Dear Skeleton
Dear Skeleton,
I fell madly in love with you the moment that we met.
At first, I considered saying nothing - the word was just too thick - but as someone who strongly believes in speaking the truth, even when your voice shakes; I knew it had to be said.
Then, I considered writing a heartfelt poem - those who know me, know I have no shortage of words. I wanted to truly express my love and passion for a sport, that until I saw Jon Montgomery win Gold in Whistler in February 2010, I didn’t have a hot clue about. A sport that has taken over my entire life; that changed the course of my future forever. While I have stood toe to toe with some of the best athletes on the planet, I have won International medals, been the National Champion, set records, broken my own expectations, learned, forgotten, laughed, cried, mourned, rejoiced, and to this day - continue to get to inspire people everywhere. You have helped me to discover so much about who it is in this world that I am truly meant to be.
I also thought a lot about making a video - to truly speak my mind about how incredibly amazing our journey has been and how indescribably hard I have fought to keep our goal alive.
But every time I started, nothing felt quite right.
Dear Skeleton,
you have taken my life into spaces I had never dreamed.
You have introduced us to truly incredible people who have become lifelong friends, confidants, and even mentors. I am forever grateful for the coaches who believed, the haters who did not, the sponsors who stuck with us every step of the way, my family of rockstars and, to the most amazing fans from coast to coast and around the globe. Every single one of these individuals have contributed immensely to these pages of our story.
But sometimes … we can love too much; sometimes it’s more important to listen to our intuition - even when it says something we don’t want to hear - than to go forward holding on even tighter.
Dear Skeleton,
I am ready to let you go.
It is with a heavy heart, but with all the gratitude in the universe, that I announce my retirement from Team Canada.
Please know that physically, mentally and emotionally, I gave my career and, the honour of representing this country everything I had. No matter where my journey takes me next, all of our memories will forever hold a special place in my heart.
No key; push to start.
- Cassie Elise Hawrysh
