Bonsoir et bienvenue au Contre-Amiral Morse, au Colonel Lacroix, aux Élèves-officiers et aux invités. Premièrement, j'aimerais vous remercier de m'avoir invitée à votre banquet des équipes sportives. .

Il y a 11 ans, J'étais assise à votre place, espérant que je serais nommée pour une récompense mais j'étais aussi simplement contente d'être parmi un groupe d'étudiants si motivé et en forme. Je n'ai pas eu de récompense ce soir-là. En fait, en quatre ans, je n'ai gagné qu'un seul trophée au banquet des sports. Ce trophée en mémoire de Kelly Gawne reste le seul et unique qui est exposé chez moi. Ma médaille d'or des jeux panaméricains se trouve quelque part parmi mes chandails, les nombreuses plaques et trophées que j'ai gagné y compris celui de l'athlète féminine de l'année sont dans des boites au grenier. Le trophée Kelly Gawne représente quelque chose de spécial pour moi. Au banquet des sports, en troisième année, j'attendais encore en espérant être récompensée. Le banquet touchait à sa fin, j'étais prête à féliciter mes amis qui avaient gagné une récompense, quand le commandant a annoncé qu'un nouveau trophée serait remis pour honorer l'élève-officier féminine. Celui-ci était dédié à la mémoire de l'élève-officier Kelly Gawne qui avait été tuée lors d'un exercice d'entraînement à Chilliwack en CB l'année précédente.

Well, I was called to the stage as the first recipient of the trophy. I could hardly see the stage because I was in tears. Kelly had been a roommate of mine and we had spent a lot of time together during the summer of second language training. I had been devastated by her death and to be awarded a trophy in her name was the greatest honour I could ever receive. That is why her trophy remains on display in my house. I need no other to motivate me or to show my accomplishments. Often, when I think I am having a bad day training or I start to complain, I look at that trophy and remember her incredible positive attitude and what she would have told me. It picks me up right away, it reminds me that the awards, accolades and successes are meaningless without the experiences and people that make it all happen. So you can understand why it is such a great honour to be able to return to present that award, thank you for giving me this opportunity.

Before I talk about my Olympic race, I want to expand a bit upon the CBC video that was just shown earlier. It was shown prime time through out Canada prior to my Olympic post-race interview. I talked about the role that RMC played in my success as a triathlete, but I want to tell you more specifically how the Varsity and sports programs influenced me. Last night I spoke to the Intramural participants about how I got my introduction to the sport of triathlon through the intramural/club program. One of the great things about the College is that every cadet must participate in sports, be they intramural or varsity. I embraced this opportunity to try new activities and I had a lot of fun and learned an incredible amount. I was involved in the Varsity program in x-country running and women's water-polo. It provided a highly competitive environment, which I thrive on, but also with an emphasis on the basic principles of participation and improving physical fitness. I cannot go on about the merits of the varsity programs without highlighting the positive efforts of the various coaching and athletic staff members. They inspire you to go beyond yourself when you don't think you can. They are understanding of the other demands upon you here at the college and are supportive of your best efforts and they have a wealth of knowledge that I know I drew from in my fours years at the college. Often lessons of leadership and teamwork are best learned on a field of play and I encourage all athletes here tonight to help your coaches help you to foster these. My participation and experiences from RMC's sports programs prepared me for my years as a junior officer at my army units where I was often put in charge of unit fitness or sports activities. Most of you here will be given those same tasks and I am telling you that your experiences and preparation here at RMC will benefit you greatly at your units. Some of my most rewarding experiences come from my years as coach of my 2 Svc Bn biathlon team where we had all started off never having skied before and they all came back the following year. as well as starting up and coaching the Petawawa Base Running Club. It gave me great pleasure to learn that the club remained and grew after I had moved on. RMC gave me the foundation required to be a good coach for people of all abilities, I know it will be for you also.

