Blaze of Glory

Sit down for a beer with a couple of Olympic athletes from Team USA and ask them what’s new. You will probably hear all about their training, their diet and their goals for all the upcoming competitions. Sit down for a beer with a Canadian Olympian, and the topics will range from neuroscience to philosophy to politics.

This is not all rah-rah Canadiana; our athletes are not inherently more intelligent or interesting people. It is just that most, if not all, Canadian athletes do not have the system or the support of their global counterparts. Most need jobs and university educations to make it in life. This “support gap” may not make us the most successful Olympic country in the world, but the men and women who don the Maple Leaf every two years end up as more well-rounded human beings.

Sometimes they beat the odds and win, and when they do they can look back on the achievement with amazing insight. Luckily for the reader of Off the Chain: An Insider’s...