Canadian Christians go for the gold
Nagano athletes get priorities straight
By Doug Koop ChristianWeek staff
CALGARY–One of Canada’s most prominent Olympic medal hopefuls is an outspoken Christian who says her faith allows her to take the focus off of herself and focus instead on glorifying Jesus.
"God has given me the gift of speed skating," says Catriona LeMay-Doan, who is headed for her third Olympic appearance at Nagano. She currently anchors the Canadian National Speed Skating Team, holds world records in the 500 and 1500 metre events, and has the second and third fastest times in the 1000.
"My faith gives me confidence and peace going overseas," she says. Both LeMay-Doan and her teammate Linda Johnson-Blair, now appearing in her second Olympics, became Christians about three and a half years ago through Athletes in Action (AIA), a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.
"I really started to question God, faith, my happiness and sense of fulfilment," recalls LeMay-Doan. "I passed an AIA sign and a phone number and I just phoned it. I had no idea what AIA was, but now I know that the Lord directed me to the phone."
Since then the world record-holder has not shied away from using the platform her athletic success offers in order to share her beliefs. She speaks about them at many events, invites others to Bible studies, and highlights her faith in the televised "Olympic Profile" airing during the games.
Other overtly Christian athletes representing Canada at Nagano include downhill skier Kate Pace-Lindsay and bobsledders Sheridon Baptiste and Ken Leblanc.
Calgary is home to Canada’s Winter Sports program, and Athletes in Action field worker Steve Sellers, who arrived in 1994, has been making the athletes’ faith development his business ever since.
Sellers made the trip to Nagano in late January to work as part of the chaplaincy program. Long before the games began the Jesus video was being distributed; a Canadian donor provided 1,500 copies. The team of chaplains in Nagano was also handing out cassette tapes with Canadian hockey hero Paul Henderson’s life story, meeting individually with athletes, and looking for opportunities for Christian athletes to speak to Japanese groups.
Elite sports and meaningful faith are not easy companions. Athletic success demands a very singular focus, says Debbie Sellers, who works alongside her husband, Steve, in the AIA program. "But these high level, somewhat self-focused athletes have made God a priority in their lives and God has blessed them and continues to use them to glorify himself."
According to Sellers, bobsled is a very aggressive, super-hyped sport, with the athletes yelling and getting psyched up before the race. "In this atmosphere there are at least two athletes who have the peace of God within who are going to Nagano."
One is Sheridon Baptiste of Ottawa, who narrowly missed being on the gold medal relay team sprinting at the summer games in Atlanta in 1996 due to an injury.
The other, Ken Leblanc, lives with his family in Calgary. They attend Mountain View Christian Fellowship, a congregation that meets at Canada Olympic Park (where the bobsled run is located). Leblanc became a Christian only recently after seeing the life change in his brother who received Christ in prison. Ken himself is no stranger the legal system. "God has made a huge life change in Ken, who was once a rough guy and now has a heart to follow Christ," reports Debbie Sellers.
"Both of these guys could be on medal winning teams as Canada’s top two sleds have had some very high results in world cups this year," she says.
While everyone wants to win, Sellers is hoping that many Christians will be praying for all the Christian athletes "as they give a praise performance to God, using the talents he has given them."
