What motherhood has taught these Olympians
Jennifer Jones one of many female athletes who say being a mom lends to her craft
On Mother's Day, we look at what some of the nation's top athlete moms have to say about balancing parenthood while competing at the highest levels.
"I want her to be healthy, happy and active. We are truly, truly blessed in our life for all the experiences we've had. For me personally, getting the chance to go to four Olympics Games, 14 years on the national team, playing college, travelling the world. Incredible things we've experienced and been exposed to, but the greatest lesson in our life is getting a chance to have our family and having Liv. It's challenging sometimes. We absolutely love being Moms." - Former Team USA hockey captain Julie Chu, four-time Olympian and now head coach of the Concordia Stingers women's hockey team, talking about daughter Liv on the Player's Own Voice podcast.
WATCH | Canadian mothers watch as their kids win Olympic medals:
"Corinne is almost two. She is the best thing that has ever happened to us. She knows what I do. She knows that Mommy runs … Prior to COVID-19, I was finding my balance [between training and being a mom]. We had the help of daycare and I was back into a full-time training routine. But now, it's a difficult time. It's heavier on the mom side than it is training right now. We're doing what we can. We have a running stroller now. I never used to run with a stroller, but now I am because I don't have any other choice." - Bishop-Nriagu on finding life balance as she prepares for the Tokyo 2021 Summer Olympics.
WATCH | Bishop-Nriagu claims 'Mom Olympics' crown:
"I was so used to my own selfish routine of getting to work out when I wanted to work out, sleep when I wanted to sleep and eat when I wanted to eat. It took me a solid two months to just give in, be on his schedule and go with the flow of things. Now that he's a little bit older, this is where the positives of being an Olympian come in. You're used to this really rigid routine and I thrive on a routine. Now I'm able to get a better sense of when he's hungry, when he's actually tired, when he needs to play or stay awake. We were able to create a schedule we can stick to. It feels more like my previous life before kids, I'm thriving on that and he's doing really well with that, too. And resilience. In the heptathlon, you get four hours of sleep in between the two days [of competition], so now I get 20 days in a row of doing the heptathlon with no sleep. It's all good. My husband has been amazing helping with everything, too." - Heptathlete Brianne Theisen-Eaton, Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist and three-time world silver medallist, on how being an Olympian has prepared her for motherhood. Her son Ander (with two-time Olympic champion decathlete Ashton Eaton) was born January 21, 2020.
WATCH | Theisen-Eaton, Bishop-Nriagu discuss lessons in motherhood:
"That I do have the ability to be patient. When I was an athlete, I remember everyone saying 'just be patient, just be patient, it will come, it will come.' I don't think I ever learned the lesson of patience as an athlete. When you have a child, you just don't have a choice. You can either totally break down and lose it or you can put up your arms and say 'it is what it is today, I'm just going to go with the flow.' I feel like I'm more laid back. And I'm willing to accept that maybe sometimes it's two steps forward and one step back. It'll turn back around. I could never do that as an athlete. I was always so critical of things." - Theisen-Eaton on what her son, Ander has taught her about herself.
ICYMI | Karina LeBlanc details 'difficult' isolation period:
