H&L How did you get into running?
Rosey Well, I had a mom who told me I had to do something after school, that I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. With track you didn’t have to try out to get on a team and it’s not seasonal. If you’re willing to train everyday you can do something in track and field. After I got my first gold badge in a ParticipACTION race, I was hooked on competing. I stuck with it and developed a love for running.
It started early too. I began traveling to races across Canada when I was 12. Before I knew it I was on the Canadian Junior Team and in Japan racing at 14. Wow, wow – in Japan. (She recalls with excited enthusiasm.) I ran in the 200 and 400 metres, and was out there having fun.
H&L What was life like in your family?
Rosey My parents raised my sister, brother and I to be independent. (I was the middle child). There wasn’t a lot of hand-holding; there was a lot of praise and encouragement. My mother used to always say, “Take care of each other. Take care of yourself.” And this philosophy carried over to my sport. Track is a great sport to learn independence. You learn how to lose, how to win, and how to learn from mistakes. I learned that all early.
H&L When did you decide you wanted to be an Olympian?
Rosey My mother took us to the 1976 Olympic site in Montreal. I remember thinking, “This is where people from all over the world come together and compete. It must be tough but it must be really exciting.” I remember thinking I wanted to be a part of that. Just the thought of the Olympics, and how do you get there? So the seed was planted.
H&L You set your intention at a young age.
Rosey I did.
H&L How did it feel when you were asked to join the Olympic team?
Rosey That was something. It was the 1998 Canadian Olympic team. I had just changed my event earlier that year. I had been running 100, 200 and 400 metre sprints. But because of the selection process in Canada, if I wanted to be on the team, I had to change my event. I’d run hurdles in the past so under the brilliant guidance of my coach, Victor Lopez at Rice University, I transitioned to this complicated sport.
A lot of planning goes into preparing to get to the Olympics, yet it’s uncomplicated because the focus is on getting in. There’s no question on what to do – you train hard and race hard. You really have to be in the moment, to be in tune with yourself. You can’t allow yourself to get distracted by anything including how a competitor’s doing.
H&L Have you carried any of these lessons to the rest of life?
Rosey Today it’s still knowing what I want to do, have to do and doing it regardless of what’s going on around me. Like being on the red carpet. There are a lot of similarities between the two. You have to be at both early to get ready, to see who your competitors are but still remain focused on what you’re there to accomplish. On the red carpet, as at a race, you’re standing and waiting. You can’t let your energy drop, otherwise when the celebrities arrive you’re not going to get a good interview. You have to create the excitement within yourself and be focused on what you want. Like in a race you only have one start – a moment to get that great piece of news. Everybody’s looking at you, yet you still have to project, hit the mark and get it done without messing up. And if you do mess up you can’t let it throw you, you have to let it go and move on.
H&L How did you get from track meets to news and TV?
Rosey In Quebec, they love their athletes and take pride in them. You would think I’d won an Olympic medal because everybody knew my name, but I didn’t. They even had a huge congratulatory ceremony for me and the Mayor of Montreal gave me a medal. Amateur sport coverage is extensive so you become well-known. The Sports Director for CFCF12 in Montreal offered me a job when I finished competing professionally. At first I hesitated. I was an Arts major and didn’t have communications training, but he saw that I had the attributes needed to be successful in TV.
He mentored me well. I observed and focused on all that needed to be done in this new arena.
H&L When did you fall in love with it?
Rosey The first day. I followed the sportscasters and I remember thinking, “Oh, I can do that. Yeah I want to do that.” It stimulated both my showmanship and intellectual sides. It kept me outside, roaming around and talking to different people – all things I really enjoy. No sitting behind a desk all day, which is so not me.
H&L You’ve been involved in the media since 1996 with a stint in the US?
Rosey That’s right. The TV broadcasting market in Montreal is pretty small, so to advance my career I had to look elsewhere. I was offered a job at MSNBC’s Early Today! so I moved to Jersey City. But after a year at I had to move on. My daughter was going on 9 and the crazy schedule hindered my ability to be a good mom and human being. No social life or time to train. As an athlete I have to train really hard every day; both my body and mind need it. I tried to be in bed at 8:00pm to get up for 2:00am, but I could only sleep two hours – everything was slowly slipping away. My body was messed up and breaking down. I felt myself aging and broke out in acne. People had to medicate themselves to do their jobs. I couldn’t believe it – how many years would they do this just for money?
My life was absolutely unfulfilling, so I had to go. They offered more money but that wouldn’t bring me peace. It was taking away who I was. Some people advised me to wait because it was a big corporation and maybe something better would come along. To me that isn’t growing, that’s waiting. But that’s how a lot of people live ’waiting for something to maybe happen.’ There’s no internal growth. It’s really important for me to take care of myself because if I don’t no one else will.
MSNBC was a big turning point in my life. I learned how to stand up for me and say thanks but no thanks, including no to a huge pay hike. There was no guilt; I wasn’t resentful, angry or scared. This was the right thing to do.
H&L So you got rid of the baggage and doors started opening.
Rosey That’s exactly it. I was ready to head back to Montreal when I got the call from Global in Toronto, so I headed my car to Toronto instead. I came to ETCanada at Global TV in August 2005.
H&L You came into this career a little later than most.
Rosey That’s true, but starting later didn’t hold me back in any way. I’ve had great experiences that prepared me for this gig. An opportunity presented itself, I jumped for it and haven’t looked back. I have an honours degree from life experience: my potential was recognized, I was focused and I came through. Plus, my experience in three Olympic games and traveling the world three or four times.
H&L Was it a challenge to be a single mom?
Rosey I was 25 when I had my daughter. So she came with me to my last Olympic games in ’96, to workout sessions and then to Concordia when I worked on my Masters. My daughter has been an integral part of my growth, taking care of her as I created the next part of my life and career.
