Cameron MYLER

Being an Olympian doesn’t just mean that I participated in the largest sporting event in the world, it’s shorthand for understanding that sport is one of the few things that connects everyone on the planet; being committed to fair play, embracing the values of excellence, friendship and respect, using sport to make positive change in the world. It also meant testing my physical, mental and spiritual limits on a daily basis. It means that I am part of a global family for whom sport is more than just about competitions – it’s a way to bridge differences and find connections.

The beginning of the understanding of what I had accomplished, what I had become, and the family of Olympic athletes that I had joined, was the moment that I walked into the Opening Ceremony at Calgary 1988. I knew that from that moment on, I would forever be an Olympian and it changed my life. However, it wasn’t until the summer before my last Olympic Games that I really felt like an Olympian. That year I attended the Young Participants Session at the International Olympic Academy in Greece – along with more than 200 other delegates from 100+ countries. The IOA offered me another experience of a lifetime, where I had the opportunity to learn about the history of the Olympic Games, the philosophy of the Olympic Movement, and how my experience was part of a dynamic and evolving transition. I arrived in Olympia an Olympic athlete and left an Olympian.

I have always embraced the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect, which were guiding principles to me as an athlete. To me, excellence has never meant just being the best on any given day. While I was fortunate enough to stand on the medal podium on a variety of occasions, personal excellence is something I developed on the hard days – working through an injury, struggling to master a curve on a particular track, training on the days that I was tired or just didn’t feel like it, challenging myself to work harder and be better than I ever might have imagined. Although I didn’t win a medal at the Olympic Games, I did my best and gave it my all every time that I got on my sled. I know that I achieved my own personal excellence, which has been a guiding force in all aspects of my life after retiring from competitive sport. The respect I learned though sport – for myself, for my competitors, for everyone who supported me along the way, for the rules – has also dramatically impacted my life. And for me, friendship goes far beyond the individual people I’ve met while I was competing. It’s the magic of athletes from around the world gathering together in one place every four years. It’s the ability to set aside differences, experience other cultures, and interact with people who might have been raised in a country halfway around the world from our hometown, but who are your brothers or sisters nonetheless.

I have had so many conversations with people about the Olympic Games being more than just a sport competition! Many of them have never met an Olympic athlete before, so I feel an extra sense of responsibility to explain that the Olympic Games are much more than just the medal count or what happens on the playing field during the 17 days of competition. I describe the impact that participating in the Olympic Games has had on my life and explain that it has nothing to do with what place I finished.

If I could go back in time, I would remind my younger self to appreciate every moment of the journey. It’s easy to focus on the big goals – making the National Team, winning the National Championships, competing in the Olympic Games, breaking a track record, being the fastest in the world – but those kinds of goals are only reached through daily, weekly, yearly effort and many, many moments of hard work. I competed in luge because I loved the sport – the speed, the challenge of mastering a new track, the exhilaration of the rare perfect run, the travel to countries all around the world (including a few that no longer exist), the opportunity to meet new people, experience new cultures, and expand my world view. Most of the time I appreciated those moments, but being an elite athlete is a full-time job and sometimes it’s difficult to expand your focus beyond the moments of the everyday hard work. I did take note of the amazing experiences I had along the way (which is why I think I would just need to provide a reminder to my younger self) and would not trade a single moment of it.

Luge is one of the fastest Olympic sports and it required an incredible amount of focus, which I was able to achieve by doing everything that I could to prepare and then just relax and be one with the sled and the ice and the curves on the track. It was always my goal to be present in the moment and not worry about how fast my run would be, what times other competitors had posted, whether I was going to win a medal, or how my finish would impact my overall World Cup results. I can still remember one of my runs down the track in Igls, Austria, where I got to the bottom of the track and when I saw that everyone was cheering, I had no idea why. As it turned out, I had broken the track record and couldn’t remember a single thing about my run. Now that’s how being in the moment and being in the flow of things can create amazing moments for an athlete. The creative process is similar for me – I immerse myself in the moment, let the creative energy flow through me, and stand back at the end to see what I’ve created – or what’s been created through me. I find the process of creating to be both meditative and necessary for me to feel balanced.

I have been engaging in what I’m calling “Mindful Making” and using the process of creating art as a means to cultivate a meditative practice. Mental health has been highlighted by many athletes over the past year, and it’s such an important issue for all stakeholders to be aware of – athletes, coaches, parents, fans, sponsors. I was on the road for 14 years when I was on the national team and used knitting as a way to relax. I would love to create a programme that supports athletes by providing them with classes, materials and opportunities to incorporate a “create” practice into their training and preparation.

I am also passionate about using sport to create positive change. I’m an Athlete Ambassador for Kids Play International, which uses sport to promote gender equity in countries impacted by genocide (we currently have programmes in Rwanda and Cambodia). I’m also an Ambassador for Athlete Ally, which seeks to promote inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in sport.

One more – athletes’ transitions from sport to a professional career. It can be such a difficult change to navigate! I’m currently taking a coaching certification course, with the intention of being able to help athletes figure out what’s next and how they can shine even after they’ve retired from sport.