Gold Medal Diary by Hayley Wickenheiser

Hayley Wickenheiser (@wick_22) is one of my favorite athletes; one of my heroes. A wonderful representative of Saskatchewan recently named an Officer of the Order of Canada.

My brother-in-law gave me her book: Gold Medal Diary - Inside the world's greatest sports event, and I really enjoyed reading it. The writing was a bit choppy, making the flow a bit hard when reading, but perhaps adding authenticity considering the diary was written by a jock, and not a novelist. A glimpse into Team Canada Women's Hockey Team training really showed how hard they worked for gold, and how a team at that level still has the same worries as any team in competition, always scared that everything could fall apart at any time.

The insight this diary gives into the emotional toll training takes on an athlete, especially those with family and the support structure around her success, was inspiring, and a must read for any Wickenheiser fan. She also provides a sneak peak behind the scenes at the Olympics -- inside the athlete's village, random selection drug testing, an athlete's view of the tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, opening ceremonies, giving the athlete's oath, the games, the competition, the win!, the comparably anti-climatic epilogue.

If you are in Calgary, or any city that participates in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, you should check her out on the Dino's roster and catch a game -- I wish I could.

My Rating = +1