Tweaking my baby....

Ugh....waking up at 05:00am is tuff!! I find it strange though, when I am on vacation down south (which hasn't been for a few years), I can wake up at 5am no problem, cause I want to, but in reality world....ugh...it's tuff.....but this morning, I was at the rink, and I can honestly say that I was more awake than the young rink attendant. Pushed my sled a few times before the figure skaters came on.....what are they doing up so early anyways?!
I realized, after speaking to Ray the 'iceman' that it might not have been my sled drifting to the right after all but the ice was off kilter a bit. Still, I changed my runners and, coincidentally, Ray was repairing the ice, now it's not so bad but the sled needs a little tweaking still. When I hit the boards hard enough, my saddle digs into my hip bone....not a little high and not a little low, but right on the bone of course, and if I can feel that at 10 kmh....imagine what it would feel at 100kms-140kms, so today, my coach and I had an appointment with my neighbour and friend Marc....the welder.
I can honestly say, that after today, I know I will have the perfect sled!! We heated and hammered out the saddle a bit, for my precious hips, we welded on a 1/2 inch steel extra on my bumpers, to protect my huge shoulders, and we are gonna pad up my thumb position grips......oh yeah, I am gonna have one sweet ride there!!
I will be going to Germany soon and when I get back, my sled will be ready to rock n' roll.......Thanks Marc!!

Another one bites the dust.....

Well, last week, my Marriott contact let me know that Marriott International would not be able to hook me up for the season for accomodations, but he, out of his own goodwill, contacted all the Marriott hotels personally to see if those GMs would help me out but, unfortunately, it couldn't get done so......another one bites the dust.
Olympic Airlines has so far offered me one flight from Montreal to Athens but I would be on my own from there so.....I'm scrambling.
Hopefully Coffee Time Donuts comes through with a 100 t-shirt purchase, then I would feel a lot more comfortable financially.....maybe I am okay now but I don't want money to become a factor here. I've always said the 2 things that could make the 'dream' a nightmare, would be injury or no mo'money.
Anyways, today I had a great training day, even though I didn't really feel up to it, I had a colleague training at the same time playing Rocky music so we just went hard at it.....it's amazing after all these years....Rocky can still motivate...talk about longevity.
We'll be working on the sled this week and next to get it perfect, just perfect, it must be perfect. I changed the runners yesterday to see if I will drift to the right again this week....I will find out tomorrow morning at 06:00....yuck!!
It truly bites to be up that early but in a melancholy way, there I am, alone on the ice, sometimes with a little fog hovering, putting pieces of my dream together, it all starts here, the path that will eventually lead to the ultimate goal, coming quicker than ever now.........I can feel it........I can taste it.......I am finally there.
It also reminds me of when my Dad used to drive me to hockey practices when I was just a little guy....05:00 in the morning, the Dads taking turns bringing coffee and donuts, waiting for the arena guy to show up, lacing up our skates....then I didn't mind waking up to train.....oh yea, I forgot, I'm an old fart now......nice memories. Thanks Dad.....that's Mom in the pic too....

Hannibal the can.......

Well, the first time I put this thing on, my wife looked at me funny and said I looked like Hannibal the Cannibal...you see, it's this head strap thing that has a chain on it also where you put weights through so you could do neck exercises. It sure as heck looks funny cause it's made out of leather and underneath the leather, it has some sort of lamb wool, cause it sits on your head, velcroed to your forehead, so it's gotta be comfortable right??!! Then the chain hangs down where you slide the weights through and you do neck raises, simply to strengthen my neck muscles so maybe I can see my way into and out of turns without taking my head for a walk along the ice if you get my drift. So after every set of weights, I slap this thing on, with 20lbs, lay on the hamstring bench to simulate the skeleton sled, and visually put myself through one of the tracks I will be racing at this season. I actually do the courses in order that I will be racing them and for entertainment value for the gang at work, (that's where I work out), I also include all the steering motions, grunts and groans, the pretend hits into the walls, etc........it's so touching, they used to come and ask me if I was okay afterwards, he he, but now they are used to my training methods.
The question I have, since I am by far a scientist, is how much pressure in pounds is actually exerted on the body, specifically an unsupported body part such as my head hanging over the sled in this case, while in a turn exerting a force of 3g's. In other words, does holding up my head in such a turn equivalate (yes I make up my own words) 20lbs that I am training with, or should I be training with maybe 40lbs or 10lbs....now if someone can answer that question, I would be impressed!!

New level and nice surprises......

