winter blog

Oh hi folks sorry for the delay I've been skiing in the beautiful mountains of British Columbia and I forgot about the internet.

That's me getting some decent airtime on a split board that splits into two skis so as to not require a chairlift for a wicked time in the snowy mountains.  It was a good break from kayaking, and although I posted a snowboarding picture we did WAY more cross country than alpine.  More cross country that I have ever done in 3 weeks in fact.  I feel like my lungs and heart are big and strong, and my legs are surely the fittest they have ever been.  Whistler treated us very nicely, hardly ever pointing out that we aren't actually from there (since it's obvious because we don't have Australian accents... half kidding!!). The Whistler Athlete Centre and the Whistler Olympic Park continue, in true legacy style, to be serving Canada's athlete population with the facility and infrastructure we require to compete at our very best.

Thanks to all the supporters and helpers and the snow for being great most days, and the sun for coming out!  Thanks to @B2Ten and Own the Podium and Canoe Kayak Canada and Whistler Legacies, and MAZDA for your huge support of our squad and our winter training camp!

I'm getting ready to get back on the water soon.  Plugging away at a last ditch effort to gain a little strength and mass, doing some paddle machine and pool (even though it's 6 degrees outside)... getting my affairs in order here in Toronto before migrating down to Florida like a Canadian Goose for the next few months to paddle my kayak in straight lines with very perfect technique at extremely top speeds until I can't everyday... with  "So much determination though..." "Childsplay..."

until next time...

:Photo Op:



Hey Happy Holidays everyone.  I hope you had a lovely time with your families and friends and pets and neighbours.

I certainly have!

I've got a few more days of "unstructured" training here in Toronto before we're off to Whistler, British Columbia.  I can't wait to hit the trails on the skis and kick off 2012 with some hard miles.

Here's a picture, taken by Bernard "the performance specialist" Irvin down in Florida a few weeks ago.  I want to take a moment to thank Bernie, my teammates and everyone at CKC, and also all the international-group guys who made this fall training camp such a huge success.  

I'm looking forward to 2012 in so many ways.  I turn 30 after 4 weeks of 2012.  I get to ski a lot in the first three weeks of 2012.  I get to paddle with my friends in Florida for 2 or 3 months of 2012.  I get to try-out for and hopefully race at a third Olympics in 2012.  These lucky things are all thanks to all of the wicked support I've got out there... (the first one is mostly just my mom and dad)... So thanks to all!

::on feeling appreciated::

This morning, after a 20km paddle (8x8mins, if you're curious) here in sunny (windy) Florida with Anders "@analog79" Gustafsson, while eating my breakfast (bacon, eggs, espresso and bagel, if you're wondering) I saw that Randy Starkman blogged about a couple of omissions for "Canadian Athlete of the Year" that he felt were important to point out.  They included Tara Whitten, Catharine Pendrel and myself.  Tara and Catharine are both cyclists (Omnium on the track, and Mountain/cross-country, respectively), and like me - they were both Champions of the World in 2011.  They were also, like me, conspicuously absent from the Sportsnet poll and Scott Russell's 12-person list for CBC Canadian Athlete of the Year, in addition to Randy's first list. 

I've had the pleasure now to meet Tara, and talk a little bike shop, and ski shop, as she is also a cross-country skier.  I've never met Catharine, but I channeled her Mountain Bike Jedi Energy in September out on the trails one day, and I'm certain I owe a few climbs to her Mountain Bike midi-chlorian count.  Then I saw a picture of Catharine ripping some of my favourite trails in Whistler out at Callaghan Valley, ON XC SKIS!!  She's a skier too!  Woah, Tara, Catharine and I have got some stuff in common... we all love rippin' trails on the skinny sticks, we ride bikes, we are 2011 Weltmeisters, and we didn't make it onto any (first draft) lists!  On the last item - it's ok... I don't care about silly lists, more on that after a few long winded caffeine-fueled paragraphs 

I will add Alex Harvey to the list of omissions, actually.  He was U-23 World Champion last year in the 30km pursuit, and then teamed up with Devon Kershaw to win the team sprint at the big show in Oslo last winter (DK has been, very deservedly, on a few of these lists of great Canadian Athletes of 2011). If you recall though, in that race in Oslo, it was Alex who outsprinted Ola Vigen Hattestad (super fast viking skier) of Norway to the line to win that race... possibly the raddest thing any Canadian Male has ever done on a pair of skiis.

