Seas of Change

I know it’s probably hard to believe, but there are at least two
people in this world who ask me to update my blog; at least two. I’ll give you
a second to collect the mushy brain pieces from your mind-blowing…

Good? Splendid.

Now, from a quick return to my hometown to 15 hour flights
half way around the world, the end of my 2011/12 sliding season triggered yet
another series of memorable adventures. But then again, I’ve grown to expect
the faster and faster pace this journey continues to create.

The very short visit to Mum and Dad had all three of us running around like
crazy.  Awards, business meetings
and a token only-child momentary lapse of sanity: my parents constantly
re-affirm their title of: “greatest support system ever!” Seriously.

The main purpose of my travels to Brandon, MB was to receive
athletic recognition from our local WHL team the Brandon Wheat Kings during
that week’s home game.

Now, despite the fact that I’ve arguably been an athlete from
the moment I was born, major awards haven’t been a huge part of my experience to
date. Don’t get me wrong, I’m uber proud of all my notable athletic achievements:
volleyball all-star and MVPs, Track and Field All-Canadian (x4) and CanWest
bronze, even more recent Skeleton Rookie of the Year (2009). But being
nominated and selected for an award I knew nothing about was all the more
amazing.

The Atom Jet Innovator of the Month Award was an on-ice presentation with a representative from the Atom Jet Group, and
walking out in front of thousands of people cheering took my breath away. I
smiled, waved and hope that my jaw wasn’t too noticeably open in awe.  Seriously though, knowing that I am
able to make an impact through doing what I love is incredible; I look forward
to being able to continue to inspire people to go after their dreams, no matter
how big or small they may seem.

Flash forward to my first ever trip to the southern hemisphere. With
Australian Bobsleigh Pilot Heath Spence leading the adventure, and hogging the
armrest, we flew over the Pacific Ocean and into the “future” (I’m talking
about time zones here). Notably, as North America transitions into summer, Australia is
heading into winter – but I reckon, if our winters were as warm as theirs, the
sliding tracks would be tubes of endless slush.

There is no way I can justify trying to condense three weeks of
visiting, touring, experiencing, meeting and learning into a teeny tiny post, but
in the interest of your reading sanity – I’ll keep this brief.

  

In Australia I had the opportunity to experience both Melbourne and
Perth. Located at opposing ends of the continent, these two cities are indeed
as different from one another as they are far apart. Heath’s family and friends
were incredibly hospitable, and didn’t bug me too much about MY accent. We did
our best to juggle reunions and tourism and it definitely wore us out. I
learned that, just like the myth of Canadian’s living in igloos, koalas and kangaroos aren’t everywhere and
surfing can require an hour or more of driving to get to a legit surf beach …
But overall, the land down under was gorgeous. The people were friendly, the
food was delicious, and the memories will undoubtedly last a lifetime.

 Additionally, Heath arranged a whirlwind trip to Bali, Indonesia. Now,
to say that Bali was a culture shock is a slight understatement. In just over
48 hours we walked down dark alleys, bartered for cheap knockoffs, surfed,
visited active volcanoes, stayed quiet in monuments and talked to lady-boys. We
visited the mountain-side rice patties, coffee plantations, and hung around with
monkeys. We ate fresh seafood, fed stray kitties (even though I wasn’t supposed
to) and somehow survived as passenger in what can only be described as total
traffic chaos. Then, I not only managed to leave my iPhone in the taxi that
dropped us off at the airport, but I survived an epic 70 min challenge to get
it back – unharmed.  Heath still
can’t believe it.

The entire trip was incredible and while a lot of me was sad to fly
home, my body and mind were anxious to get back to the daily athlete grind.  

So with off-season training dates growing ever near I have just enough
time to get everything sorted with potential employers (#JobHunting) and living
arrangements (#HouseHunting). Also, after having made some decisions at the end
of this past season to transition from my private strength and conditioning
group to join the National Team training group I will no doubt be faced with a
new batch of adversity (some of which has already presented itself). 

Ultimately, I keep my head held high and always remember: “Courage is knowing
what not to fear.”

                   In other news, I officially secured the America’s Cup overall women’s title!