Marnie McBean's Blog, page 11

The Art of Leadership: Love It or Hate It

Posted in Marnie in the News

Last week, Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) announced that Mike Spracklen, an internationally renowned rowing coach would no longer be part of its coaching staff and it has put most rowers, and those who follow rowing, into one of two camps. You either think it is a good thing, or a terrible thing; it is very difficult to be in the middle.

Mike Spracklen has had a brilliant career as a coach and is passionate about the movement and effort of rowing. His thoughts and directions to his crews often sound poetic. He is an artist and like most art – discussion of it can be very polarizing.

The situation leads me to remember a play I saw in London a few years ago called Art. It was a one-act play – a kind of British-Seinfeld discussion where one of the three characters had recently purchased a very expensive piece of art. With great pride he showed his beloved new painting to his best friend who absolutely hated it. “It is a white paining with white diagonal stripes. How could you possibly have spent so much money on such a thing?” The comical yet heated play that followed discussed how they could remain friends if they were so opposite on whether this was art or not.

After the London Olympics, there were four possible options for the 75-year old rowing coach. Mike could either retire, be offered a new 4-year contract with RCA (in the same or a new role), receive no offer from RCA, the fourth option, which few would have genuinely anticipated, would be to take a new coaching position in another country. In the last few years some had heard that he was becoming increasingly difficult for RCA to manage but many assumed that Mike Spracklen would control the direction of his career and retire.

Back in 2008, the then 70-year-old rowing coach led his Canadian Men’s eight to another gold medal and some wondered if he would retire then. But the British born and raised coach looked to the next, London 2012, Olympic games as a unique opportunity. After coaching UK rowers to 4 Olympic medals between 1976 and 1988, Mike came to Canada when the British Rowing didn’t offer him a coaching contract. Always a little stung by their rejection, some thought that the 74-year-old had created a perfect ending to a brilliant career when Canada recently beat Great Britain, taking the silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics. But like any true artist, Mike still has ideas and a passion to create. I don’t think Mike will ever choose to retire; so… RCA made the decision for him.

There is no question that Mike is an excellent coach. His training program, famous for it’s intensity and quantity, has resulted in 12 Olympic medals – 7 of which have been for Canadian crews. His messaging has been unrelenting – if you do everything he says then you will win Gold. The unspoken but very clear corollary is that if you don’t win Gold it is because you didn’t do everything that Mike told you to do. In my book, The Power of More – How Small Steps Help us Achieve Big Goals I included Mike in a discussion on the many styles of leadership.  Here is a small excerpt of that discussion;

Guilt is a tremendous tool, and Mike seems to be a master at using it; he knows exactly how to tap into an athlete’s own worry that he hasn’t done enough. This forces an athlete to dig incredibly deep to prove to Mike and to himself, that he has. Mike’s leadership style was to demand an unquestioning commitment to the goal. His contrasting quiet and gentle delivery, which seemed incongruous next to his unrelenting message, instilled a fierce confidence and loyalty in his team.

Knowing all the loyalties of those who love him and all the frustrations from those who don’t, I find myself identifying with the third character in Art, the play. As a friend to both the art owner and the art hater this character is asked to weigh in and cast the deciding vote; is it art or is it …not?

 

In anticipation of RCA’s recent actions Mike’s supporters had begun petitioning to keep him weeks ago. As demanding as Mike can be, the rowers that make it through his program with a medal, and the supporters around them, love him. To them, he is their unselfish leader, their muse and their family. As unyielding as he is on them on the water, he is a gentle and kind man off of it.

Mike is extremely hard on his rowers; mentally, physically and emotionally. Some have said that it is as if each time Mike arrived to a new country with a pool of fresh healthy rowers the question always became … will they last the 4 years to the Olympics?  Instead of building up and growing his base of athletes he ‘throws his eggs’ against the Spracklen training wall packed by volume and intensity. The conventional wisdom was that Mike’s program would be great for about 3 years after which it was very likely that he would run out of good eggs. The ones that don’t crack will be the guys in his crew. And…it’s true – it often worked. Those that survive – and by survive I mean barely, because no one gets through unscathed – often won medals. But since the number of talented Canadian athletes who even get to the level of ‘eggs’ is limited, it is an unsustainable system for building a national program.

Many talented rowers leave his system too early or, if they happen to be in the crews that don’t succeed at the Olympics – the blame and guilt that is put on them (because they must have done something wrong)  – is lasting. Three years after Canada’s 2004 Olympic eight, coached by Mike, finished 5th  I still had parents of those men telling me how much their sons were still really struggling to make sense of what could have gone wrong. Mike’s post race comments had been simply that the only explanation was that someone must have given up – he never said who, so they all took his blame. Olympic disappointments always linger, but I had to agree with the parents; this disappointment seemed different to me – it was more personal than just sport.

This is where one needs to wonder if the ends do in fact justify the means. But I was once told that selection (and the training that proceeds and follows) is not for those who do not make the team – it is for those that do. There is something glorious in surviving a workout, a week of workouts and then a year of them, where many are designed to test your every desire to quit. When you survive that – you feel a warrior. I have to admit that having retired from competitive rowing in 2000, I miss being often tested that way; but often is no way always.

The argument that Mike’s hard methodology is incongruous with building a sustainable national program is not new. The same pattern has followed him through his coaching duties in the UK ( – 1988), Canada (1990-1992) and then USA (1993-1996), returning to the UK (1997-2000) and back to Canada again (2000-2012). In every country but the US, he found Olympic success, was then thanked for his efforts and… let go. In 1993, attracted by the deep pool of American rowers, Mike left Canada and quickly coached the Americans to win the men’s eight at the 1994 World Championships. But that pool of men wasn’t able to keep up with Mike’s pace and limped into Atlanta games, finishing 5th. I’ve heard it said that the British rower, Sir Steven Redgrave, who won 5 gold medals at 5 consecutive Games and most of the World Championships in between would not have been able to continue past his 2nd Olympics had Mike remained his coach. For Steve to continue his long career he needed a different leader with a more balanced training plan.