I appreciated the nod from Randy, it was nice.  But one thing he mentioned was that I might potentially feel "under-appreciated"... as that term has made the amateur sports headlines a little bit over the past few days.  As I drained my last sip of espresso and savoured my final bite of bacon (until tomorrow, sweet, succulent king of all meats) I felt that I had an obligation to clarify how I actually feel.

Never, in my 12-or-whatever year tenure as a Canadian National Team Kayaker have I ever felt MORE APPRECIATED by Canadians.  I have never had more support from the Canadian Olympic Committee, from Own the Podium, from Canoe-Kayak Canada or from any/all of my awesome personal sponsors. Canada is more enthusiastic about their Olympians than ever before, a sea-change that I will attribute to our recent success in Vancouver. Notice that I said "OUR" success.  Because while I didn't compete in Vancouver, I do feel that it was a 34 Million person-strong team effort.  Every Canadian was a winner in Vancouver, and Olympians (of both seasons) continue to benefit from those successes.

Kayaking isn't hockey.  I choose not to compare them, since that is worse than apples to oranges, it's boats to blades and I don't care to waste my limited brain capacity on that. I never expected to be a rockstar, I would have stuck to the guitar if that's what I wanted.  I don't expect every Canadian to become an overnight kayaking fanatic. But I do think that sportsfans in Canada are starting to broaden their horizons a little, flip beyond the front page news to see how our Olympic Team is doing in years between the Olympics.  I think social media is playing a strong role in that, in that if Canadian sportsfans want to engage the Olympic team when we're racing in rural Czech Republic in front of 25 adoring fans at some early-season World Cup, there are a few ways to see the news (Athlete blogs, twitter, facebook, and Randy Starkman).

The fact that it was a tough list to narrow down this year IS A REALLY AWESOME THING.  Canada won the Worlds in a whole bunch of sports last year.  That means those athletes were THE best in the World. It didn't come down to season averages or totals, points for or against, trades and contract negotiations, or who the loudest-mouthed pro-sports announcer decided was a stand-out player. There was a race, or one single competition to determine who the best was that year.  A Canadian won! That is cause for celebration!  It's awesome when we're the best... Nothing gets me more stoked to wear the Canadian Maple Leaf on my chest, and do my best to get them to play our favourite song on the podium loud speakers, than when I see my friends from other sports doing it World Class.

The fleeting distinction of being the victor in a race is great and all, but I cherish a lot beyond those ephemeral moments throughout my career.  The chance to be among the very best, within my obscure little sport and across sports - to be in the very company of the people I've mentioned and so many other incredibly inspiring athletes is what I cherish most.  I'm proud, prouder than ever to be Canadian, to race for Canada, and to be on such an awesome team.  Thanks for your support, thanks for reading, and thanks for appreciating our efforts...

If you need me, I'll be at the gym.

::Day 5 w/ RIGHT TO PLAY - Bamako, Mali::

I'm on my way home to Toronto now, reflecting back on our trip.  There's a lot going on upstairs, I think I'll recap Friday... it was one of the busiest, and most moving days of the week.

Our first stop was the office of the Minister of Sport and Youth Culture, to take part in a seminar about leadership. Boris (the excellent an eloquent RTP country manager here in Mali) is giving me a pat on the back for attempting 3 or 4 consecutive thoughts en Francais before deferring to the capable interdiction of Moise, translator extraordinaire.  I spoke briefly on how inspired I was by the Malian people, their determination, optimism, commitment to their nation and impressive youth potential. Both Clara and I spoke about the Malian Youth Initiative that we are driving in Ouroun and other rural communities here in Mali. I described the process of developing leaders through sport, the importance of executive capacity, and how a healthy competitive environment helps to engender that quality in those who take part.  I stressed how well I thought the RTP programming was being implemented in the communities we visited with examples from the field.  One such example was how floored I was by the ability of a 12 year old girl in Bougouni to capture and hold the attention of a crowd of OVER 1000 kids and adults for more than 20minutes of RTP games and activities.  Her powerful young voice, enthusiasm and leadership capacity were like a looking glass into Mali's bright future.  Clara spoke in her exponentially improving French (seriously, can you say "learning curve", in French?) from a personal perspective regarding the leaders in her life, and how she developed as a leader through the power of sport.  The minister of Sport also spoke briefly, as did a professional corporate trainer.  Finally, Boris delivered a powerful, sermonesque closing on Right to Play's role in the development of the Malian youth. He convincingly laid out the progress, past accomplishments, challenges and aspirations of the local RTP programming.  