Maintentant, je dois vous parler de mon expérience aux jeux olympiques. En fait, j'ai regardé les émissions sur la course féminine, il y a seulement deux semaines. Je ne voulais pas les regarder avant parce que je désirais préserver mes souvenirs et garder cette expérience aussi positive que possible. Je ne voulais écouter les commentaires et l'interprétation de la chaîne sur la compétition jusqu'à ce que j'aie accepté mon accomplissement. Et je suis ravie d'avoir attendu. J'ai eu des témoignages de tant d'amis et de supporters y compris de nombreux élofs du CMR, qui ne savaient ce qui s'étaient passés pendant la course à cause du manque de reportages. Et bien, je suis ici pour raconter ce qui s'est passé.

Sept 16, 2000 - RACE DAY The atmosphere was electric and the number of spectators already lining the route 2 hours prior to race start was huge! I walked to the race area with Dave and I waved to my family in the stands as I prepared in the transition area. I had not drawn a good start position; I was on the far side of the pontoon, but that was okay I could deal with it. I remember them calling my name and I walked in front of the crowds thinking, "There is no place I would rather be right now." My swim was not very good as I spent the majority of the time fighting to get to the center where the better swimmers were and my coughing sometimes coincided with a big wave pounding into me! But I didn't panic and came out about 30 sec behind the first pack. I knew if my pack could work together, we could catch them. But as many of you know, we didn't get that chance - there was a major crash only 10km into the cycle portion. I was traveling over 40km/hr when the two girls directly in front of me touched wheels and went down. I braked so hard that I put a hole through my tire! I had no room to maneuver around them so I knew I was going down! I remember thinking "No, not today!" I piled into the barrier and then onto the pavement. I bounced right back up, but I had broken my rear wheel on the barrier. My adrenalin was rushing and all I could think of was getting back into the race. I started to run with my bike to the next wheel stop (it is a looped course, 6x6.6km and there are 6 places to change wheels on the course. Also, if the front group of competitors laps you, then you are pulled off the course and unable to finish!) A race official was there and offered to take my wheel and cross the park to the other side where the wheel change was. So I waited what seemed an eternity for a spare - other competitors racing by, the girl who crashed in front of me was still crying and moaning in pain (she had broken her collarbone), a Japanese competitor in a daze with blood on her face struggling to get her bike back in order and spectators trying to comfort us. All I kept saying was, "I gotta finish, I must finish…" …" I also thought of my friends, and all of Canada watching TV at home. I also knew that most of you would be somewhere en mass, watching my race - I just couldn't quit - not with everyone cheering for me. I was getting more concerned as each minute passed that I would not get the chance to finish and cross the finish line, something I had worked so long and hard to do. Finally after about 6 min, the mechanic came running with spare wheels and got me on my way. It then became a time trial with the front group and myself. "Don't let them catch me." I was all bloodied and my back and elbow were hurting quite badly but I didn't notice is as much as the task at hand. The front group wasn't far back, but I managed to hold them off for the duration of the bike and even got faster than them in the last lap! It was very tough to come into transition as one of the last bikes and in front of such a huge crowd, with so many Canadian supporters. I was in tears. The run was so tough, more mentally than physically. My body was in rough shape and my neck was killing me, but for 10km, thoughts of my ruined Olympic dreams rushed through my mind. There are no words to describe what I was going through. But I knew that at least I could finish, 11 other women had crashed and only two of us were able to finish. I crossed the finish line in 38th position. I was in tears, but I also had a smile on my face - I had come to terms with myself during the race and I had to finish with my head up and be proud. I have gone over the race in my head nearly every day since then (including last night's dinner!), and there are always the 'what ifs' (what if I didn't get sick, what if I had a better start position, what if I wasn't in that spot at the time of the crash…). The reason why Olympics are so special is that you must have everything go perfect on one day. The opportunity to get that perfect day comes only once every four years and you only get one, or maybe two shots at it. Simon Whitfield had one of those days, and it was thrilling to be in the stands to watch it. The morning following my race, I received so many emails I could hardly read them all! . The outpouring of kind words from friends, children I had never met, parents all saying that they were proud of my performance and courage, and that I was a great role model for children. I nearly short-circuited my computer from all the tears falling on the keyboard! One email was from IV year Sarah Baillie, She wrote: Sharon, I just wanted to let you know that you had a crowd of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th years crowded into the RMC cadet mess last Friday to watch your race. We were all very proud of the way you competed. You showed us what courage was all about and you proved to us that you can do anything you put your mind to. Thank you for representing the college, and the country so honourably. You are an incredible role model for all RMC cadets and athletes. I hope to see you around the school or the pool when you get back.

