Yvonne Visser reports on Nanoose Athlete's
Michelle Stillwell's Gold Medal Win
Yvonne Visser is a world-class athlete who volunteers her time as a
massage therapist to Canadian International Athletes. She is a member of
Team Nanaimo, our Spirit of BC Community Committee. Yvonne competed in the
Biathlon in the 1992 Albertville Olympic Games. She travels and follows
the circuit of some special Vancouver Island Athletes. The following is
an excerpt from her sport diary.
With the start of the World Track and Field Championships, put on by the
International Paralympic Committee, the teams are keen to start and the
flags are flying high!
We have a large team of 62 Canadians, including 47 athletes, a small medical
staff, 11 coaches, team manager, and head of delegation. We are all volunteers,
working to enable the athletes to accomplish their best results here in
Assen, Holland in fall, 2006. We have a diverse team of athletes with cerebral
palsy, amputee, blind, and Para and quadriplegic athletes racing in wheelchair
events.
After six LONG days at the track in the rain and wind, we are ready for
Michelle Stillwell of Nanoose Bay, BC to begin her bid for the medal podium
in the 100m and 200m events. Just like any elite athlete, she is nervous
and ready to go... the announcer is calling the start and race.... Stilwelll...
Stilwelll... YES, she has won the gold! A world Champion from our part of
the province!
So many of the success stories from these Games are due to years of training
and hard work, support from the local sponsors like Pacific Sport, and many
dollars from the athletes' wallets. There is no difference between able
and non-able body athletes in this respect, except of course, that there
is less of everything for Para sport, including the almighty press and the
dollars that it brings.
But the smiles and joy of success is something that is worth every hour
of volunteering and hard work, and this Canadian Team does not disappoint
anyone, working forward to the next Olympics in Beijing, China.
Photograph of Ms. Stilwell courtesy
of
Bogetti-Smith Photography
