The Athlete Role Model Program

Hey folks,

Don't let the headline confuse you - today's entry is another edition of the Cultured and Education Program series. However, since the Athlete Role Model (ARM) program is such a key element in the CEP, I'll dedicate an exclusive entry to the ARM. Technically, it belongs to the Youth Olympic Competence Project, which I will write about in one of the entries to come.

The philosophy behind the ARM is rather simple: Who could be a better teacher to young athletes (the YOG participants are between 14 and 18 years old) than athletes that are several steps ahead of them and know perfectly well how they feel like. They have the best credentials in the world to do this job: All of the athletes serving as role models are former Olympians, many of them having won a medal. The program itself is coordinated by Vincent Defrasne, Olympic Champion in Biathlon and a fabulous guy.

The ARM were already a big hit at the inaugural YOG in Singapore in 2010. Usually, they would be surrounded by dozens of athletes, eyes and mouths wide open, listening to their role models. Compared to Singapore, the ARM has been modified in a very important was though. The ARM have never been very shy - they would always walk around in the village, open to ask any questions the athletes might have. However, the only problem was: You never really knew where they could be found. I remember desperately trying to meet Jackson Richardson, one of the all-time greats in my sport. I eventually found out where he could be found at a particular time - just my luck, I had so much work to do at that point that I could not go ;).

So in Innsbruck, the Athlete Role Models will have their own stand where athletes can go and meet them. Like most of the CEP activities, this stand will be located at the Congress Innsbruck. However, being former athletes, they are not stationary: Vincent told me that they will of course also join in at the various CEP activities or go to the venues. Thus, it will become much easier for athletes to contact the role models and look for advice with challenges they might face. Furthermore, we have talked of maybe letting the Young Ambassadors know beforehand where to find the athlete role models, so we can give our delegation a heads up. I really hope we can put that on track.

The list of ARM really features a lot of well-known Olympians from the past. I just can't wait to take my delegation to meet them!

Nordic Combined: Samppa Lajunen (2x Olympian, 5x medalist)
Cross Country: Petra Majdič (3x Olympian, 1x medalist, source of great inspiration)
Alpine Skiing: Marco Büchel (6x (!) Olympian)
Freestyle Skiing: Shannon Bahrke Happe (3x Olympian, 2x medalist)
Snowboarding: Nicola Thost (2x Olympian, 1x medalist)
Ski Jump: Andreas Küttel (3x Olympian)
Biathlon: Vincent Defrasne (3x Olympian, 3x medalist)
Ice Hockey: Jennifer Botterill (4x Olympian, 4x medalist)
Skeleton: Kerstin Szymkowiak (1x Olympian, 1x medalist)
Luge: Alexander Resch (3x Olympian, 2x medalist)
Figure Skating: Stéphane Lambiel (3x Olympian, 1x medalist)
Speed Skating: Jeremy Wotherspoon (4x Olympian, 1x medalist)
Curling: Eve Muirhead (1x Olympian) and Uli Kapp (2x Olympian)

In addition to the discipline representatives, there will also be other great athletes. I met some of them in Singapore and can assure you that they are role models in the truest sense of the word: Frank Fredericks, Charmaine Crooks (her German is impressive by the way!!), Hicham El Guerrouj (my friends from Morocco still have to explain the pronunciation of his last name to me), Barbara Kendall (a great drummer, see the photo!) or Angela Ruggiero, just to name a few. And last but not least, there is a third group of role models being closer to the athletes than anyone else: The Young Ambassadors, especially Nadia, Ana, Ramone, Sarah, Luiza, Peter, Kamila, Maca, Nathalie, Kateryna and Alina (I am sure I have forgotten somebody...sorry guys :)) as Olympians are of course always happy to assist the athletes.

I am sure the ARM will be an amazing experience for the athletes coming to Innsbruck. I will definitely encourage my athletes to go see their role models and ask them all the questions they want to have answered.

So long,
Flo

The Culture and Education Program - World Mile

Hey folks,

Before I will start to describe the next CEP activity - the Youth Olympic Games World Mile - I just want to call your attention on some articles dealing with social media awareness. In my last blog entry, I wrote that social media is a great tool, however, there are some rules you should observe when using it. I am not talking about the IOC rules on social media - they have a marketing background. Thomas van Schalk of a site called "Sportsnetworker" gives a great overview of the whole "social media and athletes" issue. Even "funnier" is a list by Dave Thomas, showing you what can go awry when emotions get the best of you while tweeting. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the headline of Jure Doler's article on Fieldoo: Think before you speak! I am sure that after reading all those well-written articles, you'll get a better understanding of why the CEP's Media Lab is a very good initiative.

