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 across my lips. What an incredible time in my life … every
twist, every turn – every bump and bruise – all have been helping me chart my
course.

For the past three weeks, Canadian sliders from across the
country have been back on the ice. We dusted off our speed suits, spikes and
helmets and dove headfirst right back into this sport we love so much. 

Yesterday – Saturday, October 20, 2012 – hosted both our 2012/13 Canadian Skeleton
Championships and Team Canada Selection Race #1.  

From my perspective that morning, as I sipped my coffee and watched the morning news –
looking out the window to see it had started snowing, after sliding in mid-teen
temperatures for weeks, was laughable. Of course it would snow … this is
Calgary!

As the skies cycled through spurts of heavy snow to taunting breaks of sun, I
committed to a set-up for Phrixus, zipped up my bags and headed to the track.

The electricity in the air at the top of Canada Olympic Park
was almost tangible. 15 women and 26 men all setting up to challenge the
clock and themselves to lay down the two quickest runs possible.

The women were slotted to begin racing at 2:40PM. My sled,
Phrixus, was branded with the #4 and I continued to stick to a roughly
timed-out warm up schedule.

Once the race began, I digested my emotions and entered my
racing headspace.

It is a truly unique moment when a Skeleton Racer makes
his/her way to the line, takes off their spike covers, removes their snow gear,
stands in front of their sled and stares down the start ramp. The buzzer sounds; the track is
cleared.

In this extremely short amount of time – we are expected to gather every ounce of our energy, explode
forward (on ice) with one arm firmly holding onto our sled (inches from the ground), create all the velocity
possible – loading with massive forward momentum and then regain instant control
of our heart rate, breathing and maintain focus (for driving lines and body control) as we hurl ourselves down the iced
up hallways face-first at intense speeds.… No big deal.

Both my runs began with an intense calm from within that I recognized as readiness. Both my
runs were fueled by a belief in myself, the unwavering support of the amazing people in my
life, and an incredible desire to win. 

Trackside, the crowds seemed larger than normal; you all seriously elevated the atmosphere! One might say, there was enough cowbell … but we all know, there can really never be too much.  

Run #1, I crossed the finish line in 3rd – a mere 14 1/100ths off first place. I had pushed a personal best, and was pleased with the result that Phrixus and I had laid down. The men completed their 1st run, a scheduled 20 minute break was observed (as we all warmed back up), and fluffy snow continued to fall…

For Run #2, I was slotted as the third last sled. The results (as heard over the loud speaker) from the women in track before me, were varying a bit more than run 1. The snow had begun to eat up our fast lines and was forcing some serious adjustments.

Once called to the line, I turned off any thoughts of what the track “might” look like, or what “might” happen … I just put my sled down and pushed. Upon loading I knew I couldn’t force anything. I harnessed as much of my snow-race experience as possible and resolved to doing the best I could, no matter the circumstance. I crossed the line in 1st place with two sleds to go. Once the powder settled, a number of overall positions had shifted – and I ended up in second place!
By 6:15PM I was named the 2012/13 Canadian Women’s Skeleton Championships silver medalist and was promptly chaperoned to doping control … nothing quite like celebrating by peeing in a cup.

Tomorrow morning I will board an Air Canada flight en route
to Vancouver, British Columbia. By the early afternoon a few of my teammates
and I will have travelled the amazing Sea to Sky highway and arrive at the
Athlete’s Village in Whistler. By dinnertime, everyone – including my
incredible parents – will roll in. We will unpack a few of our things and begin
preparations for Team Canada’s Selection Race #2.

Sometimes we think it’s holding on that makes us strong; but more often than not, it’s letting go.