Well, today I attained a new level in my workout, and right on time, concerning when I would like to peak in terms of performance, as competitions will start soon. I leg pressed 900lbs today, 3 times alone and one assisted so I am really happy about that....1000lbs is coming for the month of October. See, these skinny tree trunks have some serious power in them now. It's amazing when you push yourself, what you can actually accomplish....I never pushed this kind of weight when I was 18, 20, or 25 years old.....bring on the young-uns!!
For the month of Septmeber, I started leg pressing with two legs cause the weight was getting heavier. Once I reached 540lbs single leg press, it was time to really power up both legs at the same time so I could push more weight....I have just one more month of this heavy stuff, then I will fall back onto medium maintenance stuff while competing.
A couple of days ago, I also had a nice surprise from my in-laws...Mr. and Mrs. 'T'. They came by the house and Mr. T, my vodka partner, plopped down $500 and said "gimme 25 t-shirts, I have been selling in Montreal"....well what a nice surprise...that meant two shots of vodka that day. As you can tell, my relationship with my in-laws is not a scary one, they are real cool!! I really appreciated his efforts to help me out. Thanks Mr. and Mrs. T.

Interesting day....

Well, this morning, nice and early...I'm not a morning person in terms of being awake, I was at the rink and when you arrive before the guy that opens....that's just too early, but today was special.
I got to try my sled, with rock now to correct the drifting to the right, on the international ice surface.....for those of you that don't know, this ice is longer and wider than normal rinks. Anyways, still encountered the same problems and I realized that 'bigger is not better'...........I'm talking about ice surfaces!!
On the big rink, the doors for benches and penalty box, are more pronounced so it bumps my sled off while I am running with it......could have been drastic but I caught it in time. Needless to say, my coach and I have to get things in order soon.
The day became interesting when I got that famous call from my wife....."can you talk now? okay, don't get mad but, (this is never a good 'but') your daughter told her teacher that you have a gun and you point it around".....well, this is her first full week of school (jr kindergarten) and I am sure that I have been taken off the 'volunteer list' not to mention there goes 'show and tell'. It's a good thing that there is a parent teacher night tonight and she gets the opportunity to apologize to the teacher because she lied.....I'm not there so I can't wait to hear the outcome. I came home late (cause I was working out) but I told my daughter it was because I was in big trouble with the police. I sat her down and we calmly discussed why she said what she said, as she was blowing bubbles with her saliva (I did everything I could to contain my laughter cause this is serious right?) but she just said, even though she told me exactly what she said, "I don't know why I said it daddy"........man I remember when I was able to get away with that!!
That's my excitement for the day.......

Spandex day....

I gotta say, even with all the knocks and bruises I have received through skeleton, the hardest thing for me was, and and still is, to be in spandex....what a weird feeling, especially my speedsuit...it's so tight that when you walk, you feel the air swoosh by you....I don't know, I keep looking over my shoulder to see who's looking....weird I tell ya.
So today, I was on the ice pushing my sled (in spandex) and it just doesn't feel quite right....the sled that is. The bumpers have to be a bit bigger cause I feel my hands and forearms rubbing against the boards and that could only mean a lot of pain going down the track at 120kms. The sled also comes off the boards to the right which could mean my placement on the sled or the practice runners are a little warped....I think the latter, so on Thursday, I will add some 'rock' to the runners and see if there is a diff. Besides that, my starts were pretty decent and so were the loads.
So off to the Civic Centre I go, right after my ice session, (in spandex) to see if I could be the next James Bond...well, actually, it is a Franco-Ontario film called Good Cop Bad Cop. They were looking for people that could play hockey.....I guess I could cause it looks like the lady wants to cast me, but I will believe it when I get the call....maybe I will get a few lines..."you talking to me? you talking to me? you must be talking to me cause I don't see anyone else around"...eh, not bad, eh? Well the casting is for Oct 20th at the Corel centre....I will keep you posted. Maybe they liked the spandex......hmmmm??

Hollywood.....

So a buddy of mine calls me yesterday and says "hey Dee, wanna be in a movie?".....I guess they are shooting a movie about cops and hockey, no one is really sure, but today, at the Civic Centre, they want to see who can actually play or skate....I think they only need like 15 players and there will be double that.
Anyways, I may go check it out but I haven't skated in a while....if all goes well, they will be casting in October...go figure, timing is everything.
Well, gotta go push the sled now....I guess the whole day will be an ice day...will keep you posted on the outcomes...

The silent contributers.......