Ok, back to topic. I remember a funny story when we were in Singapore. One guy told me that so far he has not found a particular CEP activity. When I asked him which one, he said: "The World Mile!". Because this is the funny thing about the World Mile: It's such an interesting and fun thing to do that, at first glance, you don't think of it as a cultural or an educational initiative. If you want to think about the YOG in numbers - those are quite impressive: Innsbruck 2012 will unite approximately 1,000 athletes and 500 coaches, coming from 65 different countries! All those numbers add up to a vast plurality of different languages, cultures, customs, traditions and mindsets.

The concept of the Youth Olympic World Mile is rather simple. During games time - so from January 13th through 22nd - Tyrolean students will take turns presenting the different nations competing in the YOG. They will open a booth in the Congress Center Innsbruck, where most of the CEP activities will take place. This is another asset to the World Mile: Like in Singapore, it will be located directly on the participants' way to lunch and dinner. So even if we have not convinced all of them yet to attend the CEP, you have to pass there at least twice a day (if you don't want to starve :).
At those booths, the students will present a variety of topics, ranging from geographic facts over the climate to local customs and traditions. Those students are incredibly creative when it comes to designing their World Mile booths For instance, the guys in Singapore have prepared a life-sized Hermann Maier cut-out where you could take pictures of yourself as the "Herminator".

The Youth Olympic Games World Mile is designed that the countries to be presented will take turns. About ten countries will be on display for a couple of days before the next students will be given opportunity to present their works. Like that, you can really explore in detail all the different countries participating in the YOG. Besides, there will also be stands from various NGOs, like the United Nations (UNAID, UNICEF, UNESCO), but also the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) or the International Olympic Academy (IOA). So in a nutshell, the Youth Olympic Games World Mile will be a mind-broadening experiences where people can learn about different cultures as well as important topics. When I say "people can learn", I am referring to the probably most important point: The World Mile will be open to the general public, so it will become a meeting point for YOG participants as well as Innsbruck's population. I doubt that intercultural exchange can get any better :).

The next update might take a couple of days since I have some stuff to do at university (last class EVER :). Until then, take good care of yourselves and see you soon.

So long,
Flo

"Herminator" pic © Sean Lee

The Culture and Education Program - Media Lab

Hey folks,

Since it started snowing in Innsbruck today, I thought I'd share the overall excitement (after all, now with the snow covering the streets, it feels like games time is approaching) with a new blog entry. Today, I will start with the promised series on the various Culture and Education activities. The first part will be dedicated to the Media lab.

When I was a kid, my grandmother always used to say that, in order to understand other people, you should "walk in their shoes for a mile". Well, of course she did not say that, being given the fact that we spoke German, however, you get the point. This approach is also reflected in the Innsbruck 2012 CEP. Starting at a very young age, athletes are exposed to a lot of media attention. I don't know if you have ever been asked to give an interview, however, you will soon notice that it takes a lot of practice to speak in front of a camera. After all, you have only a minute (sometimes even less) to bring your message across. Furthermore, even in light of a defeat, you want to give a professional response and analysis - rather than some moody rant about whatnot.

So in order to teach athletes how to talk in front of a camera. the CEP puts them behind one! By taking the role of a journalist, athletes learn how stories are developed and brought to life with a camera. They can hence discover methods of how to be a shiny part in that very story. I like that approach very much, because I believe that understanding the journalist's job also gives you a better idea of your job as an interview partner.

Apart from the improved media skills, the project will also be loads of fun. Being an avid photographer myself, I just love the creative outlet my camera gives me. Who knows - maybe the YOG Olympians will discover a new hobby and also become great photographers! The content they will produce will be shared on the various media channels, adding the participant's very own YOG perspective. Being taught how to express themselves via photography, filming or web editing, they can share their personal stories during games time.

