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It’s wild to think that it’s already August and in less than a month’s time I will be back on snow at some remote ski hill in South America.  In the meantime I have a few days to charge my battery for what’s is proving to be a very exciting month ahead. 

On August 27, I’ll be in Vancouver to attempt to set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ for the most High 5’s in 24 hours.  The event is part of the Raise your Hand summer campaign that educates young workers about their right to work in a safe environment.

So what counts as a high five anyway? I had no idea there was an official definition, but there are certain requirements if we’re going to break the record.  For example, I have to keep my hand over my head, and I have to use the same hand the entire time.

The High 5 campaign is more than about setting world records; it’s about creating safer workplaces.  Our intention is to make young workers aware of their choices, and to give them the confidence and knowledge to act on their natural instincts of self-preservation.  If I would have listened to my intuition the day I rocketed off that fateful jump, my life certainly would be quite a bit different —this is a life lesson we can all learn from!

I’m stoked to go after the world record and trust that with my entourage of support staff including videographers (to document the entire event), counters, and my personal massage therapist from the Paralympics, that we will be successful in our efforts.  We’ll start off the event at the B.C. Lions game on August 27 at 6 p.m., and then move to the PNE fairgrounds for more high-fiving until 6 p.m. on Saturday. Our goal is to break the official record of 3,131, and an unofficial record of 5,001.

It is obvious to me that this is an essential ad campaign to create awareness for the RYH program and to also help prevent accidents like mine from happening in the first place… I’m getting pretty excited about this one!

After this big event I’m back on snow training with the Canadian Ski Team for a few weeks in Chile and then over to Europe for a month of travel, training and exploration.  Life is looking good!

What else have I been up to this summer?

This week alone I have been working on three different hospital fundraising efforts: two for Vernon Jubilee Hospital and one for Vancouver General.  The objective for them is to raise money to create a better future for our communities.  It seems like a pretty natural fit for me to help out as I have experienced first hand the challenges that exist in the hospitals, and I would like to a part of the process to create healthier environments for everyone.

When I’m not focused on my work/travel projects I’ve been fortunate enough to find a little time to enjoy the Okanagan summer.  Check these photos from a recent adventure high above the valley bottom…

After three months on the road, I am home. What a crazy summer it has been!

The World Wheelchair Basketball Championships were held in Birmingham, UK. There were 22 teams from all over the world competing for the title of World Champions. Before we got there, however, the team spent a week in Germany training and fine tuning things. And boy was it hot! Air conditioning is a rare thing in Europe, and there was none where we were staying. So it was with some relief that we finally boarded a plane for cold, grey England.

I wasn’t sure what to expect as this was my first world championships. The only thing people said it, “It’s different”. And they were right. There was WAY more people than I was used to. Normally when we play there are only a few other teams, and even fewer spectators. When we arrived at the hotel, it was teeming with players. It was actually a little overwhelming. And then there were the fans! The chanting Algerians, the Germans with their drums, and the just-plain-crazy Dutch. A small part of me wished I was Dutch so that everywhere I went I could have a horde of singing and dancing people all dressed in orange to cheer me on. There were a few Canadians who made the trip, but they were pretty quiet compared to some of the other countries.

The World Championships lasted twelve days. It was both the longest and shortest twelve days I’ve experienced. Some days dragged on forever while other days, (days with big games), seemed to appear out of nowhere and (occasionally) take the team by surprise.

The women that make up Team Canada are fairly young; over half the team was experiencing their first world championship. As one of those players, I can tell you that it was exhausting, exhilarating, stressful, and enjoyable all at once. We played well in the round robin, losing only once to Australia. We smashed Japan in the quarter-final only to meet our long time rivals, the Americans, in the semi-final. We had to beat the Americans to get to the gold medal match. Unfortunately, we fell short of that goal. Even though we didn’t win, the team played exceptionally well and I am still proud of our performance. This meant that we played for the bronze instead. As luck would have it, we matched up again against the Aussies.

Everyone has a team they hate to lose to and for me that team is Australia. Part of me was excited to play them again (because I wanted so badly to beat them) and part of me was terrified (because I didn’t want to lose). Australia took an early lead and we spent most of the game chipping away at it until finally taking it back in the fourth quarter. Once we got the lead, we never looked back. When the clock ran out, it was Canada ahead by 10 points! We had won the bronze medal!

I was ecstatic that we managed to pull it off despite a tough summer on the road and a number of injuries that meant drastic changes to the team. I was also excited because my husband Jon was there to watch us win and get our medals! I’m now back in Victoria for the rest of the summer and I plan on doing nothing. Absolutely nothing. I need to rest this weary body and at some point, start thinking about law school in September!

First day at the beach yesterday… warm weather & fresh water = good times! It’s a bit late in the season to be claiming it’s the first day of summer; however, the late start has complemented my full-on work/training schedule quite nicely.

The latest rush of activity started in Abbotsford, with a presentation for Fix Auto — sharing some of my Paralympic moments and reminding them of the power of community. From there I went to Vancouver to visit friends at GF Strong… the key rehab center for many traumatic injuries and my old stomping grounds.

Next stop, Whistler, for a dry-land training/fitness-testing camp with the Canadian ski team. I’m happy with my personal results and stoked with the new team dynamics, and, of course, with my personal training plan for the summer.

My favorite part about being in Whistler in the summer: everyone else is there as well (at least, the lion’s share of the ski world). Between training sessions, I went flying with an old ski buddy who thought it would be fun to get his pilot’s license. Big thanks, BUSH, for taking me on an amazing sunset flight over Howe Sound and Tantalus range near Squamish!

I also met up with Mike Douglas, the godfather of the ski world, to scheme up some ideas for the upcoming season. I’m super stoked to be working with Douglas. Here’s some of what he does.

After a week of living the dream in Whistler, I went back home to Vernon to do a few presentations and appearances over the Canada Day long weekend. Canada Day was a blast, with several thousand people getting together at the local park to celebrate the greatest place on earth! Throw in a couple of charity golf tournaments and a few media events and there you have my long weekend.

Most recently, I had the pleasure of discussing — at great length — the pragmatics of empowerment and the limitless potential we all share with an old school buddy of mine, Dr. Thomas Ristimaki. We’re all the same in the sense that we have potential beyond measure, should we choose to embrace it and allow it to shine.

I leave you with this quote:

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

(Marianne Williamson, spiritual activist and author)

Photo credit: Kevin Bogetti-Smith

Trying to find some downtime after the Paralympics

Hey World!

So this will be my first ever blog that I’ve done… pretty sweet if you ask me. I’m guessing this will be some form of high-tech social networking where I can keep in touch with those interested in what my life is like. Without further ado… here I am!

It’s been roughly two months since the 2010 Paralympic Games have come to a close, and my life has not slowed down at all. Since the Games I’ve had the good fortune to be able to travel all over B.C. as a professional speaker, and share my stories and experiences with a wide variety of new and old friends.

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