Author:  Frances Mitchell, sister of Shelley-Ann Brown
The Olympics in Canada is something that everyone is excited about and it is a privilege that does not happen too often. Having my very own sister being selected to be a part of the 2010 Canadian Olympic bobsleigh team goes beyond imagination and happiness.... Someone, anyone, pinch me please!

I mean, our little Shelley-Ann is going to the Olympics! I wanted to tell everyone around me what it feels like, wanted to shout it out on the mountain tops, in the city streets. But it is beyond words. I am Shelley-Ann's big sister, Frances Mitchell, and I am extremely happy for Shelly-Ann because she has worked hard for this moment, this Olympic dream.

Behind the excitement of the Olympics, there is a story of sacrifice determination and pain. Pain in the many long hours of grueling workouts and determination in the mental focus required to compete at top level. I have seen her sacrifices, the ups and downs, and finally heard the mixed emotions when she made the team.

One of my fondest athletic memories of Shelley-Ann is when she ran track - with a cast on her arm! Yes, she ran with a broken arm and all, and won the race - what determination. I'm looking forward to many new memories in Vancouver. Of all the sports in the universe, why bobsleigh? A few years ago, I asked Shelley-Ann: "what happens if you crash?"

Her nonchalant response? "Oh, we'll just slide down on our head for the rest of the way." I actually had to burst out laughing because certainly she was not serious.

I had the privilege of visiting Lake Placid, N.Y., to watch her and her teammate, Helen Upperton, race in November 2009. Privilege? Hello? It was freezing, the mountain was high and I was weak and tired at the end of the climb...yet, you cannot imagine how much I am looking forward to the climb in Whistler, B.C., for the Olympics.

Good luck Shelley-Ann, Good Luck Helen, you can do it! I leave you with one of Shelly-Ann's quotes:

"I train this hard so that if it is possible, on my worst day, I can be better than my competition on their best day."