January 4, 2006 – When I was growing up in my hometown of Thunder Bay, I have always been known as “a skier”. No one really knew much else, most actually thought I was an alpine skier and some thought I still a ski jumper. But, most acquaintances would scan newspaper articles and knew that I did well in this skiing thing I did. Many would say that they have been following my progress. I would always find this flattering and was glad that people were reading beyond the hockey and curling articles. Even close friends of mine at school would sometimes ask me questions out of the blue. “So, do you do like the classic type or the skate?” I was happy to answer them. I knew all about their hockey stats, so it was nice to tell them a little about what I did with most of my time.

By far the most common question over the years was “When are you going to the Olympics?” As a teenager I would explain that it is not women’s gymnastics; and you don’t go when you are 13 years old. Apparently, not everyone is aware that you peak late in this sport. Well, this Christmas I finally had an easy answer for my Thunder Bay fans. “I am going to the Olympics in February”. After 22 years, I could finally explain to anyone in my hometown all about my skiing and have their full attention. People in a town like Thunder Bay have a great deal of pride in athletes. Everyone was very excited to see a local boy going to Torino and it was nice to have so many people give me their best wishes for my upcoming quest this February. The mayor even told me he was going to throw me a huge parade and name a street after me this spring, which I thought was a nice gesture. (ok, that’s not true)

Anyway, although many of my fans are the bandwagon type as described, I also have my true fans that have supported and believed in me all throughout my career. My family close friends and sponsors have always been there, during the great races and bad ones. It was amazing to see so many people in great spirits and so excited to cheer me on in February. I was touched to hear that my Uncle Peter, one of my biggest fans was almost in tears when he heard that I had qualified for Torino. Of course my mother was also in tears (for those who know my mom, you are not surprised). But, it was great news and made this Christmas very special.

Now that I am home in Canmore, I reflect on my time in Thunder Bay this holiday season. I would like to thank everyone for their best wishes, and all the support and help everyone in the community has given me from the beginning. Big Thunder Nordic, the NTDC, both Lappe Nordic and Kamview ski centers have all been amazing stepping stones over the years. It is an amazing place to be a skier. Of course, thank you to Cross Country Canada, the past four years on the team in Canmore have been terrific. So thank you to everyone and I won’t let you down in Torino.



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