Greetings and salutations,

Well this week has been a good week for training here in Ottawa, despite less than ideal weather. A warm spell with some rain was followed by some of the coldest temperatures of the year, meaning that skiing was either too wet or too cold for me. That meant more time in the pool, including a swim test on Tuesday. Our National Team Coach Tamas Buday came up for a few days and helped us with our time controls. They went fairly well, and although I didn't throw down a personal best, I was happy with the effort. We are also on a new weights cycle, which means lots of sore muscles from some new, very challenging weights. I've also been playing some hockey, inspired by my trip to Edmonton, and by the upcoming Paddlers vs. Physiotherapists Annual Showdown. We lost with one second left in overtime last year, and I don't intend to let it happen again.

Other than that, I've been busy with school, and have been enjoying the winter season. While I obviously enjoy the summer, when I can paddle and race and don't look so sickly, I have been enjoying winter more and more over the last few years. Many of my team mates are counting the days down until Florida Spring Training, but for me, it's all about enjoying where you are, and that's what I'm doing. I'm in no rush to get to Florida, and know how valuable off season training can be.

We've also been working with our webmaster Geoff Clarke, and I'm not going to give anything away, but a new and improved canoe4canada.com will be introduced sometime soon, with lots of cool new stuff, so check back regularly! Also, our schedule is updated so you can see what we'll be up to this year, along with a cool picture from the World Championships. That's all for now, thanks for reading and keep your paddle in the water!

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)!