A Speedskater's Journey to Sochi

Emily Scott may not be a name that you've heard. She didn't earn an Olympic medal in Sochi this year. Her journey to the Games, however, is almost worthy of a medal itself.

via usatoday.com

Emily is from Springfield, Missouri. Her mother is in prison, and her father lives paycheck to paycheck. Before she was a speed skater, she made the Junior Olympic team for gymnastics. Unfortunately, due to her family's financial situation and the sport's expensive nature, she had to give it up. She was also a World Champion inline skater. It was from there that she decided to make the switch to speed skating.

When she first began speed skating, she found it so difficult that she almost quit. She found it challenging that her legs fatigued due to the crouched position, and wasn't used to having no rest time during a race. But Emily Scott is no quitter.

She got used to the sport, and in 2010, went to the Olympic Trials. Though she didn't make the team that year, just making it to the Trials was enough to convince her that she was close to her dream. That dream took a hit when her U.S. Speed Skating monthly stipend was cut to 600 dollars. She applied for food stamps and set up an account at GoFundMe.com. The donations to her cause were slow at first. As her story got out there, however, she began to get donations and words of encouragement at a rate faster than she could believe. This money went toward her training costs. It allowed her father, who has raised and supported her, to be at Sochi for her races. It took five separate flights, but Craig Scott got to watch his daughter as an Olympian.

During the final of the 1500m, Emily was unfortunately knocked over by a falling athlete (the same athlete who pushed her during the semifinal). Even then, she didn't give up. She stood back up and fought as hard as she could to finish, ending up in 5th place out of 7. Though she didn't medal, Emily Scott is definitely still an Olympic hero. And who knows, maybe we'll see her atop that podium in 2018.

Allow me to introduce you to  the "Flying Squirrel" 

Picture From: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/02/article-2182780-1459B781000005DC-135_964x684.jpg

Meet Gabby Douglas. Gabby is a member of the United States Women's Gymnastics team and in 2012, Gabby gained worldwide notoriety when she won gold medals in the team competition and the individual all-around competition.  Standing at only 4 feet and 11 inches, Gabby became the first African-American and woman of color in ANY nationality to win the individual all-around competition in Olympics history, she also is the only American All-Around Champion to win numerous gold medals, and she was the first American gymnast to win gold medals in the individual all-around and the team competition during the same Olympics. But wait - Gabby did all of these things before the age of 17.

As with most people who gain worldwide fame, Gabby experienced a lot of hardships in preparation for the Olympics. As a child, Gabby's mother could not afford to send Gabby to competitions or practices. Gabby's talents and potential inspired coaches at the local training facility to work with her and develop the skill sets she needed to compete at a high level. However, the financial situation of Gabby and her family was publicized to the entire gym and soon Gabby became bullied by other gym members who considered Gabby a "slave" since they paid to use the gym and she did not. Apart from this her home life was in turmoil. Her mother was on long-term disability and divorced Gabby's father twice. Nonetheless, Gabby remained committed to her craft eventually convincing her mother after two years of pleading to allow her to live in Iowa and train in Iowa while her entire family remained in Virginia Beach. 

All of her hard work paid off and eventually Gabby joins the Olympic team and is now. Even at the Olympic stage, Gabby couldn't avoid being bullied. Many people took to Twitter and Facebook and began to bully Gabby about her hair. For example: @Wht_Idid_rollEM, "Gabby Douglas shouldn't be the standout in commercials until she gets her hair done.

Gabby wasn't even a little bothered when she responded to USA Today by saying, ""I don't know where this is coming from. What's wrong with my hair? I just simply gelled it back, put some clips in it and put it in a bun. Are you kidding me? I just made history. And you're focusing on my hair? I just want to say, we're all beautiful inside out. I don't think people should be worried about that. Nothing is going to change. So you might as well stop with all the comments." (Read full interview Here)

Gabby is another inspirational example of the benefits of hard work and commitment. Anything is possible. No obstacles are big enough to be insurmountable as long as you remain driven and focused. If anybody could have given up on a dream, it would have been Gabby but she didn't. There is not excuse to pursue whatever your passions are in this world. If you do what you love, you will definitely make money doing it so never, ever, ever give up!

Share your dreams and passions below in the comments!