In 2000, after Mike’s 2nd stint as coach in the UK, having coached the British women’s quad to a silver medal he was again released.  The following excerpt from a BBC article could very well be what we are reading this week here in Canada.

“While he has achieved the target set by British rowing, an Olympic medal, that success has come at a cost – the depletion of those willing or able to train at his national centre.”… “The man could do no wrong, unless of course you were one of those that had fallen out of favour. By the time the (2000) Olympics started those in this latter group out numbered those who were in favour.  As well as the women’s eight, the silver medal pair from 1998 had left him to be coached elsewhere. In his defence, it was those in Spracklen’s ever-declining group that delivered the goods in Sydney, but at what price?” (Here is that full BBC article )

Spracklen has had a leadership role in Canada longer than anywhere else. I believe the key to the Canadian men’s success in the last 10 years has been that they have mostly figured out how to survive his intense program. Experience has taught the veterans that if they want to stay in for a 2nd 4-year term, they need to take an extended break in the form of a pseudo-retirement. (A third Olympiad has become extremely rare for his men.) Even though they risk being labeled AWOL they tend to ‘hide’ from his program in post Olympic Years as they recover and regain some life balance.

If you can survive his training program you will be extraordinarily strong – but not necessarily well prepared. All sports – and perhaps all vocations – progress by technique and then power steps. Someone will establish them self as a leader by setting a new benchmark of being stronger.  That amount of strength will eventually become the norm and so, for advantage, someone will establish them self as the new leader by mastering a more efficient technique. This progression strength – efficiency – strength – … will be repeated time and again.

Mike’s crews are all almost entirely about power and tenacity – they row well but they have never been referred to as technicians. The vast majority of their training sessions are about power application with a very minimal focus on subtle drill work. Even the technique workouts that I have seen required huge force output. They arrived at the London Olympics with an incredible level of fitness, average technique and below average actual-racing-experience. (Heavyweight men’s crews can, in some cases, get away with this but I was not surprised to see lightweight crews that trained in this style struggle.)

Every crew in the world is training fiercely hard; no program, no nation is taking it easy or cutting corners. In London, the German men’s eight that beat the Canadian crew had been undefeated for 3 years even though the Canadian crew looked more powerful. The German’s rowed with a markedly beautiful and efficient style. That, combined with their power, resulted in a racing ability that no one could match. The programs that I trained in had an assortment of workouts; many were competitive and incredibly demanding like Mike’s, but there were also many that were about technique, precision and long term recovery. There was some balance. (I am not about to espouse that high performance sport is ever completely balanced or with out it’s life-style costs.)

 

Both sides of the ‘should RCA have kept Mike or not’ battle can be right. Appreciation of his leadership is the right of the beholder. I absolutely understand and respect the support and defence that many athletes have mounted for Mike. Having coached 7 Canadian crews onto the Olympic podium, he is the one of Canada’s most successful coaches but in the 20 years that I have been a close observer of our team – his way is not the only way to win. In the same time Mike’s Canadian crews have won 7 Olympic medals, Al Morrow coached Canadian women to 8 Olympic medals. But this discussion is in no way a comparison of programs; there are many successful ways to lead. This is about RCA’s decision to look for new leadership to build a bigger more successful program; just 1 of 6 men’s heavyweight Olympic medals is not the target.

There is no question that Mike Spracklen has achieved success. His leadership and ability to produce is absolutely ‘art’, but the question remains – is he the program leader that Rowing Canada needs in 2016? In 2012 Canadians only qualified in 7 of 14 Olympic rowing events and won only 2 rowing medals while the UK won 9 and a small country like New Zealand won 5 medals. Canada needs a full program – a collection of coaches – with all areas working supportively together. Will this 75-year old be able to keep up with his own standard of workload and creativity and work with others for the next 4 years? It’s possible – but like everything in his program – it won’t be easy.

I wish there was a way that Mike Spracklen and RCA could have figured out a solution, but for Mike – there are no half measures. If Mike worked well with other Canadian coaches, or mentored young coaches well, giving them responsibility and then some respected autonomy it would be a massive mistake to let him go. But Mike actively disparages other programs. To believe in Mike’s program means that you are taught to disrespect others- his is the only right way. Even as Kathleen Heddle and I were winning World and Olympic titles – I know that he was undercutting our successes – the only way we could be winning (if we hadn’t trained his way) was if our races were easy. That’s his way of leading his team and a long time ago I came to accept it, but that is no way to build a full and successful Canadian rowing team.

I do feel honored to have seen and heard Mike Spracklen work for so long. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. To hear him speak so passionately about the way a rower needs to pull on the oar, and how the blade moves though the water is a sound bite I hope never to lose. There are so many Spracklen stories that drip with his cutting wisdom that are part of my own fond collection of rowing memories.  Kathleen and I did not work with him, but a compliment that he gave us in 1991 just as we were about to start a streak of career wins still sticks out. I have seen him create warriors who have battled at the highest level who have had life-defining moments. He will always be a legend.

But he has always made me nervous… his program and methodology is so risky. It is not one that is because of the journey, it is because of the reward and if you miss it – if you do not win Gold – you have failed. If you did not survive the training it is because you are not, and will not be, enough. Strangely – I truly believe that Mike is about the process and the journey of coaching. He loves it – the extreme of the day to day. But for his rowers, they are inadvertently taught that the value of their journey will be defined only by the result – a gold medal or nothing. That’s not they way to build a sustainable program or healthy people.

