The Speaker on May 27th was Olympic Silver Medalist Kelsey Serwa

Posted by Derek Bottomley PDG 
on May 29, 2014
 

Shown in the picture with our exchange student Mathilde, who is temporarily wearing the silver medal, is Kelsey who delivered to the meeting a very inspiring talk.

 

 
Kelsey gave us some background as to why she has reached such a marvelous level of competitiveness as a skier. Her Grandmother and Grandfather Lois & Cliff Serwa, were in attendance at our meeting and she praised them for their commitment to the sport. Lois is a member of the Okanagan - Mission club and her husband Cliff was a co-founder of the Big White ski resort which opened in 1963.

Kelsey is a member of the Canada Ski Cross Team and competed in her second Olympic Games this year. She is a World Champion, a National Champion, X-Games gold medalist and now an Olympic Silver Medalist. Please check out her website at www.kelseyserwa.com where you can view several videos of a number of the events that she has taken place in,

She reminded us that members of the Canadian Olympic teams were not competing for themselves but were there representing all of Canada. However she did admit that she had dreamt for eighteen years of being on the podium at an Olympics. The Vancouver Olympics did not go as well as she had hoped as she got passed in the Semi-finals just at the end of the course. However she made up for it four years later as she tore down the hill to finish second to another Canadian Mary Ellen Thompson. So with two Canadians on the podium it was a proud moment.

The club presented Kelsey with a Paul Harris Fellow Award and a Friend of Rotary Award.