jessicagroeneveld

Canada/Brazil Social

2012-01-28T02:18:00.001-08:00

Yesterday the Brazil team invited us to a social afternoon of watersides, fishing, and BBQ. Despite the language barriers we had a fantastic afternoon together! They cooked us an great meal on the fire pit and we were all like kids again on the watersides.
Here are some photos that the Brazil coach took.

Photos

2012-01-26T08:32:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I cant post photos on here but I can on Facebook. Here is a link to an album with Photos of the trip. Ill keep the album updated.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.367401513273921.102932.235048453175895&type=3&l=59771d572a

Brazil- We made it

2012-01-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

It was a bit of an epic journey here with a 7am departure from Calgary (that means I was at the airport at 5am), then a 9 hour layover in Chicago, then carrying boats, paddles, and luggage through the Sao Palo Airport trying to figure out where we were supposed to be, then.... walking into the heat like it was a brick wall!
But we made it.

It feels great to be back in the boat on whitewater in warm weather. By warm I mean hot. This week the highs are in the mid 30's and I think it could get hotter! It feels like this heat selfishly sucks the energy from your muscles, and bones. The water is not the slightest bit refreshing either; its warm, and the gym we are using has no A/C. Physically exerting ones self is daunting and in this heat is draining. We are trying to come up with ways to prevent over heating during the workouts. If anyone has suggestions feel free to e-mail me.

Essentially all that fills my days is eating, training and resting, but we have managed to find the energy to do some extracurricular like visited the bird sanctuary, went to a Brazilian BBQ and ate more food than I thought possible, I feel like I gained 5 kg in one day!

I tried to upload photos but the internet is not good enough. ill try again tomorrow.

Christmas Greeting from Team Jessica

2012-01-01T06:03:00.000-08:00

We wanted to drop you a note to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Team Jessica. It has been a very exciting year for Jessica and she, as well as we, is looking forward to her qualifying for the 2012 Olympics. Due to your overwhelming generosity we have secured funding for her 2012 campaign.

Although we are taking a bit of a breather her to see where Jessica and the team finish in 2012, our thoughts are turning toward 2016. Jessica is at the beginning of her career as a kayaker so stay tuned for further developments for 2016.

Please continue to follow Jessica on her website which she faithfully maintains. If you have any questions, thoughts or suggestions, please do not hesitate to call or contact me.

Thanks again for your unwavering support.

Best of the season to you and your families.
Bernie Papp
Chairman

2011 Reflection Photobook

2011-12-27T09:26:00.000-08:00

2011 had its ups and downs in both sport and my personal life. Here are a few photos to reflect on the year before I put it behind me and move on to 2012.

Australia- This is always my favourite training camp of the year! in 2012 I will not make it to Aus; I will be in Brazil training to Qualify Canada an Olympic spot

A HUGE shout out to my physio Susan! I would not have got through the year of training and racing without her.

London Test Event- I love London (the city and the kayak course)

Fundraiser- This was the hi-light of my year. Team Jessica is an amazing group of people who have spent there time and money to raise funds for my Olympic goals and dreams. I cant thank everyone enough for the amazing and successful May evening event!

Worlds- Although my race was disappointing, I was able to take a lot from the experience.

Halloween Red river in Charlotte, NC

Olympic Excellence Series- An amazing 2 days of motivation, and preparation for london 2012. I was able to meet athletes like myself, and legends like Mark Tewksbury.

X-country skiing. I dont get much winter because I chase the summer to kayak; but I get out on the frozen water whenever I can.

Caving in Rats Nest Cave near Canmore on my Birthday. At the bottom of the cave we all turned out our lights and my friends sang happy birthday!

Now I get to look forward to the new year! I will get train in Brazil for 2 months, and have the opportunity to qualify Canada an Olympic spot at the end of that camp. Then If we qualify a spot, I will have the chance to secure that spot for myself in Charlotte N.C. and compete at my first Olympics.

Then in the fall I will be going back to University!

I wish everyone the best in the New Year!!!!

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. ~Hal Borland

Winter Training

2011-12-22T20:08:00.000-08:00

I just finished up the annual winter (hell week) training camp in Canmore. The training camp evolves around aerobic fitness in the form of nordic skiing. I skied 102Km in the camp to finnish off this block of training. Now we will move away from endurance and focus on power.

Just before the winter camp we did fitness testing and everything looks the way it should. All my endurance is improved, so now I get to push through the lactic burn in workouts to build my power.

On my Birthday we went caving in rats nest Caves at Canmore! It was great fun!!

Here is a fun like to my favourite blog of the holidays

An Amateur Athlete’s “25 Days of Christmas”

http://www.jessicazelinka.com/?p=1317

My schedule now is to spend time with family over the holidays. Then off to Brazil in Janurary for 2 months of training!!

In The Groove

2011-12-06T08:32:00.001-08:00

It has been a whirlwind of life since my last post so I will fill you in, mostly with pictures.

The last days of training camp in Charlotte N.C. were great; I trained hard, high volume, high intensity. Not ideal preparation for the race at the end of the camp but the race was mostly for fun. Some highlights of the Camp would be the warm weather training! I love paddling on this course it is challenging and fun. Also we experienced US thanksgiving with a feast hosted by our American paddling friends, And Black Friday shopping! It was all great!!

It took a while to recoup when I got home. My Grandma (a wise, beautiful, smart, amazing woman) passed while I was on my way home. RIP Erna xoxo

(Talen loves Erna)

Now I am back in the groove of training. It is too cold in Calgary to paddle so we are in the gym, on the erg (paddling machine), and on our skis!

Here are some photos from the las few weeks.

Skiing at Canmore Nordic Centre

My New Kayak- It is staying in Charlotte N.C. until Olympic Trials so it doesn't

Get damaged on any flights.

Blister

Biggest apple ever from the Calgary Farmers Market.

*my dad got me an early b-day present (I-Phone) so I have been updating my twitter lots. Follow me at @JessGroeneveld

Olympic Excellence Series

2011-11-21T12:13:00.000-08:00

For the Past 3 days I have been in Mississauga at the Olympic Excellence series. With 8 months (249 days to be exact) remaining before the London 2012 Olympic Games, the objective of the OES was to prepare for the “Best Summer Ever!” The Canadian Olympic Committee’s goal was to provide us (the athletes) with skills and strategies that can be used to maximize performance in preparation for the games; and at the games.

I went into the weekend not knowing what to expect and came out with a enthusiastic, entertaining, beneficial experience. My favorite aspect of the weekend was the team building unity among the athletes. The atmosphere was such that we all became friends supportive of each-others journey to the games. The team at the games will be Proud, Unbreakable, WorldClass(y), Fierce, and Relentless.

Another hi-light of the OES was the athlete panels. We were able to listen to 4 winter (Alex Bilodeau, Melissa Hollingsworth, John Montgomery, Kristina Groves) and 4 summer (Alexandre Despatie, Emilie Heymans, Adam Van Koeverden, Lesley Thompson) share there Olympic experience, and wisdom.

I am leaving this weekend with many new friends and a sense of confidence that I will be prepared going into the London Olympics. Nevertheless even more motivated than ever!

Now back to Charlotte, NC for a week of training, and a thanksgiving race!

lucky days

2011-11-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Charlotte, the travel was pretty easy because I didn’t have to bring a kayak -Lucky #1- (the less I have to fly with it the less chance it has of being broken). I left my boat in Charlotte when I was here in October. The only downfall of the travel is that my clothing bag didn’t show up (so much for that little priority tag they put on it); however my paddles and gear did show up so I was able to go training-Lucky#2-!

Thankfully I have a travel visa that will cover the cost of essentials when my luggage is delayed (like toiletries and a clean outfit). So I went paddling (the water is still red-see previous post) then shopping at my favorite store “Lululemon”

I went to lululemon and got some clothes to workout in because we were going to the gym in the afternoon. Lucky #3 my bags showed up 15 min before we headed out for the gym (so I got my runners from the bag).

The daily excitement doesn't end there. We decided to run to the gym along the power line. Little did we know we would be tackling thorn bushes, jumping creeks and avoiding the neighbors lawn who has been adding additional no trespassing signs.

The day finished with a hearty salad built by my coach, and an episode of top gear (a show I have never seen but was highly entertained by)

Im in charlotte for a few days, then off to Toronto for an Olympic Series event http://portal.olympic.ca/open/L12-OES/home.aspx

Then back to charlotte for some more training followed by a race at the end of the month.

Haloween

2011-11-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

I promised photos of the red river in Charlotte this weekend so here they are.

But the river was more like fruit punch than a blood like scene.

Other than the red river my Halloween was pretty mellow. I ate too much candy, sugar crashed, then went to bed.

Im now on my way back to Calgary for 2 week of physical training at home. Then I will be back In Charlotte for a bit more whitewater training before the holidays.

Charlotte Camp 1

2011-10-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

I have been training in Charlotte for 10 days now and this afternoon was my first break. I am in Charlotte training all fall because I will have my Olympic selection here in the spring of 2012. The Last 10 days have been filled with a lot of physical work and a lot of technical work getting comfortable with the whitewater.

The hi-light of the trip so far is paddling during a concert hosted by USNWC

Photo- This is the band getting ready. The Canadian and USA National Teams were training on the whitewater for the first hour of the concert.

This weekend The whitewater centre is hosting a big Halloween party with live music and games. They will even die the river RED!! Stay tuned.

Long time

2011-10-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a long time since my last post. I have been enjoying the bust life at home in Calgary. I have been training hard preparing for todays fitness testing. And training up for our fall training in Charlotte, NC. I fly out to Charlotte at 7am tomorrow.