The joy the men’s eight displayed for their Olympic silver medal in London was so unique for a Mike Spracklen crew. That regatta was an emotional rollercoaster for the Canadian men’s eight. After a terrible first race where they scrambled with inexperience, Mike lambasted them; the only thing that could explain their performance was that they did not do what he had told them. With Mike not on their side, I was told that they went onto the water for their do-or die repechage ‘broken’.  Then and there the crew rallied, drawing on the few veterans like Malcolm Howard and Brian Price, who reminded them that they had done so much work together. They owned that work – not Mike. At that moment they realized that it was their effort, their journey. Despite Mike’s terrible pre-race send-off they had a good race and advanced to the final.

Two days later, just before the Olympic final, which would include the still unbeaten German crew, Mike did something, that by all accounts that I’ve heard – he’d never done before. He told them to “race for the winnable medals”. For the crew it was liberating and inspiring – all that they could do would be enough, regardless if that meant gold or not. They could race their own race – in no ones shadow – with Mike on their side. To me that race was, maybe for the first time for a Spracklen crew, a race that they won for themselves, with but not – as he would suggest that they do in a pre-race poem that he had penned for them – ‘for’ Mike.

Like many others I watched all of this unfold with relief because it would have been such a shame to watch them either devastated with a silver medal or even worse, collapse mid-race as Mike’s 2004 Olympic crew did as their Gold or nothing mantra revealed that they would get nothing.

 

I’ve always understood Spracklen’s style even though it wouldn’t have worked for me. In the past week we have heard many of Mike’s rowers speak out with heartfelt endorsements of Mike’s leadership. Mike pushed them excruciatingly hard but through it they felt like family. I am sad to see Mike go, he has given some Canadian rowers so much, – but I’m not surprised.

Not everyone needs to understand or like the way Mike leads. Like art, appreciating a style of leadership is very personal. Some people are inspired by the same style that leaves others incredulously angry. Unfortunately Mike is not a painter or a writer – he does not work in isolation and can’t just create for those who stay near him. Mike Spracklen is a rowing coach and he works within an organization that needs to build a program that includes more than a handful of devout followers but a full complement of high performing and healthy rowers.

High Performance sport is an investment and to improve overall results at Olympic Games, Canada needs to have rowers who are staying in for 2, 3 or even 4 Olympic cycles. Mike’s “old-school” methods work, but they only work for a few for a short time. I do not assume that Rowing Canada is looking for a new coach(s) to take it easier on Canadian rowers but one who will lead a team to broader success. No different than other international rowing programs, RCA has 4 streams of Olympic rowers – heavyweight men and women, and lightweight men and women – and resources for all rarely meet demand: Co-operation is required. I believe RCA has always respected Mike – but they need to know that he is working with them and their other program coaches to develop a bigger more successful team in Rio 2016 and beyond.

 

For Olympic champion Marnie McBean, the proof is in the medals

Posted in Marnie in the News

Athlete shares how wanting more can fuel the path to success
by Jules Torti, Special to the Vancouver Sun (Link to article here)

The Power of More

By Marnie McBean, foreword by Steve Nash

Greystone Books, Douglas & McIntyre, 257 pages

If anyone is entitled to writing about achieving goals, it would be a three-time Olympic rowing champion with three gold and one bronze medal as testament. In The Power of More, Marnie McBean translates her infectious energy into a book that is the equivalent of verbal Red Bull.

There is an instant pep rally momentum to her easily digestible subtitle: “How small steps can help you achieve big goals.” We are introduced to the mental physique of a retired athlete who has already proven her physical endurance — and her continued high-octane enthusiasm to be better and more is contagious. Humbling anecdotal moments where McBean admits nearly quitting, failure, disillusionment and frustration quickly level the playing field. She’s normal, she’s human.

The purpose of The Power of More is not to clone a herd of Olympic champions. Instead, McBean blueprints success in a very generalized and far-reaching approach: for relationships, recreational or elite runners, the workplace and beyond. A sales rep and stay-at-home mom will find equal education and motivation in her words.

If you find yourself stalling, waiting for the perfect time to begin a daunting project or conversation (like Monday or New Year’s Day), her book will leave you fumbling for previously reliable excuses.

“The inertia of doing nothing can be very difficult to overcome,” she admits. But, as the law of inertia dictates, “a body in motion tends to stay in motion.” Where are you now? Where do you want to be? Why are you not moving in that direction full force?

Is your goal written in chalk? If you haven’t verbalized it, a silent goal of losing 25 pounds becomes a 15 pound target. Winning a race gets downsized to placing in the top three. “With no hard commitment, you can adjust the goal down again: five pounds, top eight. The only person you are disappointing is the only person who knew what the goal was — and that’s yourself.”

McBean addresses the inevitable duality that symbiotically occurs in the pursuit of a goal or dream. Patience, impatience. Satisfaction, dissatisfaction. The tangible moments of contentment are so fleeting.

Reaching the podium to accept a gold medal doesn’t even squash this turbulent human condition. We inherently want more and the undercurrent of power that works in tandem with it is what keeps us on a path of continual learning, growth and achievement.

When McBean decided she wanted to be the best rower in the world and win at the Olympics, her ambition solidified her accountability and commitment.

Readers will be surprised to leanrn that she was originally inspired to contact the Argonauts Rowing Club in Toronto because of a chocolate bar commercial and a Rob Lowe movie (Oxford Blues) spotlighting rowing.

This wasn’t a childhood dream — but as soon as McBean committed to the idea of being the best, she was unstoppable. There was no chalk dust in her goal.

In accomplishing goals, McBean believes in accepting motivation from any source — even if it’s vanity. Her account of participating in the Canadian Eco-Challenge proved this theory.

Her accountability shifted from the “fun of doing it for me to the task of doing it for my team’s perception of me” when lactic acid turned her legs into non-cooperative wet cement. Olympic champions don’t quit, right?

Herein lies the successful balance in her guts and glory approach of mentorship. McBean breaks down the tough and instils invincibility in the reader by the gravity of her past stumbles. In turn, she poses squirm-inducing questions that deserve answers or, better yet, action.

