Dear Saz,

It’s 2010, and your hands are shaking. Your heart is pounding, and you can’t seem to swallow. You’ve just finished the GB National Team trials, and you’re looking at the email in your inbox from the Team GB leadership; you summon the courage to open it. You glaze over phrases like “high standard of play” and “decision really hard” and “unfortunately”.

Dear Mark,

You’ve always been sporty. From winters cross-country skiing & snow-shoeing to summers canoeing and playing soccer. Your weeks will be in Montreal and on the weekend, you and your parents will go out to Laurentian. You’re a mama’s boy; you’re loved, supported and cared for and you think it’s going to stay that way forever.