A Teaser

A few weeks ago I got back from a huge trip to Alaska. We spent nine days kayaking and camping in Glacier Bay National Park. The trip was great but I haven't had any time to post about it yet. I am still gathering the pictures and hope to have a few blog entries out soon. Lots of you have been asking about the trip and I will provide a full report as soon as I can.

In the meantime here is a picture that Rob Purdy took while on the water. It could be the best picture of the whole trip. I hope I can share my experience with everyone soon. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

That is a humpback whale breaching while feeding with the Fairweather mountain range in the background. It was pretty nice scenery for a vacation.

Thank You, Coach

I have been a volleyball coach at several level for a while. I coached at university when my eligibility ran out, I coached at the high school level at Horton High School in Greenwich, NS. I coached as part of the Wolfville Waves Club program in the Annapolis Valley.

I started coaching because I liked to compete, and since there were no competitive team for me to play on I did the next best thing and tried to build one. It was also fun and  I really enjoyed my time there. Getting young ladies and making them into a cohesive, mostly friendly, and competitive unit was very rewarding. I hope I made a difference for some of them.

Two years ago on a business trip back to the Annapolis Valley I ran into one of the parents of one of my players. It was nice to catch up and share stories about where her daughter was and how I now had a family with a daughter of my own. Off course we got around to talking about the rest of the team. What surprised me was how this parent kept going on about what a difference I had made for her daughter and what a positive impact I had on some of the other players. I had never really given it much thought.

I always treated everyone fairly and worked at giving everyone a fair shot at playing and competing. I ran a tight ship but also had a little fun with the teams I coached. I tried to provide a healthy and positive environment for everyone involved. I hope I accomplished that.

What I didn't realize was just how much these kids were getting out of it. For most of them the team was the highlight of their athletic career in organized sport. I suppose I was part of that. I'm only beginning to realize this now. The reason it is all coming up is because of another coach. Isabelle is now entering the world of organized, competitive sports. Of course she has a coach too. Miss Jenny happens to be our neighbor, but she's also one of the key drivers behind the Orchard Farms Gators, the subdivision's swim team. I suppose she's been Isabelle's coach for a few years now through the Orchard Farms Guppies (the little kids swim team) but this year she's really pushing Isabelle. The pushing is in a good way and I'm glad Isabelle has found a little competitive spirit.

Anyway, the point I want to make is that I think I'm beginning to see how the parents of all those kids I coached feel. I see now that the thanks that were offered to me were more than just for teaching their kids some athletic skills. It was also about teaching them some life skills, and getting them to be more than they could be by themselves. So, Miss Jenny, and Miss Jill and Miss Ally, thanks for being there for Isabelle and all the other swimmers. Keep up the good work, even though our kids can test you sometimes, knowing that you are making a difference in making our kids who they are going to be later on, and for that I can't thank you enough.

GO ORCHARD FARMS GATORS!!!

By the way, we won the Divisional championship today. All the swimmers did a great job and had a lot of fun and excitement doing it. I'm proud to say Isabelle was a part of it and is already looking forward to next year.

Off course it would be wrong not to mention the officials as well (right Bill?).

Isabelle's First Competition (and I was the nervous one!)

When Isabelle took here first step I was impressed but had no idea what it would lead to. When we moved to SC and she started the Michelin French School I was shocked when she came home after her second week and spoke French to me after all the French I had thrown at her. When she jumped off the platform at the USNWC and zip lined down to the ground 32 feet below I was impressed. But for all of that I don't think I have ever been as as proud of her as tonight when she swam in her first swim race and finished so well with so much energy and such confidence.

Now I'm not usually too emotional but I'm not too proud to say I welled up inside. My little girl is growing up and out there with the big kids. She cut some serious time of her best time to date, but more importantly she went through the whole process by herself. The pit where all the kids wait, the line up behind the blocks, the excitement of watching all the other heats, and finally jumping in and going through the "Take you marks" and then the start buzzer. I was worried she'd pull on the lane marker or turn too early at the wall and get disqualified. It's not that she was out there to win, but that she would have been absolutely heartbroken. But in the end she nailed it. She made me so darn proud.

Anyway, here is the set-up and the race itself. Here she is in her racing suit with her race number markered on her arm and her Orchard Farms Gators swim cap.

Below she is in the line-up with the other girls in her heat. I think she was more excited but Jane and I were more nervous.

Here she gets some last minute advice from Mr. Bill, our neighbor and one of the officials at the meet.

Next is the race itself. You can see me shaking as I watch through the camera. I also cut it a little short so I could be there when she got out of the pool.

Well next week she wants to swim freestyle, breast stroke, and backstroke. Why not? I'm not about to stand in her way.

A New Discovery

I am not usually a big promoter of commercial products on my blog, but when I like something I'll let everyone know about it. The latest thing that I've discovered (through Jane) is the Coppertone Sport Stick Sunscreen (see the website for coupons). It is essentially a glue stick full of sunscreen. It goes on easily, provides good coverage when you rub it in, and doesn't leave your hands sticky.

©2011 MSD Consumer Care, Inc.

That last point is the key for me. If you canoe, water ski, or kayak like I do, once you put sunscreen on your hands are usually left very slick for a while afterwards. That makes your paddle grip pretty slick too. It's annoying but something I've always put up with since sun protection is not negotiable (see this video if you aren't convinced).

Anyway, this stuff is great and doesn't get all slimy. (Strangely enough, the only con I found is: keep it out of the sun if you can. It gets a little soft in it gets too hot, making harder to control the amount applied.) This is my plug to anyone who doesn't like that slippery feeling. It comes in Kids, Babies, and Sport. All are SPF55. (Even though it is a high SPF rating always remember to apply regularly, especially after being in the water or heavy perspiration.)

Enjoy the sun, safely.

Another Trip to The USNWC

This week I went to the USNWC yet again. I love that place. This time it all started with a visit from a few months ago.

I had heard the center would be hosting the USA Canoe & Kayak Team Trials. I spread the word,  Pascal took me up on the offer and we were on our way with Isabelle and some of her friends. It turned out to be a great day. Pascal and I enjoyed it and the kids had a good time. Here is some of the fun.

The K-1 men were pretty impressive. Here is some of the biggest water. I don`t have the nerve to run this channel yet, much less worry about hitting gates.

This is one of the Canadians who come down to compete. They fared pretty well and finished in the top five in a few events, even though they can`t make actually the US team.

The C-1 event was also very impressive. It's really cool how these guys maneuver these boats and manage to roll them.

Of course there were the other "competitors." They did some rock climbing, the Mega Jump (a controlled fall from a 46 foot tall tower), and the Climb 2 Zip (a climb up a net to a 32 foot platform and then a 100 foot zip line down). Isabelle had done some of this before (last summer at the USNWC) but it was lots more fun with friends.

Here is the crew: Isabelle, Claire, &, Louis. Louis is in Isabelle's class and Claire is his big sister.

Here are Isabelle and Louis on the Climb 2 Zip.

Following the trip with Pascal he convinced the school that it would make a great end of year trip for the senior class. Since I am such a fan I asked to go along. The school took me up on it and here we are.

The students had a great time and I even got to paddle a little. Here are the pictures.

I also strapped the camera to my helmet and got a few good (I think) videos of the whitewater.

The first is of M-Wave, the big class 3 run.

The second is of some surfing on the Entrance Exam section.

Finally some big waves in the Playboat Channel.

Overall I think a good time was had by all.