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Teaching Values Through Olympic Stories Olympism is a philosophy of life; exalting and combining in a balanced whole qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example, and respect for universal, fundamental ethical principles. - Olympic Charter, Fundamental principles, Paragraph 2 Olympism aligns itself well with many of the aspects of the Indigenous philosophy graphically presented in the medicine wheel. The medicine wheel is visually represented by four interlocking circles that symbolize the physical, mental/emotional, cultural, and spiritual realms of the individual. The stories that follow provide excellent examples of Aboriginal Olympians who have understood and applied the philosophy of the medicine wheel and exemplified the Olympic values of excellence, leadership, perseverance and respect to excel in their chosen sport, grow as individuals, and contribute to their communities. As you use these stories to engage your students in Olympic education and learn from these inspirational athletes, you may consider some of the guiding tips used to engage children in value-based teaching. 1. Learning is an active and not a passive activity. Students need to be actively engaged in discussion, sharing their ideas in small groups and exploring differing points of view. 2. People learn in different ways. Some people learn best by reading; some people learn best by listening; some people learn best by moving around. The activities associated with these narratives present different ways of learning. 3. Values such as perseverance are adopted through various learning stages. The child often requires the time to connect or empathize with the Olympian, to process or practice the new information, and then to personalize the concepts. The learning activities included attempt to bring students through these stages. We live in a world that uses symbols to express and represent meaning. We understand mathematical ideas through numbers and equations... the meaning associated with such symbols helps to provide purpose and understanding to the lives of human beings. The medicine wheel is an ancient symbol that has been used by many Aboriginal peoples of North and South America. Aboriginal Coaching Manual, 2003 ALWYN MORRIS TOM LONGBOAT WANEEK HORN-MILLER
Barcelona, 1992 Angela Chalmers heads toward the final turn of the Olympic Games track. She is battling for a medal in the 3000-metre running event, one of the toughest events in sports. Angela was destined to be a world class runner. Her Sioux name, Dusmanwe, means Walk Fast Woman. I was always a runner. Even as a kid, I had ability to move with ease and speed over the ground. It s a special thing to be able to use your body in a good way. It feels good to move it the way it was meant to move. Moving with such ease is not easy now. It has been a rough race, but Angela has been able to stay with the top group. Runners often push and bump into each other as they jockey for the inside lane. I needed to focus on being positive. I needed to run hard enough to make it hurt. I had to believe that I could win. Her body is in pain. Her legs are screaming to slow down. Her lungs are burning. Every muscle in her body is telling her to stop. But with just a few metres to go, she is fighting for the lead. Angela is used to the physical and mental challenges of her sport. She has grown up racing against her brothers. When she pushed herself to beat them, she usually did. I learned toughness, competitiveness and the desire to succeed. Those qualities are the number one reason I was successful. Those mental skills helped me use my physical skills. He brothers say they could always tell when she was going to win because she would get a look of determination in her eyes. She has that look in her eyes now. She needs it. She has to gather every bit of strength she can for the final push to the finish. Physical well-being goes hand-in-hand with mental wellbeing. Angela Chalmers
She thinks of her parents. Her father died before the Olympic Games, but he always told Angela she could win a medal. Angela also thinks of her mother. I look at my mom s side of the family and her Aboriginal culture and the things she had to come through in her life. She went to residential schools where she was mistreated. She lost loved ones and can still laugh despite all the grief and sadness. She s a wonderful, loving person. She is strong and never gives up. Angela needs her father s faith and her mother s toughness now. In this moment of truth, there is no room for doubting. All of her mental preparations are now being tested. The difference is what s in your head, being able to judge your body, knowing when to accelerate at the right time. You also have to be aware of what your opponents can do, without losing faith in your abilities. At the top level you re all physically gifted, but the athletes who are the strongest mentally finish on the podium. She watches all the runners around her as they near the finish line. Some are starting to fall back. Angela knows this is her moment to break for a top three finish. There are two runners ahead of her. She tries to catch them. But she has to worry about her own body and strategy first. If she runs too fast, she ll tire and get caught for the bronze medal. Angela paces her final sprint. She battles the pain of pushing her body to its limit. She digs down to find the very final bit of strength. She lunges across the finish line in third. She s won the bronze medal! Angela is completely exhausted, but mentally alert. She knows what she s done. She s made history for Canada. mental/physical
