I am writing you from downtown Montreal, where we've been training for the past week. Things are progressing nicely, and despite a few aches I am feeling pretty good about our direction, and they way we've been moving the boat lately. It is a week before the beginning of worlds, and everything becomes a bit more mental now... that is if you let it.

I find it so important to stay relaxed and keep on enjoying the experience. I've caught myself a few times this week needing to remind myself of that, but altogether it's going well. As a long time Dartmouthian... and proud of it, I am extremely excited about the crowds expected for this year's world championships. It is a rare gift to be able to host an event of this calibre, let alone two (senior worlds were also held in 1997 in Dartmouth). It is also a great gift to the paddling community and the development of the sport in Nova Scotia and Canada as a whole. It is also pretty cool to know that the Russell family will be well represented in the races, crowd, and in the volunteer section as well. This opportunity is nothing short of a gift.

All for now, keep it real,

Andrew