Threaded throughout The Power of More are nostalgic Olympic tidbits heavy on the Canadiana and marvellous McBean trivia (chess champion? Snowboard instructor? Climbed Kilimanjaro?). We eavesdrop on McBean’s early days before self-actualization and it’s in these honest admissions that her wisdom and strategies gain strength. The communication dynamics with her rowing partner Kathleen Heddle provide the basis of many of her revelations on performance, resulting in an irresistible open diary about the suffocating pressure and euphoria of a world champion.

After a 15-year career with the Canadian Rowing Team it seems only natural that she now specializes in athlete preparation and mentoring with the Canadian Olympic Committee. She is a sucker for a challenge and has success in a chokehold already.

Need a hand to hold? A big nudge? A cheerleading squad? Listen to McBean. Four Olympic medals are proof that her plan and idealistic thinking works.

Marnie McBean will be a CTV sports correspondent at the 2012 London Olympics.Jules Torti is a Toronto writer who believes she’d win gold if paddling upstream was an Olympic event.

© Copyright (c)

Marnie McBean – Promoting girls’ rights around the World!

Posted in Marnie in the News

Now Marnie McBean promotes girls’ rights worldwide! Photo, courtesy of Because I Am a Girl

article in Canadian Living.ca by Donna Paris Aug 18, 2012

(link to Canadian Living site )

Marnie McBean is one of our most inspiring Canadians – yes, she’s a rowing champion and one of our favourite Olympians, but now she’s also championing girls’ rights globally with Because I Am a Girl.

Now Marnie McBean promotes girls’ rights worldwide! Photo, courtesy of Because I Am a Girl

This past summer, she acted as an official mentor for the Canadian Olympic team. She’s featured in our October issue of Canadian Living, but when our intern Erin Morawetz interviewed her she had so much to say, we thought we’d tell you a bit more about Marnie, her mentoring ways, her new book, The Power of More, and her memories of each of her Olympic Games.

Because if there’s one thing that Marnie does well – other than row, that is – it’s inspire.

How did you mentor the Canadian Olympic team this past July?

I wrote to Olympic athletes every month. I found it helped them close the gap between where they were and where they wanted to go by highlighting different tools that they could use to help them stay focused.

How did your career shape your attitude toward mentoring?

When I look back on my rowing career, my gold medal races are not my favourite days. Those aren’t the days I look back on with the most pride. I look back at some of the hardest days that I had the most struggle and had the most reasons to stop and quit (but) I didn’t. The things that I’m the proudest of aren’t my successes, but my struggles.

Why did you write your book, The Power of More?

As the host nation of the 2010 Olympic Games, Canada walked in last during the opening ceremonies. As the team mentor, I was at the very back, the last Canadian. I remember watching the pace and the rhythm that the team was walking and it just struck me that they were overwhelmingly ready. I remember being so proud to be a part of the team.

Mentoring sometimes is a bit like parenting or teaching – you don’t always know that the people you’re talking to are listening. But as the Games unfolded, almost every athlete was coming up to me and thanking me for the emails and the messages and the work I’d done. That positive feedback inspired me to write about mentoring.

What are some of your favourite Olympic moments?

I remember at my first Games in Barcelona [in 1992] the week of rowing was a blur. On the middle Sunday of the Games, 17 friends and I – so 18 rowers – had gold medals. Six of us had two. I remember walking around the Olympic Village a few days later and just feeling like I belonged. The Village is a contained town of 10,000 people, and everyone is trying to win a gold medal. That was such an incredible moment, knowing that back in my room, I had two gold medals. As normal as I was, I knew I belonged there.

In Atlanta [in 1996], Kathleen Heddle, my rowing partner, and I were selected to be the flag bearers for the closing ceremony and that meant we were representing more than just rowers – we were representing the entire Canadian team. That was extremely special for us.

My favourite Olympic moment in Sydney [in 2000] actually occurred before the Olympics. I went to Sydney to race the single [sculls event] and I ended up having to withdraw because of a back injury. But my teammates took care of me. I went from a point where I was training three times a day to where I couldn’t stand for three weeks.

By the time I got to the Olympics I was able to stand, and I did walk in the opening ceremonies with my team, but those Games were the first time I really learned how kind people can be if you let them. I’d always been just too independent. And it was probably there that I started learning how to give back. Letting people help you is as powerful as helping other people.

London Olympic Rowing – Best seat in the house

Posted in Marnie's Adventures

front row, tv monitor, informed friends to discuss what we’re watching….

I went to London with CTV to be a Primetime studio analyst for the Olympic rowing regatta. This meant that while a team of people would call the races stroke by stroke as they happened, I would observe the regatta and explain what was going on in the big picture to the Primetime audience in Canada in the middle of the night in the UK.

To do this – I had one hell of a daily schedule. I was at the Eton Dorney Rowing Centre from 8am-3pm to get a feel of what was happening at the regatta, talk to my international peers and watch all the incredible races. My actual work with CTV was in the evening. I would go into the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) at about 7pm to prepare for the live Primetime show with Brian Williams. Depending on what time I was on – I was there until 2-3am.

I was very lucky to have a driver for most of my commuting. I had a hotel about 45min from the IBC – where I would sleep for 1-2 hrs by day- and another hotel about 30min from the Rowing course- where I would sleep 2-4 hrs by night. The drive between the two was never less than an hour, sometimes closer to 2hours, and once – when I had to take a bus and a train – it took me 3hours 20 minutes. The route between the two was actually incredibly scenic and I was driven by the London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace. One day- we went passed Big Ben as it chimed 3am… and then again later as it chimed 3pm –for nine days I was commuting a lot and sleeping only a little.

The regatta was amazing and my role was incredible. I did the live-call of the races at the 2004 Athens Games (like Barney Williams did so energetically here) but strange as it might sound – when you’re calling a race – you don’t really get to watch the rowing; this year my role let me really watch. I sat with other analysts and friends who are rowing legends in their home Australia, Great Britain, France and Romania. We remarked on all the great crews, the racing conditions and of course – the trouble we all got into back in the good old days!

