The Importance of Community

"Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together."   -Paul Ryan

On August 14, 2013, a mighty group of Kingstonians gathered for a party in my parent's backyard. This was the first in a series of fundraising efforts that would help Erin Rafuse and me get to sail in the 2016 Olympics. This was the start of the Team Rafuse Boyd community. They were the wind in our sails that kept our campaign alive and got us to Rio!

Erin and I had three different groups of people keeping us on track and supporting us during our Olympic campaign: Kingston, Halifax, and the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic (CSCA). They all became the Team Rafuse Boyd community. While we were in the gym, on the water, or sorting logistics (the most tedious job), our community was there supporting us. On the toughest days, when we were freezing our butts off in the pouring rain in Halifax Harbour, it was the community's comments on our Facebook page that kept our spirits high - that, and yelling at the top of our lungs in pain, on the water, where no one could hear us. When we had a bad day in the middle of a competition, it was the community's supportive emails that got us fired up to race the next day.  Our community kept us going, financially and emotionally, throughout the past four years. So thank you Kingston, Halifax, and CSCA.

The Kingston contingent of our community became our biggest financial supporter. A committee of 11 members, including my parents, worked for months planning and preparing for our three major fundraising events. They personally invited Kingstonians to attend and hand delivered dozens of invitations. All their hard work unfolded effortlessly and joyously at each event, and the response was both positive and generous. Between fundraisers, Erin and I were usually away traveling and competing, but we kept our community engaged through Facebook and e-newsletters; occasionally we would call in to a committee meeting via skype. My family--not being the most technologically sound--usually had our view pointed at the table cloth, but we got to hear everyone's interesting ideas. The most successful idea was selling balloons that corresponded with awesome community-donated  prizes; this became a tradition for all the fundraisers.

In Halifax, the community began with the members at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron (RNSYS) where we trained, and it expanded from there. Chris Megaffin, Squadron member and previous owner of Colonial Honda, was our first team sponsor; he came on board from the beginning (2013) and sponsored us the whole way through to Rio. He offered to host our first Halifax fundraiser at his dealership, which quickly sparked the debate: Will the 7.5 metre mast of our boat fit upright in the building or not. Though some of us were very adamant it would, Erin, the skeptic, was quickly proven correct-- and instead we had to set the boat up with the mast on a severe angle, resting in the rafters (as seen below).

We had two more events in Halifax. One was a trivia night, and we engaged hardy members of the zealous Halifax trivia community. The other event was a combined fundraiser with the other Nova Scotian sailors who had qualified for Rio. It was a successful dinner party at the end of July, just as we were gearing up for the Games. On behalf of our two families, Erin's dad Paul spoke about our efforts and gave the whole room a stats lesson. While he explained in drawn-out detail how many international regattas we had competed in the whole room was in a fit of laughter--and subtly (or not so subtly) Paul asked for their support.

You can read more about all our fundraisers and our Olympic efforts at www.teamrafuseboyd.com

Our success was determined by staying engaged with our supporters. Between fundraisers we updated everyone on our progress as we trained and competed around the world.After each fundraiser, Erin and I sent out Olympic-motif thank you cards to everyone who had sponsored us. Gathering our friends together every year felt like a celebration of the community success in backing our Olympic dream.

Although we would not have gotten to the Olympic Games without the amazing financial support of our home towns, we also would not have been so well prepared to compete if not for the jubilant staff at the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic (CSCA). The centre is led by the fearless president Ken Bagnall who helped us access government funding, and the fun-loving Scott Willgress, our trainer. Scott poked, prodded, tested, cheered, and motivated us at our best and at our worst. There is nothing like getting a body composition test upon arriving home after two months in Europe where all the food has just that much more fat in it. But Scott never made us feel bad! In fact he helped me see myself in a whole new and more positive way. The rest of the CSCA staff--nutritionist Angela, physio Amy, RMT Monica, and sports psych Lori (and Wayne) --rounded out our sport science team. They kept us mentally and physically healthy and on track.

Through my Olympic experience I've learned how much effort it takes to build a community of support, a community that becomes emotionally and financially invested in you. I've learned how invaluable such a community is, especially when you need to be pulled out of those dark moments, whether they be due to an empty bank account, or the feelings of defeat after a bad day racing. It was also rewarding to share all of our successes as they came. We were equally as grateful for the community support on those days as well.

I've learned how important and satisfying it is to thank your community. So -- Thank you!

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Erin and I enjoying Rio. We wouldn't have been there without our community!