Hello!
This being my first blog I am a little unsure of what to write but I suppose giving a little intro would be helpful!
My goal here is to give those people in my circle of friends and family as well as the multitude of people in the communities I am involved with a glimpse into my journey to the 2012 Olympics in my sport of rowing.
To start off let me tell you a bit about my past in the sport. Sometime around the year 2000 I discovered the sport of rowing after many discouraging years as a chubby kid (which in hind sight was simply because I was a kid full of hormones) attempting multiple sports and not finding a niche anywhere. Fortunately rowing found me or I found it and we have been together since. I rowed through high school in my hometown with the encouragement of wonderful coaches who challenged me and made me see what I was capable of.
With this continued encouragement I was able to catch a scholarship to the University of Virginia, where I had a fantastic team and terrific coaches who helped me push the limits of the sport. During this time I also competed 2 years with the Canadian Under 23 team. By the end of college a mysterious injury which has only been suspected to be chronic compartment syndrome took me out of the sport for most of my senior year. I can't say this was an easy time for me, but it surely gave me a greater appreciation for what I did have and had experienced to that point. So for the next 4 years I coached the sport and did lots of rehab to ease the leg issues. As a part of rehab I took up running and triathlon which became my muse when I thought rowing was out of the picture. But during this time I wanted to be on the water, to feel the water rush past the boat and hear the power of my own body drive through the water, and I won't lie I constantly prayed asking God what his plan was for me. It was not until I gave up the sport in my own mind that He gave it back, in one simple email from the training center the seed was planted.
It took a few months but I did start doing a bit of erging indoors to get the feel for rowing again and of course being watchful of the chronic leg problem. It was about a year after that email from the coaches that I made a full commitment to row again full time. By this time I had been married and moved to Florida to a place where no rowing exists. All of my training was done indoors on the erg machine in combination with running and triathlon to keep my competitive spirit alive. There are always tough days when training alone but I have to say they were some of my best. By January of 2011 it was agreed with my husband that purchasing a single (boat) was necessary for my success. I picked it out and picked it up and started my on water journey on the Blackwater river.
The months following went by so quickly and there were days where I wondered what on earth I was doing, but the still quiet voice of the Lord was always there "this is the plan I have for you. You do the work here and I will work out the details". So many times I have been reminded of His faithfulness. By the late summer I was at the point where I needed to make my presence known to my homeland Canada. A program being developed by the country to ID potential athletes requires a battery of erg tests and a race on the water. Basically a lot of data collecting. After much frustration I got all my info in and headed with my boat from the waters of Florida to the modest boathouse in my hometown located on a canal. The process of getting to the familar waters of home were long and they continued to be frustrating as I arrived and raced. However, I was still confident in the plan for me.
So I raced in that provincial race, hoping to get a spot on the team travelling to Victoria BC for Nationals, all expenses paid. Unfortunately, despite my mild success I did not get a paid spot, but felt it necessary to travel on my own dime to finish out this journey... or what I thought would be the end.
To try and shorten the story, I will go ahead and say that my trip was not in vain. Each heat, semi, etc I surprised myself more and more. And after winning each of my races I went in to win the whole shebang. So, those plans that God had for me were a little bigger than the end of my rowing career. Needless to say I have continued the journey and have just "moved" to the National training center.
So this is where the story begins and I hope to update this each week. I promise I won't write this much each time but I hope it can be of inspiration to you or at least help you keep on top of my many endevours!
Thanks for your continued support!
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