Culture & Entertainment
How Jon Montgomery feels about not making the Sochi Olympics
Culture & Entertainment
How Jon Montgomery feels about not making the Sochi Olympics
Jon Montgomery has had his fair share of disappointments in the past few weeks. When he
failed to qualify for the Olympics (after training for four long years) we felt for him. But don't feel sorry for the gold-medal skeleton racer for too long. We touched base with Jon to find out how he's handling watching the Olympics from the sidelines this year and how he's moving forward.
Canadian Living: Is it hard to watch the Olympic games and not be a part of it?
Jon Montgomery: "Surprisingly, its not hard to watch the
Olympics. I get a great deal of pleasure from our Canadian athletes. There are moments when you feel a little sorry for yourself but you have to feel incredibly fortunate that you’ve had that success and the opportunity. I will be eternally grateful. And what makes me feel okay about falling short of the Olympics in Sochi is that I took some big risks. Those moments of feeling sorry for oneself are very short lived. We did everything we could. I am happy to watch my teammates."
CL: Do you think of it as a setback or do you see it as an opportunity?
JM: "It’s a setback. It is the end of my skeleton career. It was simply falling short of a goal. Some people who have Olympic gold medals can be losers because of the attitudes they have about it. But someone who comes in 5th or 6th can be a winner because of the way they view the competition. In great efforts and great struggles you're going to have low moments and for me this is a low moment. I have no regrets and in failure there's a silver lining usually. I've got other stuff ot move on to. I did everything I could to defend that medal. I’ve still got the people who are important to me in my life—my mom, my sponsors, and my wife. The fact that I’m out there speaking on [my sponsor] P&G's behalf and that they still support me in this journey speaks volumes. And the video we created together before the games speaks volumes."
Watch this video—I dare you not to cry. [HTML1]
CL: What would you do next in an ideal world?
JM: "In an ideal world I would win Lotto 6/49 and ride off into the sunset on an Appaloosa pony with my wife and my dog.
[Jon: We love your fantasy!] I have some amazing job opportunities when it comes to hosting and TV commentary which will involve using some of the things I've learned bout myself and hopefully will involve inspiring some kids to get out and be active. Not to become the best at anything in the world but to try things and live life outside their comfort zone."
CL: Do you have any words of encouragement for athletes in the same position? Like athletes who failed to qualify or who got knocked out during competition?
JM: "Right after an athlete has fallen they've earned the right to feel like crap for a little while. To watch an athlete who has trained for years of their life and when something happens and they fall short— if someone comes off the ice and is genuinely happy—I don't know what those people think or feel. They've earned the right to be disappointed but moving forward I would advise them to look for all the positives. They've had the opportunity to realize that goal. So many people don't get that far. Find the silver lining. Its cliché but that's the only way you can move forward constructively. It takes a lot of athletes a long time to come around and realize it's good."
CL: Have your family and friends been supportive?
JM: "Missing so narrowly was a kick in the gut. My whole family has been supportive of the fact that we took some big risks, tried the best we could to get 'er done and knowing that I've always got their love and respect means the world to me. The sponsors (like
P&G) that have stood by my side have been tremendous. It makes me feel like I’m not alone on this journey. The moms have been on this journey and picked us up countless times when we fell. When you take big risks in life,when you fall, life moves on. That's the only way to go through this thing that we call life, living life outside my comfort zone. I'm never going to be the guy that plays it safe. I'm going to take big risks with the hope of glory and success that's just the way I roll."
Photography courtesy of P&G
Canadian Living: Is it hard to watch the Olympic games and not be a part of it?
Jon Montgomery: "Surprisingly, its not hard to watch the
Olympics. I get a great deal of pleasure from our Canadian athletes. There are moments when you feel a little sorry for yourself but you have to feel incredibly fortunate that you’ve had that success and the opportunity. I will be eternally grateful. And what makes me feel okay about falling short of the Olympics in Sochi is that I took some big risks. Those moments of feeling sorry for oneself are very short lived. We did everything we could. I am happy to watch my teammates."
CL: Do you think of it as a setback or do you see it as an opportunity?
JM: "It’s a setback. It is the end of my skeleton career. It was simply falling short of a goal. Some people who have Olympic gold medals can be losers because of the attitudes they have about it. But someone who comes in 5th or 6th can be a winner because of the way they view the competition. In great efforts and great struggles you're going to have low moments and for me this is a low moment. I have no regrets and in failure there's a silver lining usually. I've got other stuff ot move on to. I did everything I could to defend that medal. I’ve still got the people who are important to me in my life—my mom, my sponsors, and my wife. The fact that I’m out there speaking on [my sponsor] P&G's behalf and that they still support me in this journey speaks volumes. And the video we created together before the games speaks volumes."
Watch this video—I dare you not to cry. [HTML1]
CL: What would you do next in an ideal world?
JM: "In an ideal world I would win Lotto 6/49 and ride off into the sunset on an Appaloosa pony with my wife and my dog.
[Jon: We love your fantasy!] I have some amazing job opportunities when it comes to hosting and TV commentary which will involve using some of the things I've learned bout myself and hopefully will involve inspiring some kids to get out and be active. Not to become the best at anything in the world but to try things and live life outside their comfort zone."
CL: Do you have any words of encouragement for athletes in the same position? Like athletes who failed to qualify or who got knocked out during competition?
JM: "Right after an athlete has fallen they've earned the right to feel like crap for a little while. To watch an athlete who has trained for years of their life and when something happens and they fall short— if someone comes off the ice and is genuinely happy—I don't know what those people think or feel. They've earned the right to be disappointed but moving forward I would advise them to look for all the positives. They've had the opportunity to realize that goal. So many people don't get that far. Find the silver lining. Its cliché but that's the only way you can move forward constructively. It takes a lot of athletes a long time to come around and realize it's good."
CL: Have your family and friends been supportive?
JM: "Missing so narrowly was a kick in the gut. My whole family has been supportive of the fact that we took some big risks, tried the best we could to get 'er done and knowing that I've always got their love and respect means the world to me. The sponsors (like
P&G) that have stood by my side have been tremendous. It makes me feel like I’m not alone on this journey. The moms have been on this journey and picked us up countless times when we fell. When you take big risks in life,when you fall, life moves on. That's the only way to go through this thing that we call life, living life outside my comfort zone. I'm never going to be the guy that plays it safe. I'm going to take big risks with the hope of glory and success that's just the way I roll."
Photography courtesy of P&G
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