Morning! How do you start your day? Do you have a system? Any superstitions? Do you eat a big breakfast? Do you need a coffee before you face your day? For some reason I get headaches from coffee, not always but often enough that it impedes my drinking of this liquid pick me up. I do however wish this morning tea gave me the same boost, none the less the day will continue of that I'm sure of. I'm also sure that once I get strapped into my snowboard, plug in my headphones, press play, and start my downhill assault all this will be forgotten. I've been in this relationship for the closer side of 2 decades and I still crave that bluebird powder day, and I'm still in lust with the feeling that you get when you land a new trick or perfect 1 that has been eluding you for what can sometimes be years!
I have just recently returned back to Whistler from what has felt like a long absence even though it has only been a couple of months since the best opening week I've ever had the privilege of experiencing! This morning it is raining not all the way to the top so that is good but a lot of people never realize this fact. So many tourists and Whistler rookies never find this fact out; granted very rarely is it bluebird up top on a day such as this but snow and or fog plus small line ups are always better than rain up to the top of the mountain.
I came to a decision last night while I lay in my car waiting to fall asleep to stay here in BC for most of the month of March until I head to Quebec to attend the Canadian nationals halfpipe contest and then off to Japan for the Advanced cup! I didn't get a chance to head to Japan last year, for the first year in almost 7 tears, and I cannot wait to get back there. I think that has been making it hard for me to decide where I wanted to be until I head out there, that and the fact that my role in the 2010 Olympics as an athlete has come to an end (early post Olympic depression). So many plans, goals, aspirations, expectations, heartbreaks, amazing memories , and also tears! I'm very happy that even though I didn't make the Olympic team I was able to participate in the Olympics by forerunning. I've gotten numerous people asking me what a forerunner does it is defined as: a person who goes before or announces the coming of another. In the case of the Olympics the group of the 4 athletes that just missed being able to ride in the Olympics as a competitor were the forerunners, a bittersweet honour. I was really scared for the halfpipe event (read earlier olympic post to know the whole story) until the 3rd day of practice at which time miraculously the halfpipe was almost perfect, and for contest day it was immaculate. Those 2 days of riding were so phenomenal. I rode with such a freedom and calm surrounding me it was, something that I had not felt in a really long time, that being said now that it is all done the light at the end of the tunnel being reached a new chapter has begun and in a really quite a unique way. Only a short couple of days after that awe inspiring halfpipe session I turned 31. Thats right 31 WOW. I'm not 1 to put an emphasis on age but around me there are a lot of people that do. This is unfortunate but I'm very lucky that I'm very good at adapting, and I now have a plan that takes me all the way until the end of this summer and allows me to continue all the things that I love in an environment that has it all in my backyard!
I may be getting older but my love for all that I do is only getting stronger.
The future is now embrace it.
R3
