| Burton not going to Olympics this time |
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| Local Content - Local Sports |
| Written by publisher |
| Tuesday, 22 December 2009 15:28 |
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By Paul Grigaitis “It was like ripping my heart,” Burton said of her decision not to attend. Burton had already applied to be a foot massage therapist in the international clinic in Vancouver where she would have been treating athletes from around the world. When Burton was called about six weeks ago about going through the final stages of the application process, just following 12 weeks of recovery in a hospital, she said she told an official she just wasn’t ready to go. Shortly after, Burton was offered a three-week extension to allow her to further recover and also a supervisory role at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, but following three more weeks of working to improve her stamina she said she still wasn’t ready to make the kind of commitment it takes to work the Olympics. “At the Olympics, you have to work 10-to-12-hour days, six days a week for three weeks,” she said. “I can do it for a few hours, working on athletes of that calibre, but to do it all day for six days is tough on me,” she added. She said part of her decision was based on experience. Burton worked at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary and in Athens in 2004. “When you’re at the Olympics, you don’t really get a lot of breaks. Sometimes eating is athletes feeding you. Like I’ve actually had one athlete on the table and another athlete feeding me an apple or a pear and giving me drinks because there is such a line-up that you just kind of eat while you’re working while somebody else is holding the food.” While Burton said she knows what she would be up against, she also knows what she’ll be missing. That’s what’s breaking her heart, she said. Burton said she’s taken relief in knowing that someone else will get the opportunity of a lifetime now that she won’t be taking the position. “I wish I could see that person’s face light up when they got the opportunity because I know how excited I was. When people talk about the Olympic spirit, I never dreamed it was a real energy that you feel in your heart and soul. It is. When you drive into a (host) city, it’s alive,” she said as her voice began to crack. The fact that this year’s Olympics are in Canada makes her decision that much more difficult, she said. “I am so patriotic. I really wanted to do it again in my country and I hope that I can again.” Burton said that unfortunately she knows she can’t give it the 110 per cent effort it takes to work the world-class event while at the same time being loyal to her customers in Maple Creek. While Burton said she feels life has thrown her a little curve ball, she said she was surprised to later learn of a national award that recognizes what she does best. The Canadian Sports Massage Association recently recognized Burton for her dedication and vision in sports massage nationally, she said. Burton was surprised by the certificate when it arrived in the mail. She said she was supposed to receive the award at an annual conference, but for the first time in many years she didn’t attend. “There was a little ceremony at the end, but I wasn’t there,” she said while laughing. She said she was “proud and tickled” to receive the award from the organization, adding that the timing was perfect. “Especially when I’ve gone through this three years when I was really struggling to maintain my career and at the end of this three years when I was starting to get back into it that they were honouring me. It was kind of good timing to motivate me and get me back into it.”
Sports massage therapist Connie Burton is picture doing what she does best at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. After working two previous Olympic games, she has made the difficult decision to pass working at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Photo supplied |
