AOT: The Rio Olympic Games are 442 days away and a considerable phase in building a united and successful 2016 Australian Olympic Team has finished in Sydney with plenty of emotion, stories and a resolute determination to ‘leave no stone unturned’ on the Road to Rio.
The Australian women’s football team, the Matildas, attended Friday’s session along with athletes and officials from table tennis, canoe/kayak, water polo and shooting.
Over the past six months 1,100 athletes and officials, who are striving for selection and success have attended one of the 12 sessions held around the country.
Legendary coach and team motivator Laurie Lawrence had the audience enthralled with his serious advice today as he has all around the country. The vision of Lawrence from Seoul 1988 when his athlete Duncan Armstrong caused a huge upset to win gold had the audience in hysterics.
Armstrong was the MC today, as he was in Perth in January, and the repertoire and insight on the same historic Australian Olympic moment was very entertaining. Armstrong enforced the need for Rio hopefuls to learn from Olympians.
“Like iron can only sharpen iron, I believe only an Olympian can sharpen the focus and gaze of future Olympians,” Armstrong said referring to the Olympic panel discussion.
Lawrence talked about the athletes’ need to upskill, know their opposition and trust their coach. And at the Games “it’s about doing the best you can and having respect.”
Matildas co-captain Lisa de Vanna, who competed at the Athens 2004 Games, was buzzing after the session.
"My favourite part was Laurie. He's inspirational. Just the way he motivates people in the crowd,” de Vanna said. “Playing in the World Cup and the Olympics are the highest accolades in your career, that's what I try and tell the girls.”
The Matildas team is in great form and has big hopes for the 2015 World Cup and the Rio Olympic Games. The last time Australia qualified for the Olympics was Athens 2004 and it is hoped that this Ignite session will help them turn heads at the World Cup and for their qualification path through Asia for Rio 2016.
The panel of Olympians who shared their stories, lessons and experiences at this final Ignite session was hockey gold medallist Katrina Powell (Atlanta 1996 Gold, Sydney 2000 Gold, Athens 2004), canoe-slalom medallist Robin Bell (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 Bronze), water polo champion Deborah Watson (Sydney 2000 Gold) and kayak medallist Dennis Green (Melbourne 1956 Bronze, Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964, Mexico 1968 and Munich 1972).
Green looked the athletes in the eye and told them how easy they have it compared to when he was competing.
“You get it so easy now,” Green said. “You need to appreciate that and you must give more back than the old days. You must give more back than you do get more so you must give more back.”
The five Games veteran who still acts as a mentor to Olympic gold medallist Ken Wallace and others said communication was the key to success.
“Ask the questions, that’s how you learn. Ask questions and the more you talk the better you’re going to be as a Team,” Green said.
The concept of a series that would help create a strong culture in a united Team while producing excellent results in Rio and a ‘life best experience’ for all athletes and officials in Brazil came from 2016 Team Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller.
“The whole idea behind the Rio Ignite roadshow is about beginning the Rio journey and we said it was about a culture and values roadshow,” Chiller said. “It wasn't about rules, regulations and policies, it was about helping inform our potential athletes and officials what it means to be a part of the Australian Olympic Team.
“Every session has been completely different. The same messages and everyone takes their own messages home from it. “One team means a united team. It means that no individual is bigger than their sport, no sport is bigger than the team. It's about sharing a very special 16 days in a place you might never get to go to again.”
2016 will mark 120 years since Edwin Flack represented Australia at the first modern Olympics in 1896. Australia and Greece are the only two nations to be represented at all Summer Games.
“The honour, the history, the respect that's really epitomised our Teams of the past is so important,” Chiller said.
As Australia’s athletes keep training hard and competing to secure qualification spots for the Games, the Australian Olympic Committee staff and the Team executive will now begin work on the next phase of interaction with Rio hopefuls.
“ASPIRE in November is going to be bigger and better than IGNITE. It will be for the longer list, the shadow team, people that are that step closer to making it to the team," Chiller explained.
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