Fraternity-Testvériség, 2001 (79. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2001-01-01 / 1. szám
FRATERNITY Page 13 Hungarian Women’s Bobsled Team Dear Hungarians, My husband and I have been members of the HRFA since 1995. In 1998 we developed the first Hungarian Bobsled Team. Now we are training for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, which will be the first time in history to host women bobsled. The Hungarian colors can be part of that historical moment! I am an athlete, a teacher and a survivor. I have been involved in competitive sports since I was 8 years old. After graduation from college I became a teacher of physical education and sports. I have been a survivor since my first bout with breast cancer, five years ago. I found out that I had breast cancer just a few weeks after my 30th birthday and three months before my first wedding anniversary. Fighting cancer is the single greatest challenge I have ever faced, but my lifelong involvement in sports has helped me to focus my energy on life and conquering this insidious disease. Cancer doesn’t have to be the end, it can be an opportunity for a new beginning. I believe that training for and competing in the Olympics can be a meaningful way to help raise awareness about cancer and to help other victims fight and win the battle. Life can go on and your dreams are still possible. Being a professional ski instructor, I moved to Park City, Utah in 1997 to teach at the Park City Mountain Resort. My passion for winter sports led me to an international bobsled driving school in 1998. One thing led to another and I developed the first Hungarian women’s bobsled team. That year I competed in two World Cup races as a driver and finished the season ranked 16th overall in the World Cup standings. In August of 1999 cancer sneaked up on me a second time and in September I had to have a bilateral mastectomy. No further treatments this time. Having had the experience of chemotherapy and radiation along with their side effects I was scared to have to go through that again. The shock of the surgery was enough to take. In October the International Olympic Committee approved women’s bobsledding as a full medal sport for the 2002 Winter Olympics. This fact gave me a goal to live for, my dream of competing in the Olympics. In November, two months after my surgeries, I competed in the season’s first two World Cup races in Calgary, Canada, finishing in 13th place. We didn’t have the funding to compete in the rest of the World Cups which were in Europe. It was very discouraging to watch the rest of the women’s bobsled teams go off to compete without my team. For the rest of the season I trained as much as I could with the help of Travis Bell, my coach and mentor. This summer I am training full time in order to get my body and mind as strong as possible for the upcoming World Cup season. Being a bobsledder is more than just a physical challenge, it is an attitude about life. I know how much it takes to train, compete and succeed. I often question myself, why am I doing this? It is that I have a dream and I just won’t give up. My mission is to take the Sled Full of Hope around the world, competing in the World Cup races the next two years and then on to the Olympics. As I travel, I want to tell everyone affected by cancer that there is hope. Cancer is a sobering reality, but it doesn’t have to be a dead end, it can be just a bump in the road. Please join the Sled Full of Hope team so we can help our friends with their difficult journeys. Also, please check out Web site for more information: www.sledfullofhope.org Best wishes, Ildikó Strehli r Tompa László ANYÁM KINÉZ AZ ABLAKON Anyám reggelenként Ablakán kinéz: Fiam, künn hideg van, Ügyelj, ha kimész. Máskor szól: no lám, hogy begyújtott a nyár - Nehogy fblhevülj és Melegen igyál! Mindig így figyel rám, Törődik velem - Most ne legyek lassú, Most ne hirtelen. V S teszi ezt, mióta Megszülettem én. És folytatja most is, Hogy már rég nem él. Mert a lelkemben ő Velem van ma is. Anyagondja rajtam Varázsig, paizs. Ezért rám akármi Rossz is agyarog, Nem verhet le, érzem, Megvéd egy halott J
