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 […]
Higher Ground
Like a mess of moments – learning a new track can have a tricky way of cluttering up my brain. Memorizing the corners, building a game plan, reviewing video, reviewing more video, and trying to ignore/handle the pressure I place on myself to “know what to do” sooner rather than later. I remind myself once […]
Push the Positives
Third-last sled off in the second heat; Bobbhan Winterberg and I were once again clicking. I flew across the finish line and up the outrun – my heart pounding behind my rib cage. I arched my back and dragged my toes along the short walls to slow down – bouncing and skidding around. But what […]
Moments of Greatness
Whistler – deemed (appropriately) the fastest, most technical track in the world – a true test of a pilot’s ability to react and respond. So, despite the fact that many of my Canadian counterparts have hundreds and hundreds of runs on this 2010 Winter Olympic venue, and the reality that MY first time sliding The Whis […]
A Debut to Remember
Time alone with my thoughts is rarely absent of distractions – the buzzing of texts and emails — phone calls, to do lists or “helpful” all-knowing voices. The issues become muddy and I often struggle to focus on just one thing. I have discovered however, two instances in my life where it’s entirely different. Interestingly, […]
What Fast Feels Like
A few things rolled in with some serious speed these last couple weeks – Super Storm Sandy, the US Election, and the turn around from Canadian Selection Races to the start of our 2012/13 Tour. Let me get everyone on pace. While I managed to make time to write about Selection Race #1 (Calgary), Selection […]
Mission Control
Image by: Drew Gregory www.drewgregory.ca The weatherman says, “Goodnight”, the Calgary Tower is turning off it’s lights; the refrigerator stops, and suddenly… it’s quiet. A brief slideshow of memories from the past six months flash through my mind. By acknowledging the amount of change that this time has created, a crooked smile finds it’s way […]
Learning How to Fall
When I first moved to Calgary, Alberta in July 2009 I found myself constantly looking up. Looking up at the skyscrapers. Looking up at the ski jump tower . Looking up at the mountains. It was as if I was looking at everything for the very first time. Shiny and brand new – life was […]
A Sharp Mental Edge
Alex Karras, professional athlete and actor has been quoted to have once said, “Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles.” And after having completed the first 6 weeks of my 2012/13 dry land training, I have to agree. This is not to say that my muscles aren’t growing, and that I can’t […]