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Ode to Olympic Dreams
It is a coming-of-age story made up of a collection of personal essays and historical conundrums faced by an Olympic hopeful as she naively and stubbornly tries to fit into the world of elite sport. As a student-athlete immersed in the world of science, she also must learn to navigate the consequences of globalization that are at odds with her beliefs in the ideals of Olympism and her love of sport. Exploring the past alongside personal experience reveals untold stories about who we are and how we show up in our lives. It is the story of athleticism forll, a sweaty, effortless human endeavor.
What People Are Saying About Ode to Olympic Dreams
The Olympic games are just one of a few elements of ageless, worldwide culture. Buried beneath the goodwill and world unity we yearn for every four years, are untold stories and truths which athletes and spectators of the “modern era” need to know. Janice Kehler has intensely researched and bravely recounted some of these stories. Many of the accounts within “Ode to Olympic Dreams” were well known; but Janice is among the first authors willing to recount these stories with objectivity and realism. “Glory” has a certain meaning when it comes to the Olympics. However, glory alone cannot define our perception of what truly are “games.” This fascinating read is a “must” for all “Olympic-philes.”
Carla Albano, Author of Soul of a Swimmer
As an avid journal writer, I at once felt a connection with Kehler’s work. Coupled by the fact that she grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as I did, and was referring to places familiar to me, a bond was created for me as a reader partaking in her work as the author. It is true, your connective experience with the author and compositions may differ from my own. However, what you will discover, as you navigate alongside her life journey of Olympic endeavors, as she openly and vulnerably shares her firsthand experiences, successes, setbacks, and her impressions on world sporting events and Olympic games, that you too will acquire your unique connection and be drawn into what you will read. Perhaps you, dear reader, like me, have never experienced the highs and lows of striving for Olympic glory. But the joy of movement, physical literacy, effortlessness, and athletics are features we have all encountered and sensed, and therefore, have allowed us to appreciate the value of vanquishing our staunchest competitor, ourselves.
James P. Speidel
Community Schools Partnership, Surrey School District
Surrey, British Colombia, Canada
I found Ode to Olympic Dreams a delightful combination of personal reflections from a dream-filled young athlete and a rich history of the Olympic movement. Jan Kehler weaves an enjoyable fabric out of the history of competing narratives within sport; “being your best” and “win at any cost”. In the sociology of sport, it is often said that sport is our peacetime war. Whether we choose to compete fairly or unfairly is an ethical question for all time for all of us, in sport and life. This read studies that question deeply with the backdrop of Olympic dreams.
Gary M. Sater, PhD
Clinical Sport Psychologist (retired)