Page 201 - @ccess 2 Teacher´s Book
P. 201
TRACK 42 (Practice 7, Activities 21 and 22) Interviewer: What did you do to stay calm?
Nadia Comaneci: I just thought about, you
Wangari Maathai: Around the mid-1970s, I was know, I know what I’ve done in training; this is
working at the University of Nairobi as a lecturer. what I’m supposed to do here just to be able to
I was doing research in the field and I saw a lot of concentrate.
deforestation and soil loss. Interviewer: Were you overwhelmed by so
I heard many rural women complain about the many people?
fact they didn’t have firewood; they were also Nadia Comaneci: Of course I was overwhelmed
complaining that they did not have enough water. by so many people, because there was a big
They had put too much of their land into cash arena, and a lot of noise from every direction.
crops like coffee and tea, and the children Interviewer: How were you able to concentrate?
were suffering from diseases associated with Nadia Comaneci: I think I was prepared for
malnutrition. I wanted to do something. “Why that and I was telling myself the whole time,
not plant trees?” I asked the women. “Let’s you know, this is the Olympics. I cannot make a
plant trees!” mistake. This is one shot.
Interviewer: And then you did what you had
TRACK 43 (Practice 7, Activity 28) prepared and after the routine you were given a
perfect 10.
Voice: Around the mid-1970s, I was working Nadia Comaneci: Yes, I couldn’t believe it.
at the University of Nairobi as a lecturer. I said Interviewer: What did you think when you saw
lecturer. I was doing research in the field and the score?
I saw a lot of deforestation and soil loss. Yes, Nadia Comaneci: At first, I was confused
of course. I heard many rural women complain because the scoreboard displayed “1.00”
about the fact they didn’t have firewood; they because they believed it was impossible to
were also complaining that they did not have receive a perfect 10, so the scoreboard was
enough water. I grew up in the rural areas of not programmed to display that score. Soon, I
Kenya, very pristine countryside. Pristine means understood what had happened and I was very
something in its original condition, with clean happy.
water, beautiful soil, plenty of food. “Why not Interviewer: Did you know what a perfect score
plant trees?” I asked the women. “Why not plant meant?
trees? Let’s plant trees!” I started encouraging Nadia Comaneci: I didn’t –I knew that 10 was a
people to heal the environment. big deal, because I’d already done gymnastics
for eight – nine years, and I’d done competitions,
TRACK 44 (Practice 7, Activity 35, Practice 7 and I had even done the same routines, but I was
Reader´s Book) too young to understand that. And I think it was
better that I didn’t understand.
Interviewer: How do you feel coming back to Interviewer: But despite that, you made history.
Montreal? Nadia Comaneci: Well, yes, but I didn’t come
Nadia Comaneci: Well, it feels great to come here to Montreal to make history. I didn’t even
back to Montreal, it’s always emotional when I know what that meant, to make history. Nobody
come here. I’ve been a couple of times since the told me that a perfect 10 had never been scored
games in ’76, I also lived here for a year and a before in Olympic history.
half. And everything that’s happening today with Interviewer: What do you think about yourself as
me, and my life, is because of that moment that a teenage girl who achieved a perfect score in
happened here in Montreal. the Olympics?
Interviewer: So, basically, your life was decided Nadia Comaneci: The older I get, I realize that
when you where a kid. what I did was such a big thing, which I didn’t
Nadia Comaneci: Yes, I was a kid, but I think I realize then. I was 14 and I was like, “I know what
knew what I was doing, you know, people –they I’m doing. I’m going to go to the Olympics.” I still
were thinking of me as a kid, but I think that question myself about how a little kid has that
I’d been in gymnastics for so many years that I kind of drive to be able to do that. “You just
didn’t consider myself as a young person. go, girl.”
200 Teacher’s Book
