Athlete • Speaker • Guide 
Athlete • Speaker • Guide Date: 18th May 2013
It’s been a while since I’ve posted on here. Twenty plus speaking engagements, some life turmoil, travel, climbing, writing, moving, etc. etc. it all put a crimp in the time I had for this blog. But I’m back! And I’m going to do this blog differently; in past years I’ve put more emphasis on longer stories and rants, which just don’t fit the way life works for me right now. I’ll still write some of those when time allows, but I want to have more fun writing about more topics more often. Zoom!
Olympians, Speaking.
A week ago I did one of the most important speaking events I’ve ever done as part of the Olympic Excellence Series in Vancouver. These events are for the top medal contenders for the 2014 Olympics, their coaches and Canadian Olympic Committee personnel. I worked closely with the COC in the weeks leading up to the show to really dial in my presentation’s message to fit the challenges the athletes expected in Sochi, and I was confident in it. But to get up on stage before more than 100 of Canada’s top athletes along with their coaches and team (including people like my hero, Steve Podborski!) and speak was just a huge deal for me. I’d have gladly paid to hear any one of them speak. I still get nervous before I speak, but over the years I’ve learned that’s a good feeling, and that I can use that energy if I respect it and listen to it. I use the same basic strategies for competition that I do for speaking (be overly prepared, put the stress into positive avenues, respect the time I’ll need alone before I go, don’t have anything else that has to happen the day of the event, visualization, etc.) and it was all good, but very powerful for me. After the presentation and the next morning I had the honour to meet some of my heroes and talk with them a bit about their training and lives, and it totally fired me up. For me speaking is always both incredibly exciting and draining, like anything cool in life. I learned a lot during my Red Bull speaking tour this spring, plus the COC, CHBA, Enbridge and other shows I did, but there’s always more to learn, ways to do it better. Thanks for the opportunities!
I’ve been involved in competitive athletics for over 30 years as an athlete, coach, pundit and facilities operator. And I think that the vast majority of what we’re teaching our kids and offering to adults in terms of being “Fit” is just wrong. I’m writing a piece about this right now for Explore magazine so I won’t go into it all too much, but I think there need to be some physical standards just as there are scholastic standards. Radical idea? No. Why should it be acceptable to graduate from high school without knowing how to read anymore than it should be acceptable to graduate without being able to hike a mile/K in less than 15 minutes? Or do 10 pushups? Or a pull-up? And why is fat such a horrible word in our minds? I’ve been walked into the ground by a fat grandmother in Mexico; she was fit as hell, but because she had a spare tire around the middle society would have looked down on her. We need a new definition of “fit” that is far more inclusive and realistic while also being a standard that actually means something. There are special educational needs kids who I love and respect greatly, and there will be special needs kids and adults in terms of fitness for sure. But right now what I see in the cities, airports and even rural areas of North America is that most of the population is physically illiterate, incompetent, and being given terrible advice on how to change that. It’s a ridiculous situation that has somehow become “normal.” I am to change that idea around some, more in the coming weeks.
Travel Notes: Travelocity Sucks, Mustang GT Review
If you fly Westjet don’t book your flight on Travelocity. If you want to change a flight you’ll have to call Travelocity; Westjet won’t change the flight if you book it through Travelocity. If you’ve booked your flight with Westjet you can change it for $50 plus the differences in fares, but not if you booked through Travelocity… Travelocity will then add $120 onto Westjet’s change fee. Seriously, it’s the most ridiculous “gouge” fee ever–I just paid $190 to change a ticket that should have cost me $50 to change. Here’s a big fat finger in the eyeball of Travelocity, I’m not booking another ticket with them until they refund that ridiculous fee. I’m also not real impressed with Westjet, as Air Canada and other airlines let you change Travelocity booked fares without having to call Travelocity up.
On the plus side I recently received a free upgrade to a Mustang GT at YVR. 420 horsepower, low profile tires, convertible, yeah, this was gonna be fun! I was totally hoping to get rid of my bias against American “sports cars” as I’ve driven a few American rentals lately that were pretty good (Ford Focus was solid actually, and a Chrysler 200 was half decent also).Overall I was impressed with the power, but at high speeds and cornering the car just didn’t do it for me at all; my ancient Audi felt way more locked down in the corners at the same speeds. I don’t know how a car with such low-profile tires could be such a junk show at speed in the corners, but it was. It felt like the suspension was super soft for the first few inches and then rock hard after that. This would “launch” the car off its springs and give it an odd hovering feeling, which is not what you want on a wet road when you’re experiment with tire adhesion. I got into a bit of a drive with a WRX on the way back to YVR, and although I could gain hard on him in the straights it wasn’t good in the corners at all, just did not trust the Mustang not to buck.
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Looking forward to seeing the full article about physical literacy. I agree that there needs to be a greater emphasis on health and fitness in schools. I was lucky to attend a high school that gave me the flexibility to do a lot of outdoor activities outside the standard curriculum. I don’t think most students get this opportunity. If my high school physical education had been limited to archery and golf, I would have gone crazy. Some of us just aren’t into organized sports which seem to be the emphasis in school culture.
As an adult, I’ve struggled to balance the contemporary work environment (read, sitting at a desk all day) with maintaining an acceptable level of fitness. It isn’t easy. Factor in a crap North American diet and its a lose:lose recipe. I’m not good with workout routines, training and stuff. I want being active to be fun, adventurous. For me that simply means moving, a lot. Do what makes you feel good. And cook your own food. That should be another emphasis in schools.
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