Alex Bilodeau takes a deep breath and stares down the steep incline of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games’ freestyle ski run on Cypress Mountain. The entire hillside is covered with bumps of snow, moguls. In just a few seconds Alex will launch his body down this course, hoping to win the gold medal.
“I could feel the pressure. No Canadian athlete had ever won a gold medal at an Olympic Games in Canada before. But the biggest pressure was from myself. I wanted to win and I knew I could.”
The huge crowd begins to chant, “Canada! Canada!” The sound rolls up the snowy hillside to Alex like thunder. He knows one of the loudest voices in that crowd in his older brother, Frederic. Alex calls him his hero, the man who has helped him get to the top of this Olympic mountain.
“He is always at my races cheering me on. Frederic has Cerebral Palsy [a motor condition that causes physical disability in the various areas of body movement]. He has lived all his life with cerebral palsy. That gives me some perspective on whatever I’m going through at the start of a race. His example keeps me grounded and forces me to concentrate on what I need to do to win.”
The starter yells, “Go!” and Alex flies down the mountain. His knees burst upward as he deftly handles each mound of snow. He digs his poles into the powdered mountainside to help him keep his balance.
“Life is like a moguls run. It goes really fast and you have to deal with all sorts of bumps and obstacles. You have to work hard and also stay calm to overcome them.”
Like any elite athlete, Alex has had to overcome injuries. He’s had disappointing results, bad scores from judges and plain bad days as a competitor. It’s his brother who pushed him to work harder, keep trying and never give up.
“Doctors told Frederic that he wouldn’t walk after he turned ten. He’s now in his late twenties and still walks. He never gives up, even when obstacles get in his way so why would I? He never complains so why should I? He’s taught me what it means to be tough and I wouldn’t have this gold medal without him.”
Alexandre hits the jumps, his body moving at incredible speed. A mistake here could cost him a lot of points. He’s going too fast to consider this, acting now on memory and instinct and years of
preparation.
“The Olympics are a mental game. My brother is as quick mentally as anyone else and living with him has made me mentally quick as well. He always gives me advice and feedback.”
Alex lands without missing a beat, his hips moving slightly to his internal tempo, his knees locked together as he approaches the finish line. Alex is a natural. But moguls wasn’t his first choice of sport. He wanted to focus on downhill skiing, but when they were kids Frederic wanted to try freestyle skiing instead. He started freestyle skiing for Frederic.
“It’s funny because people see me as an athlete, as a kind of “normal” person. Frederic can’t move as well but he is just as much of a competitor in life. I always try harder and never quit thanks to his example.”
Alexandre crosses the finish line with a great time and the judges give him great scores, but he has to wait for one final competitor to come down the hill.
“I watched him and knew he had made some mistakes. I looked over at the crowd and Frederic was giving me the thumbs up. He knew.”
The judges quickly confirm the Bilodeaus’ thoughts and the final scoreboard flashes “#1. Alexandre Bilodeau”.
Now that the results are final Alex can let all his emotions pour out. He rushes over to the crowd and searches out his brother. He gives Frederic a huge bear hug, and Frederic hugs him back equally as hard. Alex has made history. And Frederic has one final message for his little brother, the Olympic champion.
“He only said three words to me: ‘I love you.’ That meant everything. When I got my gold medal I knew I had to dedicate that victory to one person, my hero, my brother
CONNECTING: Building a foundation for new learning
Importance of Inclusion
Watch “Bilodeau speeds to glory” at www.olympischool.ca/podcast. In a large space (ex. middle of classroom, hallway, gymnasium, outdoors), teacher models the movement of a skier. Students are then asked to mimic the same movements, first for 10 seconds, then 30 seconds, and then one minute.
Lead a discussion with the class on how the movement felt. What did students find easy? What did they find difficult? How would this be challenging for an individual with a physical disability?
On a piece of chart paper, the teacher writes the word “inclusion”. As a class, students do the following (responses are recorded on chart paper):
- Define inclusion
- Give examples of inclusion
- Give reasons why inclusion is important in our society
PROCESSING: Using strategies to acquire and use knowledge
Comparison Chart (can be done as a ‘T’ chart)
Instruct students to create a “T” chart using Alex’s and Frederic’s names as headings. Independently have students brainstorm a list of characteristics describing Alex and Frederic. Students should use words mentioned and implied in the story as well as their own.
Instruct students to place a check mark beside each characteristic that is listed under both “Alex” and “Frederic”. Students then turn to an elbow partner and compare lists. What words appeared on both Alex’ and both Frederic lists? What does this tell us?
TRANSFORMING: Showing understanding in a new way
Inclusivity and You
Think about the following quote:
“Life is like a moguls run. It goes really fast. You have to deal with all sorts of bumps and obstacles. You have to work hard and also stay calm to beat them.”
How does this apply to both Alex and Frederic? Use evidence from the text and your own ideas to support your answer. What have you learned from Alex and Frederic? How can you be more inclusive to those around you?