Silken Laumann

Olympian

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PROFILE

Silken Laumann first came to local sporting prominence at the running track. Following a plateau in her running career Silken tried rowing. In June 1983, at the age of 18, Silken qualified for the National Team. A year later at the Summer Olympics in LA, paired with her sister, she won Bronze for Canada in the double scull event. Following the Olympics a recurrent back problem flared up badly, reducing Silken to contemplating whether she would ever compete again. Fortunately with a combination of physiotherapy and a dedicated training schedule by 1987 Silken was back to championship form. In the Fall Silken won Gold in the single scull event at the Pan American Games. Silken was now seen as a major contender for Olympic glory at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Then the unthinkable happened. Whilst warming up for a heat at a Regatta in Essen, Germany, Silken's shell was rammed by a pairs shell who were also warming up. Her leg injury was so severe the German doctors doubted that she would ever row again. The muscle, nerve and tendon damage was complex and major. Within ten days there were five operations and a skin graft. Despite medical opinion ruling out the upcoming Olympics, the verve and determination that had driven Silken towards her goal for so long was not diminished. In her inimitable form and with dogged determination 27 days after the accident Silken was back in her rowing shell and focused, not upon the injury, but on Barcelona. Her courageous comeback caught the imagination and admiration of not only her fellow Canadians, but, of the World. Silken won a Bronze medal for Canada in the women's 2000 meter single event. For the second consecutive year Silken was named " Canadian Female Athlete of the Year". Following the Olympics Silken took a year off from competitive rowing to fully recuperate and to fulfill the many requests that had poured in for personal appearances. Silken still managed to participate in the writing of a book, "Rowing" by Stoddart Press and to continue work with her Charities and Sponsors. Silken remained focused upon excellence and dedicated to the sport that she loved and at the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 she won Silver. On November 4th 1998 Silken was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, a truly great honour bestowed upon very few.

Keynotes And Topics

• From Agony to Ecstasy
• Peak Performance
• Managing Fear to Unleash Your Full Potential
• Building a Winning Team
• Balance Your Boat

Client Reviews

• "If you only hear one speaker, it should be Silken." - Hamilton Health
• "I've seen several motivational speakers, and she's by far the best." - Selkirk Financial
• "As you could tell by the group's standing ovation your speech moved us emotionally and was a highlight of our weekend." - AMJ Campbell
• "You provided our sales team with valuable new skills, applicable to both their business and personal lives." - Microsoft
• "Thank you for giving such a terrific presentation. It's obvious you care about your audience, by being so thoroughly prepared." - Cronkhite Supply