David, Pizza & Ljubljana

This pizza was Huge...David (and I) Love our Pizza!
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That's me, on a beautiful Sunday in Ljubljana.
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David and his coach Michal.
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More images of David in Tacen.

More from Tacen

This image is from earlier today. Everyone seems to have arrived!

Tacen - Slovenija

Tacen is, in my opinion, the most beautiful site the the whitewater World Cup visits. Everyone is now arriving as final preparations for the World Championships being.

Michael and John - Canadian Team Coaches
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This is where the medals will be presented.

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Tacen is like a Roman Amphitheater for Whitewater.
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GoodBye Opa

Opa passed away earlier this morning. He will be missed by his whole family, especially by his wife Rita.

Opa & Family

Well, this was a short visit to Ontario with last minute changes to flight itineraries to make it happen. I wanted to see my Opa as things have taken a turn for the worse. He was lucid for about 30min during my visit, in which it was great to connect with him. He has been constantly surrounded by family and the highlight was a trip to the cottage last week. He has made his wishes known and the whole family is supporting him in this final journey. We love you Opa and you will be missed.

This image, above, is from one month ago when David, Dad and I visited Opa.

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My parents celebrated their 30th wedding Anniversary today. Us kids, Laura, Mark, Jeff, and I got them two dozen roses to congratulate them. No flowers or card will ever be enough to thank them for everything they've done for us!

A Few Images...

The last few days have been filled with sorting through my office; working out; and taking care of my knee. All in all, I've kept super busy! I did get time to take a few pictures though....

I finally got around to the fan mail that has been piling up over the last year. So, for everyone who's written me, a response is now in the mail!
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My little neighbours! What Cuties!!!

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July & August 2010 in PIctures

Yesterday I was in Vancouver recording/shooting a promotional piece for Teck. It was at Hyphen Communications and these guys were huge photography buffs...so I had a great time and learned whatever I could while there!

Here, I'm recording the script for the video...new experience for me but I enjoyed it. No one likes the sound of their own voice though...so I hope it's ok!

Calgary Gymp Camp...starring Anna, Larisa and Kelly!

Gymp camp is Rocking it Rocky Style!

Larisa & Anna

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Canadian Snowbirds Giving us a show awaiting our Flight out of Abbotsford

Can you see the moon?.... No photoshop required. Isn't that amazing!


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David and I officially Opened the Chilliwack Fair this year!

And People tell me I'm crazy!

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Then, A Trip to Ontario with Wedding Parties & David's National Championships
....which he won:)

National Champs were held on the Gull River. A beautiful site!

Not much can beat being in a boat on a calm evening. (except perhaps waterskiing on a calm evening!..but...that will have to wait till next year for me...)

I LOOOOVVVVEEE Ontario Cottage Life. We stayed at Ed's Shack...which wasn't at all like a shack! It was wonderful for my Ontario Soul.

What an awesome family! My brother Jeff (far left) is now in the Military!!!!!! Go Jeff Go!!! I'm so proud of you!!!!!! (as you may be able to tell by all these exclamation points)

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My Parents hosted our Ontario wedding celebration...loads of fun!





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David and I are now proud Uncle and Aunt to Quynn Watson Ford!
Congratulations Aryn!!!!!!

I love this shot...such cute feet!

Summer Update

I hope this e-mail finds you all lightly bronzed after some well deserved time in the sun! I have been out on my bike more and more and find I have a sock tan! (Something to say for someone as pale as me!)


Since my last update I have spent time in Calgary with our team’s physios, trainers, and doctors; I have been home; and I have travelled with David helping out where I can on his World Cup tour. It’s amazing how similar David’s tour is like ski racing – I guess if we’re considered the winter circus they’re the summer circus equivalent.





Calgary

My time in Calgary was great. It was one week of physio and fitness. I also caught up with most of our men’s team as they trained. Seeing the men’s team and how they’re working together made me realize their team hasn’t changed much heading into this next quadrennial. A stark comparison to the women’s side as we have seen many changes in the last year. I’m looking forward to working with our new staff and with a group of athletes who are extremely motivated! Still, I will miss some of our coaches who have moved on and especially the athletes who are now travelling new paths.