From the Ministry of Sport it was over to the Youth Parliament for lunch with a group of teenagers who meet everyday of the week to discuss the rights of children in Mali.  They report directly to the federal government of Mali, are aspiring doctors, lawyers, journalists and politicians.  Their diction, eloquence and communcation skills (they all speak 3 or more languages) were astoundingly beyond their years. They went around the table and shared their goals for an ideal Malian future.  All were progressive, focused heavily on youth and female empowerment, and their passion was palpable.  Yet another testament to the potential of this beautiful nation.

For possibly the most stark contrast Mali could offer, Clara, the RTP gang and I went from the Youth Parliament to a boy's prison to play some Sport for Development games.  In the picture below the boys and I are lined up preparing for a relay race.  We also played a variation of basketball with a ball hockey ball for a healthy dose of full-on jail-style contact sports.  These boys were smart, in a frighteningly different way than the other kids we met this week.  They were the only kids who spoke to me in english all week, they answered the "reflect, connect, apply" questions with a sort of arrogant non-chalance that could only be categorized as charming.  They shook hands, winked and patted eachother on the back.  These guys were not just street smart, they are savvy and calculated.  These are transferrable skills!  I truly believe the RTP activities, and their extremely capable guidance team are guiding them in the right direction, and helping them to discover who they are and where they fit in a healthy, law-abiding society.  I wish these young men a quick stay in detention, a full and healthy reformation, and good decisions in the future.

And that was our last activity day.  Over, before we knew it.  Actually to be very honest, I was feeling pretty burnt out by Friday night.  We had a great send off dinner and dance with the RTP Mali staff on Friday night, accompanied by amazing live music by "Dabara" a famous local traditional musician and more delicious Malian chicken, (I ate the same meal everyday, and it never got old - Rotis Chicken, fries and fried plantain).

On Saturday we took a drive out to Bancoumana to visit Mali's first Canoe Club!  With some assistance from the UN, Mali has a Canoe Federation, and a few sit on top kayaks.  So we went kayaking on the Niger.  Did I mention that Bamako means "Crocodile River" in Bambara? No hippo sightings, no Croc-encounters, I didn't even really see a bird... but it was a thrilling experience, and nice to have a paddle in my hands for the first time this week... albeit a plastic one.

I'm excited to go paddling tonight at home. Home: Please don't be 0 degrees.

A big thanks and a big WOW to RTP Mali for this incredible experience.  I don't have words to describe what a moving and significant trip it was. So I'll leave it at Merci, Beacoup.

Until next time...  

::Right to Play Mali Days 3 & 4::

So yesterday was Wednesday, and on Wednesday we got up and drove to Bougouni.  We drove down a long dirt road for about 25km to a remote village called Ouroun.  It was there, in Ouroun, where we received what I think, for me, was the most incredible welcome from strangers I have ever received.  No less than 1500 children made a line (the one I'm navigating in the picture below), close to 200m long. Clapping, singing, stomping their feet in unison, high-fiving and cheering our arrival.  It was a busy day in Ouroun - Wednesday is market day, people come from other villages by motorbike, bicycle, donkey and truck to trade goods for the week.  This meant that the turn-out for Right to Play day was, as one female elder put it in Bambara (translated to me into French) "disappointingly low".  Ha!! Good thing I didn't go on Tuesday... I might not have left!

The children of Ouroun are SO happy.  They LOVE Right to Play days.  Children of every age take part in educational programming, the focus of which, being age-driven, varies between hand washing techniques, to malaria prevention, to literacy, to AIDS/HIV awareness to conflict resolution.  

We met the Mayor, and the woman in charge of Ouroun's Women's advancement group, members of the School Parent's association, village elders and anyone who came by for a handshake and a bonjour. Clara and I had the incredible opportunity to sit in a class room of students taking part in a Youth Initiative pilot program to discuss the specific problems they face.  Their school doesn't have electricity, so when they arrive after their chores are finished (many chores are performed in the bush, foraging, leading animals to feed), it's often too dark in the class rooms to read - so they use flashlights.  They'd really like a newer school building, they want benches that aren't falling apart, they'd really like to have their teacher recognized by the ministry of education, so that he can be paid accordingly.  These young people have big goals, they want to lead.  One youth said he'd like to be mayor one day, another said she wants to teach healthy living to young women in her village.  They're all taking part in the pilot program to take that first step in their respective goal's long journey - to become literate.

