鈥淭he most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle, when the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well... and that is the magic of the Games. Every single person there, over 10,000 athletes鈥� is there to fight well, to be their absolute best in that 17 days.鈥�
鈥� Tricia Smith, UBC alumna, four-time Olympian and president of the Canadian Olympic Committee
听
鈥淚t can appear incredibly daunting as each athlete approaches the block all alone and has one chance to perform. And it鈥檚 like that at the Olympics 鈥� one chance and a miss, you鈥檙e out for four years. So many people ask me, 鈥楬ow is it possible that you athletes not only hold it together but actually excel in those moments where you鈥檙e all alone in that spotlight?鈥� My answer is that we don鈥檛. Physically yes, it鈥檚 just me standing behind the blocks, but in every other way possible there鈥檚 a team around me. Approaching the lane before a race and feeling alone can be scary. It鈥檚 uncomfortable, it鈥檚 stressful and it definitely doesn鈥檛 bode well for a good race. But I can honestly say that never in all my years swimming at UBC鈥� have I felt alone in the times that it鈥檚 mattered most. UBC is not just a support system for us, it鈥檚 really our family of excellence. It helps build who we鈥檙e going to be and who we are for the rest of our lives.鈥�
鈥� Martha McCabe, UBC alumna, swimmer and two-time Olympian听
听
鈥淭hese are scholar-athletes. They essentially have two full time jobs: being a student and also competing at the highest level. The amount of time they鈥檝e spent for their sports is simply something you can鈥檛 really appreciate unless you鈥檝e been involved in collegiate sports.鈥�
鈥� Santa Ono, UBC鈥檚 president designate
听
鈥淚 wish the best result and the best performance that may you have, but 鈥� enjoy the events, enjoy something incredible. All of the planet is there鈥� have a good time in competition but take some time to meet people from other countries.鈥� 听
鈥� Gilles Lepine, UBC鈥檚 incoming senior athletics director
鈥淭o be here today with those athletes who are good enough to compete with the best in the world, that鈥檚 as good as it gets.鈥�
鈥� David H. Farrar, UBC鈥檚 interim president and vice-chancellor
鈥淭his contingent of Team Canada that calls UBC home is the best and deeply talented. We are here today to send them off to Brazil with our utmost support and pride.鈥�
鈥� Louise Cowin, UBC鈥檚 vice president, students
听
听
听
听
听
听
听
听
