Push yourself: It’s only impossible until it’s done

Canadian Olympic track and field star and bobsledder Phylicia George

I’ve always loved the idea of being more than people expect me to be. As a young girl, I was the fastest kid in elementary school. It never occurred to me that boys were generally faster. I just knew me and my pigtails were getting to the finish line before anyone else. In high school, I was the jock who played all the sports

and got straight As. I’ve always found boxes and labels a little suffocating. How can you capture the complexity of a human being in one word? And yet, for some reason, this world has a history of dictating what it means to be a woman, how a woman should act and look, and which womanly qualities are acceptable.

Sport has given me the beautiful gift of discovering that I can be and do so much more than what others think I am capable of. Throughout my career, I have pushed myself past perceived limits. I have been told “no” and still marched forward. I have failed and got back up with my head held high. I’ve lifted weights I’ve only dreamed of and made faces the boogeyman would be scared of. But I’ve also stepped out for races with a flawless face of makeup and freshly manicured nails. I’ve aggressively stood up for the things I believe in. But I’ve also hugged and shed tears with my teammates.

I’ve learned that I don’t have to choose to be one thing. I don’t have to limit myself.

As long as I’m brave enough to step outside my comfort zone, I can constantly be more. When I was asked if I was interested in starting in a new sport, attempting to make it to the Winter Olympics as a Summer Olympian, a lot of people told me I was crazy to try. But I decided to face the challenge head-on. My mantra was, “It’s only impossible until it’s done.” In February 2018, I became the first Canadian Black woman to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

What has been even more rewarding than winning a medal is the outpouring of messages from people telling me how I’ve inspired them. I was once a young girl watching her idols on TV—I know that representation matters. I am honoured to now stand as the image of a strong, confident woman who unapologetically goes after her dreams.

So to every young woman reading this, I hope you know that you get to define your womanhood. I hope that you give yourself the opportunity to surprise others, but more importantly to surprise yourself. I hope that for every “can’t,” you find a way. And for every impossible, you carve a path.

Sport has given me the beautiful gift of discovering that I can be and do so much more than what others think I am capable of