There are a lot of people who have helped me, and are helping me, live the dream.....They are the silent ones, the ones who are not advertised, the ones who did not inject actual cash but helped significantly otherwise, the ones I haven't mentionned until now......
Of course, my boss boss, without his permission, we would have gone nowhere. I have his full support and it means a huge deal to me...thank you.
Then, my immediate boss, and amazing guy whom I've worked 'with' in the past, and who I would work 'for' anyday....which I do now. He has supported me from day one and I wonder how I can ever repay him. Long story short...he truly has my back....thank you.
Let's not forget the working bees, my colleagues.....who are always interested in how my training is going and keep commenting on how crazy I am. Almost all of them bought a t-shirt from me right from the get-go and most recently, many of my colleagues, when I asked if they can sponsor me by way of donating some of their hotel reward points to me for my upcoming trip to Germany, did so in a heart beat. I was really touched to see such unfettered generosity.....now I know who my friends are he he. Even though it is not actual cash, they have saved me a ton of money by getting free hotel rooms....I really appreciate it guys, and gals....I will try to make you proud!! Germany right......Hawaii here I come.....he he
I wanted to have fun with my t-shirts....I didn't want them to be too serious. So I had an idea of what I wanted but was looking for someone to draw it. Lo and behold, coincidentally, and sticking to the theme of how this whole adventure started, while talking to my coaches' wife about my idea, she showed me a portfolio of art she had done.....she is an artist. Needless to say, she drew the picture in one shot and it was perfect....this is why the shirts sold so well....thank you.
My neighbour, Marc, who is a handy man of all sorts knows how to weld so when it came time to make some adjustments to the skeleton sled and cut some metal weight plates, he was there in an instant.....and he did it for nothing, and nothing in our neighbourhood, translates into 'beer'. Thanks Marc.
It is truly amazing how so many people have played a role in creating the path towards my ultimate goal. A little help, and a little push, here and there and I am off again. Even simple words of encouragement and kind words help in the utmost way. It really means a lot to me to know how many people had a hand in keeping the dream alive...this kind of support is simply priceless.

More competition.....

Well, I just found out yesterday that there is another Greek skeleton slider that will be competing this year so that makes three guys now. Only the top eight small nations qualify for the Olympics at the Challenge Cup race in January so now not only do I have to be in the top eight but I have to beat out my colleagues while I'm at it......more competition....bring it!!
So my trip to Germany is booked for early October, air, hotels, car rental...all done. I am simply going to 'recce' the tracks in Konigssee and in Altenberg. I know all the tracks that I am competing on by heart.....have known them since the Spring, but there is nothing better than actually seeing the track and walking it up and walking it down. It gives you the true feeling of the turns, and the pitch, and the slants, the tightness, etc. I am a very visual person so when I visualize the tracks, I see them for what they are exactly and I can run them in my mind just like it were real. Those two tracks I have never seen live yet so I know them only as flat, on a piece of paper.....I wish it was that easy.
It'll be a quick trip, cost friendly, and a very valuable lesson...but it also marks the beginning of my season as I will try to be in Calgary two more times in Oct before the big month of Nov starts.......this will definately test my wife's patience he he.....

Training agenda.....

Well, I will share with you all, the type of training I have been doing the last couple of months. I am a firm believer in training every muscle equally in other words, I do a lot of sinlge leg workouts...except for the hill running...I need both legs for that....
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, are power days. On these days, you can find me on the leg press (45 degree angle) pushing with a single leg and then finishing off with calves, or on the leg extension pumping single legs again emphasizing when the left leg pumps, the right shoulder comes forward simulating skeleton driving (left turn). I will also do hamstrings, single leg, and single leg squats.....ohhhhhh, these ones hurt but man they really work for power.
To start of the set, I always do a variety of ABS and before I do any set of legs, there is always a set of bench press to do, and somewhere in between the set, there is a 'core' exercise to do. On Wednesdays especially, there are also plyos to do.....no reason to lie....they suck, but they work. Also, forgot to mention, as part of my warm up, I go up the peg board....those of you that know what this is, what an AB stretcher and core tightner this one is!!
On Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings (sometimes way too early), these are usually my on ice days...pushing the sled, practicing starts and loads...just like on TV yesterday he he....Lianne did a great job. Then if I have time, in the afternoon, I hit the treadmill for 30 minutes only.
Saturday is hill running day, full explanation on previous post about the hills, and then when I come home, exaggerated jump lay-ups while playing basketball...just to fire up the hip flexor and fast twitch muscles.
Sunday, ahhhh...the best day...is a day of rest!! Maybe some NFL football, maybe a few beers with my great neighbours, maybe some beach volleyball with friends, maybe lay in the hammock for a few hours.....YA RIGHT....more like work around the house, cut the grass, fix this fix that, and then......it's freakin' Monday again!! Life is beautiful!!

