Hey Everyone!
I am sitting here in my hotel room just thinking about my experience at the Olympia and the outcome of the show.
First of all, I would like to thank all of you for your support, friendship and concern....
I am very upset and disappointed with the outcome of the show....As most of you may know I went into the Olympia with a back injury. Years ago I fractured my back (gymnastics injury) and since the 2009 Arnold Classic my back has been a mess and I have been dealing with constant discomfort and have had to modify a lot of my training around my injury. As it got closer to the Olympia, my back has proceeded to get worse and I have been on anti-inflammatories, receiving treatments (massage, physio and chiropractor care) I had x-rays taken a week before the Olympia and it turned out that my back was a lot worse than I had expected. My spinal cord is impinged and my vertabrae are all out of alignment (from the neck to the lower back) and my hips are totally locked up. I will be receiving treatments on a regular basis-(probably for a year). It's going to be a long journey, but I am excited on getting healthy and getting back on track and having the opportunity to progress onto bigger and better things...I am not calling it a day just yet, but right now my focus is getting my mind and body healthy again.....I only have one body and it needs to last me a long time!!!
I would like to congratulate all of my friends who competed at the Olympia....you are all so amazing and I am pleased to have had the opportunity to compete with you......
"WHAT HAPPENED?"
I have received numerous emails asking me what happened during my routine round???
The morning of the Olympia, I woke up in a lot of discomfort and was a little nervous about competing that day....my back seemed to be worse and more painful than before....In my mind, I told myself that I had to focus and get through each round individually...I was really nervous about performing my 45 second routine during pre-judging....I ended up getting through that routine and was very pleased that round was over....my routine felt strong and I was excited that the morning show was complete. We had a few hours to rest before the night show, but during that time my back started to swell and I was starting to get really stiff and uncomfortable....I was trying to block out the pain and focus on the night show and visualizing my 2 minute routine.....I was excited to perform my 2 minute routine, because I had spent a lot of time re-choreographing my routine and it had a lot of original and out of the ordinary "Mindi" stuff.....but at the same time I was getting really anxious and nervous about having to attempt the skills knowing that the pain was pretty bad. I was half way through my routine and it was during a tumbling pass that I knew something was going to happen...it was on the take off of my front tuck that I was going down....something just didn't feel right and as soon as I landed I felt this horrendous shock shoot up my back into my neck, my legs lost feeling (for a second or two) and my back just seized right up....I remember lying on the floor thinking-get up and finish this routine....don't let anyone down....I was just lying there and suddenly realized I was defeated...it was over.....As I hobbled off of the stage a million different thoughts were going through my head...disappointment, shame, hoping I was going to be ok, failure, defeat and knowing that I was going to have to face this injury with time, patience and rest......I was overwhelmed with the medical attention and staff all concerned for my well being...Al....my dear friend who made sure I received my 6th Olympia medal...simply amazing!!!
I am still feeling defeated and sad....I keep playing the entire day back in my head wishing that I could have done something different...I went into the Olympia wanting to represent my country at my best and come out on top.....I know in my heart that I did my best and in time I will heal....Like I said before, I need to get healthy, and I am truly excited and looking forward to feeling healthy again....
Thank you........
Love you all,
Mindi O
xo
7 comments:
This was not a defeat.. merely an obstacle.. YOU ROCK MINDI!!
Winners are not those who never fail, but those who never quit.
I was watching your routine on the webcast and I was sorry to see you leave. I was astounded at the air you were getting. I hope the rehab and any other work that gets done is successful and that you are back to a pain free life as quickly as possible. Seeing you compete again is unnecessary if you can't enjoy it.
As Jeremy said above, this was anything but a defeat.
I have so much respect for you as a competitor, Mindi!
I am glad that you are going to be better!
Hi Mindi... Being a fellow Canadian, I have followed your fitness career since the very beginning. To me, you embody strength, determination, will, power and perseverance, not to mention humility and grace. I sincerely hope you'll take this time off to heal yourself and mostly I hope you do not view this as a defeat, but merely as a detour in the road. Keep your spirits ups, we, your fans, are all with you...
Figure Olympia
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