Every day I watched incredible things happen. The Canadian team had come with what I thought was 2-5 medal opportunities. The women’s eight, men’s pair and men’s eight were my best picks and I felt from their 4th place racing in Lucerne our men’s lightweight double might be able to move up one spot. Canada’s lightweight women’s double had been through so many changes in the last two years, who was in the boat, where they trained, who they trained with – I had been very afraid for over a year that while they felt that some battles had been won, they would lose the war. I remained optimistic for them but neither of the light doubles were able to step up and at the Olympics – failing to move forward is as good as taking steps back.

The silver medal from our women’s eight crew was exciting to watch. They weren’t able to beat the Americans but their effort certainly made the Yanks uncomfortable. The silver from our men’s eight was a highlight race for many longtime rowing pundits. The road that the Canadian men took through the regatta was anything but smooth. They raced terribly in the heat, which forced this crew of giant men to question their pinpoint focus on gold. Sent off to race their repechage in some confusion – they turned to each other recognizing that they’d trained way to hard to lose focus now. Quickly they came to the consensus that they could race their own race – not in the image or shadow of the Gold medal crew of 2008. In their own stride they won their medal in what was one of the tightest 6 crew battles people had seen for decades.

 

Highlights…

• The 30,000 person crowd – the Dorney Roar – was incredible. Pushing all rowers but without question driving the British rowers on.

• The men’s light four was an incredible finish – with Gold Silver and Bronze all within a whisker and 4th just knocking at the door.

• The men’s lightweight double. GB was leading with about 400m to go. The Danes attacked and GB -with the crowd behind -them responded. This happened about 4 times – the Danes attacked, the crowd roared, GB responded. Unfortunately for the home side – the Danes outlasted the Brits and with a glance as they passed, the home boys couldn’t match the last push. It was such an incredible battle.

• Noteable – but not really a highlight – the weather was pretty iffy to start. Questionable cross winds, rain, lightning and thunder, sun, cold, heat… everything within a 2hr period. Weather is always a factor for outdoor sport – but not for media coverage! The journalist stands were all completely weather exposed. Points to CTV’s sound tech, Pernell, – aka MacGyver for creating a weather proof tent.

In the end though – I chose a more exposed seat with a better view.

Gallery

See more photos here »

A sense of wow. In London and in the Olympic Village

Posted in Marnie's Adventures

My second day in London and being at the Olympics is certainly living up to memory. It’s always bigger and brighter around them. These are my 8th Olympic Games and each time I arrive I am filled with a sense of wow.  I’ve been to three games as an athlete, three as the team mentor/athlete service officer and these are my second as media. When rowing starts I will be working on CTV’s prime time show with Brian Williams as a studio analyst. It certainly is a bit of a dream to be working with Brian – he has told the story of some many incredible Olympic moments – including my own.  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit worried about keeping up with him!

Yesterday was a whirlwind of London tourist sites. I was with a group of my broadcast team mates and after getting settled into our desks and given our local cell phones we set out to orient ourselves – and frankly to start the process of beating jet lag. We watched the British Open over a long lunch in Canary Wharf, saw Big Ben, Canada House in Trafalgar Square, walked along The Stand to Leister Square, stopped at the Maple Leaf Pub in Covent Garden and then had dinner in Piccadilly Circus. Take that jet lag!!

When I first arrived here on Friday night, I thought just being in London and traveling around the city and seeing all the Olympic Venue signage and advertising made the Olympics seem so real. It kinda did – but after today – it’s even more real. 

Today started off with about 300 members of the Bellmedia (CTV/RDS/TSN/Sportsnet…) London based staff (there are about 800 more back in Canada) who will be creating the Olympic Broadcast. We gathered for a “this is going to be great – so tell great stories” meeting. The message and the videos we saw built a fire. Then – almost concurrently to that – my good friend Nathalie Cook had the opportunity to run with some real fire! – the Olympic Torch – here in London. I recall when I had the privilege of running with the Torch just outside of Toronto as it made its way across Canada to Vancouver/Whistler and it was pure joy.  I’ve seen some pictures of Nat and it looks like she felt it too! Pride and joy – everything the Olympic Spirit is supposed to be.

Then… (at the Olympics, almost all stories seem to start off great and carry on with an endless supply of “and then”s!!) … and then if got even better. As an accredited member of the media I, like the public, do not have access to the Olympic Village but today, the group of people at the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) that I work with in Athlete Preparation department had me come in on a guest pass. I got to see the product of much of our last few years of planning.

Inside an Olympic Village is a special place. Everyone who is living in this ‘town’ of 10,000 people is the best in their country at what they do and they all believe that they can be the best in the world. There is an energy you can feel – as if the air is electric with consequence, confidence and incredible focus. On a plot of land that is probably 2.5km square, you can find over 200 nations living in harmony. The buildings are draped with the flags of each nation and as you walk around it you feel like you are circumnavigating the globe. That always blows me away. The organizing committee, LOCOG, provides a Poly-clinic (healthcare), cafeteria, post office, bank, convenience store as well as a hair salon, dry cleaner, florist, games room and gym.It is a self-contained mini city that has everything that athletes from around the world could want.

I had the chance to have lunch in the dinning hall. I had to choose from eating ‘African & Caribbean’, ‘Halal’, ‘India & Asia’, ‘The Best of Britian’ or ‘Mediterranean’ food. There is a reason I’ve often say to athletes “Don’t eat yourself out of a medal!”. Today – it’s was very nice that I’m not competing anytime soon because I certainly would have put my result at risk! It was so hard to decide! And then (!) I went to the McCafe – which is open 24-7 and is free to the residents of the OV – for a mocha frappe. (I did say no whipped cream. At least there was that!)

