Public Speaker Box

Part of being an athlete is the responsibility to young athletes, especially those in the community from which you hail. As I grew up I remember looking up to the inspirational leaders of sport in Canada. The athletes who spoke to me at various games growing up formed the athlete I have become today; the person I have become today.

So, imagine my excitement at the opportunity to become that athlete. To be given the opportunity to inspire other young athletes. I was given such an opportunity this week. While all my teammates went down in the blistering heat of the Cuba…I winged in north to Whitehorse, Yukon for the beginning of the Canada Winter Games. This will be the first Canada Games North of the 60th parallel, and the biggest Canada Winter Games ever. My home sport association asked me to be the inspirational speaker at the pep rally for the Yukon athletes. As I headed up for the games I had only the one event scheduled over the three days but I had a feeling I was in for more. After my two full days here I have done 2 radio interviews, one newspaper, one public speech, on dinner for all the sport ministers in Canada, one school appearance, and 2 team speaking engagements. What a thrust into a roll model position…and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my athletic career. I found myself facing the same questions I had as a young athlete and I realized I had answers for them. I felt like in some small way that I was helping these athletes, and to be doing it the northern setting that I had come from was very rewarding indeed. I hope I can continue on with this sort of work. Sport is first and for most about community. This is how sport reaches and improves community, and improves the lives of everyone it touches. I would like to thank sport Yukon for trusting me with the minds of there young talent. Good luck at the games.

HERE is a link to the an artical on my speech.

AXE WEILDING

WellI have done some big weeks over tha last little while…and it might be making me wig out a little…I produced this little video of what people in the business would call .
skills with the axe

I did all the playing in the movie…which is the main reason I put it up. I know it isn’t a very complex thing…but I am not a very complex guy. I had more to say…but I don’t recall???

Apparently I am not the only one with the base mile blues…Ryan seems like he might be in a desperate situation…more even than me. Geeze man have a taco ro somsing…
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What made you boy….

Well I know all kinds of people always ask me where I am from and I try to discribe it. Well I was doinga little search on the old web tonight and I came across this some what cheesy promo video for the town I grew up in. Now, if you watch this video you will learn a lot about what I am all about, I worked in that star theater the year it opened…I turtle waxed that water slide, ran around that lake, swam in thouse hot springs before there was wood there went to that school, shot bottle rockets on teh baseball field, curled in that curling rink, road my first road bike down that highway. So I know it is cheesy to me…and maybe to you too….but it is the best way I can think of to really discribe my home town in this hot media world.

Congrats are in order…

Well I am over her in the land of Aus and the world seems to be spinning all around me…and as a track cyclist it should be the other way around…I just heard that my man Ryan Mckenzie just got hitched to his hip and GROOOOVY broad Laura…Well dang yo…god on you and a big shout out of congratulations. I would say I hope you are very happy together…but I know you are so no need for hope.

As for the rest of you out there in blog world. Well I am busy planning some interesting things…I may have a guest blogger join the Z-Rail feed on a some what permamnet basis…to bring a little edge to line. I will also have some interesting pics and fottage once I return from the world cup. It is the first time I haven’t had to Race Pack Fly on sunday…so I will have some free time to wonder the beach or check out the nitty gritty of one of the worlds most famed citys…