So I felt the need to write this …
Since I have been retired for over 3 years now I have been called a lot of things some good and more bad than anything else but one thing I have been called which is absolutely not true is I am a "former" .
You hear it a lot once you are retired, please welcome former Paralympian or former Olympian or former World Champion.
Well when did I became former.
I went to the Paralympics not once but in my case 5 times. When did I become former. I won at those games and the last time, Gold in Torino when did I become former Gold medalist Chris Daw. Last time I looked I still had the medal, it was not taken away. A good friend of mine George Karrys of the Curling News (http://www.thecurlingnews.com/) has fought for this for a long time and not until recently did I get it or even understand it.
With the Olympics and Paralympics, just around the corner when did it become fair to devalue the accomplishments of those who have come before the athletes participating at these games and for that matter when did it become common to refer to a current Olympian as past medalist hoping to win.
For too long the media has been able to disrespect the legacies of the predeceasing athletes by disregarding the accomplishment by referencing them as former. Referencing anyone who has gone to the Olympics or Paralympics regardless of whether they won a medal or not should never be referred to as a former. Did you go?
You can never be a former anything unless you change and even then you’re not real a former.
Former Boxer now curler – I was still a boxer
Former Curler now Curling Club Manager, I was and always shall be a curler.
Former World Champions, I was a World champion and no matter how hard anyone tries they can never take that away from me. They cannot pretend it never happen. Like it or not I am A World Champion, I am a Paralympian and I am a Gold medalist…like it or not, regardless of how I won or by how much. The facts are the facts not former anything but history that I am proud of and Canada should be proud of. Why? Because at one moment in time I had the privilege of representing the great place on earth and during that time everyone was behind me. Just because I am not in the paper, or my name is not in lights, or I do not currently play the sport does mean I did not contribute to where that sport is today. If we had not won in Torino ask yourself exactly how much funding would the sport have got. If I had not work as hard as I did, looked outside the box and got the sport at least looking down the path they currently are on, would they have been where they are today. If we had not won the points to get to worlds and ultimately to the Olympics would Canada be where it is today.
I am a Paralympian and proud of it, don’t disrespect me by calling me former.
The History books are written and last time I looked the “Time Machine” has not been invented yet.