OCdt Sarah Bailie (Fourth year)

Her email, like so many others are what really helped me to get me back on my feet and allow me to enjoy the remainder of the Games. Thank you, for being part of my team, and helping me through! Yes I did say team - and I want to expand upon the importance of teamwork

A première vue, beaucoup de personnes croient que le "triathlon" n'est pas un sport d'équipe, détrompez-vous, ceci est faux. Je compte sur une grande équipe de spécialistes considérés comme une grande famille soit : les commanditaires, les médecins, les entraîneurs et les amis. Je ne pourrais jamais atteindre aucun succès sans mon équipe. Encore plus important, je reconnais leurs contributions et je les remercie beaucoup. C'est la même chose que faire l'éloge de vos compagnons ou de votre section pour l'ouvrage bien exécuté. L'encouragement continuel rend votre section enthousiaste et motivée, de plus votre section travaillera davantage. Négliger votre équipe ou votre section est peut être la chose la plus nuisible lorsqu'on cherche à atteindre un rendement maximum. Les élèves officiers du CMR apprennent "le travail d'équipe" et les responsabilités qui en découlent. Vous allez certainement vous en servir pour le reste de votre carrière, je peux vous l'affirmer. J'ai vu beaucoup d'athlètes qui n'avaient aucune gratitude pour leur équipe ou pour l'aide qu'ils ont reçu durant les compétitions. Éventuellement, ce genre d'athlète est évité par les membres d'une équipe, donc lorsque ces athlètes auront besoin d'aide il n'y aura plus personne pour les aider. I know that could not have finished my Olympic race without the support of my team. Visions of family, friends, cadets and Canadians who were counting on me and had helped me over the years, are what drove me to finish, I couldn't do it on my own. So never under-estimate the power of teamwork, you can accomplish anything.

I will conclude with a message which I have given in the past and some of you may have heard this already - but with my experiences at Olympics and considering my decision to continue to compete towards the next Olympic Games, in Athens Greece 2004 - it carries even more meaning! That message is :

PASSION

Whatever you do - do it with PASSION. I am here tonight because I am passionate about my sport and about my college. I was sitting where you are only 11 years ago - I could not have foreseen that I would be standing before you tonight as an Olympian - having achieved a lifelong dream. Keep striving for your dreams whatever they may be - there will be peaks and valleys, but be patient, and live with passion. You are students of Canada's toughest academic institution - you already have what it takes! Alors, mettez beaucoup de passion dans vos cours, vos sports et dans votre entraînement militaire, ceux-ci sont indispensables dans votre carrière et ils vous prépareront pour de futurs grands défis. Peu importe si vous êtes membre de plusiers sports intra-muros et clubs dans votre carrière au Collège ou si vous faites partie d'une seule sport, faites-le avec passion. Vous n'avez pas besoin de gagner, vous n'avez pas besoin de la note la plus haute - mais si vous participez, faîtes le avec passion, vous allez être couronné de succès.

Merci beaucoup encore un fois de m'avoir invitée à vous parler ce soir. Thank you also to Chief Petty Officer Irvine and his staff for a wonderful dinner. I will now finish off with a 4 min CBC video. It is an inspiring recap to the 2000 Summer Olympics. There are a few voices during the video - one of these is mine! You will see so many different emotions and reactions - it shows the true Olympic Experience, I hope you enjoy it. Also, I will be around after dinner to answer any questions that you may have.