Last week my coach and team-mate and I went to a Grade 2 class to talk to them about kayaking. They were excited and energetic about kayaking. One boy asked "How manny toads tall are your trophies?"

And then when I was explaining what an eddy was on young boy said "EDDY, I have and uncle named Eddy!"

It was a lot of fun for the kids and me.

Break

2011-09-28T04:37:00.000-07:00

After World Championships the Slalom World of kayaking dies for about 2 weeks. Everyone takes the time to rest and reboot before getting back into training. I managed to keep myself occupied; even busy on the break. I spent most of my time outdoors soaking up the awesome weather! Some of my hi-lights were...

I cycled everywhere I could for the 2 weeks.

I went Camping at Dixon Dam and tried wake-boarding.

I did a ton of yoga at the http://www.bodhitreeyoga.ca/

And I helped out with The Sports Day In Canada, Fast&Female event.

The break is now over and Im happy to be back in the boat. I am paddling a new design (Galasport Sonic) and loving it. Hopefully the weather stays warm for a little while longer so I can paddle lots before heading to a training camp in Charlotte, NC on October 18th.

Worlds Debrief

2011-09-14T03:11:00.000-07:00

Now that I have cycled through the roller coaster of emotions after my race I am able to reflect on it with an open mind.

Most likely you have seen the results of the World Championships and noticed that it was disappointing for the entire Canadian Team. I ended up in 50th place. This is possibly my worst international result ever. For days after the race I was devastated, I had a lump in the bottom of my stomach, and slowly the implications of my poor result hit me one by one like a brick wall.

But now I am thinking much more clearly. I have met with coaches to talk about it; and I can confidently say that my result is not a direct link to my potential. I had a bad race, and as an athlete that is something I will deal with in my career. I can look back at the race and reflect. I will reflect on what changes to make in my race preparations. I will reflect on what I need to focus on this winter in my training. And I will take the race as motivation to push myself to be a better kayaker.

If I put results to the side I am happy with the experience of World Championships. This was the biggest race I have ever competed in. The atmosphere was electric. There were over 30,000 spectators, including the president of Slovakia. But im happy to be home in Canada- even if its cold ;)

Word Championships Day 2 Cancelled!

2011-09-08T05:12:00.000-07:00

Team Canada Photo

After a meeting this morning the race has been cancelled for another day. the wind is still howling here in Bratislava.

The new schedual is here http://www.canoeslalom2011.com/news/revised-schedule

And the New start schedual is here http://www.canoeslalom2011.com/results/startlist

Dont forget the Rae is still being aired on sports net the TV schedual is at http://www.sportsnet.ca/tvschedule/

Worlds Day 1 cancelled!!

2011-09-07T11:24:00.000-07:00

Anyone who was following the race today has probably heard that we had less than ideal weather for day 1 of the worlds. The wind picked up right before the K1W first runs. Initially they delayed the race for 15minutes hoping that the wind would die down, but the opposite happened. The wind started gusting and gates were flying. There was no way the athletes could compete fairly in this. All the women finished there runs frustrated with the conditions.

The Organizers then delayed the start of second runs another hour. When the time came it was still too windy and the race was cancelled. Today results are nullified and we will try again tomorrow.

My run was solid considering the situation. I was a little conservative leaving as much room as I could around the poles; but I was still dodging and ducking the flying gates. I was given 1 touch and finished in 21st place. There is definitely room for improvement; but overall I am happy with my performance and in a good mind set for tomorrows race.

Worlds are officially Open!!

2011-09-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

I just returned back to the hotel from opening ceremonies. It was a high energy atmosphere and a good show with Speeches, Music and dancing. The Hi-light of the show was Slovakia's best dance crew "the Pastels"

I am feeling good on the water, healthy and strong. This is going to be the biggest race I have ever competed in with an 2012 Olympic spot for Canada on the line. All athletes have physically peeked for this race and will bring the “A” game. I am excited to go out there and compete against 71 of the worlds best women.

The worlds web page is

http://www.canoeslalom2011.com/

Facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/canoeslalom2011

Here are the results links for Bratislava World Championships

New smartphone website:

http://www.123result.com/mobile.htm

Laptop website:

http://www.123result.com/slalomworlds.htm

Also Don't forget that The race is going to be televised on Rogers

sports net Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The schedule is at

www.sportsnet.ca

Photos from Kelly

2011-09-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

Kelly Vanderbeek (www.kellyvanderbeek.com) is here in Bratislava to cheer on her husband Dave Ford; and she has been taking some great photos.

5 days till worlds!!!!!!!

Back at it!

2011-08-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

After the break it feels great to be back in the boat! And to make things even better our physio is here and she worked her magic on me! Turns out my hips were completely out of place, one hip was 1 INCH higher. That may have been why I was having hip problems for the past month. But now I feel great.

With World Championships just over a week away we are in the tapering stage of our training. This means that we are doing less volume and more resting. I must say resting is one of the hardest things for me. I like to move; and sitting around makes me uncomfortable. To fill the void I have been watching movies and searching recipes I can cook.

Here is a nice article on the ICF (International Canoe Federation) web page about the race.

http://canoeicf.com/icf/NewsGallery/News/Road-to-London-Bratislava.html

prophylactic break

2011-08-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

prophylactic |ˌprōfəˈlaktik|adjectiveintended to prevent disease : prophylactic measures.nouna medicine or course of action used to prevent disease : I took malaria prophylactics.I didn't know what prophylactic was when the coaches told us we were taking a 4 day prophylactic break from training;so above is the definition. In the meeting at the beginning of the break were were told that this is time to rest and get healthy. The Canadian team started taking these breaks in 1999 when David Ford won the World Championships in Spain. Dave's words of wisdom to us younger paddlers were- that going into the race well rested is worth more than a few extra runs down the course. Now although the priority of this break was to rest we had to make sure we didn't sit in the (unconditioned) hotel and fester for 4 days. We came up with a few activities to do between festering/resting. day 1- fester and a movie (The Way Back)Day 2- Team potluck Brunch, swimming, Dinner in Bratislava (Best Pizza in town)Day 3- Budapest- Caving and site seeing. Day 4- Hang out in the Air Conditioned mall and fester/rest.

The best place to be on a 35degree day! (a small lake we found a 10 min walk from our hotel)

Me in the caves in Budapest. The caves were nice and cool (10degrees)

Scenic view of Budapest.

Me with the Parliament buildings in the back ground.

One week down.

2011-08-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

I cant believe we have already been training in Bratislava for a week. It feels like I just got here yesterday. Its true that time flys when you are having fun. Paddling has been just that lately... FUN! My heaven on earth is paddling a good river in sunshine everyday and I have been doing just that here in Bratislava. I am becoming quite comfortable with the water here and getting the hang of it. We logged some good whitewater hours this week and although that has left me sore and completely exhausted I loved every minute of it! Starting tomorrow the team has a mini holiday from kayaking. We are taking 4 days off the river to recover and reboot before we get into the worlds preparation.

However there is a lot of preparations going on for the race that remind me of how fast it is coming. Billboards with Slovaks top paddlers, and construction on the paths all around the course. Every day more containers get dropped off at the course. Im assuming they are for all the behind the seen stuff like timing and video. From what I gather this is going to be the biggest race I have ever been to!

There is a good Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/canoeslalom2011

And there is a good web page with lots of info. www.canoeslalom2011.com

Ill let you know how my mini vacation goes. For once I think im going to actually go be a tourist in Europe; go see some castles, cathedrals, and churches. (good thing I got my camera back :)

2011-08-19T22:37:00.001-07:00

Sportsnet Signs Three-Year Agreement with CanoeKayak Canada

– Sportsnet presents the 2011 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships featuring Olympic gold medallist Adam van Koeverden, beginning tomorrow –

TORONTO (August 18, 2011) – Rogers Sportsnet has announced a new three-year agreement with CanoeKayak Canada for exclusive broadcast rights to five key events this season, leading up to Rogers’ extensive coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games, where canoe/kayak will receive high profile.

Live coverage gets underway tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 19, with the 2011 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships from Szeged, Hungary at 10 a.m. (ET)/7 a.m. (PT) on Sportsnet East and Ontario. Coverage continues on Sportsnet ONE Saturday, Aug. 20 at 8:30 a.m. (ET)/5:30 a.m. (PT) and Sunday, Aug. 21 at 6:46 a.m. (ET)/3:46 a.m. (PT).

This is the main qualification event for London 2012, and features Oakville native Adam van Koeverden, three-time Olympic medallist and a seven-time world champion, who has qualified for the men’s K-1 1,000m final. Canadian teammate Mark Oldershaw has moved on to the men’s C-1 1,000m final, while Thomas Hall of Pointe-Claire, Quebec and Ben Russell of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia have gained a berth in the C-2 500m final. Both Hall and Russell will join Paul Bryant of Richmond Hill, Ont. and Ian Mortimer of Ottawa in the C-4 1,000m final.

In addition to the Canoe Sprint World Championships, Sportsnet has also secured the broadcast rights to the Canoe Sprint World Cup, Canoe Slalom World Championships, Canoe Slalom World Cup, and the Mazda Canoe Kayak Knockout.