The biggest challenge is being a mom, whether you’re married or single. It hasn’t been as hard for me as some people might think because I grew so much on the inside. As she was growing up and getting taller, I was growing in my heart and mind, transitioning from a highly athletic, focused, driven sport to a new, competitive career. You have to be very driven if you want to get anywhere in broadcasting. You can’t sit around and wait for it to happen, or for an agent to do it. You have to make it happen yourself. You have to dictate your own career. |
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H&L What would Misha say about her mom?
Rosey Rosey She thinks I’m crazy in that great way. We do pretty wacky things together we make up and sing songs. I wake her up every morning with a song. We dance around a lot, listen to loud music and watch a ton of movies together. I take her away to the world of entertainment through movies and live theatre. It doesn’t matter that I’m on TV, she grew up with that. I can be unpredictable and loud. When she tells me a joke in public and I laugh really loud, it may embarrass her. She’s athletic as well. Tennis is her thing and she’s good at it. She has a heart of a lion, a big strong heart. (Rosey adds proudly).
H&L What attribute would you love to pass onto her?
Rosey Although people have opinions, don’t let them shape who you are. To be aware of where you are and who you are within yourself. To be focused and be in the now. I don’t force her to do things. For example, if she can’t finish her meal I don’t force her to. She knows how she feels and she has to do what’s right for her. And that’s for everything in life. We have to be true to our ‘self’. I don’t conform to what others want and I don’t have any regrets. I don’t live in that place. It’s unhealthy in many ways and that wouldn’t help my daughter.
H&L Do you have a personal motto?
Rosey I’ve had this motto since I was in the Olympics, ‘no fear’. We have fears, but your fear shouldn’t overcome who you are. Take it and change into what you need. Sometimes we need it to motivate us, but sometimes fear stops us. Like not taking a job because you’re fearful of not getting another one – don’t be driven by that fear. We need to be driven by our truth, our true inner voice. We know who we are. We need to look and not be afraid of what others may think. You are who you are and that’s what you have to be driven by.
Why I love doing what I do and what motivates me in my career is revealing that moment of truth, the moment of true personal connection with someone, in this case a celebrity. We’re all connected and it’s that moment of connection I like to reveal.
H&L Where does your perception about us all being connected come from?
Rosey Maybe traveling to all the competitions in Europe, Africa, Asia and meeting the people from there. All the runners standing at the starting line – we’re all the same – all hoping for the same thing, to do our best; that’s how we’re all connected.
People are the same, we love our families the same, we want the best for them and ourselves – to have food, clothes, shelter and we want to have connection with people. Have you noticed even celebrities have teeth to chew their food and arms to hug with? Most people think that there’s something different about ‘the Stars’ because they make more money. To me they’re another human being. The difference is their energy. When you sit in front of someone like Will Smith, you know why he’s a mega-star. He’s right there with you. He shakes everybody’s hand and he looks them in the eye, being right there with them. He believes in what he’s doing and LOVES it! He’s not burdened by it. That’s why he’ll remain a superstar.
H&L Thoughts on what’s next for Rosey?
Rosey Other than running more road races, it’s become increasingly more apparent that I need to share my background with people. Being an Olympian really excites people. People admire the fact that Olympians commit their body and soul to training so hard everyday, not for money but for the love of a sport. That peaks people’s interest.
A lot of people are looking for their own light and I think that’s why they’re attracted to celebrities; they see that part of themselves and are trying to find it. Athletes train hard. Peo-ple admire that and would love to know what it feels like to be in that kind of shape – to feel healthy, be active, fit, strong and energetic. I believe what people are attracted to is looking good inside and outside. They ask me how I keep going. They want to know how I do all this and stay sane. That’s how you stay sane. People think that a lot of physical activity tires you out. But it’s actually the opposite, it’s invigorating. So I see myself incorporating that in with what I do next and sharing with people.
H&L Indulgences?
Rosey Movies. Misha and I go to a lot of movies. I like homemade baked goods. I love to run and lift weights – I have to do it daily. My new love is tennis, I could play every day. I think I’m so good that I’m ready to take on Stephie Graf. (She laughs her big laugh). I love it because you have to be focused. I love music; I have an amazing Bose surround sound system in my house. And my daughter and I dance to the blaring music all the time. I love to travel – so this job is great.
H&L How do you overcome mistakes?
Rosey I’ll give you an example. I just had my house painted. I chose the colour, but once it was up on the wall it didn’t look right. So I had it changed back. I made a mistake, I learned from it and had it fixed. Yes, I had to pay for it, but I don’t have to dwell on it. That’s how I deal with all my mistakes; learn from them and use it to create what I want.
I don’t need to whine about or live with it because I don’t want anyone to know that I made a mistake. Crying about mistakes will kill you.
H&L It’s taken a lot of courage to create your life while being a single mom.
Rosey I think it takes a lot of courage to be committed to who you are and what you are and be the best you are. Sometimes you make a mistake but you can make it work. Get back in your lane. Everybody runs the race in their own lane. Don’t worry about anyone else. Don’t look back, that’s behind you. And don’t look too far ahead or you’ll trip. Stay right here. It maybe difficult sometimes because you get distracted, just go back to your lane. Don’t worry about anyone else. Everybody has their own hurdles; we can’t compromise ourselves. Sometimes you have to stand and face up to a situation. Sometimes you feel so tired you don’t want to race but you have to. It’s your soul that moves you – your gut, your inner voice, these transcend the mind. It’s the mind that tells you it’s hard or you’re tired. You may never be in the Olympics but being a good person, being you and hanging in there that makes you a winner. Life is a race, and each and every one of us is the Olympian for our own race. H&L
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