excellence Did you know? For thousands of generations Aboriginal peoples in North and South America used the medicine wheel image to teach the importance of balance. The image of four interlocking circles represented the parts of an individual: physical, mental or emotional, spiritual, and cultural. The Indigenous peoples felt that ignoring or neglecting the development of one or more of these areas could result in people who could not contribute to the health of their communities or families. The Greek athletes competing in the ancient Olympic Games also felt that there was a link between the physical, mental, cultural and spiritual person. When Pierre de Coubertin founded the modern Olympic Movement in the early 1890s, it was founded on the principle that sport, culture, and education all contributed to a person s development. Connecting Building a foundation for new learning Class brainstorms what is meant by fitness? Most of the student responses will refer to physical fitness. After the class is comfortable with their ideas, introduce the notion of mental fitness. What do the students think could be meant by mental fitness? Answers could include being positive, confident, focused, determined, inspired, etc. Processing Using strategies to acquire and use knowledge Explain to the class that Angela s story demonstrates the link between her physical fitness and her mental fitness. This is a concept that was widely accepted by many Indigenous peoples, by the ancient Greeks competing in the Olympic Games, and by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Movement. Read the story to the students. As a class, make a two column list. In the left column, list the parts of the story that demonstrate Angela s mental fitness. In the right column, indicate where she gained that part of her mental fitness. Discuss how her mental strength affects her physical performance. TransformING Showing understanding in a new way Explain the Aboriginal concept of the medicine wheel. Emphasize that it is a graphic representation of the links between who a person is physically, mentally/emotionally, spiritually, and culturally. It is a visual way of showing the holistic person and how one aspect of our life can affect the others. Ask the students to design their own graphic representation of how different aspects of their lives are interconnected. Encourage them to personalize this representation with things that are meaningful to them.
acknowledgements/remerciements FEATURE ATHLETE / Athlète en vedette Angela Chalmers Story Writer / Rédacteur Kevin Sylvester Graphic Artists / Graphistes Andy Maier Sarah David Writing Team Members / Équipe de rédaction Matt Chenoweth Lyn Daniels Shelley Janvier Translation / Traduction Pascale Seide Legros, French Translation / Français Wesley Miller, Mohawk Translation / Mohawk Darlene Willier, Cree Translation / Cri Arvid Charlie, Luschiim, Hul qumi num Translation / «Luschiim», hul qumi num The Aboriginal Olympians Stories have been made possible through partnerships with Cowichan 2008 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG), the Aboriginal Sports Circle, and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). Les histoires des Olympiens autochtones ont été réalisées grâce aux partenariats avec les Jeux autochtones de l Amérique du Nord (JAAN) Cowichan 2008, le Cercle sportif autochtone et le Comité d organisation des Jeux olympiques et paralympiques d hiver de 2010 à Vancouver (COVAN). The would like to specifically acknowledge the leadership of / Le Programme scolaire olympique canadien aimerait particulièrement souligner le leadership de : Rick Brant CEO, Cowichan 2008 NAIG / président-directeur général, JAAN Cowichan 2008 Dano Thorne - Community Sport Development Officer, Cowichan 2008 NAIG agent de développement du sport communautaire, JAAN Cowichan 2008 Virginia Doucett - Executive Director, Aboriginal Sports Circle / directrice générale, Cercle sportif autochtone Donna Wilson - Executive Vice President Workforce and Sustainability, VANOC vice-présidente de direction, Ressources humaines et durabilité, COVAN Janeen Owen Coordinator, Aboriginal Participation, VANOC / coordonnatrice, Participation autochtone, COVAN Hilary Dunn Manager, Aboriginal Participation, VANOC / directrice, Participation autochtone, COVAN Jason Loutitt Specialist, Aboriginal Participation, VANOC / spécialiste, Participation autochtone, COVAN Steve Keogh Director, Communications, Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) / directeur, Communications, Comité olympique canadien (COC) Kathrin Mertens Manager, Partner Relations, COC / gestionnaire, Relations avec les partenaires, COC The is developed by / Le Programme scolaire olympique canadien a été développé par : Bruce Deacon Manager, Education and Community Relations, COC / gestionnaire, Éducation et Relations avec la communauté, COC Lisa Wallace Program Manager, Education and Community Relations, COC gestionnaire de programme, Éducation et Relations avec la communauté, COC Ayisha Karim Coordinator, Education and Community Relations, COC / coordonnatrice, Éducation et Relations avec la communauté, COC Natalia Cornwall - Education Program Assistant, COC / adjointe au Programme d Éducation, COC This curriculum is developed in partnership with: / Programme scolaire olympique canadien TM 2005, VANOC. Used under license.