Sportsnet’s full broadcast schedule for the 2011 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships and 2011 Canoe Slalom World Championships is as follows:

*NOTE – broadcast schedules for the remaining three events will be announced in the coming weeks
2011 Canoe Sprint World Championships (Szeged, Hungary)

DAY
DATE
Live (ET)
East (ET)
Ontario (ET)
West (MT)
Pacific (PT)
One (ET)

Friday
19-Aug-11
10:00AM
10:00AM LIVE
10:00AM LIVE
5:00PM (replay)
4:00PM (replay)
9:00PM (replay)

Friday
19-Aug-11

7:00PM (replay)

Saturday
20-Aug-11
9:00AM
3:00PM (replay)
3:00PM (replay)
1:00PM (replay)
12:00PM (replay)
9:00AM

Sunday
21-Aug-11
7:00AM
2:00AM (replay)
2:00PM (replay)
11:00PM (replay)
5:00PM (replay)
7:00 AM (LIVE)

Sunday
21-Aug-11
9:00PM (replay)

2011 Canoe Slalom World Championships (Bratislava-Slovakia)

DAY
DATE
Live (ET)
East (ET)
Ontario (ET)
West (MT)
Pacific (PT)
One (ET)

Saturday
10-Sep-11
6:00AM

Monday
12-Sep-11
Replay
3PM
3PM
3PM
3:30PM

Sunday
11-Sep-11
6:00AM

Monday
12-Sep-11
Replay
4PM
4PM
4PM
4:30PM

For all the highlights, breaking news and inside stories, tune in to Sportsnet Connected and visit www.sportsnet.ca

Rogers Sportsnet contacts:

Adam Auckbaraullee, Communications Officer
adam.auckbaraullee@sportsnet.rogers.com<adam.auckbaraullee@sportsnet.rogers.com>
416-764-6368

Dave Rashford, Director of Communications and On-Air Promotions
dave.rashford@sportsnet.rogers.com <dave.rashford@sportsnet.rogers.com>
416 -764-6361

Social Media Links:
Twitter: @RogersSportsnet
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/RogersSportsnet

Fast & Female

2011-08-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

Fast & Female

I am excited to be a part of the Fast and female organization. I have been aware of the organization and admired it for many years. It was my physiotherapist Susan Massitti who recommended I become an ambassador.

The Fast and Female program is about the empowerment of young women through sport; and keeping young women healthy and active. It was founded in 2005 by Chandra

Crawford, who we all know as the Olympic Gold medalist from Torino in 2006.

check out there page www.fastandfemale.com.

World Cup Final

2011-08-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

The World cups for 2011 are over. This weekend I raced the Last one in Prague; and it was the tightest race I think I have ever competed in. I ended up 38th. My first run was technically good; I did all the moves well. The problem was that it was a little too slow. I was consistently a second or 2 down on the splits. What does this mean? It means I could use some more strength to go that few seconds faster.

On my second run I tried to pull harder and go faster; and in doing that I made one major technical mistake, and had 3 touches.

Even if my result didn't match up with my goals I am happy and motivated going into World Championships. I have things to focus on in training on for the next couple weeks leading up to the race and I am feeling healthy- (For the most part). Im still struggling a bit with my hip and some tight muscles; but it is not affecting my training too much.

And in more good news I got my camera back. I lost it at the course in London and one of the British spectators brought it to Prague for me :)

Prague

2011-08-10T03:09:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since my last update. I feel like all im doing is eating sleeping and training.

After London the 3 kayak women on the team went for 3 days of training in Bratislava. We got a feel for the course and a good base to start worlds training. Now Im in Prague preparing for the Words Cup Final. I think this will be the biggest world cup, possible the biggest international race. The web page for this race is http://www.slalomtroja.cz And the Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/2011-ICF-Canoe-Slalom-World-Cup-Prague/171740666223816?sk=info

For excitement we got together with a bunch of other women last night and went for a ladies dinner. There we about 20 women from Australia, Canada, UK, Czech, Slovakia, Ireland, and Austria. We went for a Mexican dinner in Prague. :)

In some not very good news my Camera and sunglasses have gone missing. I Honestly can not say if they were stolen or If I lost them but im mostly bummed out at not having a camera. There have been so many moments where I wanted to take a picture. Like Last night when we were walking to dinner there was a triple rainbow over this beautiful old church in the city. It was the best rainbow I have ever seen!

Hopefully I can get photos from my team mates to share with you over the next Month.

London

2011-07-31T04:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took a day to go into London and tour around a bit. Here are a few photos of the day.

Portobello Market In Notting Hill, London.

The periodic Table of M&M's YUMMMMM

Yes it was 4 floors of M&M's ....... Unreal!
London Classic. (the inside smelt like urine. Yuck:(
Good News , Double doubles are available here.

To end the evening we saw the musical Priscilla... Hilarious!

Elimination Round

2011-07-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

Today was the elimination rounds of the London test event. The cut was top 21 paddlers (not countries like in the Olympics); and i didn't squeeze in. I was 28th. I lost time getting bounced around by the powerful whitewater. Maybe its Time to try to gain a little mass.

Even though I didn't make it through I am happy with my time in London. The course here is awesome and I had a fantastic time training here. It is my first time in the United Kingdom and with the next few days off Im going to go see some of the sites.

Next stop- 3 days of training in Bratislava before heading to Prague for the World cup Final

London

2011-07-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

For the past week I have been training in London on the New Olympic course. The new course is difficult, and physically demanding; yet at the same time it is a ton of fun. It is full of waves and whitewater features which means you never get a break when paddling, and you always have to be ready for whats coming next. The course is also chlorinated so it is like a giant recirculating swimming pool.

We will race on the course this weekend as part of the “London Prepares Series”. Yesterday marked 1 year until the London Olympics, and there will be multiple test events going on throughout the city over the next year to make sure everything will run smoothly for the Games. The Slalom Kayaking event is being run with the same quotas as the Olympics. This means that only 21 women are going to get to race the event; but everyone will race a qualifier (thursday/friday) to decide who the lucky 21 are. I race my qualifier on friday and I hope I can make that top 21 because I love paddling on this course so much!!

I don’t know if there are live results or a web page for the race but here is a web page for the series. http://www.londonpreparesseries.com/

As for this photo I have no idea what it means but the first thing that came to my mind was the equivalent of cow tipping

10 days home

2011-07-21T16:18:00.000-07:00

10 days and 4 pancake breakfasts later and Im back in the airport waiting to board my flight to London.

You gotta love the stampede days in Calgary. Every day there were over 10 free pancake breakfasts to attend!! in my days at home I didn't actually make it to the stampede grounds but the city was buzzing and the atmosphere was electric. I watched the Fire works show one night and met my mom and Bryan downtown one evening.

When I wasn't soaking up the city I was still in my training regime, I spend 3 beautiful days kayaking at the Kananaskis, and paddled in Calgary, hit the gym, and did a lot of running. I got to catch up with family and friends at multiple outdoor BBq's. I am feeling refreshed going back to europe and ready to take on London.

World Cup 3

2011-07-12T04:16:00.000-07:00

The third World cup was held on a course in Markkleeberg, Germany which is about 200Km south of Berlin. The course is still fairly new; it was built in 2007. The whitewater is a lot of fun to paddle; I had a fantastic time training there the week leading up to the race.

The race schedule was strange; the Men, C1, and C1W classes did all there racing friday and Saturday before the Women and C2 even started racing. This meant I had all day Friday and until 4:30 on Saturday to do nothing. It was hard to balance staying rested, preparing for the race, and not going crazy sitting in the Hotel for those 2 days.

When I finally got to race I felt like I had a good plan to tackle the very technical set course. I made a couple minor mistakes in my first run that cost a lot of time, and in my second run I was careful to not make mistakes. I was focused on being good technically. Unfortunately I put too much focus into the technique and was too slow to make the cut to semi-finals.

I am now headed home with some key points in my training to work on. I am home for 10 days and will do a short training block before heading back to Europe for the London Test Event, World Cup 4 in Prague, and World Championships in Bratislava.

World Cup 2

2011-07-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

The Second World cup was in France. We were up in the alps in a skiing village with the course running just on the outskirts of L’Argentiare. Refreshing mountain water in the river and the alps all around us make for a beautiful site. I wish I had a camera to capture some of this beauty to share with you. Our accommodation was at the base of a ski hill. The chair lift is 100m away and I would sit on my deck overlooking the tow rope and one of the runs. I imagine this place is quite busy during the winter.

The river is a natural river. Kind of a mix of 2 Canadian rivers - The Kananaskis, and the Chilliwack rivers. The course for the race was long and open. With the river being relatively easy the field was quite tight. It was hard to make it through any stages with touches. I made it past qualifiers in 28th place. Then In the semi final I ended up 20th. My semi-final run was good I just lost small amounts of time in many places.

The web page for the race is http://www.largentierecanoe2011.com/fr/

Now after an epic drive we are in Germany-the site of the third world cup. This is my first time to this course in Germany. There is usually a world cup at the river in Augsburg, but this year we are further North in Markleberg. I paddled on the Markleberg course for the first time this morning and it is a lot of fun. I am excited to paddle here for the next few days and race on the weekend!

the web page for this race is. http://www.slalomworldcup.com/

World Cup 1

2011-07-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

First off sorry this post has taken so long. I have not been able to connect to the internet on my computer for the past 8 days!

If anyone has seen the results from The First World cup in Tacen, Slovenia they don’t look very good. I did not make the cut from Qualifier to Semi-finals and it is all because I could not do one gate- GATE #3!! However my male team mates had good results in Tacen. Paul Manning-Hunter and David Ford both raced in the semi-finals, and John Hastings raced in the finals. Johns final result was 7th!! He paddled very well and it was great to see all his hard work reflect well in a big race.

So what happened to me exactly?? well ill explain it the best I can.

I am writing this after the race so I have had time to reflect on the race. I am not too disappointed though; because I was paddling well in the race. It was just that difficult gate 3. It was a move on the back of one of the main waves requiring perfect timing, edging, speed, strokes, and maybe a little bit of luck. This move caused difficulties for a lot of racers. I don’t think I saw any women do it well on both of there runs; but with the new rules where only 1 run counts we only have to be good on one run to advance past qualifiers. Unfortunately I was not able to do this move well on either of my runs.

On my first run I cut the line a bit too short which meant I had a lot of speed in the wrong direction and I did not get back to gate 4 in time, resulting in a 50 second penalty. On my second run I did not want to cut the line as much because it did not work out in the first run, but by doing this I got stuck in the wave. Long story short it took me a few attempts to get gate 3 resulting in some serious time (like a good 30 seconds). Like I said with the exception of gate 3 my runs were quite good; so I cant be to disappointed. I have learned from this race and moved on.

World Cup 1 info

2011-06-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow is the first World Cup of 2011. We have watched the demonstration runs, and the course looks good, it has a few technical moves, and a few power moves to make it difficult but it should be fun. Tonight it is supposed to thunderstorm, and rain all day tomorrow; and with The Soca river being notorious for fluctuating water levels the organizing committee told us to be flexible, and they will change the course half way through the day tomorrow if needed. Hopefully all runs smoothly.

Live results can be watched at

123result.com (I think if it is somewhere else I will let you know)

And Saturday and Sunday there will be a Live Video Feed at

http://video.digotel.com/eurovisionbest/icf/index.html

And the official web page for the event is

http://www.sloka.si/eng

I have mixed results from this course over the years, I am prepared for this race and hope all goes well.

World Cups.

2011-06-20T05:13:00.001-07:00

After a marathon of a flight schedule I am back in Europe. The Land of the rough and colourful toilet paper. The toilet paper here is no Charmin ultra soft; it is more the consistency of the brown paper towel you dry your hands with- But it comes in pink, yellow, blue, orange and green. I enjoyed my 10 days at home with soft TP.

Ok enough about toilet paper. I am back in Tacen, Slovenia where we will race the first world cup. The river is currently flooded due to a torrential rain fall a couple days ago. We are still able to train on it; but the water is a bit wild and unpredictable. We are hoping it will stay sunny and the volume of water in the river will go down to a rood race level.

The Web page for the race is http://www.sloka.si/eng/

2011 National Team Selections

2011-06-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

Trials 2011

It was a long tiring successful weekend of racing. There were 4 races of one run each. To choose the National Team your best 3 races were considered, and your % off the winner was calculated to determine placing.

I won the first race of the weekend which gave me a confidence boost. In the second race a touch kept me from winning, but I placed 2nd and I came back to win the 3rd race. After the 3rd race I had secured my first place on the National Team.

My team mates Paul Manning-Hunter (K1M), and Haley Daniels (C1W) made the National team to race all the world cups and worlds; and the Purcell brothers made the Worlds team in the C2 class. We also have a new woman on the team, Thea Frolich who had a very consistent weekend of racing to secure her spot on the National Team.

The team is

K1M

David Ford
Paul Manning-Hunter
John Hastings

K1W

Jessica Groeneveld
Thea Froehlich
Sarah Boudens

C1M

Cam Smedley
Julian Potvin-Bernal

C1W

Alexandra Mcgee
Haley Daniels
Sindey Audet

Cutts Brothers
Purcell Brothers

Now it is off the Europe for a busy race season. We race the World cups, then a Test Event in London and wrapping up the season with World Championships in Mid September.

One More day

2011-06-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

The training in Valleyfield has been going well. We have been here for a week now and tomorrow will be our last training session before the race. Everyone is anxious to race because it is a heavily weighted race. The rest of our season depends on this race. If you make team you go to the 4 world cups, the London test event, and World Championships. If you don't make team you don't get to go to any of those races.

We have 3 spots for the woman's team, and who will occupy those three spots will be decided on Sunday. I have won the Last 2 National Team Trials, but Im not taking this with ease. The other women are looking awesome on the water and it is going to be a good race for the team!

Wish me luck!

Quebec

2011-06-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

National Team Selection was moved last minute to Valleyfield, Quebec due to flooding in Northern Quebec. Luckily the only reservations we had to change was the hotel booking. The course in Valleyfield is good. The top section is fast with good eddy's, and waves, then there is a flat section in the middle where you have to work hard, then there are some more good waves just before the finnish. The course has a little bit of everything.

This trip started out rough for me when I left my phone at the Calgary Airport. We traced it down at the lost and found, so another paddler coming later is going to bring it for me. I forgot a few items in the packing process as well. It seems like nail clippers, a towel, and water bottle are items that always get left behind.

Our accommodations don't have internet so im writing this in the McDonalds by the course. Sorry to anyone who has tried to contact me the past couple days, No cell phone, and no internet mean im cut off from the world. I will try to hit up the McDonalds as frequently as possible to check e-mails and update the blog with the latest news.

SCOTT Subaru Presents Jessica Groeneveld

2011-05-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

Last nights fundraiser was a huge success, and a lot of fun. I cant express how much I appreciate the whole shebang!

Team Jessica was formed a little over a year ago, and the goal is to raise money for me to pursue my passion for kayaking and achieve my Olympic goals and dreams. Last night was the first fundraiser Team Jessica put together and it was a knock out success.

I have the send out a huge thank-you to Scott Subaru who was the title sponsor of the evening.

All the table sponsors

Gold sponsors

-RBC Dominion Securities

- Mooney/Rogers Insurance

- Sign-A-Rama/Reaction Marketing (reaction marketing also did an amazing job on my web page)

- George's Farm Center Ltd.

- Danny Groeneveld

Silver Sponsors

- Red Flame

- Sig Brouwer

- The Pipe Yard

- River City Developments LTD

- Outlaw Eagle Manufacturing

- Red Deer Advocate

Bronze Sponsors

- Armour Production Testing

- Studon Electric and Controls Inc.

- Phone Experts

- McLevin Industries

- Looker Office Equipment

- Bemoco Land Surveying

- Sim alta Maines

- Sports Therapy Center/PFC

- City Of Red Deer

- Kennedy Wealth Management Group

- MLA Benefits Inc.

- RBC Dominion Securies

- Kent Dorland Enterprises Ltd,

- Amaritech Electric and Controls

- Property Solutions

- Red Deer RV

- Red Deer Motors

- Sulley Chapman Beattie, LLP

- Bill Hull

- Soverein General Insurance

- Mitchell and Jewell

- Fred Zouboules

- Jamie Wilson

Thank-you for all the phenomenal silent auction items!

(a signed #33 Henrik Sedin Jersey)

Thank-you to Adrian Cole for an amazing video and photos for the evening.

and thank-you to Deidra Dionne for coming all the way from Ottawa to share her story!

The evening was amazing I hope everyone who attended enjoyed themselves, and everyone who was not able to make it will be able to next time.

Tacen Qualifiers

2011-05-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

Well today was an exciting day of racing for me. My first run particularly.

The first move on the course is a big drop. I got a little off line and hit the middle of a giant hole at the bottom of the drop sideways. The force of the water against me popped the side off my spray deck and I could feel water rushing into my boat. When I got out of the hole I put my spray deck back on and finished the race with 3 inches of water in my boat. Needless to say I was not very fast with the extra weight. It was like I was doing a resistance workout.

After that fiasco I had to step it up in my second run. Without the water I felt light as a feather and had a solid run. I made one mistake that cost me some time, and I was given 2 touches. I am positive I only had one touch, but even with the extra touch I made it to tomorrows semi-finals.

Tomorrow morning is the semi-finals race, and the afternoon is the finals. You can watch live results, and find final results at http://www.timing-mojstrana.com/

Tacen

2011-05-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

We finished up the training camp in Bratislava on tuesday afternoon. Im so happy that we went there for some training this spring, there were not very manny paddlers in Bratislava training last week because there was a race in Northern Slovakia. That meant that the river was all ours. We got a good week of training, figured out some of the techniques to the course, and became comfortable with the water.

On Wednesday morning we piled in the care and drove to Ljubljana, Slovenia. We only get one training session/day here which means 3 sessions before the race. But this is the course we raced on at worlds last year so we spent a lot of time here last year and the course is still pretty fresh in our minds. We wait and see the course they set.

On monday I fly home, and ill be home for a week before I fly to Quebec for our National Team Selection.

Europe

2011-05-14T10:38:00.001-07:00

I am sorry that an update has taken so long, but the blog was not working until today. I don't know what was wrong because everything was written in the Slovakian Language. But now I am able to update, and everything is great.

I flew to Europe on Tuesday. We are in Bratislava training and I'm so happy to be here. I used to be afraid of the water here because it is big and fast; but now I find it fun! It is very challenging and there is a lot to learn about the river before worlds but Im looking forward to spending more time here. Like I said the water is big and fast so I need to be precise while still being powerful. Any small mistakes here have big consequences; therefore the mistakes are more noticeable. It is good though because is gives me technical odds and ends to work on that will improve my skills as a paddler overall.

We are living at a hotel right beside the course. In the morning we eat breakfast, then get dressed in kayak gear, walk out the door and get on the water. It is all very convenient.

We will stay here in Bratislava until wednesday, then we will drive to Tacen, Slovenia for a race. Then home on May 23.

