“An outstanding story of a Canadian high school student reaching for the pinnacle of mathematical problem solving competitions”
The Math Olympian is a book that tells the tale of Bethany MacDonald, a small-town girl in Nova Scotia who trains to represent Canada at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).
The author, Richard Hoshino, is himself a former competitor on Math Team Canada at the IMO, as well as a team leader, public speaker, and now, mathematics professor in Canada. He’s volunteered countless hours with the Canadian Mathematical Society and other organizations to discover and develop math talent in our country. He’s also provided a number of copies of his book to be given out to official Canadian participants in the Gray Jay through a random draw (all such competitors are automatically included).
Thank you, Richard!
As a small-town girl in Nova Scotia bullied for liking numbers more than boys, and lacking the encouragement of her unsupportive single mother who frowns at her daughter’s unrealistic ambition, Bethany MacDonald’s road to the International Math Olympiad has been marked by numerous challenges.
Through persistence, perseverance, and the support of innovative mentors who inspire her with a love of learning, Bethany confronts these challenges and develops the creativity and confidence to reach her potential.
In training to become a world-champion “mathlete”, Bethany discovers the heart of mathematics – a subject that’s not about memorizing formulas, but rather about problem-solving and detecting patterns to uncover truth, as well as learning how to apply the deep and unexpected connections of mathematics to every aspect of her life, including athletics, spirituality, and environmental sustainability.
As Bethany reflects on her long journey and envisions her exciting future, she realizes that she has shattered the misguided stereotype that only boys can excel in math, and discovers a sense of purpose that through mathematics, she can and she will make an extraordinary contribution to society.
“I’m ready.”
Mom wraps me in a tight hug, and we cling to each other, shielding our bodies from the howling wind that’s typical for a mid-March morning in Nova Scotia. I glance at my watch.
8:49 a.m.
I see a man stare as he walks past us, puzzled by the sight of a broad seventeen-year-old towering over her mother. He, of course, has no idea what’s racing through my mind at this moment.
As Mom and I squeeze each other one final time, she knows that I don’t need another pep talk or any more words of encouragement. We gently step away from each other, and Mom gets back in the car. Before she closes the door, she turns to give me one last look: a forced, nervous smile.
“I’m ready,” I say, as calmly as possible, trying to convince myself that the words I’ve just spoken are indeed true.
Mom drives off, and I find myself alone, standing a few feet from the main entrance of the Cape Breton regional school board. I take a deep breath, to slow my pounding heart.
8:50 a.m.
In ten minutes, I’ll be writing the Canadian Mathematical Olympiad, joining forty-nine other high school students from across the country who also qualified to write Canada’s toughest math contest.
One exam. Three hours. Five questions.
I’m the last person to qualify, the student closest to the cut-off. But today, that doesn’t matter. Whether I’m ranked first or fiftieth, I’m in. And that means I have a chance.
The chance to achieve my childhood dream.
8:51 a.m.
I walk up the steps to the school board entrance. As I close the door behind me, I come face-to-face with a slim lady with long black hair, who greets me with a look of intensity. She looks just like Gillian Lowell, but thirty years older.
I flinch and take a step back.
“Bethany MacDonald,” says the woman, staring into my eyes. “All of Cape Breton is rooting for you today.”
I nod, at a loss for words.
An older well-dressed man comes to the rescue. He introduces himself as Mr. MacKay, the school board superintendent. He asks me to follow him towards the conference room, a large open space he has reserved this morning just for me.
I walk into a room with multiple plaques and pictures hanging on the side walls, with an oval-shaped mahogany desk set right in the centre. I take the seat farthest from the door, where I can see the big clock by looking straight up.
“So, Bethany, how tall are you?”
“Six feet,” I reply, knowing that this is the easiest question I’ll be asked all morning.
“And yet you’re not a basketball player?”
“No. I’m a runner.”
“I know,” says Mr. MacKay. “You’re the captain of the cross-country team at Sydney High School.”
I raise my eyebrow. Seeing my reaction, the superintendent smiles.
“Bethany, from what I’ve heard, you’ve been breaking stereotypes your whole life.”
Mr. MacKay says he’ll give me some time to get ready. As the door closes, I’m left all alone, with just my thoughts to keep me company as I prepare myself for the challenge ahead.
8:54 a.m.
The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is the world championship of problem-solving for high school students. Nearly one hundred countries are invited to this year’s IMO, with each country sending their top six teenage “mathletes”.
