Number twenty six- JOUR 1111 Storytelling exercise

JOUR1111- STORYTELLING

The Olympic dream is something only  few people imagine, and even fewer achieve.

Many embark on the journey to ultimate sporting glory, but are plagued with difficulties, hindering them from their goal.

Injury, families, careers; the challenges insurmountable, the sacrifices too great.

But for one remarkable woman, the stresses of injury, demands of a successful career and cries of two young sons, weren’t going to extinguish her burning Olympic desire.

This is the story of Hannah Every-Hall, a woman on a mission.

You wouldn’t be laughed at for mistaking Hannah as Wonder Woman, she fits so neatly into the mould.

As an elite athlete in her early twenties, Hannah always had aspirations to compete at the Olympic games.

After taking up the sport as a uni student, she represented Australia a number of times on the world stage.

In 1999, Hannah won the World Under 23 lightweight double scull and then the Senior World lightweight women’s quad scull in 2002.

As one of the dominating female lightweight rowers, it was the 2004 olympic selection trials, where she became unstuck.

An anaphylactic reaction to her cat led to her being ruled out of finishing the selection trials, ruining her season, and squashing her Olympic dream.

It was at this cross roads in her life, where Hannah decided to take a break from competitive rowing and start a family. In 2006 she gave birth to son Harrison, and son Charlie in 2008.

"I wanted to start a family desperately. My husband and I discussed it and we said if I wanted it bad enough, I would come back after having a couple of children, so obviously I want this pretty badly!"

2009 was the year Hannah came back from her 6 year break, and returned to competitive rowing.

Her debut as an elite rowing mum was at the Australian Rowing Championships in 2010.

She erupted back onto the scene, asserting her former lightweight dominance, taking out the elite womens lightweight single scull title.

Her return to form in 2010 brought  3 state titles, 3 national titles, GOLD at the Rowing World Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland, and 4^th place at the World Rowing Championships in New Zealand.

In 2011 Hannah once again delivered the results that would set up her run into the Olympic year.

She came away from her national championships campaign with 3 gold, defending the same titles as the previous year, and also winning the highly regarded Victoria Cup for the Interstate women's lightweight quad.

2012 will be the year when dreams come true for Hannah Every-Hall.

In March, she once again defended her national title as lightweight single scull champion, for the third consecutive year, and in April,was named in the Australian rowing team to compete at the London Olympic games.

The dream she has fought so hard for, is finally coming true.

Wonder mum, wonder athlete, wonder woman.