It was 10 years ago at this time that my curling team and I were riding the wave of winning our first Canadian Scotties Tournament of Hearts on what is known simply as “the shot.” Jennifer Jones’ amazing in-off using a rock near the boards scored four points for the win.
If you had told me then that 10 years later Jennifer Jones and myself would be five-time Scotties champions, with one of those wins coming just a year after winning the Winter Olympics, I would have said, “Yeah, right!”
But here I am – a five-time champion and Olympic gold medallist, but most importantly, 10 years later, I am a wife, and I am mom to an amazing and beautiful three-year-old. A three-year-old who, after we received our gold medals at the Scotties on Sunday, said to me, “Mommy, why do you have a gold medal?”
READ MORE: Jennifer Jones beats Val Sweeting 6-5 in Scotties curling final
She got to stay up late on Sunday evening so my husband and parents could both attend the championship game. She sat through the whole game being very well-behaved, but she obviously had no idea the significance of what had happened or why mommy had a medal.
I feel that most of the time I have a good perspective on life, but little moments like that with my child are good reminders that I am just her mom. I am not Jill Officer, the curler or Olympian. She doesn’t care if I have a gold medal, silver medal or any medal at all. She loves me for who I am. And I love her for who she is, for her innocence, her charisma and her honesty.
I always feel so grateful after winning a major championship. I think about how fortunate I am to do what I love with people I love, even though the doping control officer showed up at my house again this morning at 6:30 a.m.! I just got tested two weeks ago!
READ MORE: Jill’s House: ‘Yes, she watches me pee’ – doping control pays a visit
But it’s okay. It only adds to the experience and to the stories I will tell my daughter when she gets older about this ride I was on when she was a kid. I even turned to Jennifer on the podium the other night and said, “What a ride! Oh my God, what a ride this has been!”
And I suppose we will stay on this ride as we head to Sapporo, Japan, in less than two weeks with the maple leaf on our backs for the world championships. Yes, I will have to leave my daughter again for two weeks, but like I said, I hope when I tell her all my stories and lessons in the future, that she will be on her own ride and learn to realize her own dreams.
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