The Paris Olympics have captivated Windsor-Essex — exciting fans while stirring up memories for those who have experienced the games firsthand<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Trembley was born and raised in Stoney Point, Ont<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He followed his father\u2019s footsteps into the world of wrestling \u2013 a path he took all the way to the London 2012 Olympic Games<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI always had that dream of being an Olympian,\u201d Trembley said<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the highest you can do in the sport of wrestling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Freestyle 55 kilogram competition, Trembley placed 16th out of 19 competitors \u2013 a result he said he wasn\u2019t happy with<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was heartbreaking,\u201d he said<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Olympics themselves are a roller coaster of emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Trembley competing in the 2012 London Olympics. (Source: The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Considering his experience, Trembley watches the Paris 2024 games through a different lens than most<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He knows firsthand the pressure, excitement and hunger the athletes we see on TV are feeling<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou’re representing your country, you’re representing your team, you’re representing yourself,\u201d Trembley said<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI put a lot of pressure on myself to do well. For some athletes, it’s the same.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Trembley competes against a Turkey athlete in the 2012 London Olympics. (Source: The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another Windsorite who knows these feelings firsthand is gymnast Robert Stanescu<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Beijing 2008 games, he competed for Romania in several Artistic Gymnastics competitions \u2013 placing 7th overall on the rings<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was nerve-wracking,\u201d he said<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c20,000 to 30,000 people in the stands, watching you and maybe three or four other guys at the same time. There are a lot of eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stanescu moved to Windsor in 2012, opening Alpha Gymnastics Academy with his wife<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Together, they train future gymnasts but also have been watching this summer\u2019s games as fans<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Robert Stanescu at the 2008 Olympics in Beijig. (Provided by Robert Stanescu)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have different expectations based on what the athletes do,\u201d he said<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe see things a little bit differently. We know what the score means more than an average person watching the Olympics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stanescu said the casual fan might not understand just how much effort each individual athlete has put into making it to the games<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd the commitment that has to be there, inside and outside of the gym. It’s not just when you’re training,\u201d he said<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He recognizes great talent in the kids and teens he trains at Alpha Gymnastics \u2013 but it will be up to them to put in the work<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, it’s how far they want to go,\u201d Stanescu said<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Robert Stanescu poses with an Olympic Torch. (Provided by Robert Stanescu)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trembley, too, remains dedicated to his sport<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019s taken a job with the Ontario Amateur Wrestling Association \u2013 offering mentorship to Tecumseh\u2019s Linda Morais as she embarked on her first Olympic journey in Paris<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy message to her is: you belong at the Olympics,\u201d he said<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re there to compete with the best of the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Robert Stanescu at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. (Provided by Robert Stanescu)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You might never know either of these men had competed with the best of the best if you were to see them on the street \u2013 but there are numerous Olympians in Windsor-Essex<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those who have competed in games past and those who will get there one day<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Paris Olympics have captivated Windsor-Essex — exciting fans while stirring up memories for those who have experienced the games firsthand David Trembley was born and raised in Stoney Point, Ont He followed his father\u2019s footsteps into the world of wrestling \u2013 a path he took all the way to the London 2012 Olympic Games […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":28761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"subtitle":"","format":"standard","video":"","gallery":"","source_name":"","source_url":"","via_name":"","via_url":"","override_template":"0","override":[{"template":"1","single_blog_custom":"","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"topbottom","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_post_related":"0","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"override_image_size":"0","image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post":"0","trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post":"0","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","sponsored_post_name":"","sponsored_post_url":"","sponsored_post_logo_enable":"0","sponsored_post_logo":"","sponsored_post_desc":"","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":"","hide":""},"jnews_social_meta":{"fb_title":"","fb_description":"","fb_image":"","twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":""},"jnews_override_counter":{"override_view_counter":"0","view_counter_number":"0","override_share_counter":"0","share_counter_number":"0","override_like_counter":"0","like_counter_number":"0","override_dislike_counter":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"jnews_post_split":{"enable_post_split":"0","post_split":[{"template":"1","tag":"h2","numbering":"asc","mode":"normal","first":"0","enable_toc":"0","toc_type":"normal"}]},"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n