It was tough to leave such an engaged conversation.  The majority of my visits to the communities I've been to in Africa are play-based, and mostly with kids under 12.  These young people were inquisitive, intelligent, thirsty for perspective and knowledge... I really appreciated my time with them.  I won't forget it, and I promise to do what I can to ensure the Youth Initiative continues to meet the needs of young Malians.  

In a flash of goodbyes to the village elders, we were off down the long bumpy road which brought us to the most welcoming place I've ever been, on Market day.

We arrived in the city of Bougouni after about an hours drive (I slept), at the RTP offices where Virginie made us a delicious chicken lunch with local side dishes; plantain, rice, onion/lemon sauce... it was amazing.  Bougouni has a youth centre which houses the area's only local disabled youth facility.  10 men with lower body disabilities put on an incredible show of hand-ball; a close, competitive and extremely combative game, where the men basically run on their hands, and dribble the ball between them (a foot-ball is treated as a hand-ball is in soccer, with a free kick). Their range and accuracy was amazing, I saw at least 3 half-court goals.  It was "Dignity day" in Bougouni, and these men redefined the word by owning a game, demonstrating their proficiency in a highly competitive environment, and entertaining a large crowd with their prowess.  A big WOW to the athletes. (A big Wow is a local kudos/congratulations/I'm impressed saying, which really requires no explanation at all, but why not elaborate, right?  It's my blog...).  The activities came to a close with a quick youth game, just for fun type clapping and stomping, and just as we were wrapping up a FIERCE thunder clap came out of nowhere... it wasn't even really cloudy, and scared half the children into a furious scamper around the playground, 5 or 6 grabbed onto my t-shirt and shorts in terror, I jumped too it was SO super loud. We all calmed down quickly and said our goodbyes. With that, it was off to Piemont to check into a hotel for the night.

We had about an hour before dinner, so I stood out in the rain for a bit to cool off, and I saw a soccer ball fly up high across the street, so I ran to my room got my shoes and RTP nxne soccer jersey on to join them.  I asked in crappy French "peut je jouet avec vous?"... some of the older kids laughed and pointed in the direction that I was going to be running and kicking the ball in a manner way-less-good-than-them (queue my high-school English teacher's groan, cause Miss Salvo is too young to be spinning in graves).  One of the kids motioned that I tuck in my jersey.  Really?  Do I look that sloppy?  No, ingeniously, these kids do that so they can tell what team their on.  I was on the preppy side. (Also, I was on the older kids team, which, I soon realized, was how they organized the two teams, 10-13 on one side, 13+ on the other.  We won, by like 5 points... but the anklebiters scored twice!)  I asked afterwards (in the pitch black, cause we played until dark, and one kid spontaneously yelled "Fini" - and every kid picked up and jetted home)... I asked if the kids knew about Right to Play - they all had, they love it.

Today we visited communities around Bougouni before coming all the way back to Bamako.  First we had an information centre with the lovely and talented RTP Bougouni staff... Merci Beaucoup pour votre perspective!  Next we drove out to another rural community and toured their community.  We took part in a health session targeted at mothers and children to improve nutritional practices and to familiarize them with vaccination procedures - their measles / poliio / tetanus vaccines are coming tomorrow.  They learned how to use corn maize flour, lemon, sugar and water to make a really tasty and nutritious breakfast for enfants (yes, I tried a little!).  We checked out some of their local crops and wells, both traditional and modern.  They prefer the modern pumps, because the water comes up faster and cleaner (they still have to boil it), to their traditional ground-level bucket drawn open wells.  But apparently the modern wells always break, and are difficult to fix.  Want an engineering project Smarty Pants University Engineers?  Design an effective well pump you can fix with ONLY simple bike parts and tools.  The rubber gaskets should be recycled inner tubes... cause they have lots of those.

The best play-day Djambala has ever seen was our last stop in Bougouni.  We broke up into groups after the Community Elder and mayor showed us how to dance in the BEST energizer warm up I have ever been a part of.  He totally busted a move, and if there was a rug, it would have been thoroughly torn-up.  We played some tag games, human pretzel, elephant ball, and did some relays.  It was so awesome.  Bougouni kids know how to play.

Now we're back in Bamako, looking forward to one last play day tomorrow, and a rest/vacation day on Saturday.

A shout out to all my Canadian Teammates in Mexico at the Pan Am Games, keep on racing so fast!! Nice work K4s, Bonne Fete Em, and Good Luck/Bonne Chance!!