::Feb 29th - International Rare Disease Day::

Today is a very unique day. Not only because there are 4 times fewer Feb 29ths than Feb 28ths or Oct 3rds every century, but also because of the way that my good friend, Simon Ibell, has decided to celebrate this Feb 29th.

I always thought that since leap years only happen in Summer Olympic Years, Feb 29th was always meant to be an extra training day.  You know, in case you get behind or need an extra day to get fit or whatever. Turns out Feb 29th was destined for greatness.  Feb 29th, the rarest day of all days, is INTERNATIONAL RARE DISEASE DAY.  Simon Ibell started "Be Fair 2 Rare" in 2011 to raise Rare Disease awareness, and encourage Canadians to learn more!  It turns out that Rare Diseases aren't even that rare, 1 in 12 Canadians suffer from one of over 7000 Rare Diseases.  Below is some more information on Rare Disease, since we're all about awareness today.  If you want to get involved, donate a little money, or just tweet/share one of the shocking true facts about Rare Disease, read on below.  Thanks for your support, and thanks to Simon for being such an incredible spokesperson and advocate for this very important cause.

Did you know that...

Canada is the only developed country in the world WITHOUT a Federal Healthcare policy to support the research into cures for this community?

         Most rare diseases are life-threatening or debilitating; about 80% are genetic, and 75% affect infants and children. 

Our antiquated healthcare doesn't even support rare disease therapies that DO exist, meaning over 1 in 12 Canadians can't get access to lifesaving therapies that can dramatically improve the quality of their lives?

We think it’s about time to “BE FAIR 2 RARE!”

ABOUT "BE FAIR 2 RARE" 

        BE FAIR 2 RARE is a public outreach campaign founded by the iBellieve Foundation and launched with the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders (CORD). It is aimed at raising awareness, funds, and advocacy for the rare disease community in Canada.

           Launched on International Rare Disease Day 2011, the campaign highlights the fact that despite 1 in 12 Canadians suffer from of approximately 7000 different rare diseases; Canada is the only country in the developed world WITHOUT a Federal Healthcare policy for the rare disease community.

 Our efforts are in pursuit of a singular goal: to call on the Canadian government to adopt a Federal Healthcare policy that supports the rare disease community in this country. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

There are several ways you can participate and help on February 29 and after:

1. PLEASE make a donation and sign the petition to support the adoption of a federal rare disease policy via our website at  WWW.BEFAIR2RARE.COM

2. SPREAD the Word - tell your family, friends, colleagues, teammates, and your network to "BE FAIR TO RARE"

3. PURCHASE a Roots Be Fair 2 Rare scarf and wear it on February 29 and after to support rare diseases. Visit  WWW.BEFAIR2RARE.COM to buy your scarf

• In addition to online, every Roots store across Canada will be promoting BE FAIR 2 RARE in store on February 29

3. Faceboook, Twitter and/or blog the following to offer your support:

• Canada: It's Rare Disease Day, so support  @BeFair2Rare at www.BeFair2Rare.com #rarediseases 

Follow us and talk about us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/befair2rare or @BeFair2Rare.

winter blog

Oh hi folks sorry for the delay I've been skiing in the beautiful mountains of British Columbia and I forgot about the internet.

That's me getting some decent airtime on a split board that splits into two skis so as to not require a chairlift for a wicked time in the snowy mountains.  It was a good break from kayaking, and although I posted a snowboarding picture we did WAY more cross country than alpine.  More cross country that I have ever done in 3 weeks in fact.  I feel like my lungs and heart are big and strong, and my legs are surely the fittest they have ever been.  Whistler treated us very nicely, hardly ever pointing out that we aren't actually from there (since it's obvious because we don't have Australian accents... half kidding!!). The Whistler Athlete Centre and the Whistler Olympic Park continue, in true legacy style, to be serving Canada's athlete population with the facility and infrastructure we require to compete at our very best.

Thanks to all the supporters and helpers and the snow for being great most days, and the sun for coming out!  Thanks to @B2Ten and Own the Podium and Canoe Kayak Canada and Whistler Legacies, and MAZDA for your huge support of our squad and our winter training camp!

I'm getting ready to get back on the water soon.  Plugging away at a last ditch effort to gain a little strength and mass, doing some paddle machine and pool (even though it's 6 degrees outside)... getting my affairs in order here in Toronto before migrating down to Florida like a Canadian Goose for the next few months to paddle my kayak in straight lines with very perfect technique at extremely top speeds until I can't everyday... with  "So much determination though..." "Childsplay..."

until next time...

:Photo Op:



Hey Happy Holidays everyone.  I hope you had a lovely time with your families and friends and pets and neighbours.

I certainly have!

I've got a few more days of "unstructured" training here in Toronto before we're off to Whistler, British Columbia.  I can't wait to hit the trails on the skis and kick off 2012 with some hard miles.

