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10-5pm SATURDAY August 6th Nominatedfor BESTCUSTOMER SERVICEand BESTSPORTING GOODSTORE! w w w .in si d eH A LT O N .c o m O A K V IL LE B E A V E R T h u rs d ay , A u g u st 4 , 2 01 1 2 4 in moments of distress. My mom told me to focus on what was happening next, which was the 500 (metre), van Koeverden recalls. She basically told me my Olympics would be defined by what I did next, rather than what I already did. Van Koeverden listened. And the next day, he went out and rebounded in incredible fashion, paddling to silver in the 500m event. 'Thank you, Mom' program Bokrossy plans on being along the water for the 1,000m final at next years Olympics in London as well. (The only thing that would prevent her would be if van Koeverden doesnt qualify by being one of the top eight pad- dlers in the world at next years trials.) She certainly wont be the only mother cheering on her son at the London Games, either. Not after Procter & Gamble has introduced its Thank you, Mom program that will give all moth- ers of Canadian Olympians the means to attend next years Games and see their children compete. Moms, athletes and families will be able to stay at the Canadian Olympic House on site in London. Its great, not just for myself, but for all the moms of athletes and their families. That supports the athletes themselves, Bokrossy says. Adam has always said how important it is to have your family there on the biggest stage. Even though the world championships take place every year, the Olympics is when everybody is watching. Truly, the Olympics is something incredibly special. Her son appreciates the initiative as well. Its probably the first time an Olympic sponsor has really delved into the life of the Olympic athlete in this regard, the Loyola grad says, rather than shoot the best athlete and put them on a billboard. Olympic moms are sort of the unsung f heroes of the grassroots foundation o Olympic sport, van Koeverden adds. The driving and the cooking and the laundry and the moral support and the guidance every- thing weve taken for granted. Im thankful I can take it for granted. My mom was also so supportive, asking me the right questions after training and encouraging me to be relentless. Shes also the reason van Koeverden got into the sport in the first place. Seeking an outlet for her son to keep busy and active as a teenager, Bokrossy brought 13-year-old Adam down to the Burloak Canoe Club after seeing an ad for a fall program in the Beaver. Luck and circumstance brought us to the Burloak Canoe Club, Bokrossy says. He's everybodys kid. Every mom can have pride in every one of our Olympians. What gets them there sometimes is luck, circumstance and good support. Van Koeverden would readily admit hes had all of the above. He's everybody's kid. Every mom can have pride in every one of our Olympians. What gets them there sometimes is luck, circumstance and good support. Adam van Koeverden's mother, Beata Bokrossy Continued from page 23 Sponsorship program helping Olympic moms attend Games THANKS, MOM: Beata Bokrossy introduced Adam van Koeverden to the sport of paddling by g g gbrin in him down to the Burloak Canoe Club when he was a teena er. ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER