No Complaints!

Live…

My new home, the Whistler Athletes Centre, for visiting athletes.  I fit nicely in my little 12x12 dorm room, the lodge is quiet, comfortable, and has a huge kitchen. I have created a nice little compound for myself, as 10 feet to the right is the Canadian Sports Institute where I work and train. All an athlete’s amenities!

This is my front yard…don’t worry, it hurts my eyes too!

Work…

I am working as a housekeeper, and frankly embarrassed to call myself an athlete. No amount of squats or euro fit can prepare you for constant & repetitive movements. In addition to chronic whiplash from sliding, I think I am developing shoulder tendonitis! After working in occupational rehab for years and now working in my client’s ‘shoes’, my appreciation for “manual labour” is greatly heightened, and I’m only working 4 hour shifts!

 

The High Performance Gym at the Canadian Sports Institute is a beautiful facility for elite athletes. Training here is great, all the athletes train during the day (except for us, who train at night), so I practically have this place to myself all day. As a work environment it is equally amazing, no steroid joe’s or trophy wives here. I actually get to meet and watch national team athletes train, including the likes of our Olympic medalist Adam van Koeverden. It is motivating to be surrounded by incredible & humble athletes doing what they love most everyday!

My resume now also includes sled mechanic. Sled maintenance is a labour of love, it’s like owning a gorgeous sports car and making sure it’s always running at 100%. However, in my case I am trying to make a Miata run like a Porsche.

Being reunited with my sled was like Christmas morning, however seeing my runners was like Santa pelting me with pieces of coal! I had left my sled in scabbards (think skate guard) for 8 weeks including a drive home from Calgary. When I took them off for the first time this is what I saw…

 

You should be able to see your reflection in it…

Progress…

After 2 hours of 60 coarse sanding by hand, my thumbs fell off, I no longer have any identifiable fingerprints, but my runners are now at about 25% capacity. 

Play…

I am back sliding in Whistler and loving it! After a week off of corner 3 I am proud to say I have graduated to the TOP! Tonight was the first time I ever slid off of the very top of Whistler! I’ve never been down the full track, so I didn’t know what to expect. I had my trusty brakeman Michael with me (we did driving school together last year, and beat each other up pretty good, so he’s pretty broken in to say the least)

Driving from the top is a whole new beast! Just when you think you figured it all out from corner 3, you drop vertically 2.5 stories out of corner 2! The top half of the track has never been faster, and although it was a bumpy ride through the middle, the bottom half was smoother and we finished shiny side down :) 

Going back to my first post, “I don’t do drugs; I drive bobsleighs”, well I am now back on the best high of my life tonight and I cannot wait to do it all over again tomorrow. I’m sitting here 3 hours after training buzzing with adrenaline, still in my training gear, with the excitement of the brand new challenges that lay ahead! 

Our tournament was in Havana and had an opportunity to drive through some of the neighbourhoods. It is a culture shock to see Cubans dressed in modern day fashions against this backdrop of architecture, infrastructure, and landscapes that have not changed since the 1950’s. Buildings do not get repaired, vendors have no signage, taxis seem to be run by a group of friends in unmarked cars, and the furnishings inside some homes is minimal. Speaking of minimal, there is no toilet paper anywhere, not even in the airport bathrooms. In the tourist areas you can pay a washroom attendant 5 pesos for a couple of sacred sheets of TP. As a tourist it was nice to experience Cuba outside of an all-inclusive resort, as we were exposed to a broader range of cultural experiences, landscapes and interactions with locals.

I found the best part of Cuba was our trip to a Juan Oscar Alvarado Miranda, a local orphanage that the Howlers sponsor. There were about 10 children between the ages of 4-6 and our team arrived bearing loads of toys, clothes, football cleats and monetary donations. We spent 2 hours playing with the kids in their courtyard and it was so grounding. They were shy at first but every one of the children found someone to connect with. The smiles on the children that day are ones that I won’t soon forget! 

2012 Cuba Howlers with the staff and children at Juan Oscar Alvarado Miranda Orphanage

(Judy Teasdale)

(Judy Teasdale)

Photo credits to Judy Teasdale

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Judy-Teasdale-Photography/246120232109295?fref=ts  

The Howlers are an invitational rugby club founded by Karl Fix, made up of players and supporters from all parts of Canada, and some other countries, who believe that “rugby is more than a game, but a way of life”. The teams tour to amazing parts of the world to play rugby and take part in unique cultural experiences, while also giving something back to that country’s sport and/or people. The Howlers raise funds and contribute to worthwhile endeavours which are not related to rugby. They use “our game” as a vehicle to build bridges between people around the world, we are all a community and we are stronger together.

For more information on the club please visit:
http://www.dogriverhowlers.com
https://www.facebook.com/dogriverhowlers?fref=ts

In December I spent 2 weeks in the Caribbean; Cuba & Tobago, playing 7s rugby.  Our mantra of “it’s more than a game; it’s a way of life” certainly held strong during both of these tours. Unfourtunately due to the lack of competition for the women in Cuba and shitty field conditions in Tobago (pun totally intended ;), I caught pink eye!!), the caliber of rugby wasn’t fantastic. Despite these hurdles we returned home victorious with the women’s team winning Havana 7s and the men’s team winning Tobago 7s! 

 ”THE GAME…

Women Howlers - Cuba 7s Champions 

Post-tournament team mudslide at Tobago 7s

Post mudslide team photo 

…THE WAY OF LIFE!”

Cuba Howlers on a tour of Havana, Cuba

Tobago Awards banquet, celebrating the men’s championship win!! 

Photo credits to Judy Teasdale

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Judy-Teasdale-Photography/246120232109295?fref=ts  

3 Weeks in Numbers: 
25 days +
2 tracks +
38 runs +
4 races +
10^th, 10^th, 7^th, 9^th place finishes +
2 crashes =
1 Invaluable Experience

I love competition because it’s when an athlete’s true character shines in moments of success and adversity. Although I am a believer that the “real hard work” is actually the countless hours spent training, when it comes to competition there are no second chances. 

Although we had successfully completed 24 runs in Park City prior to our first race, I knew that come race day it would feel bigger and better than any of those runs. Eve and I kept saying that the only difference would be wearing spandex. But I knew that wasn’t true. From the get-go the tension in the start house is heightened; people going through their pre-race routines, donning their lucky socks, slamming energy drinks and visualizations. NAC #1 was a rush with cowbells, people cheering and the adrenaline flowing. Eve and I finished our first race with a PB and 10^th place overall. The following day we raced in NAC #2. Going in a little calmer knowing what to expect from the strict race protocols and atmosphere, again we finished 10^th.

We had two days off to pack up and drive ourselves to Calgary. We went from bobsledders to ice road truckers, as our 20-hour drive back to the Motherland was traitorous from the overnight snowstorm that hit the Midwest. We arrived in Calgary at midnight; it was -30 on my car’s thermometer. I don’t think I had felt that cold since I was 12 growing up in Ottawa, pre-global warming.

In Calgary we raced NAC #3 & 4. Prior to every race you are given 6 training runs over 3 days (qualifying for the race means completing 2/6 runs successfully). That meant only a ¼ of the time to learn the track as we had in Park City. Unforutunately, we felt the consequences of this short transition. During our second run we flipped on our side out of corner 8 and rode the 100 m straightaway into corner 9 (Kreisel: a 360 degree turn) on our left side. Thankfully curves 8 and 9 run in the same direction so the pressure picked us back up and we landed upright upon exiting 9, and I drove us the rest of the way down. The following night during our first run we crashed out of the last corner! I was rattled, as I hadn’t had a clean run yet from the top and the race was approaching quickly. Our second run that night was a success until at the end when our brakes didn’t work and I had to jump out and catch our sled in the out ramp with our coach. It started to feel like one thing after the other, and as we spent the following day regrouping and fixing our sled, I was determined to complete 2 good training runs before the race. And so we did, and we repeated that the following night in NAC #3, hitting 2 more PBs for start time and total time, finishing 7^th overall. Our goal going into NAC #4 was to finish top 6; we knew it would be a challenge, and in order to do this we would have to have a fast start and fast lines down the track. Unfourtunately, I crashed and although we crossed the finish line, it was impossible to achieve our goal. The silver lining from that run was that although we crashed, we did achieve a PB for our start time. Our last run was good and we finished 9^th overall.

Thanks to all our friends who came out to cheer us on, it was freezing, you are amazing! 

All in all the 3 weeks was a great success and we are looking forward to our next opportunity to race together! Sadly, Eve will not be joining me in Whistler this winter, so I am now accepting applications for brakemen, if you know any speedy adrenaline junkies in Vancouver/Whistler let me know! 

Let me ask you this: how many people do you know who would sit blindly in the back of a metal sled hurtling down an ice track at +120 km/hr with no brakes and their life in your hands? And how many of these people would do it countless times over regardless of bruises, ice burns, concussions, and broken bones? Imagine if you were the passenger in a car crash, there is usually some level of hesitation that would overcome you next time you had to drive with that same driver. In bobsledding there is no time for hesitation, literally though, you only have 60 seconds to get ready and push your sled across the start line.  I have a lot of admiration for these athletes. 

I would like to introduce you to my brakeman Eve, who without, I would not have been able to get through the past 3 weeks. Brakemen have two jobs, obviously to brake, but also to push your sled down the start ramp as fast as they can. The learning curve of a new pilot is steep and at least for now I cannot promise a smooth ride.  The learning process involves hitting lots of walls and the odd crash. During our short 4-months sliding together we have only had 3 crashes. We are covered in bruises and have grade 2 whiplash. Eve sustained her first concussion in Park City when I exited too early from a corner hitting a short wall pretty hard, shaking her between the sides of the sled. I’m happy to report that with some quality treatment (by yours truly) she recovered and was fit to race.  Our sled now resembles a lazy boy with padding and Eve doesn’t move an inch. In Calgary we tipped over onto 2 runners before popping back up on 4 runners at the exit of the next corner. The “pop back up” was quite violent though and Eve said she saw a “flash”. With her recent concussion it was concern enough to follow concussion protocol and we found ourselves in the Emergency Department. We were self-entertained, on an adrenaline rush from training in our matching one-piece track suits (super suits) and bobsleigh spikes, while people around us were doubled over looking like death. Our ER doctor ended up being the race doctor at the Calgary bobsleigh track, and after confirming that we were “crazy f*c@ing bobsledders” she medically cleared us to compete.

