FRESH START
Writing the book has been healing. [It covers her
difficult childhood and struggles with anxiety and
depression.
] Sometimes I said, “I can’t do this,” and
yet the story literally had to be told. It felt like I
couldn’t do anything else in my life until I wrote it.
THE THRILL OF VICTORY
As I’ve become more at peace with myself, there’s
a freedom. I feel more energetic as I approach 50.
[She’s 49.] Life has just gotten better. We’re so
hypercritical about every line and grey hair. Aging
is something we can embrace.
SILKEN’S CREW
I’m happiest – as Patch says – when “all my chickens
are home.” [She and fiancé David “Patch” Patchell-
Evans have four teens – William and Kate from her
first marriage and David’s kids, Tygre and Kilee.] I
glow when all four kids are in the nest.
SWEETHEARTS
Patch and I have date nights. Sometimes if he’s
going to pick up the kids, I’ll go with him. We’ll stop
at our favourite coffee shop and share a piece of
flourless chocolate cake. We’ve been engaged
for almost four years and we keep trying
to figure out how to [find the time] to
get married – 2014 is the year!
FOLLOWING IN HER WAKE
My kids are their own people. William
and Kate both row, and if that’s what
they decide to do, I will be very confident
it’s because they want to.
LADY OF THE RINGS
Fashion is fun and accessorizing is really fun. I never
spend more than $150 on a piece because I don’t
want to be broken-hearted if I lose it. I lost my
engagement ring. It took me four months to tell
Patch and another six months to replace it. I keep
thinking I’m going to find it in some pocket.
GAME ON!
Olympic musing from the three-time medal winner...
PERFECT 10
Romanian gymnast
Nadia Comaneci – who won gold in
1976 – sparked this future rower’s interest
in competitive sport. “I had shivers.
It was the first time I recognized excellence
[and thought] ‘I want that.’”
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
She’s
looking forward to watching
Olympic figure skating, ski-jumping,
moguls and more. “You’re watching
human drama unfold.”
PRECIOUS MEDALS
Where
does Silken keep her Olympic awards? “In my bedroom closet only because I have yet to find the time to mount some of my paraphernalia. I tell
ya, my closet is a wealth of treasures!”
TRY, TRY AGAIN
“I did my first swim clinic and discovered that I was swimming with completely straight arms, which apparently is a mistake. I do a ton of yoga. Yoga’s where I get grounded emotionally and spiritually. I ski and I weight lift. I’m a pure mesomorph – I gain muscle from looking at weights! I’m not particularly bulky; it’s just about the kind of exercise. Women have to stay strong for bone density. There’s nothing more beautiful than strong posture.”
NO PAIN, NO GAIN
“I always think of pain – and I’m
talking the good pain of working
out – as a positive signal of my
effort. Rather than ‘It hurts,’ I think,
‘I’m working hard, that’s good!’
When I would get to a hill, my first
running coach would say, ‘Yay, it’s
a hill!’ And I still do that.”
TURN UP THE VOLUME
“My pump-up song? ‘The Power’ by Snap!
ENJOY THE PAYOFF
”I’m loving the strength of my body
and its resiliency. I’m
so grateful for the
vibrancy I feel in my
body and my mind. In
the morning, it’s the first
thing I’m grateful for.”