"What did it take for you to become an Olympian?
Since returning home from the Rio Olympics a lot of people have asked me that question. So far, I haven't been able to find an easy answer.
Hi my name is Maxwell Lattimer and I was fortunate enough to represent my country at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro as a member of the Canadian Rowing Team.
Each Olympian's journey is different. All Olympic journeys are special and filled with unforeseen twists and turns, as well as their fair share of highs and lows. However, a rower's journey tends to be a bit more peculiar than most, because in order to make it to the Olympic games, not only do you have to be one of the best in the world at what you do, but you also need to have teammates who are some of the best as well.
My journey to the Olympic games began at UBC in 2012. It wasn't until I began my life as a Thunderbird that I believed that I could one day become an Olympian. The environment offered at UBC was perfect for me. I was able to work towards a degree at a premier Canadian University, compete for a team with a history of success, and also be close to home and family. This situation and the supportive and talented people around me accelerated my development in those first few years and I quickly became one of the fastest lightweight rowers in the country. By 2014 I soon had a difficult decision to make. If I wanted to make it to the Olympic games, I was going to have to leave my bubble of security and move across the country to join the training center to first try and make the Canadian Team.
So that is what I did. I left the comfort of those personal relationships behind, postponed my degree, and went to row for a new team under a new coach with a chance to maybe make it to the Olympics.
My story goes on from there and ultimately we were very successful in achieving many of our goals, the highlights being a gold at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and a 13th place finish at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The journey however was no easy path. At times I was challenged, I was doubtful, and on numerous occasions I was unsuccessful.
Since competing at the games and returning to finish my studies and once again compete for UBC, I have gained an incredible amount of perspective on the things that I have done and the path that I took to do it.
So what did it take to become an Olympian? In reflection I believe that it took an incredible amount of sacrifice in order to reach my goal. I needed to stretch outside my comfort zone, take a risk without any guarantees of success, and believe to my core that all of it would be worth it in the end.
