A World Ahead
Let me first say what needs to be said: There was one word that came to mind when I realized just how much of a hole I had dug upon the completion of my first run the afternoon of Friday, November 29th at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, AB: “Damnit!” Ha! I can honestly chuckle […]
Hold On. Let Go.
On a crisp Monday morning, that feels a lot more like September than mid-November, a SOCHI.RU emblazoned chartered bus arrives next to our hotel at 07:14. I board and exchange my best Russian attempt at, “Dobroye utro” for a smoker’s raspy, “Hello,” from the bus driver in return. No one else got on the bus with me […]
C of Red
The brittle, crisp mornings and much longer nights – have you felt it in the air? From the downtown hustle through the upland hills – that unmistakeable chill is everywhere. Finally. As many of my athlete colleagues have written in recent days, summer is officially over. And whether you’re someone who accepts this reality by […]
Where Is The Grass Greener
Some nights, when the conditions are just right, a big semi or heavy duty truck screams by our place in Calgary – and as I lay still, on my bed in my room – the entire foundation of the house shakes, ever so slightly; just for a moment, and I often wonder if anyone else […]
Within The Shadows
Sometimes I think it would be all too easy to just tell everyone that we pack away our sleds for a few months and gracefully prance our way into our off-season training. We could really emphasize our nonchalant attitude by explaining that it’s no biggie that we can’t actually practice the sport of Skeleton in […]
Solid Yellow Lines
On our roads and highways we are given guidelines. A literal solid line is implemented along the pavement’s edges and centre upon which we travel bridges and sharp curves. This simple line is designed to help keep us on the right track; it defines our physical parameters. In order to navigate my current roads, on […]
Stay Tuned
As the sun begins to shine with a little more ‘oomph’, Skeleton/Bob tracks morph into their (literal) concrete summer identities – and sliders around the world return to a life that is the yin to their yang. Personally, I wrapped up my season with a few more runs in Calgary – at Canada Olympic Park […]
Connect The Dots
Tossing and turning, I catalogue the thoughts in my rolodex-style psyche; closing my eyes, I wait to exhale. There’s a real shift in focus as Russia invites the world to their backyard to challenge for Olympic Gold. Less than a year before what has already transformed from, as I’ve been told, what was literally empty […]
Sweet Surrender
Photo credit: Joy Bryant I’d be lying if I said that this particular entry didn’t cause me a small amount of pause. The truth is, I wasn’t really looking forward to writing yet another post where I get to tell you how much this week forced me to learn and how the ups and downs […]
Reign Over Me
A very small but dark area of space exists in my psyche – right between my desire to perform at my highest level imaginable and my ability to execute that performance on-demand. It is my belief, that all elite level athletes possess this dark area. Much like a room with no light, it can be […]