Morgan Bird: An Inspiration In and Out of the Pool

Canada's Commonwealth Games Team could not find a better spokesperson than Calgary's Morgan Bird. The 20-year-old member of the Cascade Swim Club is already a team veteran, having competed in the London Paralympic Games and finishing just off the podium in three different events. At the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Morgan will be focusing on one event, the 100m Freestyle that will take place on July 25th.
Born with cerebral palsy affecting her left side, Morgan began swimming at the age of 11 after trying the sport at a rookie camp. Coaches immediately saw her potential and told her that she could have a promising future in swimming. Morgan and her mother began traveling for competitions, and found inspiration in the other para-athletes.
One memory in particular stuck with both Morgan and her mother. At her first Can-Am Games, she remembers watching the athletes that were severely disabled. Morgan sites one athlete in particular as being inspirational, who had only one limb and needed to touch the wall with his head. She remembers thinking, "maybe I don't have it as hard as I think I do."
That moment has stayed with Morgan throughout her career. Morgan aims to spread her message of hope and persistence to others who are dealing with struggles and setbacks. To help overcome her shyness, Morgan has taken a public speaking course, with facilitator and six-time wrestling World Champion Christine Nordhagen, one of many life services workshops offered through the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary.
Embracing leadership roles to challenge, inspire, empower, and encourage is one of the main values of the Canadian Sport Institute. Life services programs such as the public speaking workshop provide athletes with the tools needed to do just that. The speaking workshops focus on ways that athletes can act as community leaders - a class that Morgan says "really helped me to get myself together." Athletes are then able to go out to schools and speak about their experiences in sport.
In the last year alone, the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary conducted 40 school presentations, visiting with 7980 young Albertans. The Canadian Sport Institute also helps athletes expand their public speaking engagements to include businesses and corporations.
After going through the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary's public speaking workshop, Morgan has been able to focus on her message outside of the pool. "I hope that I can inspire people to go for their dreams and not let anything stop them. I've had a lot of obstacles throughout my life to get where I am and I wouldn't be able to do it without my support system both at the Canadian Sport Institute and my family and friends. I hope that they take my story and use it as an inspiration."
There is no doubt that no matter what her results are in Glasgow and beyond, Morgan will make a difference in the lives of many.
Stay in the loop!
Morgan Bird: @birdie993
Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Writer Brittany Schussler: @bschussler

Article from the Canadian Sport Institute Newsletter