Here is a video of the top section of the course (the easier 1/2). the bottom half of the course has a difficult drop. Ill try to post some video of that in the next couple days.

2011-05-02T12:21:00.001-07:00

The penguin race was (as always) heaps of fun and a big success! The weather was sunny all day, and once the race was over we had a feast of unreal food.

I made cupcakes with little penguins on top.

The prizes were awesome and penguin themed. I took home some toppers for my keys, and a beautifully painted bottle of wine. The bottle has penguins kayaking down the river pained on it.

I look forward to next year.

For now I will train in Calgary until May 10th. On the 10th Ill jet over to Bratislava, and Tacen for some spring training and racing.

2011-04-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

Hello Paddlers and Supporters!

The first fun event of the season is upon us. The famous Penguin Race is next weekend in Calgary on a side channel of the Bow River. Come on out and aim to win the race, practice your paddling skills, or dress up with the best Penguin costume. Be the one to spoil Paul and Marrisa's hattricks of fastest paddler and best costume respectively!

Please click on the link below to register for the 3rd Annual Penguin Race on Saturday April 30th at Deerfoot Meadow Calgary. Hosted by Watwerks Kayak Club.

https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=1934

Paddlers of all level, parents, friends and spectators welcome. If you want to donate food or help out with the event please contact Emil at events@waterwerks.ca.

If you just want to come and check it out, here's a link to the google Map location. The channel is straight south of Lexus. Parking lot is just downstream of the Glenmore Bridge where the green arrow is.

See you all next weekend!

PS. Im Making cupcakes :) and maybe more tasty treats.

2011-04-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

I am coming home from my training/racing in Charlotte with some mixed feelings. I did not race well this weekend. I know that all athletes simply go through some bad performances but I am frustrated with it and picking apart the weekend to help myself understand why I did not perform to my potential.

It could be because this race had no weight for us (Canadians)- it didn't mean anything in terms of national/international ranking, or funding. In retrospect I had nothing to loose or gain by racing poorly or great. Due to this I may have been less focused, or maybe I was taking bigger risks in the race that I wouldn't do at an important event.

Regardless... Im going to completely contradict my previous statement in saying that I actually think I gained a lot. I am not leaving with a win in the race but Im leaving this training camp with a wealth of new knowledge and experience.

First of all I got to train on a great white water course in warm weather for 2 weeks (I was told that I am coming home to snow so it will be a bit before I get to paddle on the river again). For me that is living the dream!

Second I have a good database of ways to improve my paddling- mentally, technically, and physically.

Last I gained a lot of motivation. Motivation to train hard and not race like this again.

When I get home I will have 3 weeks of hard training, with a physical focus, then off to europe to start preparation for the busy race season ahead.

USA National Team Trials

2011-04-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

American National Team Selections starts tomorrow. The Americans are all peaking for the race; therefore it will fist class racing from them. Most of the Canadian team is here to take advantage of this opportunity to get a good race in before our own selections.

Information about the race can be found at http://usack.org/news/2011/04/13/slalom-s-elite-take-part-in-usa-canoe-kayak-national-team-trials/41834

and live results are available at http://animastiming.com/

Charlotte

2011-04-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

I arrived to Charlotte, NC with all my luggage in one piece!! YAY!! The National Team Coach picked me up at the airport and we went straight to the course for our first session.

That is the life, fly to a warm place get off the plane and go paddling! It doesn't get any better!

It has been over a year since I have paddled on the course here in Charlotte. I forgot how powerful the water is, and I forgot how fun it is. And Im sure after a few sessions I will be reminded of how frustrating and difficult it is.

View of the Whitewater Centre in Charlotte

As for my shoulders.. They are feeling much better but I am going to train with Caution!! The powerful whitewater in Charlotte can take a toll on your body so I must be diligent about keeping it in top shape.

Here is a clip from the 2010 Charlotte Open race!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AVTwifaMp8

2011-03-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

Since My return from Australia we have been training hard! It has been to cold to be on the water doing technique, so that means all our workouts are physical. We have done a lot of interval training on the paddling machine, and a lot of strength work in the gym.

Spring is trying really hard to come, and gives up spastic days of warm weather that we can capitalize. You can find us on the water any day the temperature is O or warmer.

Yesterday on the Bow river we spent the day dodging ice bergs.... or trying to get on top of them.

Ice Berg eddy- too bad its only temporary.

When Im not training I have been engaging in some extracurricular activities.

Skiing @ Castle Mountain

Indian Food Feast. A bunch of our friends got together and we cooked indian food from scratch! It took 3 hours to make the dishes, but it was fun, and some of the best food I have ever eaten. When we were done cooking we turned off all electricity for Earth Hour and ate our feast by candle light!

Everyone cooking

Unfortunately the high volume of physical training has taken a bit of a toll on my body and I am working through some shoulder pain. The good news is that I have a rock star physiotherapist and we are getting everything under control before I depart to Charlotte on Monday.

My shoulder taped into position

Help Japan

2011-03-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

My heart goes out to the People in Japan!

As the story in Japan continues to develop we are seeing how catastrophic the situation is. It is hard for me (or anyone here safe in Canada) to even conceptualize the tragedy! The tragedy associated with the worlds most powerful recorded earthquake that triggered a tsunami leaving a succession of (what seems like endless) destruction.

Part of the houses swallowed by tsunami burn in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.

Buildings swept by a tsunami following an earthquake are seen in Miyagi

A ship tossed up onto city streets by a tsunami after an earthquake is pictured in Kesennuma City,

People use a floating container to escape from floodwaters after a tsunami and earthquake in Kesennuma City.

(From yahoo.com photo gallery)

The effects of these disasters have moved Japanese people from their homes and loved ones. Now literally countless are missing, fires have spread, buildings in ruin, towns wiped out and over millions left to cope in the cold weather without water and electricity.

photo of rescuers battling the snow (from mirror.co.uk)

On top of this Nightmare Japan is now dealing with a nuclear crisis. The Power outages resulting from the earthquake - including at the Daiichi plant, (which comprises six separate reactors) caused a failure of the reactors' cooling systems, which are needed to keep the nuclear fuel from overheating and melting down and/or triggering an explosion, releasing poisonous radiation into the atmosphere.

The Japanese Prime Minister has said “The earthquake, tsunami and nuclear incident have been the biggest crisis Japan has encountered in 65 years since the end of World War Two.”

Im not an expert in the economics of the system, or directly how the entire situation affects us (Canadians); But who cares! regardless we need to help!

If you are worried about charity scams associated with donating money to Japan CBC has a list of legitimate organizations to donate to. http://www.cbc.ca/japanrelief/

Or if you don't have a much cash sitting around to donate there are alternate ways to help. If you are familiar with Aerolpan then you probably have a card and collect miles through them every time you fly with a Star Alliance Member. Aeroplan has joined forces with the Canadian Red Cross and you can donate miles that will be used to support rescue operations.

http://www1.aeroplan.com/whats_new/news_articles.do?dl=WhatsNew_ban3964_2011_03_15&currentLanguage=en&sa_campaign=home_page/hero/pos_1/ban3964_en

2011-03-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

I am home from Australia with a good tan, and some great memories. The last few days of training were gruelling. We were exhausted and looking forward to a short holiday in the City.

My team mate from Ottawa -Kathleen Taylor- and I extended our trip a couple extra days to soak up the city of Sydney. We hit the local tourist attractions and the beach. It was the perfect end to a great trip down under!!

(Bondi Beach)

(the Famous Opera House and Harbour Bridge View From the Botanical Gardens)

(the entrance of the Botanical Gardens in Sydney)

Fun Day

2011-02-26T17:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a day filled with fun! In the morning we went up into the Majestic Blue Mountains for a hike. We hiked down, down, down, to Wentworth waterfalls. We went for a little swim, and took some photos then hiked out. It was up enough stairs mo make my legs sore today; but well worth the views! (photos below)

(Kathleen and I at the base of the falls)

(yoga on the ledge)

(View from the bottom)

(View from the top)

In the afternoon I jumped in a C1 and had a blast. I was able to play with the edges and waves and just have some fun. My coach jumped on the water and paddled with me.

I only have one more week to spend in Australia before coming home. I am happy to come home to see my family and friends, sleep in my bed, and cook in my kitchen; But Im sad to leave the warm weather and Awesome slalom paddling here in Australia!

Banana Prices are bananas

2011-02-24T17:40:00.000-08:00

The official Canoe/kayak Canada training camp has come to an end. It was a fabulous 3 weeks of technical, warm weather, whitewater training and racing!! There are a few of us that have stayed to train for another week. We are keen athletes for staying in Australia to squeeze in an extra week of training, or just big wimps for not wanting to go back to Calgary for -27 weather :/ I say we are just smart.

Fortunately our Alberta Coach has stayed longer to coach the Alberta athletes for the next few days. The plan is to do a high volume training week and tire ourselves out before returning to the canadian winter land.

When we are not training we are usually eating, but it boggles my mind how expensive food is here in Australia. My hobby of baking has been rare the past few weeks. The prices on produce fluctuates everyday; it is hit or miss if you get a good deal. For example... Since the cyclones in Northern Australia a couple weeks ago banana prices were pushing $7/kg. Fortunately for us something completely turned the tables and the price dropped to $0.99/kg yesterday. Maybe there was no market for overpriced bananas. Needless to say we stocked up on the bananas ( $0.99 bananas were the highlight of my day yesterday :) I have one thing on my mind... baking banana bread?? yum).

