Hey Everybody!

Last week I had the opportunity to visit Rolling Meadows Public School in my hometown of Burlington. Two grade seven classes have "adopted" me, which means they will be following what I'm up to and learning all about the Olympic spirit and ideals. They are also doing some fundraisers for me which I really appreciate. I get to visit them a couple times a year to talk about different things and share my Olympic experience. Last week was my first one and it was a real pleasure to meet all the kids, who were a great group and patiently listened to me and had great questions as well. I'm looking forward to visiting again soon and I hope they are all getting excited for the Games in Vancouver to start soon! Also, a big thanks to Diana who helped with (more like did almost all of) my powerpoint presentation.

I know I am getting excited for the Winter Olympics to start, there are going to be a lot of amazing moments happening and a lot of Canadian heroes will be born! I'll be glued to the TV cheering on Team Canada the whole time.

On Friday I took a trip out west, not quite as far as Vancouver, but all the way to Edmonton to see an Edmonton Oilers hockey game! Good friend Adam van Koeverden took me with him to the game where he was the guest of honour, courtesy of an Oilers sponsor, Epcor. They bring in Olympic Champions every few months as a promotion, and I was lucky enough to tag along for the ride! Thanks a lot to Adam for always thinking of his friends, and of course Epcor for making it happen. We had a great night at the game, and got to meet and sit with a bunch of young paddlers from the Edmonton area. They were a great bunch of kids and I hope they continue paddling and that maybe I'll see some of them at Nationals this year! We had amazing seats right on the glass, which was pretty incredible! It felt like I was right in the game. It was really a dream come true for me, because I have been an Edmonton Oilers fan my whole life. Looking up and seeing all the Stanley Cup banners, as well as the retired numbers of Gretzky, Kurri, Messier, Coffee and Fuhr, who were all heroes of mine growing up, was something really special for me.

I'm back home now, busy in the middle of a heavy cross training load, as well as some schoolwork that I can't put off much longer! I hope everyone reading this is doing well, thanks for reading and keep your paddle in the water(if it's not frozen)!