Ever since my twelfth birthday, I’ve wanted to be a Math Olympian.
That improbable hope, that one day I’d wear the red and white and represent my country, has sustained me over the past six years. But now I’m in Grade 12, heading to university in the fall, and this is my last chance.
Will I make it? In three hours, I’ll know the answer.
Albert, Raju, and Grace are guaranteed to make the team; they’re light years beyond the rest of us. Albert Suzuki represented Canada at the IMO the past two years, winning a gold medal both times. Raju Gupta went to the IMO last year, and is a shoo-in again this year. Grace Wong just missed Team Canada by one spot last time, and no one will deny her from making the top six this year.
Because of the four-hour time difference between Nova Scotia and British Columbia, I know that Grace is still sleeping. As the clock ticks ominously above me, I think about my closest friend and reflect on how far we’ve come since that summer day in Vancouver, when we made our pact. Since that evening, I’ve trained non-stop, over thirty hours a week for nearly two years, while juggling all of my responsibilities at school. I’ve sacrificed so much to make it this far.
And yet, I know the odds are stacked against me.
8:55 a.m.
The Canadian IMO team is determined by a secret formula unknown to the fifty of us writing today’s competition. All we know is that each math contest is assigned a certain weight, with this final Olympiad exam being the most important. Our scores from all the contests are then added together, from which the top six will be decided.
I’m frustrated and angry at what happened during the previous contests, where my test anxiety flared up at the worst possible time. I know I am much, much better than how I’ve performed, and this is my last chance to prove it.
Because of how far back I am from the current top six, my only hope is “The Rule”: that the winner of today’s Canadian Mathematical Olympiad automatically gets a spot on the IMO team.
Even though this is by far the hardest contest we’ll write all year, Albert is sure to get a perfect score, just as he did the year before. So I need fifty out of fifty myself, and tie Albert for the top score in Canada. That’s the only way I’ll make it.
I need to write five complete solutions in just three hours, wowing the judges with an elegant and flawless performance, just like a figure skater at the Olympic trials.
My figure skating analogy triggers a thought – a bad thought – and I wince.
I don’t need to be thinking about that. Especially not right now.
8:57 a.m.
I’m reminded of Gillian Lowell yet again, and I recall the spiteful words she said to me four months ago.
“You risked everything on a stupid dream, trying to be an Olympian in math. In math!”
She spoke loudly enough to be heard by everyone else.
“Bethany, get a life.”
I crack a smile, finally realizing that Gillian was right all along. I did get a life.
A life more fulfilling than anything I could have ever imagined.
The door opens. The superintendent walks in, and glances at the clock.
8:58 a.m.
“Bethany, shall we begin?”
“Yes,” I reply, sitting up straight with my back firmly against the chair.
Mr. MacKay walks over and places in front of me a stack of plain white paper, three blue pens, and five sealed envelopes numbered #1 through #5. He asks me if I have any questions, and I shake my head.
“Okay. As soon as it’s nine o’clock, you can start.”
Before walking out the door, he pauses and looks back. “Good luck, Bethany. We’re all so proud of you.”
I stare at the clock above me, and my eyes follow the red second hand moving quickly to the top.
8:59 a.m.
At that instant, I know there’s an 84.5° angle formed by the hour hand and the minute hand. Recalling the memory of that special day in Halifax, and everything that’s happened since, I feel a sense of peace.
I’m ready.
I watch the red second hand make another clockwise rotation until it once again points directly north.
9:00 a.m.
I rip open the folders, and spend a few minutes studying the five questions.
These problems look hard. Really hard. But this is the Canadian Mathematical Olympiad. Of course they’re hard.
As Grace reminded me, most university math professors couldn’t solve even one of these five problems. But to be fair, those math professors haven’t spent three thousand hours training for a moment like this. I close my eyes and think about the life-changing decision I made on my twelfth birthday, and how this one decision led me to experience hundreds of ups and downs and twists and turns over the past six years.
It’s been an amazing ride. In just three hours, this roller-coaster journey will come to an end.
And now I get to write the ending to this story. To my story.
I open my eyes and begin.
Title : The Math Olympian
Author : Richard Hoshino
Publisher : FriesenPress
Language : English
Paperback : 492 pages
ISBN-10 : 1460258738
ISBN-13 : 978-1460258736
GoodReads : 4.5 stars
Available in three formats:
- PDF edition through Friesen Press
- Paperback edition through Friesen Press or Amazon.ca
- Hardcover edition through Amazon.ca
