Olympic athlete visits

With the Olympic craze making its way into Seaway with the Student Council-run Spirit Week to celebrate the winter games, Seaway High and intermediate students alike had the amazing opportunity to  hear former Olympic athlete Sue Holloway talk about her experiences,

Holloway participated in the Olympics on four different teams, including cross country skiing and canoe sprints, over a span of years. She has been part of seven different Olympic Games in different capacities, and she was the first woman to participate in the summer and winter Olympics. With a mix of humour, seriousness and a slide show of pictures, Holloway told Seaway about her Olympic journey.

“Our athletes came through an amazing journey to get to the Olympic Games, so I thought I’d tell you my story and the lessons I learned on my journey to the Olympics,” she said. “It’s important to hear other’s stories of success, to learn how to be the best you can be.”

Holloway claims that there are five keys to personal success and achieving one’s dreams. Number one: be passionate. According to this former Olympian, you really have to care about something to excel at it. Number two: be bold. Holloway says you can’t think small, you’ve got to think big, think outrageous.

“Thinking safe is just going to get you where everyone else is,” she told students.

The third key was: believe. Holloway claims that if you believe in yourself, in your possibilities and capabilities, it will help you overcome any adversities you may meet along the way.

“It’s amazing to have that moment when you challenge yourself to do something you never thought you’d do and you succeed.”

Key number four: be prepared. Holloway told her avid Seaway listeners that to be prepared for anything that comes along, one must do the work now, and must realize that it may take a while; success doesn’t happen overnight.

Lastly, the fifth key: be persistent. “You need to know that it’s never going to be a smooth ride. There are going to be obstacles. You have to be able to get up, get going, get back in the race,” Holloway said.

Nowadays, Holloway is busy coaching 9-11year-olds at her ski club. However, she still competes in various athletic competitions that take her around the world, and even participated in television’s Survival of the Fittest - an extreme competition show. Her speech and story were inspiring to staff and students alike at Seaway District High School.

“It’s an important thing to realize that we all start somewhere,” Holloway says, “If you really work at something, there are all these possibilities out there for you.”