Here's a picture, taken by Bernard "the performance specialist" Irvin down in Florida a few weeks ago.  I want to take a moment to thank Bernie, my teammates and everyone at CKC, and also all the international-group guys who made this fall training camp such a huge success.  

I'm looking forward to 2012 in so many ways.  I turn 30 after 4 weeks of 2012.  I get to ski a lot in the first three weeks of 2012.  I get to paddle with my friends in Florida for 2 or 3 months of 2012.  I get to try-out for and hopefully race at a third Olympics in 2012.  These lucky things are all thanks to all of the wicked support I've got out there... (the first one is mostly just my mom and dad)... So thanks to all!

::on feeling appreciated::

This morning, after a 20km paddle (8x8mins, if you're curious) here in sunny (windy) Florida with Anders "@analog79" Gustafsson, while eating my breakfast (bacon, eggs, espresso and bagel, if you're wondering) I saw that Randy Starkman blogged about a couple of omissions for "Canadian Athlete of the Year" that he felt were important to point out.  They included Tara Whitten, Catharine Pendrel and myself.  Tara and Catharine are both cyclists (Omnium on the track, and Mountain/cross-country, respectively), and like me - they were both Champions of the World in 2011.  They were also, like me, conspicuously absent from the Sportsnet poll and Scott Russell's 12-person list for CBC Canadian Athlete of the Year, in addition to Randy's first list. 

I've had the pleasure now to meet Tara, and talk a little bike shop, and ski shop, as she is also a cross-country skier.  I've never met Catharine, but I channeled her Mountain Bike Jedi Energy in September out on the trails one day, and I'm certain I owe a few climbs to her Mountain Bike midi-chlorian count.  Then I saw a picture of Catharine ripping some of my favourite trails in Whistler out at Callaghan Valley, ON XC SKIS!!  She's a skier too!  Woah, Tara, Catharine and I have got some stuff in common... we all love rippin' trails on the skinny sticks, we ride bikes, we are 2011 Weltmeisters, and we didn't make it onto any (first draft) lists!  On the last item - it's ok... I don't care about silly lists, more on that after a few long winded caffeine-fueled paragraphs 

I will add Alex Harvey to the list of omissions, actually.  He was U-23 World Champion last year in the 30km pursuit, and then teamed up with Devon Kershaw to win the team sprint at the big show in Oslo last winter (DK has been, very deservedly, on a few of these lists of great Canadian Athletes of 2011). If you recall though, in that race in Oslo, it was Alex who outsprinted Ola Vigen Hattestad (super fast viking skier) of Norway to the line to win that race... possibly the raddest thing any Canadian Male has ever done on a pair of skiis.

I appreciated the nod from Randy, it was nice.  But one thing he mentioned was that I might potentially feel "under-appreciated"... as that term has made the amateur sports headlines a little bit over the past few days.  As I drained my last sip of espresso and savoured my final bite of bacon (until tomorrow, sweet, succulent king of all meats) I felt that I had an obligation to clarify how I actually feel.

Never, in my 12-or-whatever year tenure as a Canadian National Team Kayaker have I ever felt MORE APPRECIATED by Canadians.  I have never had more support from the Canadian Olympic Committee, from Own the Podium, from Canoe-Kayak Canada or from any/all of my awesome personal sponsors. Canada is more enthusiastic about their Olympians than ever before, a sea-change that I will attribute to our recent success in Vancouver. Notice that I said "OUR" success.  Because while I didn't compete in Vancouver, I do feel that it was a 34 Million person-strong team effort.  Every Canadian was a winner in Vancouver, and Olympians (of both seasons) continue to benefit from those successes.

Kayaking isn't hockey.  I choose not to compare them, since that is worse than apples to oranges, it's boats to blades and I don't care to waste my limited brain capacity on that. I never expected to be a rockstar, I would have stuck to the guitar if that's what I wanted.  I don't expect every Canadian to become an overnight kayaking fanatic. But I do think that sportsfans in Canada are starting to broaden their horizons a little, flip beyond the front page news to see how our Olympic Team is doing in years between the Olympics.  I think social media is playing a strong role in that, in that if Canadian sportsfans want to engage the Olympic team when we're racing in rural Czech Republic in front of 25 adoring fans at some early-season World Cup, there are a few ways to see the news (Athlete blogs, twitter, facebook, and Randy Starkman).

The fact that it was a tough list to narrow down this year IS A REALLY AWESOME THING.  Canada won the Worlds in a whole bunch of sports last year.  That means those athletes were THE best in the World. It didn't come down to season averages or totals, points for or against, trades and contract negotiations, or who the loudest-mouthed pro-sports announcer decided was a stand-out player. There was a race, or one single competition to determine who the best was that year.  A Canadian won! That is cause for celebration!  It's awesome when we're the best... Nothing gets me more stoked to wear the Canadian Maple Leaf on my chest, and do my best to get them to play our favourite song on the podium loud speakers, than when I see my friends from other sports doing it World Class.