2011-02-19T19:18:00.000-08:00

The AUS open was exciting beginning to the race season! First off the weather was hot!! the energy of the weekend was awesome, and an extensive competitive field made for a great weekend.

I was paddling well the days leading up to the race, and kept that momentum through the race. I passed through the qualifiers in 17th position - 17th was my final result last year. In the Semi- Final I raced a respectable run moving up in the final ranking to 14th. This is my best result at a major international event :) And I feel I can improve on that. I Lost easy time in a few sections on the course, but I also had some really awesome sections with splits competitive with the top women. This goes to show that we are doing some good off season training, and Im always improving.

Now that the race is over we will jump right back into hard training. I will train another 2 weeks on the course here, take a few days rest to sit on the beach, then come home for a few weeks of training in Calgary.

Qualifiers

2011-02-18T00:28:00.000-08:00

Today was the qualifiers of the first big international race of the year! The course was pretty open and flowing but full of tricky combinations. You can watch a demo runs on the course at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMXPtLaMdY8

My first run was strong and clean until gate 13 where I used too much edge and hit the gate. I was given a 50 second penalty on this gate and after protesting, another angle of video showed that when I hit the gate it went the wrong way around my head. Other than Gate 13 my first run was strong, and solid. I went into second runs confident I would do well.

And second runs were better. I put down a solid run with one touch. There is still room for improvement, but my result was 17th position; good enough to race semi-finals tomorrow.

I am really happy with the way Im paddling, and Im happy with todays race. I hope to cary this on to tomorrows race.

I race at 8:46 (AUS Time) 2:26 (Alberta Time) You can watch live results at http://www.123result.com/live.aspx?user=penrith&season=cs_2011&eventid=AUSOPEN2011

2011-02-15T19:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some more photos from my friend Adrian Cole! Thanks Bud!

(look mom no eyes)

Manny come to Aus to surf- I surf on the river in my kayak.

(RRRRROTATE)

(And I just like this birds eye view photo)

On the training front, things are going well. I am feeling good on the water, and loving training more than ever! And I am excited to race this weekend!

2011-02-13T13:35:00.000-08:00

The Australia Training Camp continues to be a productive, fun filled event. The past 2 weeks of training have been full force with 2-3 sessions per day. I am feeling comfortable and confident on the water. The next week (leading up to the race) will be less volume, and more race preparation; and we don't train at 6:30 in the morning at all this week!

Yesterday we had our first full day off of training; unfortunately the weather was dreadful which meant the beach was not an option. We ended up sleeping in, then taking the train into Sydney after lunch. We walked around and had dinner in Darling harbour before taking the train home.

My Friend Adrian has been taking great photos throughout the trip (here are a couple)

In the Pit of Main wave

a 6:30 am sunrise training session

Dinner in Darling harbour on our day off.

The race is this upcoming weekend and there are more than 200 entries in the race. It will be a awesome weekend of racing. All information about the race including links to live results can be found at http://ausopen.canoe.org.au/

one week down, 4 left :)

2011-02-08T18:27:00.000-08:00

We have wrapped up the first week in Australia.

Other than some changes to the course everything here is just as I remember it. Good weather, hard training, and good friends.

One memory I noticed today was the australians that work out in the gym in flipflop sandals, way too short shorts, and tight colourful t-shirts. But hey maybe I look funny in all my lulu lemon and running shoes too.

This past weekend I participated in a local club race here in Penrith. The race had limited entries so it was kept quite small; nonetheless there was still a great deal of respectable competition. In the women's class I was joined by many top international ranked paddlers, among them were the 2 former World champions; Corinna Kuhnle (2010 World Champion) and Jasmin Schornberg (2009 World Champion). I only paddled on the course a few times before the race, therefore given the circumstances I am happy with my performance. I placed 6th on both days of paddling giving my a boost of confidence to perform at the Australian Open in 2 weeks. The Australian Open will be a heavily attended competition; and a good benchmark for how effective winter training has been.

http://ausopen.canoe.org.au/

We have been on the water 2x a day which is awesome but leaves me pretty tired

To keep my body in tip top form throughout the camp I have been diligent with my physio exercises.

Today is our first afternoon off, and we are taking it easy. We will hang out, and rest our bodies, then tonight we have a sushi making dinner party with some foreign friends. We will be joined by New Zealand, Cook Islands, German, Thai, and Swiss paddlers for the sushi Feast.

Interview

2011-02-04T21:04:00.000-08:00

I did an interview with teammate and friend Marissa Tiel. Check out her web page and the article.

http://marissatiel.com/?p=181

Heat Wave

2011-02-04T01:19:00.000-08:00

Im not sure how much of this news has hit north America, but Australia is being slammed with a record breaking heat wave! Im talking about multiple days of +40 (or hotter).

This weather means we have to be careful with training. Being on the water in the blazing sun is a recipe for a sunburn, so good waterproof sunscreen is as important as my lifejacket and helmet. Working out in the heat is also a recipe for dehydration so a steady intake of water is important. I recently learned that our body cant absorb more than 500 ml of water/hour so that it the rate I am drinking water at.

Being back to training on the whitewater has come with constant case of aching muscles, sore joints, and exhaustion. Except when I'm actually doing the training; then it all goes away. Its funny, ill notice my aches and pains on the way to training but once I'm focused in the session I no longer notice them. But then once the session is over and Im cooling down they come back. I would say thats a good sign that I'm focused and enjoying training enough to be fully engaged and focused on the training itself. With the intensity of training in this camp recovery is exceptionally important. I am doing everything I can to ensure I stay in tip top shape for the entire camp. This means eating properly, physio exercises, good warmups and cooldowns, and a good nights sleep.

We will race a local race this weekend then pound out another 2 weeks of hard training before the Australian Open race, then another week of training afterwards.

P.S. Check out this interview with Team Mate David Ford

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipGHSxJiLQg

Down Under

2011-02-01T13:54:00.000-08:00

I made it to Australia with ease. I got my boat on the plane in Calgary and it made it to Australia without being broken!

The flight itself was long. From Calgary to Vancouver it was clear skye so I had a view of the mountains the entire way. Then Vancouver to Sydney was just long. The food was.... well airplane food. The kind you don't like to think about what is in it so you just plug your nose and swallow.

I got a few hours of sleep on the plane and watched a couple movies (The Social Network, Wall Street)

My senses are still adjusting to the new environment. The city we are in (Penrith) is blistering hot!! Today is 43 degrees. I have a feeling we will be spending our spare time in the air-conditioned apartment. Also driving on the other side of the road is still registering in my brain! The Jet lag will take a few days to die down.

The river is different from last year. Thats one of the qualities that makes this such a great facility. You can move around the obstacles to configure a new course. The rest of the Canadian team arrives today, and the training camp starts tomorrow. Im soooo excited to paddle every day!!

The Experience

2011-01-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

Mexico continued to be full of surprises throughout the entire week. We experienced things that we would never have experienced anywhere else. The race was fantastic; well organized, a good course, and fun. I kept my title in K1 with some good competition; and to everyones surprise I gained the C1 title.

Im mainly going to dedicate this post to photos rather than write a diary of the event. My dad came to Mexico with his good camera and got some amazing shots. Ill write a little caption below each photo (they are not in any specific order)

A Canadian Fan at the opening ceremony. The Opening ceremony for this race was a cut above all the ceremonies I have been to. The entire city lined the streets to take photos and cheer for competitors.

Signing autographs after the medal ceremony. We felt like Celebrities because everywhere we went kids would surround us asking for autographs.

Team Canada was the Top performing Nation at the race! USA in 2nd and Brazil in 3rd

Me in the podium for K1, USA in 2nd, and Brazil in 3rd.

My C1 racing.

Training in K1. This is my new kayak and I love how it feel on the water.

The cutest girls at the Opening ceremonies!

We had a little Royal Mounted Police lead us through the streets at the opening ceremonies. Cutest ever!!

This is the kitchen where we ate all our meals. We were on a meal plan for the trip and the food was awesome!

Me getting ready to paddle my new boat for the first time.

The Church in the town square.

The start of a new paddling school in Mexico. The kids were so excited to get in Boats.

No Starbucks here! Mexican Coffee! We went to a restaurant in the square for coffee and we each got a cup of hot water and a can of instant coffee and a can or powdered milk.

Taco stands!! it was 7 pesos for a delicious taco! (55 cents Canadian)

It was normal to run into a herd of cows while driving down the dirt road to the course. There seemed to be animals everywhere- cows, donkeys, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, dogs. They let them roam free.

Like I said they roam free.

On the drive from the airport our car died and the police had to give us a boost. Good thing they were there!

Police truck with the kayaks in the back.

PanAm Champion

2011-01-22T19:09:00.000-08:00

This will be short for now because the internet is unpredictable.

I defended my title of PanAmerican Champion!

But it was not easy! My biggest competitor from the USA Ashley Nee was on fire this weekend. She won both the qualifiers and semi-Finals; and I managed to pull ahead in the Finals. Race day was long and hot, but a great experience. There were spectators lining the river from top to bottom.

I will add more details and photos of the experience when I get home and have good internet.

Now I must go to bed because I race in the C1 category tomorrow.

Outback Mexico

2011-01-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

Mexico has been quite the experience so far.
All the athletes arrived safe at PVR airport with all luggage and boats in one piece; however both of the coaches flights were delayed. Luckily we had planned to spend the night in the city and already had a hotel booked. We hired a suburban taxi that we could load our boats on and went to the hotel. We went into town for dinner and dipped our feet in the ocean. In the morning the coaches were at the hotel so we all went for breakfast in the city.
Due to security concerns in Mexico we have been getting escorted by the police everywhere we go. The drive from Puerto Vallarta was 4.5 hours and we were escorted by 3 police trucks the entire way. When we had to make a stop one of the trucks would block all oncoming traffic so we could turn into the gas station then we would all park. it was a mission to do anything with so manny cars and people.