I ran into a number of Canadian athletes and was happy to chat with them. Everyone is setting into their new home away from home with all their great new HBC Olympic gear. The COC has customize the everything from the building that the Canadians are living in to their bedrooms and the gardens around them. The large statue of a moose that stands at their front entrance is something I’m familiar with! A moose like that first showed up with the Canadian team in Sydney 2000 and it was as popular then as it seems to be now. The moose won’t help the Canadian team win – but it does show them that people went to some effort to let them know that people think they are special and worthy of extra effort.

From lounges, snack areas, to meeting rooms, gyms, medical and treatment areas to quiet recovery and wellness areas; I was so proud to see all the Canadian-only spaces that the COC has created.

I’ve added some photos I took while I was in the Olympic Village to My Adventures album, and – in accordance with IOC policy – I did ask for the permission of the people in them so that I could share these pictures!

There are only two things left to happen that will really take the Games up a ‘feels real’ notch again… the lighting of the caldron – and the beginning of competition. Let the Games begin! I love it.

Gallery

See more photos here »

You are ready

Posted in Mentor Messages

There isn’t much more that I’d like to say to you before the London 2012 Olympics except that you are ready.  For over a year I’ve been sending notes out with the intention of helping you to collect new ‘tools’ or to sharpen the ones that you already possess. These tools will take you into your Olympic experience with all the confidence and swagger that you have trained so hard for. Trust in all the work that you have done- you are ready.When you arrive in London you will see people who you consider heroes of sport, whether they are from your sport or others, and they will be in peak condition. The stage that you are about to enter is huge, everyone will be in new uniforms surrounded by professional support staff helping them to gain every advantage. Do not think for one second that you don’t belong.

For countless years you’ve likely been watching video of your performances with a very critical eye- looking to find even the tiniest flaws so that you can improve. Do not fall prey to the trap of going to the Games seeing yourself only critically and putting those around you on a pedestal. You are as ready as everyone you see. To my very core I believe that normal people are the ones that do extraordinary things. As Mark Tewksbury said to himself “Why not me?”, do not hesitate to ask the same of yourself. You are ready to be one of those heroes of sport too. You will wear the Canadian Olympic Team uniform and be surrounded by coaches, trainers, doctors, physio & massage therapists, nutritionists, (regardless of if they stand beside you in London or not). They are best-in-class professionals who have helped you gain every advantage. While I’m sure you still see ‘bits and pieces’ left to do – because that is the nature of high-performers- you are unquestionably ready.

This will be my last email to you  I will be in London as a member of the media – and a devoted fan and supporter to Team Canada. In London, Mark Tewksbury & Sylvie Bernier ( your chef and assistant chef de mission) and Vee Brenner, Jason Myslicki, and Gina Kingsbury (your Athlete Service team) are all Olympians (with a combined total of 7 Olympic medals) who have volunteered their time to ensure that you have your best Games possible.You are so ready. Be proud and have fun with it.It has been a privilege exchanging Olympic preparation thoughts and ideas with you. Thank you. This note and all of my past notes, and my future messages can be found at marniemcbean.ca Stay in touch if you’d like.

Think of this as a talking point; you may agree with me, maybe disagree… It may serve as a heads up or reminder to some ups and downs that are a natural point of believing that you can more than just go, more than just compete, but compete at your very BEST at the Olympics.
My goal will never be to add to your stress, but to help you wear it well.

Marnie

 

London 2012 : Marnie McBean still pulling hard for Canada

Posted in Marnie in the News

Marnie McBean mentors many Canadian Athletes like boxer Mary Spencer

Toronto Star article, by Dave Peschuk, published July 11, 2012

In the nearly 20 years since Marnie McBean struck double rowing gold at the Barcelona Olympics, she has cycled in Tuscany, written a book, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro (twice) and introduced herself to Sidney Crosby as the border collie of the Canadian Olympic team.

The latter achievement came in Vancouver in 2010, when McBean was fulfilling her ongoing role as a mentor to Canada’s Olympians. It was Day 4 of the Games. Canada’s Mike Robertson had just won silver in snowboard cross and was heading back to the athletes’ village.

McBean wanted Robertson to return to a well-populated celebration in the village’s main lobby. Ever the brash extrovert, she began corralling athletes into an elevator en route.

“The elevator happened to stop on the men’s hockey floor. And suddenly, there’s Sidney Crosby and a few of his teammates standing in front of us,” McBean said. “The elevator was pretty full and they weren’t going to get in. I was like, ‘Get in.’ And they’re looking at me. And I’m like, ‘No, just get in.’ So I basically bullied about five of the hockey guys to get on the elevator. And then I introduced myself. I said, ‘Hi, I’m Marnie. I’m the team’s border collie.’ I explained to them that we were going to celebrate an athlete coming home with a medal.”

Crosby and his fellow hockeyists stayed for the celebration, which puts them among a long line of Canadian jocks who have responded positively to McBean’s brand of communication. Part rah-rah motivator, part home-spun philosopher, the 44-year-old alumnus of Etobicoke Collegiate has been mentoring Canada’s Winter and Summer Olympic teams since 2006.

In a year that has also seen her author a book — The Power of More, with a foreword by NBA star Steve Nash, came out in May — she has spent most of her time helping various members of Canada’s London-bound contingent make their final preparations for the Games.

Chelsea Aubry, a forward for Canada’s women’s basketball squad, said McBean’s session with her team was enlightening.

“She’s so well spoken and she keeps you entertained,” Aubry said. “The biggest thing she talks about is, ‘Make it your Olympics.’ Don’t get too distracted by everything going on around you. … When you can talk to someone who’s one of Canada’s most successful Olympians, it’s so great. She was just there for us in any way we needed.”

Diana Matheson, a member of the women’s soccer squad, has called McBean “a big influence and inspiration.” Adam van Koeverden, the Olympic champion kayaker, calls her “a huge help.”

“She just makes herself available. She’s just Marnie,” van Koeverden said. “She doesn’t mind telling me I’m an ass—. She doesn’t mind telling me, ‘You shouldn’t act like that in public.’ She’s a little bit hypocritical at times. She tells you not to swear in interviews. And she swears in interviews more than anyone.”

