time passed ever so slowly. I checked my emails every minute from about 8.20 am. I knew it would be sent right on time as my sister (Shayley) had to actually email out the team. She is never late and always early, so I thought she might have emailed it out early…. Not to be…
It was finally 8.30am and just as I thought she was right on the money. As I scrolled down the list of names, there about half way down I saw my name - Kobie McGurk! It’s hard to explain my initial feelings… there was joy, a sense of relief, excitement, fulfillment, amazement. At the end of the day I was still pinching myself; I still don’t believe it.
Shayley phoned straight away. Yes, she knew the team on Friday but kept it a secret until she had sent out the email on Monday morning. I commend her. Shayley has never been able to keep a secret in her life. After speaking with her, she said it was one of the hardest things she has ever had to do. I was with her all weekend and she didn’t let it slip. Where’s the loyalty??? Hahaha, she surely could have put me out of my misery.
And so my dream has come true. I have made the team to represent Australia at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Tell me that was going to happen 4 years ago and I would have laughed in your face. It just shows; the impossible can happen!
The hardest thing is that we found out on the Monday but the official announcement/media release was not until the following Tuesday, 17th June; which meant we weren’t allowed to tell a soul except family and close friends. This is to allow time for AOC ratification, to ensure all the boxes are ticked and for any athlete appeals.
After the naming of the team, all things were back to normal straight away. We didn’t really have much time to let it sink in. In the afternoon we had a heat chamber session at Curtin University- the best session of the week…. NOT. You may be thinking what does this involve? Well, we are on a stationary bike in 35 degree heat and approx 85-90% humidity and complete a session (intervals, build-ups, surges etc) lasting 50 minutes. Basically this is one way of trying to replicate conditions in China- it’s a way of acclimatising. Maybe we should turn on some exhaust pipes as well, this way it would be more realistic of what we are to face; the much talked about SMOG! I’m sure I’m contributing to the water shortage in Australia, gallons of water is sculled after the session in an attempt to recover and hydrate for the next session…
For 16 girls there was immense joy and happiness, however for 9 others the story was totally different.
I have known the 9 girls that unfortunately missed out on Olympic selection for a lot longer than I’ve been representing my country, so I of course felt an enormous amount of empathy for my fellow teammates. It’s a difficult task to console someone when the despair and anguish they’re feeling is so great. What do you say to someone when the only words they wanted to hear were ‘you’re going to Beijing’…I really, really struggled and at the end of the day all I could do was be compassionate and understanding.
After the team was named the group dynamic was noticeably different - I think this was always going to be the case. There were two very definitive groups:
- those embracing the opportunity to train and practice &
- those who withdrew in disappointment.
This challenged the group to rise above and pull together as we are to this day a squad of 25 athletes who have ALL contributed equally along the way. I think by the end of the week we got it right and we were again as one.
Training has definitely been ramped up since our disappointing performance at the Champions Trophy - understandably too. In addition to our base program which includes skills sessions, weights and yoga, during this next period/training block additional sessions to work on our speed, strength and sharpness as well as our fitness have been incorporated. There is also a lot more time and opportunity for individual and sub-group sessions which allows time to work on and develop set-plays.
Now, that I have been named in the 16, I’m not going to rest on my laurels, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that by the 10th of August (Game 1) I am completely ready. So from here on in I’ve made a commitment to myself to pay extra attention on all areas of my game - mental and physical strength, technical skills and tactical strategies. By failing to prepare I’m preparing to fail, this isn’t an option! I’m not going to the Olympics to make up numbers I’m going to win a medal - a Gold one at that.
The path to a dream is paved with sacrifices and lined with determination. It has many stumbling blocks along the way and may go in more than one direction, but is marked with faith… The path to a dream is traveled by belief, courage, persistence and hard work. It is conquered with a willingness to face challenges and take chances, to fail and try again and again. Along the way, you may have to confront doubts, setbacks and unfairness. But when the path comes to an end, you will find there is no greater joy than making your dream come true.
-Barbara Cage
This quote I think says it all and in some way reflects the journey/path I have followed in my quest for success.
- Sacrifices: bad social/partying life hahaha, interrupted study, little or no work/job
- Hard-work: UWA 1km track, Bridges, Broome St (Cottesloe), Crawley etc etc numerous conditioning sessions where you just feel like throwing in the towel
- Doubts: after being injured and out for so long I thought I was not going to get back into the team, I felt on the outer
- Set-backs: Injury in May 2007, fractured 5th metatarsal out for 4-5 months
- Dream: Achieved, I’m off to the Olympics
Over the past week I’ve had 2 inspirational conversations that I’ve really identified with. The first was with Jenn Morris a former highly decorated gold medal winning Hockeyroo and now successful business woman. We were at a WA Olympic Council fundraising event and become engrossed in conversation. Besides learning a lot (tips, knowledge, experience etc) of what to expect at an Olympics and being inspired by the time the night was over there was one message that I took away with me. I believe it puts everything in perspective. At the moment the most important thing is hockey, going to the Olympics, playing well, achieving goals and having success. But when you retire from hockey and move on, the life lessons learnt and friendships formed for life are as just as important as those successes.
The other conversation was with Jeremy (Jed) Davy, my brother in law. Jed, a performance analyist was at the 2004 Athens Olympics and a part of a goal medal winning team - the Kookaburras (Men’s Hockey team). Jed now works for the Fremantle Dockers. We were talking about the excitement of the Games, village life and so on and then I asked ‘when does it finally sink in that you’re an Olympian?’ And what he said to me is that as soon as you go as a team to the warehouse and collect your uniform, it then becomes real. I can’t wait for that feeling J
Official Team Announcement: 17th June at Orana Catholic Primary School. |
