I’ve always loved the idea of not being what people expect me to be. As a young girl I was the fastest kid in elementary school. It never occurred to me that boys were generally faster, I just knew me and my pigtails were getting to the finish line before anyone else. In high school, I was the jock who played all the sports, and who got straight A’s. I’ve always found boxes and labels a little suffocating, because how can you capture the true complexity of a being in one word? And yet, for some reason, this world has a history of feeling like they have ownership of what it means to be a woman, how woman should act and look, qualities that are acceptable. Sport has given me the beautiful gift of helping me discover that I am so much more than what others think I am capable of. Throughout my career I have pushed myself past perceived limits. I have been told no and still marched forward. I have failed and got back up with my head held high. I have lifted weights I’ve only dreamed of and made faces the boogeyman would be scared of. But I’ve also stepped out for races with a flawless face of makeup and freshly manicured nails. I’ve aggressively stood up for the things I believe in. But I’ve also hugged and shed tears with my teammates. I’ve learned that I don’t have to choose to be one thing. I don’t have to limit myself. As long as I’m brave enough to step outside my comfort zone, I can constantly be more. So when I was asked if I was interested in starting a new sport, attempting to make the Winter Olympics as a Summer Olympian, a lot of people told me I was crazy. But I decided to take the challenge head on. My mantra was ‘It’s only impossible until it’s done’. And in February 2018, I became the first Canadian Black woman to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. And even more rewarding than winning a medal, has been the numerous messages from people telling me how I’ve inspired them. As a young girl who was once watching her idols on TV, I know that representation matters. I am honored to now stand as a picture of a strong, confident woman who unapologetically goes after her dreams. So to every young woman reading this, I hope you know that you gets to define your womanhood. I hope that you will give yourself the opportunity to be more- to surprise others and to surprise yourself. I hope that for every can’t – you find a way. For every impossible- you carve a path.
A letter to…