Dear Ms. Nocher,
Thanks for having the courage to follow your dreams and represent the country at your sport and well done on joining the elite Olympian club. Few will ever understand the price of membership!
I hope you see the criticism as evidence that you are doing something admirable and courageous. Seeing your Twitter exchanges made me think of this quote by Teddy Roosevelt. (Please substitute 'man' for 'woman where necessary!)
To your critics, I have nothing to say. Anyone can use their influence to have digs at others. Anyone can gossip and tell one side to a story.
Don't stop believing!
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