In two recent chats with a reporter, to be fair, McBean let fly with precisely one unprintable in the span of nearly an hour. She acknowledges that she can be more prolifically profane when she’s on the job with would-be Olympic medallists.

“With athletes, I’m a trucker,” is how she put it.

With athletes, her niche is relatively unique. She’s not a sports psychologist, nor a traditional sport-specific coach. Her Canadian Olympic Committee business card calls her a specialist in athlete preparation. Her monthly ruminations on the Olympic journey — emailed to members and would-be members of the Olympic team but also available to anyone at MarnieMcBean.ca — have become popular talking points for teams and coaches and bureaucrats. She also meets with athletes face to face to discuss the ups and downs of the five-ringed pursuit. Her goal, she said, is to help Canada’s best “wear their stress well.”

“Her writing really provides food for thought,” said Mark Tewksbury, the Olympic gold-medal swimmer who will be Canada’s chef de mission in London. “The Olympics are so unique, and you don’t know what to expect. I think that by having someone like Marnie who’s been there, who has successfully conquered it, and who can share stories in a way that are relevant to people — what’s not to like? Mentoring can be powerful.”

McBean, who won three Olympic golds and a bronze in a career cut short by a back injury in the lead-up to the 2000 Sydney Games, said her relationship with rowing crewmate Kathleen Heddle, documented memorably in The Power of More, still informs her view on the myriad ways to successfully prepare for world-class performance. While McBean was outspoken and outgoing even as a national-team rookie, Heddle was shy, which initially led McBean to believe she was also unaggressive and uncompetitive.

“When I started paying more attention, I realized she was just as dedicated to the details, just as dedicated to winning, as I was,” McBean said. “I’m not looking for athletes to be cookie-cutter versions of me.”

At these Games McBean won’t be living among the athletes; once competition begins she’ll trade her mentoring role for a spot as a rowing analyst on the Canadian broadcast. By that time, short of herding humans with canine enthusiasm, her work will have been complete. She likes to call the athletes with whom she has worked “wind-up toys that are wound up now.” All that’s left is the unleashing.

“Sometimes I’m like a big sister to the whole team. Sometimes I’m like a mascot, a buddy, an example. It changes with every team,” she said. “I kind of think of myself as a catalyst. I’m a little nerdy. I used to take a lot of sciences in high school. And a catalyst doesn’t really add to the reaction — it just speeds it up. I never assume to be part of anybody’s performance. But I can be part of their preparations. And if I can help them come to some realizations about themselves, or about what they want, or about what they’re feeling — I think I’ve helped them prepare.”

 

Your Games. Your Experience.

Posted in Mentor Messages

July 1 2012. Happy Canada Day!

Soon you will go to London for YOUR Olympics. They will be different than anything you’ve ever done including World Championships, World Cups and other Olympic Games. How they effect – and affect you – is up to you. Everyone is different and being different is just fine. Today I’d like to share with you some advice from the experiences of two incredible competitors, Christine Nesbitt and Clara Hughes.

A year ago, I asked World and Olympic Champion Christine Nesbitt to recount what it was like going to the Vancouver Olympics for her speed skating competitions. I had heard that the atmosphere and noise in the London Velodrome would be similar to that of the speedskating oval in Richmond and I wanted to pass on any tips to Tara Whitten, Zack Bell and our other track cyclists. Her message got back to me a bit late for their test event – but I believe the experience she recounted can surely resonate with you all.

What stuck me in her message was how the energy from the Games – the competition, crowds and the media – resonated with her differently than her teammate, Clara Hughes. Even though both women would win medals at those Games, Christine realized that the way she needed to handle the Olympic energy had to be HER way – not Clara’s or anyone else’s. Some are inspired by the Olympic energy and ride it like a wave – some people need to separate it out and stay focused on their own very specific (and very well trained!) task at hand.

With Christine and Clara’s permission, I’ve copied parts of notes they’ve both written to me. Clara’s note is part of an incredible message that she wrote to the Canadian 2010 Olympic Team after racing her first of two events, having just carried the Canadian flag at the Opening Ceremony.

From Christine…(Note- Vancouver was Christine’s 2nd Olympics, she had won a medal in 2006. In Vancouver she was favoured to win a medal in 2 or 3 of her 4 events)

I remember feeling so overwhelmed by the crowd that I wanted to cry before my first 500m race. (We race two of them.  They take a combined time.) When the gun went off, all I could think was “use it”, but if you’re thinking it, you’re not doing it…  

I had spoken to Clara Hughes before my races, and she is a different kind of athlete from me.  She had already raced the 3000m, and she said that the roar of the crowd propelled her and gave her extra energy and willpower…that kind of thing. She really knows how to get that magical extra ‘je ne sais quoi’ they say the Olympics brings.  I found, this was not true for me.  

My second 500m was much better; I was more relaxed and enjoying it. Also, I didn’t feel the pressure (because the 500m is not one) of my specialty distances.  

Once the 1000m came, I thought I had gotten my nerves out, but when you know it’s ‘your’ distance, nerves will be there no matter what. I wasn’t really prepared for this. I had never gone into an Olympic race being the number one, hands down favourite.  It was not fun at all.  

I was tight, and over thinking everything in the first 600m. I was analyzing how my race was going, judging off of my pair (who actually had a terrible race, but I thought it was good, so I misjudged what I was doing–not the right place to focus).  I remember crossing the line for my 600m split time with one lap to go, and I swear I heard the crow go silent.  I knew I was way off pace. At this point, I finally brought the race back into my own hands, into my own mind, and under my own power.  And this is what gave me the ability that day, despite (what was to me) a disastrous race, to win.  

