Unplugged with Mercedes Nicoll: 4 Year Reflection

My latest Olympic story has a ‘story book’ ending. Reflecting on the past 20 years of my life, it went in 4 years increments. I competed at 4 winter Olympics that happened every 4 years.This morning I had an image pop up in my facebook feed today reminding me of my healing times from 4 years ago.

I was thinking, funny how the winter and summer Olympics go in increments of four years. I’ve always joked that two years is enough time to forget just hot difficult is it to qualify for the winter games. Maybe that’s why I went for it time and time again.

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4 Years Ago

4 years ago I was in a dark, lonely place looking to climb out and get back to my life. 4 years ago I didn’t know if I would ever snowboard again, let alone ever compete in snowboarding, all thanks to a crash that took me out at the 2014 Sochi, Russia Winter Olympics. 4 years ago I was healing, trying to keep as positive as I could and never giving up. 

4 years ago I was trying find some achievement in my new life, I was setting the smallest of goals, of walking and talking, all the while looking forward to getting back on my snowboard.

Almost a year out from the 2014 Winter Olympics I was still healing. At that time, I realized I wasn’t’ getting better, I had lost my personality and was in a deep depression that I wasn’t aware of. All that mattered to me back then was getting sport back in my life and my sparkle back.

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4 Years Later

The burning question I get from people when they now see me in my Whistler Blackcomb Olympian jacket is ‘how did you do?’ This is a question all Olympians get, my friend Genevive Behrent earned a silver medal in rowing for NZ and when she answers this question the follow up question is ‘who beat you?’. No congratulations, but who beat you? This is why I love, actually hearing Olympians whole stories, you get to hear the rollercoaster ride that makes everyone special, the hardships we decide to overcome to be a better you.

Now when I’m asked that burning question, how did you do? It’s not my 6^th place in Vancouver that I’m most proud of, although I am proud of that and will never forget that moment. But I’ve had a gold medal moment, where I persevered through four years to reach the Winter Olympic Games again; I face my fears. The saying, blood, sweat and tears comes to mind and I can say that I battled some through serious demons, fears, tears, emotions, hesitations and nay sayers to push through and overcome.

This is why I say my Olympic story has a ‘story book’ ending, this morning when the image pop up in my Facebook feed from 4 years ago, I looked back at a girl that was a shadow of herself, 4 years later I couldn’t be more proud of her. She faced her fears head on, conquered the trick that took her out of sport and life for 2 years at the 2018 winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, on the world stage.

 

No I didn’t win, but I won a gold medal moment for myself. That’s how I did at the Olympics, that was my gold medal moment.

Now I get to share my story with WB clients this winter through the Ski or Ride with an Olympian program more info here.

xoxo

Mercedes