Hey everyone,

I just got home from the annual Mississauga Canoe Club Regatta. It is the first Club regatta of the year so it is nice to see everyone from bantams to masters out their racing. The Club is celebrating their 50th Anniversary, and even though I'm not a member, my grandfather Bert is the founder of the club so it has special significance for me and my family. My dad and uncles grew up paddling there, and they, along with my grandfather, helped make it one of the most successful clubs in Canada.

It was good to get out and see people around the regatta, as well as race some crew boats for Burloak. I opted out of C1, having done enough of that in the last 2 weeks. My C4 crew looked like a sure thing to win, but a little after the start, Bennett, who was steering the boat, fell off his block, so he was barely paddling most of the way, just trying to stay in the boat and keep us from crashing into the dock. Someone commented to him afterwards, "Don't you paddle EVERY DAY?", which he does, but I suppose that just goes to show how hard paddling can be. We still managed second place behind a strong crew of young guns from Balmy Beach.

In C2 I teamed up with Aaron Rublee, and we remained undefeated in our racing career together. It was a shaky race and we have some work to do if we are to defend our National Championship later this summer, but there was still some raw speed there that bodes well for another National record, I'm thinking maybe 37 seconds, maybe low 38.

My final race of the day was coxing the Juvenile Girls War Canoe. Last year I had the privilege of coxing them at Nationals, and we ended up winning the race by a full boat length. This year we have another strong crew and are looking to repeat last years performance. It was our first time in the boat since racing last August, and we only had time for about 250m of warm up, so I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but the girls surprised me and everyone was together right off the start, even the ones who weren't in the crew last year. It wasn't as sharp or snappy as it will need to be in August, but there is plenty of time to fix that in practice, and it was clear to see that the potential is there for another win if they put in some hard work this summer.

In other news, I am extremely happy to hear that the Blue Jays have rehired the legendary Cito Gaston. I predict a World Series win within 3 years. Now if they could only get John Olerud, Juan Guzman, Pat Hentgen, Pat Borders, Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, Devon White, Rickey Henderson, Paul Moliter, Ed Sprague, Tony Fernandez, Dave Winfield, Jimmy Key, Tom Henke, and Kelly Gruber to come back, then they would be laughing. They would probably win the World Series next week. 5 times.

I got some video of my races in Europe from Tamas while I was in Mississauga, as well as a fancy new block. I've had my old block since 1999, so I am pretty hesitant to switch, as I was hoping I could retire it after the Olympics, but it is really starting to crack and come apart, so I'll try this new one and see how it goes.

Courtesy of Tamas Buday Sr, below is my 500m final from Duisburg. After finishing in 4th in my first 3 races, it was nice to pull out a bronze in this one, even if I left it until the last stroke, and then fell in. Also, the boat I'm racing in is the same one that I'll have in Beijing.

Hey everyone,

I'm back home from Europe now, just finished up the second World Cup in Duisburg, Germany with some good results. I finished a very close fourth in the highly anticipated C1 1000m showdown between Tom Hall and myself, with Tom winning not only the race off and his Olympic entry, but also the race itself, and in impressive fashion. Hat's off to Tom, he had a great race and is paddling extremely well right now. I felt pretty good and tried to stay with him through the middle, but he just kept on going and going, slowly pulling away from me and the rest of the field. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if his persistent paddling didn't get him a spot in an Energizer commercial. I can't wait to see him in a pink bunny suit. But seriously, there is no denying that I am disappointed, but I had a good race, and I simply got beat. I had a feeling that to get the entry I was going to have to come first or second in that race, and that's how it turned out. Tom and I have been battling for years, pushing each other to be faster and faster, and have remained good friends throughout, so I can honestly say that I am truly happy for him and wish him all the best this year. Now we can both concentrate 100% on our respective distances, which will hopefully mean better results for each of us, and for Canada.

Once the 1000 was over I felt like a big weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Even though I lost, it was nice to know that the Olympic selection was over and I went into the next day in good spirits. I had the fastest heat time in the 500 so I was confident in my medal chances in the final. I woke up Sunday morning mentally excited to race, but the 1000 final had apparently taken a toll on my body. I knew there were a lot of sprinters in the race and I was too fatigued to stay with them from the start, so I decided that I needed to save some energy in the first half of the race to pass them in the finish. My race plan worked well, and I moved up from 7^th place at half way in the race to finish a close 3^rd, shooting my boat and falling in the water in the process. I was extremely happy getting a medal after being 4^th in my last three races. Thanks to all my team mates for cheering for me during the race and afterwards.

Now I’m back at home, with about seven weeks until we leave for China. I have lots of work ahead of me this summer, but I’m happy with where I am right now and am looking forward to the challenge. I’ll take a few days of rest now, and take the time to sit down with my coaches and figure out a plan for the summer.

I’d also like to say congratulations to the whole Canadian Team that was in Europe with me. Everyone there had some great races, and the attitude of the whole team was very positive throughout. We came home with 6 medals from Duisburg, 3 gold and 3 bronze, which is a positive sign heading into the Olympics.

That’s all for now, thanks for reading, keep your paddle in the water.

Hello readers,

Well, the first World Cup of the year is over with some mixed feelings. Racing wise I didn’t feel quite on my game, but I still managed to qualify for the Olympics in the C1 500m. In the 1000, I finished 4^th and had an ok race, but my strategy wasn’t what it should have been. I eased up to much in the middle too much and couldn’t quite catch up at the end. Congratulations to Tom who took the bronze medal, beaten only by two very strong competitors from Hungary and Germany who will be among the guys favored to win in Beijing. Tom and I will now both be racing this weekend at the second World Cup in Duisburg, Germany, and whoever is fastest there will be given the entry.