Another very important part of the media lab is Social Media Awareness. Personally, I am a huge fan of nifty networks like Facebook or Flickr, because they provide excellent tools for me to stay in touch with my friends (By now the guys are really scattered to the four winds). However, there is one very important aspect people do not always bear in mind: Whatever you put online, stays online! We all know the situation: You had a bad competition, you come home, you are tired and moody and you write a status update like "Today just sucked. The referee was bad and the team was letting me down." True, it might have some cathartic effect on your inner balance (Well, most likely not...). But do you really want to tell to the world how much you despise the referee for making a bad call or how lousy you think one of your team mates is doing? Believe me: You do not!

So with the Social Media Awareness "campaign", athletes can learn the sensitivity needed to deal with such issues. Because everybody enjoys updates from their friends or athletes they admire. On the other hand though, there is plenty of stuff that you do not want to put online. Because you never know how things that go around will eventually come around!

So much for the Media Lab. If you have any more questions regarding the program, feel free to use the comment function below.

So long,
Flo

Pictures 1 and 2 © Innsbruck 2012

The Culture and Education Program - Overview

Hey folks,

Let's start first things first by letting me give you a short introduction what the Youth Olympic Games' Culture and Education Program (CEP) is all about. After all, the Young Ambassador Program was designed to promote the CEP to all the athletes participating in the YOG.

During the inaugural YOG in Singapore, the phrase "Giving the champions of tomorrow the skills they need today" was coined. This gives you, in a nutshell, a pretty good idea of what the CEP is all about. Let's just put it this way: Even as a young athlete, you most likely know how to speed down a hill on a pair of skis (Ok, I guess there might be more to skiing than just that. Anyway, you get my point!). However, there might be other things you don't know that well: What kind of food should you eat? How do you combine you sporting career with your schooling? How do you speak in front of a camera without sounding like an utter jerk (if you find that one out, please give me a call!!)? And maybe most importantly: What kind of advice can people that already know what it feels like to make it as an athlete give to you ?

Concerning the speeding down the mountain part, athletes are usually covered pretty well. They got their coaches to teach them the right technique, their physios to keep them fit and some even have the luxury of a psychologist to keep them focused. But what about the questions mentioned above? For all these, the CEP comes into play. The Innsbruck 2012 CEP consists of 6 different activities, covering a total of 5 subjects: Olympism, Well-Being and healthy lifestyle, Skills Development, Expression and Social Responsibility. In those 7 activities, athletes will have opportunity to find answers to all those questions stated above.

All those things are taught via workshops, discussions, interactive lectures and plenty of hands-on activities. No worries, I will put online a detailed description of all the different things to do in Innsbruck at a later date. For the time being, I just want to give you a brief outlook: There are going to be "Chat with Champions" sessions, were athletes can meet Olympians and ask them all the things they want to know. One environmental awareness activity is going to take place on top of the "Nordkette", where the guys can learn more about how to protect the alpine climate. And one of my favourite sessions is definitely going to be the cooking workshop, where athletes can learn how to cook delicious and healthy meals appropriate for their respective sport. Oh yeah, let's not forget the dancing workshop, where the guys can just have a splendid time! Rumor has it that the workshop is going to be led by Mr. Sascha from Russia himself ;)

As you can see, there will be plenty of things going on besides the sporting events. Of course, athletes have limited time at their hand, so they won't be able to attend all the CEP activities there are. However, if they just check out one or two of them, they will already have learnt something that will come in handily in their future career. Besides, I promise that they will have a real blast doing so. But more on that on a later date.

So long,
Flo

R.I.P, Локомотив Яросла́вль

Hey folks,

Originally, I wanted to write about the Youth Olympic Games' Culture and Education Program (CEP) today. However, there are some events in life so tragic that things that seem important at first just don't matter any more. The terrible plane crash of the Yaroslavl ice hockey team is one of them.

Like people all around the world, I was shocked and devastated by the dreadful images. Today I have learned that one of the 44 people killed in the plane crash was our fellow Young Ambassador Olga Salei's uncle. The scope of this tragic event - an entire sports team killed on their way to their opening match - is just too horrifying to be put into words. When realizing that all those people where not only great athletes, but also loving husbands, fathers, sons and relatives, it becomes even more impossible to understand.