Even after all of this Eve is still committed to braking for me and cannot wait for our next  race together. Until then, I am committed to improving my driving so that I can lower our risk of injury and increase our chance of success.  I cannot tell you how many times during the past 3 weeks I said to Eve “I don’t know what I would do without you!” 

Merci Eve, vous êtes un incroyable amie et brakeman, je t’aime!

 

Zuss and I rockin’ our new concert tanks this past summer! 

Music provides a sweet soundtrack to my life, and one of my favourite hobbies is sharing and discovering new music. Music moves me and it is rare that I do anything in silence. The only time I don’t have music on is when I am competing in sports, I even sleep with it on. During the past three weeks I have spent countless hours, okay I counted, about 80 hours in a car, and have had many pre-race jam sessions. In no particular order here’s what is happening on my iPod:  

Top Albums in my Rotation:

• Ben Howard
• Mumford and Sons
• The Lumineers
• Walk the Moon
• Florence and the Machine
• Ed Sheeran 
• Calvin Harris
• The Arkells
• David Guetta
• The Black Keys

Top Songs in my Rotation:

• Take a Walk – Passion Pit
• White Doves – Young Empires
• Broken Strings – James Morrison ft Nelly Furtado
• Keep this Fire – Goldhawks
• Love Love Love – Avalanche City
• Tighten Up – The Black Keys 
• Girl on Fire – Alicia Keys
• Time to Run – Lord Huron  
• On Top of the World – Imagine Dragons
• My Girl – Yukon Blonde
• Shuffle – Bombay Bicycle Club
• Sometime around Midnight – The Airborne Toxic Event
• Daylight – Matt & Kim
• Long Distance Call – Phoenix
• Little Talks – Of Monsters and Me

My Pre-Race Jams:

• Calvin Harris ft Florence – Sweet Nothing
• David Guetta ft Taped Ra – Just one last time
• Sweedish House Mafia – Don’t you worry child
• Jennifer Lopez ft Flo Rida – Goin’ In  
• Calvin Harris – You used to hold me
• Calvin Harris ft Example – We’ll be coming back
• Calvin Harris ft Eli Goulding – I Need your love
• Calvin Harris ft Ne-Yo – Let’s go
• M83 ft Kanye West – Midnight Life
• Skrilllex ft Sirah – Bangarang

During my short off-season from rugby in January my friend suggested that I learn to drive bobsleighs, so I attended 2 driving schools in Whistler. I was instantly addicted to the adrenaline rush associated with this sport.

Enter the Whistler Sliding Centre, one of the fastest tracks in the world. There are 16 corners, last season I was only able to slide from the entrance of corner 3 (I will graduate to the top this season!). Even from corner 3 the physiological rush you get from bobsledding in Whistler is second to none. You can’t buy drugs that make you feel this good. Picture yourself hurtling down a mile long ice track at speeds exceeding 130+ km/h with multiple G-forces compressing your body inside a sled (don’t worry mom, I fit nicely inside for protection).When learning how to drive you sit in the sled and someone pushes you onto the track, and the push training comes later. Despite the absence of physical exertion at the start, when you get to the finish dock and step out of your sled your legs are shaking, knees buckling slightly, heart racing, sweating, talking a mile a minute, oh and forget trying to sleep after a late night sliding session, the adrenaline flows through your veins for hours afterwards.  After dozens of runs you find your body ever so slightly adjusting to this adrenaline rush.

I spent last week attending an FIBT (Federation International de Bobsleigh et Tobogganing) International Driving School in Park City, Utah. Arriving with less than 30 runs under my belt as a pilot, I was pretty intimidated sliding in an international driving school. Thankfully, the intimidation was quickly eased with some friendly conversation between nations and realizing that the skill levels varied from first timers up to national team athletes. Moments like this always remind me how crucial perspective is as an athlete; at one point or another most Olympians have gone through similar stages of training. When all was said and done, the week was a great success! We completed 18 runs (no crashes :)) and I can now drive from the top of this track, push & jump into my sled with my brakeman, and crank a mean ratchet (my dad would be proud).

Up next: Our first official competition representing Canada in the Americas Cup Race #1 & 2

Park City, Calgary, Victoria, Cuba, Tobago, Cancun, Whistler, Vegas, Lake Placid, Montreal. The next 6-months is going to be a whirlwind adventure! I decided to start this blog (I hate that word) mostly so my parents have proof that I’m still alive while I’m gallivanting around the world being a transient thrill seeking athlete. 

No Complaints! My friend Zuss and I started saying this last year, and it never got old. The basis is simple, do things that leave you with no complaints and more often than not, you will be happy. Call me an eternal optimist, but it works for me.