Picture it. It’s a warm winter day and you are on your way to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games. Ahmed Marshall remembers it well.
A University of Calgary student, Marshall joined the Canadian Olympic Bobsled Team this year after only two and a half seasons competing in the sport. The team arrived at the Games five days prior to the Opening Ceremonies, which for unrecognized Canadian athletes was quite an experience.
"You see all of these Canadian flags (when you arrive) and you think, wow, we have a ton of Canadians out here," Marshall laughed about the volunteer greeting at the airport. "And then you realize that the next plane is coming in and they grab for the Latvian flags."
Security surrounding this year’s Olympics was incredibly tight in the wake of September 11. Upon arrival each athlete and their bags were thoroughly searched and, in some cases, confiscated for inspection by the United States Secret Service.
Unfortunately for Marshall the tight security was not the only thing making it hard for him to fulfil his Olympic dreams. Although he has been blessed with a surplus of athletic ability he has had his fair share of ups and downs.
Between concussions and skin grafts, the sport has put his body to the test. He has had to make some long-term decisions as well. As a member of both the Dinos football and track teams he had to make tough choices when he added bobsledding to his list of talents.
As a result of his decision to bobsled, his academic career at the U of C is in a state of limbo. The university has not accommodated his studies and he has had to delay graduation because of their inability to accomodate his demanding schedule.
"When I played football it was completely different," Marshall explained. "I think they understood that situation a little bit more. In the East, at places like McGill, they are completely helped out. [Olympic athletes] don’t miss a step."
With only a handful of students requiring the support of the university in their quest to represent our country Marshall is shocked they extend little extra support.
"They say that one per cent of one per cent of athletes make it to the Olympics. You would think that they would acknowledge that these athletes are special, and that they should reap the benefits of all the dedication they put into the sport," he said with a shrug. "But we don’t."
The Canadian bobsled team finished fifth in the two-man and ninth in the four-man at the Olympic Games . In order for athletes to be recognized for outstanding performance by the Canadian government they require a top eight finish at the Olympics. Marshall was bumped from the four-man team in Salt Lake due to weight discrepancies and feels that the team could have placed better if it had been more organized going into the Games.
"If the team would have been informed on the discrepancies sooner the team could have lost weight, or I could have lost weight."
Even though he was not able to compete in the Olympics he had an amazing overall experience.
"Even if I would have known that the events would have unfolded this way," he reflected. "I would go back and do it all over again."
Looking back on his time in bobsledding Marshall would like to see the future of the sport include a higher level of national participation. Unfortunately, Canada currently does not offer many incentives to boost participation in the sport, which leads to a very high turnover amongst athletes.
"First we need to increase awareness of the sport because more challenge would improve the national competition," he pointed out. "Second, we need to have a national training camp and start to use all of Canada, not just Calgary and Montreal."
As for the future of the Canadian bobsled team? Marshall’s goal is to compete in the 2006 Olympic games in Italy. In preparation for this he would like to make the transition from brakeman to pilot in the near future.
After postponing his academic career in order to keep up with the international schedule he has something very rewarding to show for his hard work.
"At the end of the day, I can call myself an Olympic athlete."