Now we are settled un Union de Tula, its a small town in central Mexico. The climate here is much different then we expected. It is like a mountainous desert. And the temperature dips to around zero at nights. There is no heat in our hotel so the first night was a bit chilly. We have now loaded up on blankets so hopefully Night 2 is a little warmer.

The course is also a mission to get to. we get escorted there and it is 45 min down the bumpiest dirt road. The river is quite good; and probably the only river around for miles. We didn't have gates to train on because the had all fallen down yesterday, so we had free sessions to play on the whitewater. I got to give my new boat a proper test... and I like it. Hopefully there will be gates up tomorrow and we will have more structured training for me to test my boat further.

This trip has already been full of new experiences and I think there will be manny more. Ill keep you updated on life in outback Mexico.
(the internet is too slow to add photos right now)

Happy as a puppy

2011-01-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

You know when you come home from work and your dog is always so happy to see you he doesn't even know what to do. He jumps,wags his tail and runs around like a lunatic..
Well that's how I felt when I got in my new kayak yesterday. I was so happy I didn't even know what to do! I just started spinning and doing turns in no organized fashion, just doing everything possible. Most of it looking and feeling completely out of control.
I haven't been in a boat since November because mine was broken. But it didn't take long to get the feeling back. Its like riding a bike.

The New boat felt good in the pool, but the real test will be on the river.
I have just arrived in Mexico (in fact im still in the airport waiting for the rest of the team) and I will get to paddle on the river very soon. I have a feeling it is going to be another one of those puppy dog experiences at first. But I also feel well rested from the boat and ready to focus again.

The web page for the race in Mexico is
Panamchamps.com

Great week!

2011-01-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

The past week was a good week. I got my new Boat (in one piece) and its beautiful!! I will get to paddle it once in the pool before heading to Mexico on the weekend. Then in Mexico I will truly test the boat. It is a new design for me called the "Lady Storm" and it was designed by world champion Daniel Molmenti.

In other news we are back at training full force and did another round of fitness tests. In the running results it looks like my New Years resolution of running more is paying off! I beat my best 4km time by 30SECONDS!! YAY :)

I also improved in how many pullups I can do, how manny times I can bench 45lb in 2 min, and my flexibility.

A great start to the new year!

Saturday Im off to Mexico to defend my Pan American Championship title. We will see if I can learn my new boat while learning the river to race on the weekend. As far as I know there are not live results but Ill keep you posted.

Jess

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T13:28:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!!

2010 was a fantastic year, and with the new year comes resolutions. I have not decided on one but I have a few ideas

1) Im going to cut out refined sugars in my cooking. I am making a pledge to do all my cooking/baking with natural sources like honey, and Maple syrup. Im also going to do my best not to eat refined sugars at all; but with the current food processing methods that will be difficult.

2) Daily Physio. Im all right at doing my Physio exercises; but I do admit that sometimes I slack a bit. This year I will fit it into my daily routine like brushing my teeth. It is a busy year paddling so I need to keep my body functioning properly.

3) Run more. Endurance/cardio is my weakest point in my fitness tests so I would like to make a point to lace up the runners more! Even just for a 20 min jog around the neighbourhood.

Im looking forward to the Next Year. It is busy with paddling, and thats the way I like it!

All the best to everyone in the New Year with there resolutions!

Good Year.

2010-12-31T12:53:00.000-08:00

Here is a slide show on some of my favourite photos from 2010!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T04:49:00.001-08:00

O So Pretty

2010-12-21T09:46:00.000-08:00

My New boat is Built!! And looks great!

Thank-you Caiman for building it so quickly for me!!

Winter Camp

2010-12-20T14:31:00.000-08:00

Since I could not be in Dickerson Paddling the next best thing was the winter Camp here in Calgary. The camp is labelled "Hell Week"!! It got this name because it is physically the hardest weeks of training all year. I thought I was going to get out of hell week by going to a training camp out east at the same time but fate stepped in and broke my boat ensuring that I attend Hell week. For me it was only hell 2 1/2 days; but not actually hell. I had a great time (other than being so cold)

The daily schedule goes something like this

7am- out the door running. we run down the hill, then back up (approx 3km)

stretching/yoga

breakfast

Skiing

lunch

skiing

dinner

bed

Pretty much train, eat, and sleep.

As athletes we are naturally competitive and want to rack up the most kilometres in the week. This means we all push ourselves to the limit. This week the limit for me was staying warm! I could keep my core warm by working hard but my fingers and toes were holding me back. Next year Ill be prepared with the best hand and toe warmers!!

I have spent my birthday at Hell week for the past 3 years, and we always have an exciting day! This year we X-Country skied up the Rundle valley. Then soaked in the Banff Hot springs then feasted at a potluck/birthday/christmas party with most of the ASCK paddling community. Another great 22nd B-day.

There are manny great photos that I will post later.

Now Im on Vacation! Ill be spending Christmas in Mexico with my mom, step dad, and sister.

Merry Christmas!!!

(me and my mom at X-mas)

London course Open.

2010-12-09T05:21:00.000-08:00

The Slalom course for the 2012 Olympics is running.

Link to article and video.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/london_2012/9271107.stm

Ups & Downs

2010-12-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

So my trip to Ottawa has had its fair share of highs and lows, another low is that I got sick this weekend and took 3 days off training. It was some sort of chest cold where my throat and lungs felt like they were burning with every breath. Especially when I had to go outside.

I pumped myself with echinacae, vitamin C, and drank my body weight in tea. After that was not working I decided to try Le Nordik. It is a recovery spa in Quebec. The idea is to sweat out all your toxins in the steam room, and then wash them away in the cold pools, then relax in the sauna. We went and did one round of spa, went for dinner in the spa restaurant, then did another round of Spa.

And guess what... It worked!!! I felt way better after the spa and resumed training today!!

But the silver lining to my sickness was that I finished the scarf I have been knitting for the past few months, and I learned how to Crochet. I made an entire toque with crochet. I gave the scarf to my friend Katrina (who im staying with in Ottawa), as a christmas/thank-you gift.

And here is a photo of my hat.

More good news is that West Jet is going to give me some money for my crushed boat. I know that is was not there fault, and the baggage handlers at the airport were the careless ones; but West Jet was amazingly cooperative and understanding of the situation this put me in. I give them 2 thumbs up!

The rest of the week is quite mellow, I will train in Ottawa until Thursday then come home to Calgary for the winter Camp (AKA... Hell week is what it is called on our schedule). Should be fun!

Wake Up Call

2010-12-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

Despite a crushed boat I am still in Ottawa training with the National Team coach, we spend a lot of time in the gym on the paddling machine, or lifting weights.

The rest of my days are very social. There is a great female paddling group in Ottawa so I am going for coffee with someone every day to catch up. It is great I love it!!

This morning however my training/social schedule was thrown a curve ball.

At 7am I woke up to the CCES

They were at the door ready to do drug testing.

How did they find me in Ottawa??

As National Team Members we agree to be available for drug testing all day every day. We fill out a whereabouts. Included in the Whereabouts is where we eat, sleep, and train. With that info the CCES can track us down and request a urine sample at any time.

Of course I had already emptied my bladder minutes before the testers arrived.

I drank water until my belly was ready to explode. After 1.5 hours of waiting I was finally able to give a sample... but my sample ended up being too diluted. I had drank too much!

When that happens you have to give another sample. We waited another hour until I had to go again. That sample was again too dilute. But thank heavens 2 samples is all I have to give regardless of the specific gravity value.

we were finished around 9:45.

I was well hydrated for the day.

More info about CCES at www.cces.ca

Another one bites the dust

2010-11-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Airport Baggage handlers:

A friendly reminder to the definition of fragile

fragile |ˈfrajəl; -ˌjīl|

adjective

(of an object) easily broken or damaged.

My boat has 4 fragile symbols sewn into the bag and there was an additional fragile tag put on the luggage tag. Yet they still managed to completely destroy it.

I flew into Ottawa last night to come do some training and go to a winter camp in Washington DC. I flew West Jet because they take kayaks on the flight no problems. I sat at the window and watched the baggage handlers bring my boat our by hand and put it in the plane last. I got on the plane thinking everything was great. I got an entire row of seats to myself so I fell asleep.

When I arrived in Ottawa o gathered my luggage, then went over to oversize to gather my boat.

From past experiences with damaged boats I have learned to always check the boat at the airport for damage. So as I hold my breath I open the bag and the from 6 inches of my boat is crushed to pieces. I proceed to take the remainder of the boat our of the bag to find the stern completely compressed and broken as well.

It took everything I had to hold back the waterworks and make a scene. I took my stuff to the baggage claim and put in a claim. The lady there was very friendly but useless. She said she could not deal with it and passed me off to deal with higher authorities through pone and e-mail.

I am still waiting to hear from West Jet, but I hope they will be cooperative in replacing my boat.

Needless to say my training camp might be cut short, and it will be pushing it to get a new boat before the PanAmerican Championships in Mexico in January. :(

Crushed Bow

Crushed bow

Crushed stern

Tire treads on my bag which makes me think it was run over.

Winter training

2010-11-20T18:47:00.000-08:00

Its official... Winter training is underway. Yesterday we hit the snow at Confederation Park for the first ski of the year. Tempatures were -20 give or take and my hands and feet froze, but it was worth it! I had a terrific time.