The fleeting distinction of being the victor in a race is great and all, but I cherish a lot beyond those ephemeral moments throughout my career.  The chance to be among the very best, within my obscure little sport and across sports - to be in the very company of the people I've mentioned and so many other incredibly inspiring athletes is what I cherish most.  I'm proud, prouder than ever to be Canadian, to race for Canada, and to be on such an awesome team.  Thanks for your support, thanks for reading, and thanks for appreciating our efforts...

If you need me, I'll be at the gym.

::Day 5 w/ RIGHT TO PLAY - Bamako, Mali::

I'm on my way home to Toronto now, reflecting back on our trip.  There's a lot going on upstairs, I think I'll recap Friday... it was one of the busiest, and most moving days of the week.

Our first stop was the office of the Minister of Sport and Youth Culture, to take part in a seminar about leadership. Boris (the excellent an eloquent RTP country manager here in Mali) is giving me a pat on the back for attempting 3 or 4 consecutive thoughts en Francais before deferring to the capable interdiction of Moise, translator extraordinaire.  I spoke briefly on how inspired I was by the Malian people, their determination, optimism, commitment to their nation and impressive youth potential. Both Clara and I spoke about the Malian Youth Initiative that we are driving in Ouroun and other rural communities here in Mali. I described the process of developing leaders through sport, the importance of executive capacity, and how a healthy competitive environment helps to engender that quality in those who take part.  I stressed how well I thought the RTP programming was being implemented in the communities we visited with examples from the field.  One such example was how floored I was by the ability of a 12 year old girl in Bougouni to capture and hold the attention of a crowd of OVER 1000 kids and adults for more than 20minutes of RTP games and activities.  Her powerful young voice, enthusiasm and leadership capacity were like a looking glass into Mali's bright future.  Clara spoke in her exponentially improving French (seriously, can you say "learning curve", in French?) from a personal perspective regarding the leaders in her life, and how she developed as a leader through the power of sport.  The minister of Sport also spoke briefly, as did a professional corporate trainer.  Finally, Boris delivered a powerful, sermonesque closing on Right to Play's role in the development of the Malian youth. He convincingly laid out the progress, past accomplishments, challenges and aspirations of the local RTP programming.  

From the Ministry of Sport it was over to the Youth Parliament for lunch with a group of teenagers who meet everyday of the week to discuss the rights of children in Mali.  They report directly to the federal government of Mali, are aspiring doctors, lawyers, journalists and politicians.  Their diction, eloquence and communcation skills (they all speak 3 or more languages) were astoundingly beyond their years. They went around the table and shared their goals for an ideal Malian future.  All were progressive, focused heavily on youth and female empowerment, and their passion was palpable.  Yet another testament to the potential of this beautiful nation.

For possibly the most stark contrast Mali could offer, Clara, the RTP gang and I went from the Youth Parliament to a boy's prison to play some Sport for Development games.  In the picture below the boys and I are lined up preparing for a relay race.  We also played a variation of basketball with a ball hockey ball for a healthy dose of full-on jail-style contact sports.  These boys were smart, in a frighteningly different way than the other kids we met this week.  They were the only kids who spoke to me in english all week, they answered the "reflect, connect, apply" questions with a sort of arrogant non-chalance that could only be categorized as charming.  They shook hands, winked and patted eachother on the back.  These guys were not just street smart, they are savvy and calculated.  These are transferrable skills!  I truly believe the RTP activities, and their extremely capable guidance team are guiding them in the right direction, and helping them to discover who they are and where they fit in a healthy, law-abiding society.  I wish these young men a quick stay in detention, a full and healthy reformation, and good decisions in the future.

And that was our last activity day.  Over, before we knew it.  Actually to be very honest, I was feeling pretty burnt out by Friday night.  We had a great send off dinner and dance with the RTP Mali staff on Friday night, accompanied by amazing live music by "Dabara" a famous local traditional musician and more delicious Malian chicken, (I ate the same meal everyday, and it never got old - Rotis Chicken, fries and fried plantain).

On Saturday we took a drive out to Bancoumana to visit Mali's first Canoe Club!  With some assistance from the UN, Mali has a Canoe Federation, and a few sit on top kayaks.  So we went kayaking on the Niger.  Did I mention that Bamako means "Crocodile River" in Bambara? No hippo sightings, no Croc-encounters, I didn't even really see a bird... but it was a thrilling experience, and nice to have a paddle in my hands for the first time this week... albeit a plastic one.

I'm excited to go paddling tonight at home. Home: Please don't be 0 degrees.

A big thanks and a big WOW to RTP Mali for this incredible experience.  I don't have words to describe what a moving and significant trip it was. So I'll leave it at Merci, Beacoup.

Until next time...