How to raise an Olympic athlete? 'Follow your child's lead. They have to want it,' says hockey parent

Jennifer Harris and Mario Maltais of Burlington, Ont., first saw their daughter Emma Maltais pick up a hockey stick when she was a toddler.

Now, 22-year-old Emma is representing Canada as part of the women's team at the Olympics — something Harris and Maltais never imagined would happen.

"She started pretty early," said Mario. "[We] made an ice rink in the backyard, and she was like only two and a half or three when she first skated, and [her older brother] Matthew put her in the net with a rubber puck and they were playing in this little patch of ice."

This month, Emma is with the Canadian women's national hockey team in Beijing. The team beat Switzerland 12-1 Wednesday in its first game — and Harris said she's still wrapping her brain around the idea. 

"We never dreamed she would be going to this Olympics, like never in a million years," she told CBC Hamilton. "I don't know if Emma thought she would, either. I think we're all still a bit shocked."

As they prepare to watch the next game, against Finland on Friday night, Harris said the support from the Burlington community has been "absolutely unbelievable."

The family is mostly watching from home, with friends joining Friday evening, but a small group has organized a viewing party at a local sports bar for the game against the U.S. this Monday.

"If ever we're in the gold medal, [that group will organize] a big gathering," she said. 

Harris said even though her daughter was skating at a young age, she later discovered her passion for hockey.

"She was at the gymnastics club here in Burlington," said Harris, "and she was doing recreational gymnastics [at 3 years old] and the recreational people said, 'Oh, this kid is good … you should try her in the competitive program.'"