Got some good news...got some not-so-good news....

Let's start with the good stuff....just came back from the rink, pushing my new Greece Lightning sled for the first time....it needs some tweaking but that's besides the point....Lianne Laing form the A Channel (formerly the NewRO) was also there and she did a little 'bit' on my story. She is a great girl!! She has helped me out on other stories before and has always done a great job. It was fun to see her again as she is now a proud, new Mom of a beautiful 6 month old daughter, Andie...congrats to Dad, Tony, also. She has not lost her touch. Anyways, it airs tonight at approx. 6:30 - 6:45pm...have a look...no laughing if you see me crashing into the boards.....I'm supposed to do that!!
The not-so-good news, one of my upcoming sponsors, Hertz, will not be able to support me through car rental expenses....oh well, you don't ask, you don't know. We keep plugging away.
Okay gotta run....now I train with my guys at work....

Beyond expectations......

As I write this, I am sitting at Calgary airport waiting to catch my flight back home. I was here for my monthly training at the 'ice house' to practice my blast-offs and loads. We had a goal, my coach and I, and it was to take off another 1/10 of a second of my start time.
I have been running in the 5.30s and we wanted to just get into the 5.20s...so I do 2 untimed warm-up runs and then the moment of truth comes.......run 1...Blast-off..look at the time....5.18...holy smokes batman, I let out such a holler. I came back to the start and asked if the timer was busted......no, do it again. Run 2.....blast-off...look at the time....5.14, and I'm thinking, it must be that double bacon cheeseburger from Wendy's I ate a couple of hours ago...unbelievable. Run 3 (which including the warm-up runs is actually 5 now)....ignition please.......5.19...unreal. It was definatetly beyond my...our, expectations...my training is paying off. Now let me introduce you to "bear-walking" he he
When you go to the Academy in Regina (also known as depot) for the RCMP, they teach you how to march but if you know how to walk, then you pretty much know how to march BUT, of course some people get very nervous and stressed and manage, straight up, to forget how to walk so they "bear-walk" right foot forward and right hand forward, left foot forward left hand forward....c'mon get up up and give it a try.....weird eh? totally awkward....by the way, and on the record, it never happened to me!! All this to tell you that on my 4th run, my focus left the house, my mind started to work backwards...I was thinking of that burger, I don't know but...blast-off, well, more like putt-putt off the block, my feet and arms not working in unison, my mind coming back to me actually saying...'what are you doing?' so I just load on to get it over with and I look at the time....5.44...ah man, ruined a good thing. Once you taste success, you don't want to see those numbers anymore. I'll spare you what my coach and others thought of that run he he. Of course this happens right when the US Bobsled team was watching....sheesh.
Anyways, back to square one now but getting a little tired, so I post 3 more runs in the 5.20s....overall, a very productive training session....I am pleased, now of course you know, next session.......have to break under 5.10.
Rock n'roll.....oops, gotta catch my plane......

Let's get ph....ilosophical....

You gotta give thanks!! Everyday, we must be thankful!! For the gift of life, for the gift of opportunity. This is definately not a religious or political forum, but everyday, we must be thankful for what we have. Not that anything strange happened to me today but I honestly do try to be thankful...daily.....simply because of everything else that is going on in the world today. Many of of us don't take that time to realize that we have everything we need right now....just think, for a second, of what you have today...and without getting specific, look around the world today.....disasters, natural disasters, famine, poverty, disease, needless violence, abuse, racism...if you read newspapers or listen to radio, you know it's out there but....life keeps going on.
All this to say is that sometimes I feel so downright guilty, to be so privileged to even have this opportunity, to even have the chance to attempt what I am trying to do, when I know around the corner, life for others is a constant battle for survival. Why is my plight so important? Who am I to raise $12,000 for my cause when that money could mean a year or two of comfort for some? Along with all other challenges in my life, I truly struggle with this concept because like many....I just don't understand why it has to be like so.
I realize that we can't always think this way about this, cause we'll go nuts, but it's in our face, daily.....so we must recognize, and be thankful.
You don't need a job like mine to realize the finality of life...we are here today and may be gone "instantly" tomorrow....with no good byes, with no see ya laters. How many of us could go right now.......with no regrets??.......we must be thankful!! How many of us are working or doing something so ultimately important in our lives right now that it consumes us, that we forget about life and living, and that if you knew tomorrow you wouldn't be around....how really important was that 'thing' that you were doing or working on, in the whole grand scheme of things??
Anyways....who really knows?? Live your life, be proud, be respectful, be thankful.... daily....that's my two bits...