Ok, I gave you basically a summary of my race, and how it didn’t go well. But I think it all stemmed from the crowd, and underestimating my own nerves under that intense sound, and pressure, and energy.  Since the Vancouver Olympics, I have vowed to myself that no racing, not even the next Olympics, will be so un-enjoyable and so stressful.  I have been working on finding something that makes me smile. When people say ‘relax’, that’s not helping me.  I’m a very intense competitor, and I love my focus and game face. But I’m learning, I can still crack a smile 22 minutes before my race, or when I’m gliding around the ice 7 minutes before I race, or when my coach and I make eye contact for that last time before going to the start line.  A brief smile or laugh helps me relax my shoulders, and lets me feel that biting pressure of my blades into the ice.  It allows me to relax, to feel the things that I have worked so hard for, and remind me of how confident I am in my ability and in the program I follow.  That energy from the crowd can really propel you – I understand that now.  But for me, I need to feel this mini relaxation before and then that energy can pour into my race.  

Christine Nesbitt, 2010 Olympic Champion in the 1000m. Since she found her ‘smile’ she is World Champion in the 1000m, 1500m and has a silver in the Team Pursuit.

From Clara…

I competed yesterday and it was incredible.  I have never raced within a tunnel of energy like that.  I felt like my heart was open and all of the cheers, screams, cowbells and drive of the crowd went in and propelled me forward. Seriously!

What I really want to share, however, is the perspective I had after the opening. Being chosen to carry the flag was a huge honor.  It was exciting.  It was nice.  It was beautiful.  But…… and this is a big ‘but’……. the feeling I had while leading the team was more a  realization than anything.  I realized that even an honor this huge, this special, well, in the end, it does NOT compare to racing.  It does not compare to competing.  It does not compare to having the chance to perform and to push myself and to have the opportunity to challenge myself, to face the deep down fears that we all have as athletes when it is game time.

Carrying the flag made me realize that I GET TO RACE AT THE OLYMPICS and that this alone is something that will never, ever compare to anything else in life.  It made me hungry to compete.  It made me aware of the chance I had and have in these Games to put myself out there and max myself out.  It made racing yesterday and the thought of racing again next week seem like the greatest thing in the world. When these Games are over, for me, as for at least a few of us, it is all over. Nothing in life will ever feel this way again.

So what I am saying, I think, is do NOT LOSE THESE MOMENTS that you have in front of you.  Go into these events with a big, open heart, and let the energy of this nation and all Canadians inside.  You will receive an inspiration unimaginable.  Don’t get me wrong, I was not in the oval waving, smiling or conversing with the crowd: I wanted to rip someone’s head off I was so hungry to race.  But I let the whoops and the hollers feed me.  It was amazing.

You will have many honors and special events in your life, but nothing will be like being an Olympic athlete and competing.  

May you all have wings that allow you to soar,

Clara Hughes, 2006 Olympic Champion, 6x Olympic medalist and only athlete to have multiple medals at both summer and winter games. Clara will be part of Canada’s Road Cycling team in London 2012

Be who you need to be at the Games to get the most from yourself and your team. There is no right or wrong way to be an Olympian – stay true to who you have been to get this far – it’s been working brilliantly.

Between now and the 2012 Olympic Games I will be sending out a monthly email. Think of it as a talking point; you may agree with me, maybe disagree… It may serve as a heads up or reminder to some ups and downs that are a natural point of believing that you can more than just go, more than just compete, but compete at your very BEST at the Olympics. My goal will never be to add to your stress, but to help you wear it well.

Marnie McBean

Three time Olympic Champion – Rowing

Your want-to sweet spot

Posted in Mentor Messages

It’s getting so close. You’ve done so much work, been through so much, dreamt for so long. Your Olympic goal is just around the corner and you just want it so badly. But be aware of wanting success so much that you cross over to feeling like you have to be successful. Feeling like you have to achieve is a very difficult place to perform from.

Right about now – less than 60 days until it all begins – is sometimes a difficult time to remember that you love what you do and that it’s mostly fun. It’s been an unusually long year with higher training volume and intensity coupled with all the consequences of selection and qualification. With summer racing and competitions in full swing – we become fully aware that there are very few second chances left. Add to that the almost constant hum of expectations from our family, the media and sponsors that are ever present, whether we are focusing on them or not. But remember, nobody wants or expects more from you than you – this is your ride! You’ve earned it and more importantly – you are ready for it.

In a recent email exchange with sport psych Cal Botterill, he spoke to me about a “want-to sweet spot”. I LOVED this term! We’ve all felt it– that sweet spot where our sense of self-belief, confidence and competitive fire are perfectly balanced and great performances seem to just flow naturally from us. He said, “…there (is) Sport Psychology literature that point(s) out the advantages of “approach(ing) success” (feels like want to) vs “avoid(ing) failure” (feels like have to).”

For me to tell you “don’t want it too much” is so simple but for you to do that can be surprisingly complex. Especially when, right now, there is nothing you want more than to achieve your success.  Believe me – I totally understand – I have been where you are. But remember, that no matter what’s on the line- you want to achieve far more than you have to achieve.

This whole journey has only been possible because of your hunger and passion for competition and your sport. You really love what you do and you couldn’t have made it this far otherwise. Once upon a time you chose your sport and it made your heart sing: it was play. When I talk to athletes who have retired from elite professional or Olympic competition, uniformly they say that the thing that they miss most is the lifestyle and the incredible rush that comes with being really tested; by them self and by others. For all the challenges that sport and competition bring, they bring you more joy than anything else.

Want it. Want it with all your heart. It may be the hardest thing to do – but be aware of your approach to success. Try to remember that you want to have it more than you have to have it.  Play.

 

Between now and the 2012 Olympic Games I will be sending out a monthly email. Think of it as a talking point; you may agree with me, maybe disagree… It may serve as a heads up or reminder to some ups and downs that are a natural point of believing that you can more than just go, more than just compete, but compete at your very BEST at the Olympics. My goal will never be to add to your stress, but to help you wear it well.

Marnie McBean

Three time Olympic Champion – Rowing