My condolences and deepest sympathies go out to all people that have lost loved ones in this tragic incident. I am not sure if anything we say or do can make a difference to those people in such an hour of grief. I just hope that, by standing together, sport fans from all over the world can honor the memory of Lokomotive Yaroslavl and discover that, not only in light of such tragedies, supposedly important things like a game's outcome just don't matter any longer.

Friday Night Lights

Hey folks,

No worries, I have not gone bananas (well, maybe I have...but in any case, that could hardly be called a recent development) - I know that it is actually Saturday today. The reason I picked today's headline - as popular culture geeks will certainly know - is the novel/movie/TV series going by the same name. Basically, all three of them are about high school football somewhere in Texas, where it's all about those shiny lights on a Friday night.

Today, my team will start yet another team handball season. First game of the season is always exciting, since everybody is motivated and ready to go. I just hope that all the hard training we put in (although I was sidelined due to injury for a crucial period of time) will pay off today. So wherever you are guys, please keep your fingers crossed for us.

So long,
Flo

Young Ambassador 2.0

Hey folks,

It was with some guilty surprise that I discovered that the last entry in this blog dates from exactly one year ago. On September 8th, 2010, I blogged - in the aftermath of the mind-blowing, life-changing, memory-waking first ever Youth Olympic Games in Singapore - for the last time. Until today that is!

As you might now, the sequel is ante portas - the first ever Youth Olympic Winter Games are going to take place from January 13th to 22nd in Innsbruck, Austria. Not only is it a source of great pride to have such an exciting event in my home country. I also got the chance to once more be part of the amazing Youth Olympic Team Austria as a Young Ambassador for the Games. I feel both humbled and honored to be given this role once again. Humbled, because I was once again selected to be part of an outstanding group of incredibly talented individuals, speaking of both the Youth Olympic Team Austria and my fellow ambassadors. Honored, because I have now the opportunity to carry on the legacy the first generation of Young Ambassadors created in Singapore. However, I am not saying this because I want to teach the "new" ambassadors what our job is all about. Believe me when I say that they knew more than well what our role is all about from the start.

In the last couple of days, we were invited to Innsbruck for the Young Ambassador seminar. In this series of workshops, discussions and plenty of hands -on activities, we were briefed on our mission in the time before, during and after the Games. For us, this was a great opportunity to see all the activities Innsbruck 2012 has in store for the athletes in it's Culture and Education Program (CEP).

However, apart from the "informative" part, the seminar was also a great way to meet all our fellow ambassadors. We did some very much appreciated venue tours to the usual hotspots (i.e. bars and clubs) and engaged in team building activities that lasted until the early hours of the morning :). Before leaving for Innsbruck, I did not really know what to expect. Of course I knew from experience what a great event the seminar was going to be. I was a little worried, though: "Having already experienced the seminar, could it maybe be less exciting than the first edition?".

I have to admit that I've been wrong quite a few times in my life - but believe me: I do not recall having been THIS WRONG about anything in a long time. The Young Ambassador seminar was again a mind-blowing experience, where I can hardly find the words to describe (which, knowing that I usually don't have a hard time talking, should tell you how great it actually was). The organization was just brilliant (special shout out to Verena, Anni and their volunteers for doing a tremendous job) and we were taken care of very well. However, there are 32 other good reasons why the last couple of days were so outstanding: The 32 Young Ambassadors, coming to Innsbruck from all over the world to contribute to the Games in 2012. I know that I might lose some credibility due to my quite inflationary use of superlatives, but believe me when I say: The Young Ambassadors, both in Singapore and in Innsbruck, are part of the most incredible people I have ever met.If you think that I am getting overly sappy talking about them: Just watch the guys in action and see for yourself :).

In the future, I hope that I will manage to put some regular updates on this blog. It's gonna be once again be a mixture between facts on the Games - especially the CEP program that I am responsible for as a Young Ambassador - and some personal thoughts. The blog is going to be in English 90% of times with some French or German maybe thrown in their as well once in a while. Feel free to comment on or share any of my stories.I also hope that I can do a layout relaunch pretty soon, since right now, it kinda looks like some Gothic metal fan page ;). Last but not least, just for the record: This blog is in a first-person, diary-type format and I am not trying to take the role of a journalist (special shout out to Kate :)).

Looking forward to the months ahead and hopefully see you in Innsbruck 2012!

So long,

Flo

Pictures: © Innsbruck 2012, all rights reserved. Click on the pictures for further information!