Knee

As for my knee, they said it is doing well and about where they expected it to be. It will be a longer recovery than I had hoped, however, I’m still heading towards a healthy knee for ski racing. At the end of my week in Calgary I had an injection in my knee to help get is moving a bit smoother. It seems to be helping and keeping my knee moving forward in its recovery. My bending is still improving slowly. They aren’t too worried about it now since I have a very useful range of motion and more than enough range to be a ski racer. My yoga poses may suffer a little…but hey…a small price to pay for rocking it out on the ski hills!




Europe

My time in Europe with David was great. I bought a cheap bike there (costing about $70 CDN….so you can imagine that it wasn’t exactly high quality). Yet it was its quirky cheapness that made me love that bike (knowing I wouldn’t be using it long helped as well!) It was great to have though and I enjoyed riding in Europe. That was my first time seeing Europe from a bike seat and I fell in love with riding there. I also took some pictures while there as I continue to enjoy my pursuits to grow as a photographer. It’s a wonderful art and one I’m continuing to fall more in love with. As is always the case with sport David had some good days and challenging days. Ah, the joys of highs and lows in sport! He is fit and fast though – so it’s just a matter of finding the race gear and tweaking a few equipment issues.

Article

There is also a great article on the FIS Alpine website if you care to check it out:

http://www.fisalpine.com/news/the-unsinkable-kelly-vanderbeek,792.html

It also links from the front page of the FIS Alpine at:

www.fisalpine.com

Otherwise, I’m doing well and enjoying some sunshine!

Cheers,

Kelly

David's Team Trials

Well, David has once again qualified for the World Cup and World Championship team with a great weekend of racing. David struggled to find his race gear on Saturday but came through with very fast runs on Sunday showing he's right on pace for the summer!

Here are a few images I took from the weekend:

Milestones & Injury

Since my last blog there have been some promising developments with my knee and lots of changes within Alpine Canada.

First, let’s talk knees.

The milestones of injury have included such exciting moments as; the first day I wore jeans; when my foot had a normal colour while standing; the day I ditched the crutches; did a revolution on a bike; climbed the stairs normally; first workout where I broke a sweat…etc. Most of these milestones are rather small but they are still reasons to celebrate. These daily advances keep my focus on the positive as I slowly improve. Since I’ve been able to start biking outside my leg muscles have started to return. I have very cute little muscles now! (oh so feminine…:) I’m having loads of fun outside and enjoying the feeling of filling my lungs with fresh air.

I’m currently in Whistler supporting David as he prepares for his team selection for the World Championships. It’s been great having this time together and we’ve both fallen even more in love with this part of the world. Now…if only I could win the lottery and retire to luxury here in Whistler!

My knee is at 130degrees of flexion and this range is becoming healthier and smoother every week. I’m working with Andree Lavoie (she was a physio therapist with Alpine Canada for over 15years) here in Whistler and we’re plugging along. Although I always wish this process was faster she seems pretty happy with what she sees.

A New Team

Many of you may have heard through the media that there have been a lot of changes within my team and the organization at Alpine Canada. My world will certainly look different – especially with the retirement of two of my teammates. Emily Brydon and Shona Rubens have hung up their race skis to pursue other interests. I’m sad to them go and I will miss them terribly on the tour. Still, I now we will remain lifelong friends and wish them nothing but the best moving forward.

Our coaching staff is also completely different. I’m looking forward to seeing how these changes come together and what the new team dynamic will look like. Next season will be a fresh start in many respects and I look forward to everything that that will bring to the table.

As far as getting back on my skis…it’ll be another few weeks before we’ll start looking at timelines. But I know with each passing day I’m getting closer to arching some turns on the white stuff. For now, I’m happy to feel the sun on my face, the air in my lungs, and to watch my muscles rebuild. It’s a lot of hard work, but the milestones keep me going. Next week – a marathon! (Ha ha, just kidding)

Cheers,

Kelly