Katharine Eustace One Winter, Five Dreams

Maybe it's because I live in America. Or maybe it's my perception of sports figures being big ticket items, with endorsement deals, and big pay checks.  But somehow I've lost touch with the idea that not every Olympic competitor has the latest gear, the best coaches, is well funded, or has any kind of support at all .

To get a taste of the reality of one Olympic hopeful click on Katharine Eustace video in her blog Ideas for dinner!
One of the five athletes featured in Panasonic's One Winter, Five Dreams program.
She's an elite athlete going through intense training and competition and she is eating couscous and cup a soup for dinner! The debate with herself on whether it's acceptable to boil an egg with only her kettle is sadly sweet.  I just want to send her some protein. Can I do that?

What I love about Katharine as you watch her videos and read her blog posts is that none of that matters. She is determined and focused. She is positive and making the best out of her situation as she works toward her dream.

Katharine has this to say about her video,"As you can see from the video the life of an elite athlete isn't all about hotels and being looked after, it's all about working hard and making the most of all situations so you can perform at your best".

Twenty sleds qualify for the Olympics in the Women's Skeleton Race. Katharine is about 100 points behind where she need to be to qualify as New Zealand's second sled.  Her teammate Tionette Stoddard has qualified for the one New Zealand spot.  Katharine's goal is to qualify a second sled. Which means she must finish ahead of the other nations trying to send two sleds.  A win on the race circuit is 150 points and she has two races to go.

Katharine says,"I'll give it my best and will know by the end of this week whether I will be going to the Olympics or not."

Join ski like a girl in supporting Katharine and her Olympic dreams.  Stop by her blog and leave her and the other athletes of One Winter, Five Dreams words of support and encouragement.  Share in the excitement and passion. And wish me luck in my quest to be the Gold Blogger and so I can attend the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and continue to cheer on all of the amazing athletes.

xoxo,
ski girl aka the Gold Blogger!