Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You have been awarded the prestigious ‘The Don’ award by the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. How overwhelming did that make you feel? Also, what 3 things do you feel have been your biggest strengths in achieving such great honor and appreciation?
Ms. Lydia Lassila:
Winning the Don is an amazing honour. What I’m most proud of as an athlete is that I’ve been able to reach the pinnacle in my sport without being a Diva!! I’ve kept close relationships with my teammates, competitors and coaches – friendships for life – and had a lot of fun along the way. To be successful in anything you need to be a little selfish – i.e.: you need to get your needs met and you need to stay disciplined BUT you can still be a nice person. You can still support and encourage others and at the end of the day it’s those great memories and experiences that you’ve shared that really matter.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You are also an entrepreneur. Tell us about your company BodyICE.
Ms. Lydia Lassila:
BodyICE was born out of adversity. I went through a rough patch in 2006 where I had blown my knee twice in a matter of 6 months. The second time being in the Semi final of the 2006 Torino Olympics. I was devastated and knew the long road to recovery ahead. I couldn’t find a decent ice pack that I could use on my knee that was cold enough, wouldn’t slip and leak all over the place. So in frustration, I decided to develop my own.
In the year off rehabbing my knee, I developed a range of joint specific ice pack that would stay in place, compress the joint and be effective in delivering cold therapy and reducing pain and inflammation. Within 6 months, I had BodyICE up and running. 10 years later BodyICE is expanding and thriving. We supply orthopaedic surgeons, hospitals, athletes and weekend warriors world wide with a natural, easy to use and effective cold therapy solution. Through the experience of childbirth and having kids I also developed a range of ice/heat packs for kids www.bodyice.com/kids and Women www.bodyice.com/woman.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
A documentary on your career was released earlier this year called The Will To Fly (http://thewilltoflyfilm.com/), which talks about your journey as a young mother and competing in one of the world’s most dangerous sports. Share with us your experience making this documentary movie.
Ms. Lydia Lassila:
The Will To Fly was 3 years in the making and a really great experience. Katie Bender and Leo Baker co directed the film and followed me all around the world capturing my quest for a title defence at the 2014 Sochi Olympics – this time as a mother. Not only did I want to defend my Olympic title but I wanted to push the boundaries of my sport and myself by being the first woman to attempt a quad-twisting – triple somersault. Luckily for the filmmakers, I did this in the Olympic final.
Making the film was a fun process. Basically I wore a radio mic every day and within no time, the crew was part of the family capturing not only me training and competing but also golden family moments/ It’s been wonderful to see the film played across Australia and now internationally and even better to see the impact it is making – in particular motivating others to go after their goals.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Do you have any advice for the inspiring female freestyle skiers looking to achieve a similar level of success like yours?
Ms. Lydia Lassila:
Yes! Make sure you have the right support team around you. Work HARD not only physically but mentally. Listen to your body. Have the time of your life 🙂
To know the latest from Lydia Lassila, Check out:
- https://www.instagram.com/lydialassila/
- https://twitter.com/lydialassila
- https://www.facebook.com/lydia.lassila/
Or check out her website: http://lydialassila.com.au/
Women Fitness Team thanks Lydia Lassila for giving her valuable time for this interview, enlightening us and our viewers and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her.
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