In the 500m final I was 4^th again, behind a Hungarian and two Germans this time. It was a really windy day and not in my favor, and I can’t honestly say that I had a good race, even though it qualified me for the Olympic Games. I pushed hard all the way, but I never got a good feeling technically and was much further back from the winner than I should be, not that they should be beating me at all. I know I can compete with those guys, so it was frustrating to be a bit out of touch with them. I have to remember though that it is only the first World Cup of the season and there is a lot to improve upon not only for this weekend, but especially for the big show in August. I always imagined qualifying for the Olympics being a triumphant and exciting moment, but I guess sometimes that is not the case. Don’t get me wrong, I am super excited to be going to the Olympics, it just took a while to sink in because I achieved it with a bad race that I didn’t win, or even get a medal. So that is where the mixed feelings come from. I was not at all happy with the way I raced last weekend, but I am very happy to finally stamp my ticket to Beijing.

Many of my other team mates also stamped their tickets last weekend. In fact, the only race left to decide is the one I am still racing off for, the C1 1000m. Congratulations to Emilie Fournel, Genevieve Beauchesne-Sevigny, Karen Furneaux, Kristin Gauthier, Melanie Barre, Richard Dober Jr, Andrew Willows, and of course fellow C4C members Gab and Andrew on sealing their Olympic nominations. They all had some great races and it should be a strong team headed to Beijing.

Well, that’s all for now then, I’ll try to update again soon, right now I have to get ready to race this weekend at the second World Cup in Duisburg, Germany. Oh yeah, and check out the picture of the Canadian (plus Chris "facial" Pellini) checking out the sites in Szeged.

Hello hello!

Well it is now day two of the World Cup here in Szeged, Hungary. I am in the boat bay on my computer avoiding going out into the downpour that is hammering down on us without mercy. Luckily I don't have to race this morning, but I need to get out on the water sometime this morning in preparation for this afternoon's final. Yesterday went very well for me, as I was able to win both my heats and qualify directly for the final, avoiding a tough semi-final in the rain. When I saw my 1000m heat, I knew I had a good chance to win it, so I prepared myself more like it was a semi-final than a heat. It turned out that my competitors knew I had a good chance to win it as well, and since only first place went direct, none of them pushed me during the race, content on saving their energy for the semis. So after a good start I could really reach it out and it didn't take much to stay ahead. My time reflected my effort, as I was well behind the times of the other heats, but I was happy to take advantage of the good fortune that came my way, not only saving energy by not having to go hard in the heat, but also by not having to race the semi.

My 500m was a lot harder, but I was glad to have an intense race before the finals. I finished ahead of Sebastien Brendl of Germany, a young, very large paddler with a lot of talent who I am sure I will be racing for years to come. I felt strong right off the start, but couldn't really see Brendl who was hiding out in lane 1, so I had to push right through the line to make sure I stayed ahead of him. It felt good but I know I still have some more to give for the final. I finished with the third fastest time and am looking forward to the final tomorrow.

First things first though, the 1000m final this afternoon is going to be intense. I will be in a middle lane beside Dittmer, Vajda, or possibly between them, not to mention that there will be a lot of other strong competition, including Tom Hall of Canada, with whom I am racing off for Canada's Olympic spot. It should be a very exciting race and I am looking forward to testing myself against the best.

Well, it is still pouring rain, but I think I'll have to bite the bullet and go out for a short spin. Keep checking back, hopefully I'll have some good news to report tonight. Thanks for reading, keep your paddle in the water.

Blogger what!

We are now officially "bloggers". While I'm not a big fan of the word, it does seem to be an easier and way to update our website, and now we can put pictures and videos right in our entries, which will be cool. It will also be easier for people to know when we update the site, or more specifically when Gab or I post, since the lefts of C4C only post every millennium or so. Morty just got a new computer though so that may change.

In other "blog" news, I am now an official Olympic blogger for Lenovo. They hooked me up with a brand new laptop and camera so I can post pictures and video entries, pretty sweet. There are tons of great athletes from around the world that are now part of the team, so ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-check it out! http://summergames.lenovo.com/

Tomorrow is the start of the first world cup here in beautiful Szeged, Hungary, and things are shaping up nicely. All the countries have now arrived and it looks like it should be a pretty competitive field. Since it is the first World Cup of the year, and the European Nations had their Olympic Qualifying two weeks ago, there are quite a few countries missing, but there are still a lot of competition, including last years World Champion in the 1000m, and the reigning Olympic Champion in the 500m. I'm really looking forward to racing again, and am feeling good on the water. The last week I have been a little tired and not super sharp on the water, but I think I can attribute that to both the time change and the peaking process, which is meant to make you sharp on race day, not the week before. Sometimes it's hard to remember that when you aren't feeling your best, but you have to trust your program and your coaches and now that you will feel good on race day. Sure enough, today's paddle was much better and I feel confident that once I start racing everything will come together. I have a chance in both distances to seal my spot on the Olympic team by beating fellow Canadian Tom Hall. I know he is paddling well right now so I will have to be at my best to do so, probably a podium performance in both races. All three Canadian C2's look really sharp this week and should also be battling for a spot on the podium as well as their own qualifying. Keep up to date with all our results at the following link:

http://results.mkksz.hu/en/cikk/fooldal

Also, there is a cool video in the Toronto Star by Randy Starkman, as well as a nice article.

http://www.thestar.com/article/435191

All right, that's all for now, I'll try to post during the regatta to let everyone know how things are going. That's all for now, thanks for reading, keep your paddle in the water.

Also, check out this video of me and Em training.