Olympic Countdown

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics are almost here and the theme song "I Believe", performed by 15 year old Montreal singer Nikki Yanofsky, is featured on the YouTube clip. The Olympic Torch has travelled across Canada and I wrote this post when it came to our community in December. The video shows footage of the Olympic Torch Relay. I have mixed feeling about the "amateur" status of the Olympic games but I will watch for stories of courage and perseverance which will undoubtedly emerge in the next couple of weeks. Today the torch was carried by Sarah Doherty, an amputee from United States. Her story is inspiring and she is the type of champion I cheer for, one who embodies the Olympic spirit. This was taken from the Olympic Torch Relay website.

Paralympian Sarah Doherty is the final torchbearer and cauldron lighter in Sechelt. She has competed in athletics throughout her life. At age 14, she was struck by an impaired driver while riding her bicycle, resulting in the amputation of one of her legs.
Doherty was a member of the United States Disabled Ski Team from 1983 to 1985 and a member of the 1988 United States Adaptive Ski Racing Team. She is the first woman to summit Mount Rainier on crutches. She has also climbed Mount McKinley — the highest mountain in North America — as well as Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Doherty also competes at the international level in adaptive paddling and participates in kayaking and outrigger canoeing.
She holds a degree in occupational therapy from Boston University. She has worked on the development of specialized sport crutches, called SideStix, to help people with mobility challenges lead active, healthy and productive lives.
Doherty works as a pediatric occupational therapist. She is a role model to her clients and their families, demonstrating what a person with mobility challenges can accomplish.