Opportunities

Here’s a few updates about how things are going in my world:

Opportunities:

There is no lack of opportunities that have been presented to me this week.

I was lucky enough to represent one of the charitable organization I work with, Play It Cool, last Wednesday to help present VANOC with a bronze medal for their environmental achievements. (Having finished 4th in an Olympics I can certainly attest to the value of a bronze.) VANOC took incredible measures in their effort to lessen their negative impact on our environment. Highlights of their achievements include that they offset 100% of their direct carbon footprint and have left a legacy of venues that are energy efficient and at the forefront of building environmentally conscious structures.

I have also been offered the chance to take part in the Closing ceremonies. I’m not sure I’ll be able to with my knee, but if I can, I will.

At the moment I’m averaging about 2 interviews a day – I’m constantly amazed at our Nations excitement as the Games near. It seems even the biggest sceptics are getting excited and engrossed in the festivities. On Wednesday when I was in Vancouver for the Play It Cool press conference I got my first look at the city in its Olympic State. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Vancouver look so good. It made me want to run around and check every tent, venue, and activity out there.

I’ve been talking with the girls (my teammates) regularly as they finish up their final days of training before racing begins. I’m so excited for them that I have trouble containing the emotions. As I’ve said before, I’m our Team’s Number One fan. So, if my commentating on CTV is a bit biased in favour of our Canadian athletes, well, you’ll just have to deal with it!

Torch Update:

3 days and counting!

The weather being called for Tuesday is Sunny with a high of 7 degrees! Ahhhh…perfect for wheeling the flame 300 metres as it makes its way to the Opening Ceremonies.

Weight:

Since my crash just before Christmas I have lost a total of 18lbs. I have to admit – I didn’t know I could lose that kind of weight. I also didn’t realize how heavy muscle was (since I know it isn’t fat I’m losing!). I always thought I wasn’t great at putting on muscle mass. However, I have been proven wrong as I now see how much muscle I had built up over my career. Luckily the muscle memory is all there and I know it will come back fairly quickly once I start lifting again.

Workouts:

So, to keep some weight and muscle on I’ve begun a new workout regime. I call it….the beach workout! Since I can, for the most part, only do core and upper body exercises, it’s perfectly suited for creating a great beach body! Although I have to admit, I am missing my diminishing booty – so I’m doing lots of one legged squats to keep what I can.

Photography:
Subject matter is the current element that is lacking in my photography. My subjects are mostly those within a 2 meter radius of my nearly permanent couch position or else taken from my car window. I figure if I can find beauty in my crutches then maybe I’ll actually learn some skills as a photographer.

My new hobby is also helping my soul. Without the passion for the Olympics and skiing as my fuel I needed something to replace it. Just studying and working wasn’t going to be enough to keep my heart and soul intact. So, for the moment, my souls’ passion drug of choice is learning the art of photography.

Till next time,

Kelly