Full Speed Ahead
New personalized training book “Have you heard the word on the street? I’m a certified cupist,” Leah, my athletic therapist says as I start to get onto her massage table. “Oh?” I say, entirely clueless. I watch as she pulls out a box containing small plastic cups, a rubber hose type deal, and […]
Fortnight with The Fastest
Upon our return from Europe the Canadian Europa Cup team were scheduled to forerun the final World Cup races being held in Whistler, BC and Calgary, AB respectively. Forerunning – for those who are unsure – is what it’s called when they send down athletes ahead of the racers during both official training and for […]
Winterberg for the Win
Eat. Slide. Eat. Workout. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. When you are on this kind of schedule, your experience of time and space become intensified, amplified and distorted. It may sound obvious, but I can confirm that travel at the speed of Skeleton is anything but conventional. The final stop on the 2011/12 EuropaCup circuit was Winterberg […]
From Start to Ziel
Ziel Curve Is it possible that a snow-cloud large enough to cover both: Altenberg, Germany (World Cup) and Igls, Austria (Europa Cup) passed through the weather system this weekend? Albeit, unlikely – I swear that was the case. * * * My Europa Cup debut has been everything I had hoped it would be, and […]
A Thirst for Head-First
The call that came through the afternoon of Dec 21 was indeed a conversation I will remember forever: 2011/12 Team Canada Swag Me: “Hello?!” Coach: “Hey, so what are your New Year’s Eve plans?” Me: “Um, nothing so far.” Coach: “Well, that’s about to change Miss Hawrysh, as you will be getting on a plane […]
My Racing Thoughts
What speeds by you when you want it to slow down and seems to only take its sweet time when you can barely stand the wait? Life. And in my life, when things come apart, things start coming together. The 2011/12 Canadian Selection Races came and went with such incredible force that I can barely […]
Success From Within
Remember the excitement you felt as a young child, those few nights before Santa, the Tooth Fairy or that elusive Easter Bunny was scheduled to pay your home a visit? Well, there are a good number of parallels between awaiting those present barring holiday-mascots and the electric energy I’m feeling just three sleeps out from […]
Here, Hold This …
The colours of fall are decorating the Calgary skyline and with this change of scenery, winter athletes are becoming all too aware that the off-season is quickly morphing into the race-season. If everything goes according to plan, we will put our sleds on the ice in less than a week from today. I do the […]
Don’t Ever Forget ‘it’
As this past weekend of push testing and functional movement assessment has come to a close and the 2011/12 season draws ever near – I find myself waist deep in thought. For ages, I have been striving for athletic excellence – and some days it’s daunting to acknowledge how many years it has actually been. […]
My Watch Tower
“Never doubt your program,” he said, once I had finally finished my rant. He is right. But, I too was right. I was right to say what I needed to say. After all, I have never done well holding in my fears and insecurities through all this …. Then again, no one claimed the life of a transitioned […]