Meet 4 of our Pan Am and Parapan Am Games athletes

Melanie McCann

Hometown: Mount Carmel, Ont. Sport: Modern pentathlon Health advice that’s hardest to follow: “Recovery is key, but because I’m juggling five sports — fencing, swimming, equestrian, running and pistol shooting — I sometimes miss the rest I need.” Pre-competition ritual: "The night before I eat a big bowl of pasta and pack my big red fencing bag with the items I need for each sport." How I celebrate a win: "I buy my coaches a big beer because it truly is a team effort to get a good result."

Jennifer Abel

Hometown: Laval, Que. Sport: Synchronized diving Favourite sport to watch (that’s not my own): “Track and field. It’s not really long and the suspense is really nice. It’s only 10 seconds — and in that little moment, everyone is cheering.” How I celebrate a win: "We have a BBQ at my parents’ place with all of my family — more than 40 people." Thoughts on Pachi, the porcupine mascot: "I have a niece who’s 18 months who loves him. It’s amazing because she’s young, but she can still enjoy the Pan Am Games with me."

Rosie MacLennan

Hometown: King City, Ont. Sport: Trampoline How I calm my nerves: “I have the words ‘As long as I breathe...’ tattooed on me. And at one of my first competitions, my brother reminded me: ‘At the end of the day, you’re just jumping up and down in a shiny spandex suit.’” Favourite sport to watch (that's not my own): "I really want to see wakeboarding and waterskiing. I have been waterskiing since before I can remember, and I took up wakeboarding as a teen. It was so much fun – I would always try to do flips but would bail pretty hard. I have never seen live competition but have watched a lot of videos online, I can only imagine the energy of those competitions live.”

Morgan Bird

Hometown: Calgary Sport: Para-swimming Pre-competition ritual: “I zone out and visualize the race. I’ll also swing my arms and legs to make sure my blood flow is normal, and I listen to ’80s music to get pumped.” How I calm my nerves: "I focus on what I can control and ignore what I can’t, like my opponents. I also have cue cards with motivational words that I read over."

Related: Canada's top archer on why she loves the sport
How the Olympics inspire us all
Tessa Virtue on her pre-games superstition
A one-on-one with Heather Moyse