We did loops cruising around the park. Then at the end we did a couple hill runs until our lungs hurt. Icicles formed on the eyelashes and hair, and today I am sore!!!!! That means I have to do more ;) so I will dig the skis out for tomorrow as well.

Whitewater

2010-11-17T13:10:00.001-08:00

The Whitewater Im talking about is not the thrill of the rapid in the river, but the frozen precipitation falling from the sky.

We took full advantage of the prolonged fall weather and were in our boats on the water until Monday. But the way the forecast looks that will be the end of our days in the boat here in Calgary. We May get a couple nice chinook winds that will allow us to brave the river, and we will pray everyday for those. That is until we give up on the praying and just go somewhere warmer.

The winter schedule includes a lot of travel to warmer corners of the world for some racing and Whitewater training. We will spend some time in Mexico, a good chunk of time in Australia, and then to the USA in the spring.

In the mean time we will spend most of our days in the gym. We will do weights, and strength conditioning, a lot of physical work on the paddling machines, and aerobic work running and x-country skiing. We recently started working with a new strength coach. He has brought a lot of valuable knowledge to our routine that ensures I am in a constant stiff sore state from lifting weights.

When Im not paddling my main interest has been food. This weekend a bunch of friends got together for a French themed dinner. French Food is high in fat, and sugar which makes it completely delicious. Our dinner followed that French tradition. However the french are know for small portions which allows them to stay thin. Our Feast was not small portions; it was a American Super-sized french meal. But nonetheless delicious.

We also hosted a baby shower for my Coach and his wife who are expecting any day now. It was another fun filled evening with friends and way too much food.

(The cake I made for the baby shower)

Now its time to hit the gym and work off some of that super-sized french Feast.

Drive safe and Stay Warm!

New Course in Calgary approved!!!! :)

2010-11-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

Manny of you know that the Calgary Weir as a "drowning machine", it is a dangerous hydraulic that has claimed several lives. The City of Calgary is reconstructing this section of the river into a Whitewater Park.

Where is the Calgary Weir?
The weir is located on the Bow River slightly downstream of the Calgary Zoo, Fort Calgary, and the confluence with the Elbow River. It is slightly upstream of the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and Blackfoot Trail. The weir is visible from Memorial Drive at Deerfoot Trail or from the pathway system.

The river will be divided into two channels: a gentle channel to the south (river right) and a more challenging channel to the north (river left). The Gentle (river right) channel is where we will put a training course. It is a concrete structure with great eddies that will be a perfect training site.

So far we have only been approved to put in permanent poles on the bank for gates. Doing this while construction is still underway will be cheaper and ensure a better site for us. The last I hear the cost will be approximately $20, 000 to put permanent poles in.

more info at www.harviepassage.ca

How will it be paid for?

We don't know but you can start by voting for my training partner AJ Cole who made a video for a cooper vision grant.

Your Job- Go to http://www.mycontactsports.com/cast-your-vote and vote once/day for "A helping hand"

Weather change calls for Diet change.

2010-10-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

During the summer months my go to meal is a pleasant, loaded, refreshing salad. It usually consists of loads of veggies, some dried fruit, cheese, and nuts or meat. But as the numbers on the thermostat drop I crave warm food. Recently I have been on a soup high. I have mede classic soups like turkey (from the thanksgiving turkey) to New creations like Banana Squash. The Banana squash was a roll of the dice but it actually turned out great. Soup is good because it is easy to digest, and full of nutrients. The one problem we have found with soup is that you are hungry again in a couple hours.

On that note I have started with meals like Elk Stew which was awesome!! But today I reached the top of my delicious hearty meal pyramid with Cashew Chilli!!!

Now I know that the name does not sound like anything special, and yes it is a vegan meal.

No Im not going vegan on you, I also love a good AAA beef steak; but to all us beef loving Albertans (im going to say it) I do believe it is good to take a couple days a week with no meat! sorry ;/

Anyways here is the recipe for the famous Cashew Chili! Enjoy!

(The bowl was made by my roommate Liz who is very talented with pottery)

Cashew Chili

Comfort food for a howling winter day; every bite is teeming with nutrients. (4 servings)

1 Tbsp Olive oil

1 med Onion, chopped

1 Red Pepper, chopped

2 Celery Stocks, chopped

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp dried basil, or oregano

½ tsp Chili powder

1 tsp Ground cumin

¼ tsp Each salt & ground pepper

16oz can of diced tomatoes (undrained)

1 Tbsp Red wine vinegar 1 Bay leaf

½ c Cashew pieces

1/3 c Raisins

15oz can of kidney beans

Heat oil over med. Heat in large skillet. Add onion, red pepper, and celery. Cook until oinions are translucent.
Stir in Garlic, basil or oregano, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Then add tomatoes, vinegar, and bay leaf. Continue cooking over low hear until mixture begins to boil lightly.
Stir in cashews and raisins; cook for 10 min over low heat.
Add beans and cook for an additional 20 min stirring frequently.
Remove bay leaf and serve.

Enjoy

Kananaskis Training Camp

2010-10-24T06:24:00.000-07:00

The past 10 days have been filled with 28 training sessions; it was a combination of technical and physical work. The National Team training Camp was here in Kananaskis, paddlers from Ottawa and BC came out to train. We were on the water 2 times a day and in the gym 3 days a week. We had one snow blizzard while paddling, but other that that we got really lucky with the weather, it was mid teens most days.

That may be some of the last paddling we get on the Kananaskis, because it looks like the weather is going to shift to winter. In winter the only time we get to paddle whitewater is when we get a good chinook wind.

On the schedule now is physical work until Pan-American Championships in Janurary. I am going to go to Ottawa for a couple weeks to train at the end of November. And I will do the National team training cam in Washington DC right before christmas. Then over Christmas and New Years I will take a little break because 2011 is a busy year!!

End of summer :(

2010-10-15T05:56:00.000-07:00

The past couple weeks have been great training, it has been warm, and I am keeping quite busy. I have been (of course) in the boat training, and at the gym.

We did fitness testing this week, and the results were positive. After a summer of racing and technical training we tend to loose a bit of the physical side, but my results show that I am just as fit in most areas, and stronger in others. I do however need to improve my running.

On another note I had the opportunity to share my story about paddling and my experiences through it with Rogers Insurance here in Calgary. I learned a lot about specking and my experiences giving this speech.

If I can share my sport with as manny people as possible then it can grow, become more known, and more participated in.

On a completely different note, my schedule for the next week is a training camp with fellow paddlers from Ontario and BC, and the national team coach. Unfortunately the weather has taken a turn for the worst. Summer has come to a halting stop; Yesterday was a balmy 20 degrees at the Kananaskis, and today is a (shutter) high of 7. That will not stop us though, we will be at Kananaskis every day this week, and in the gym 3 day of the week, and running a couple times per day. I will dress warm and soak up as much whitewater paddling as possible before the weather drops below the big fat O (double shutter).

Then once there is snow we can start skiing. But not until I find my ski boots. Has anyone seen them?( they are yellow).

breakfast, zoo, and paddling

2010-10-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

I didn't know how to title this post because I already have numerous "best day ever" titles. But this day was Awesome.

It started out with the Mayors Breakfast. This is a breakfast the Mayor hosts every year to recognizes the valuable role of sport in enhancing Calgary’s quality of life, community well-being and economic prosperity. I sat with the Calgary Flames table, and had a awesome breakfast. Kristina Groves was the keynote speaker, and shared her Olympic

experience with us.

After the breakfast I came home and headed to the zoo with my room mate liz, and her grand daughter Jaz. It was a fabulous day for the zoo. The weather was perfect! We saw all kinds of exotic animals. My favourite being the elephants, zebras, and tigers.

Then after the zoo I went paddling in 20 degree weather.

I am going to soak up the last few days of summer as much as I can.

The camel got high centred.

Me and Ganesha.

Riding the Merry go round.

Rest week over

2010-09-19T04:50:00.000-07:00

I am back in Canada, and after a week out of the boat, I am itching to get back at it. I took a week off the water to rest my body and brain. Im still fighting the jet lag though (I am writing this post at 4:30am).

The travels home were smooth, we flew home the Tuesday after the race; so we had to spend one night in the airport. I was accompanied by 5 other team members and we found so great leather couches by a coffee shop to crash on. Waking up in the airport was funny because we woke to birds chirping. Turns out a few birds live in the support beams of the roof. I also woke up to the smell of the bakery downstairs and immediately went and bought myself a fresh Croissant and a cappuccino. Manny people don't enjoy sleeping in the airport, but a leather couch, birds chirping and fresh croissants is a pretty good experience, if I do say so myself.

Now the race season is over, and me rest week is over; I cant believe how the time flys!! So now it is time to get back in to training. I will be staying in Calgary for the next couple months, then I will go to Ottawa for some training and to Charlotte for a whitewater camp right before Christmas. Then in the New year it is off to Australia.

Below are some photos from the worlds championships; most I did not take myself and the credits are below the photo.

Also here is a link to a video my coach made me before the race. It is a Quality mix of video from training before the race.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbqZUSJ79bg

Just at the lip of the top drop (photo by Ciarán-an irish paddler)

The Slogan of the race

My semi final race. The photo was taken my Kelly VanderBeek. Check out her blog at kellyvanderbeek.blogspot.com

View of the top section of the course

Cool shot of the entire race course. Photo taken by Mike Dawson- New Zealand paddler