'Make it Happen': Olympic champion Kyle Shewfelt pens first book, aims to inspire coaches and athletes
Kyle Shewfelt knows what it's like to win an Olympic gold medal. He did it at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece, making him Canada's first and only Olympic gymnastics champion.
He also now knows what it's like to be an author.
Shewfelt penned his first book, Make It Happen: My Story of Gymnastics, the Olympics, and the Positive Power of Sport, which hit book shelves last week.
Shewfelt says he lived by the phrase, 'Make It Happen,' in the 2004 games.
"For me it's a really monumental phrase that I used when I stepped onto the floor in Athens on that day when I won an Olympic gold medal," Shewfelt told CTV.
"It was a grounding phrase and it made me feel present. It made me feel ready and it allowed me to just go and let the work do its thing."
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
The book isn't just about his Olympic triumph. It also talks about some of the obstacles Shewfelt had to face through his life.
It wasn't easy for Shewfelt but he says it was important they be included in the book.
"I had a bully in high school. I had injury and I suffered severe depression when I retired from the sport, and I share all of these things in the hopes that it can open up a conversation and it can be better for the future generation and I think by sharing my story I hope I can help."
PUTTING IN THE WORK
Shewelt believes you should never give up on your dreams, no matter what you face in life. He didn't and that's the reason why he's an Olympic champion.
He says you have to be willing to put the work in and you have to be persistent.
"I try to share experience of actually being in the gym and what it felt like to learn that big release skill," Shewfelt said.
"It wasn't just that I learned it, I try to take people into those moments of the three months going up every single day with bleeding hands. And how that persistence did pay off."
POSITIVE EXPERIENCE
Shewfelt had a great coach and parents that supported him every step of the way. He believes there's a way to get the most out of an athlete. He's also hoping people can learn some things from reading his book.
"The journey needs to be Athlete driven. It needs to be parent and coach supported and that you can read the top of sport in a really positive and nurturing environment," he said.
"I hope that the stories that my coach and parents created in my career, I hop that that really shines off the page and highlights that positive experience."
Shewfelt's book is available at Indigo and Chapters book stores.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
BREAKING Suspect sought after man found injured in downtown Toronto dies in hospital
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man who was found with life-threatening injuries in downtown Toronto on Sunday morning succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
Cyclist issued fine for striking four-year-old girl crossing the street
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Potentially toxic chemicals hide in our drinking water and countless household objects, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Police investigating after tow trucks shot at in Scarborough two hours apart
Toronto police are investigating after tow trucks were shot at in Scarborough about two hours apart Saturday night.
U.K. foreign secretary says halting arms sales to Israel would only strengthen Hamas
Asked whether the U.K. would follow the U.S. in threatening to cut the supply of offensive weapons to Israel if it carried out an attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the two countries cannot be compared because unlike the U.S., Britain supplies a very small amount of Israel's weapons.
BREAKING 37-year-old dies following Sault police shooting
Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating after a Sault Ste. Marie Police Service officer shot a 37-year-old in the city’s west end on Saturday night.