"Excellence: The ripple effect"

I have decided to post this everywhere I send out information. So, if you get to see this double, or triple, I apologize.  

 

This is something I have gotten involved in and I think it is pretty neat and I wanted to share it with as many people as I can. Below is a description of the idea, the reality and what, if you want to, you can do to become more involved with helping high performance athletes across the country.  

 

In celebration of Canada Day, CAN(Canadian Athletes Now) Fund is launching their first athlete e-Book called "Excellence: The Ripple Effect". 

 

36 stories of Courage, Believing In Yourself, Success From Failure, Excellence and Representing Canada written by Canadian athletes including myself!

 

Other athletes featured in the eBook include:

-Forward by Silken Laumann, Rowing, 3 time Olympic Medalist

-"Dear Dream" by Carla MacLeod, Hockey, 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist

-"Clive" by Christine Sinclair, Soccer, 2008 Olympian

-"Maple Leaf" by Ben Rutledge, Rowing, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist

 

All of us have experienced moments in our lives or have met people that have profoundly impacted us.  The story that I wrote " Through waters to friendship" shares a moment from early on in my paddling journey. It was an influential moment in my life and upon reflection, as I have gotten older, it has become more and more significant. This story shares a very valuable lesson I learnt early on in my journey to representing Canada at the 2012 Olympics.  

I contributed a story for the eBook because I wanted to encourage and connect with Canadians while at the same time raise awareness and funding for my fellow athletes through CAN Fund.

 

CAN Fund (Canadian Athletes Now Fund) is a not for profit that raises direct financial support for athletes across Canada.  CAN Fund has raised over $13 million to date and was proud to support 80% of the athletes who represented Canada in Vancouver.   Twice a year athletes from coast to coast apply to CAN Fund. As such they are eligible to receive $12,000 annually.  The majority of athletes in Canada rely on CAN Fund so they can afford equipment, coaching, travel expenses and proper nutrition.  I have been a recipient of CAN Fund and it was a huge help. It took away the stress of not having enough money, for awhile. It allowed my whole focus to be on training rather than wasting valuable energy worrying. 

The sale of every "EXCELLENCE: The Ripple Effect" is donated to CAN Fund to support Canadian athletes who are competing to qualify for the Games in London and beyond!

You can purchase "EXCELLENCE: The Ripple Effect" for $25. This is an ebook and can be purchased by following the link posted below.

Website:  www.MYCANFund.com  

Link: http://www.canadianathletesnow.ca/boutique/can-fund-athlete-ebook.html

 

Thanks so much for even considering it and helping me along my journey to the 2012 Olympics.

Feathers

Today was an awesome day. We had the afternoon off from training, I ate a delicious almond croissant at Olive and Gourmando, in the Old Port, had breakfast for supper, and right in the middle of all that KC and I went and got feather extensions in our hair.
I opted for the neutrals, which have a mix of feathers including some red which I think is pretty cool. I have attached a picture that I just took ... so be kind ;)
Also the links to the fine feather extensions website is here as well as the link to the page for Sonya, the lady, who put ours in here in Montreal.

www.finefeatherheads.com

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=inbox#!/FeatherHairExtensions

S-U-M-M-E-R :)

I may not be in school anymore but all my life Summer hasn't really begun until School was out. Earlier this week my sister Kyra wrote her last Grade 11 final, my sister Kansys is going back to school for her last few days of grade 1 and last Wednesday my Broski had his Grade 8 farewell (where he won the Delano Toto athletic achievement award!!). These events got me thinking about my life. Where I am at, what I am doing,where I want to go and where I might end up.

When I was in grade one Kyra was born, and I couldn't wait to bring her for show and tell. It doesn't seem like a decade ago that I was making a memory book or putting up decorations for my own Grade eight farewell. Not to mention how recent it seems like I was in Grade eleven eagerly awaiting the summer that would lead to the final year of high school, or the birth of my "newest" sibling. But, it has been that long. And, this summer is bringing just as much anticipation as many of my childhood summers.

I have qualified to race the K-1 200m event at the World Championships in August. I am super excited to represent Canada again and I have the opportunity to help Canada qualify to race at the Olympics next year, which to me is a bit surreal. This summer I am with the Womens Kayak Team in Montreal training at the Olympic Basin. We, my room mates KC and Genny, have been keeping busy with 2 -3 practices a day, cooking and researching the latest fashion trends.

So I guess that is the where I am and what I am doing. As for the where I want to go ... or where I end up, I am not too concerned. I am enjoying the chance to experience so many awesome places, meet so many great people and hopefully I will look back on them as fondly as I look back on my anticipated summers from the years gone by.

What Day is today ...

Today is Father's Day !!! I want to wish all the Dads, Grandpas and Uncles out there a very Happy Fathers Day.
I found this poem and thought I would share it with you. I am very lucky. I have a great Dad, Uncle and Grandpa. They have all supported me, helped me learn and been patient with me when the opportunities present themselves. So ... Here's to them!

A dad is someone who
wants to catch you before you fall
but instead picks you up,
brushes you off,
and lets you try again.

A dad is someone who
wants to keep you from making mistakes
but instead lets you find your own way,
even though his heart breaks in silence
when you get hurt.

A dad is someone who
holds you when you cry,
scolds you when you break the rules,
shines with pride when you succeed,
and has faith in you even when you fail...

Unknown. ( From the website: http://www.boardofwisdom.com/Default.asp?topic=1005&listname=Fathers%20Day)

 

THANK YOU !!!!

 I love being a part of the Adopt-an-Athlete program. Today I enjoyed a great sunny morning being reminded what this program is all about. I joined St. Gabriel School for a fundraiser, in my honor. Students got to buy extra recess time and I got to be a part of it. I took part in kick ball, frisbee, parachute games and a game of catch that got a little out of hand. It was so nice to spend time with students in a fun and care free environment where they get to be free. It was really nice to play like I was a kid again, I forgot how much I loved playing kickball.

I would like to Thank all the teachers, staff, students and parents at St. Gabriel and Jack MacKenzie schools. Their support has been more than generous and I am very grateful.

For more information about the adopt-an-athlete program follow the link on my homepage. In my experience it has been only positive and I recommend any chance to get involved :) There are a ton of worthy athletes within your community!

When things find you ...

I have never been a blogger, I am not on twitter but I do have facebook. I would be lying if I said I don't enjoy it and that I don't creep the most recent tab, routinely. Today a link came up, that a friend of mine shared, its weird because I haven't talked to her in an eternity ( pardon the exaggeration ... I do that.) So, I clicked the link and what I was listening to was something awesome. A wonderful spoken word poet,Sarah Kay, sharing her life to an audience.http://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter.html When she speaks, her passion, her honesty and her enthusiasm to make a difference in this world is inspiring.

There are many things in my life I want to accomplish, there are dreams and goals and aspirations that I think about, write down sometimes and here and there share with others. But her words and the passion you can hear when she speaks makes me want to act and that, I think is an amazing gift. So my first action is sharing her words with whomever happens to check this blog. But, that "speech" has helped me see that one person can make a difference and as it was said sometimes the beauty is in the attempt!