I really don't like begging.....

My sponsors generosity made begging not so bad. There are so many people to thank but being self-funded, sponsorship played a huge role financially, obviously, and in other ways. I always said, the only thing that could stop this quest is money, not enough of it, or injury, plain and simple. I think I have the money part okay now....the other part is a 'cross your fingers' deal.
- I really made most of my money through the sale of t-shirts ( I still have 100 left by the way). I sold 600 at a price of $20 so far. My brother, Mark, has his own embroidery company in Montreal (CSG International) with his partner John. The company 20West is their online shop. They made the t-shirts for me and that was their contribution.
- So, everybody that bought a t-shirt, or sold a few for me, really helped me out in a huge way, so many thanks to all...you know who you are.
- Peter Foustanellas of Olympia Homes and Argos Carpets was the first person I approached for sponsorship. I had a conservative budget set at $30,000 for this season and was really hoping to secure one major sponsor. This budget included race fees, equipment, transportation, flights, meals, hotels, training, etc. Since I heard a lot of good things about Mr. Foustanellas and how generous he is, I went to see him. He heard me out, told me he couldn't do the whole amount, but was very generous considering I had never met him before. On top of his financial donation, which he gave me the very next day, a few months later, he purchased 50 t-shirts. Thank you.
- Angela Kokkinos and Mr. Florakas, who were in charge of the Greekfest this year, were supportive of my cause by letting me set up a table to show off my equipment, introduce people to skeleton, and of course, sell t-shirts. It was a great success as I sold just over 100 hundred t-shirts. My 9 days at the Fest was an exceptional experience, I met so many people, and people that I'd see from time to time at church or other like events but now, I saw them everyday, got to know them by name, and had a few laughs with them...even my friends in the kitchen stuffed me with lots of Loukoumades....there went my training he he. Thank you all.
- My neighbour, and friend, Dan Lemay, has a company that runs retirement homes, Barhaven Manor and Alta Vista Manor, and he purchased over 50 t-shirts from me to hand out to his staff at his annual staff appreciation night. Not only was he extremely generous with me, but he gave the t-shirts away to his staff......and to top it off, we had a great night...that's off the record. Thanks Dan.
- Pilos restaurant, run by Peter and his dad Costa, were also very generous. Peter threw out a number at me and said 'how does that sound?'....I'll take it!! Very generous. Thank you Peter and Costa.
- My friend, and mortgage specialist with the Bank of Montreal on Bank and Heron, George Gritziotis was very spontaneous with his offer...when I told him what I was up to, he said 'man, I'll take 30 shirts'...just like that. Much appreciated George!
- Jimmy and George, at the Baton Rouge restaurant, also helped me out by donating financially, and by letting me leave a money box for free and random donations by clientele waiting to be seated....which reminds me, I gotta go shake that box to see what's in there. Thanks guys.
- The RCMP mess fund also donated some cash to me. I walked in there, told them my story, and within minutes, they were writing me a cheque. That was awesome, thank you folks.
- Peter who runs the Greek Souvlaki House restaurant was also spontaneously quick with his offer....I was just starting to tell him my story and show him some pictures and he just said 'don't worry, I'll sponsor you'....just like that!! Thanks Peter.
- Mona and Eli run the Orient Cafe and restaurant in the Walkley industrial/business park. When I asked Mona if I could leave a money box there to raise money, she simply said 'Dee, for as long as you want'. That box raised money for me and to top it off, Mona even sold t-shirts for me. Thank you.
- The local Quickie in my area on Forest Valley, run by my buddy 'Mo', also had one of my money boxes out for a long time. I have known Mo since I have lived in Ottawa and so has my daughter because every Saturday morning since she was born, we would walk to the Quickie, rain or shine, snow or sleet,...we were there. We buy a paper, and now, she gets a candy of her choice....the tradition still continues. Thanks Mo.
- My friend Tony Alain, who works or runs, the body shop at 417-Nissan, made a special kind of donation. He donated his time, his skills, and some paint because he painted my new ride "GREECE LIGHTNING"...now that was awesome of him. Thanks Tony...how 'bout my car now?? he he
- Alain Methot, the GM of Minto Skating centre and Ray the "Iceman" Hartley, who runs everything at ice level, have let me use the rink for my personal training which in my books is huge!! This ice time is so crucial if I want to be better than the others and I can't thank you guys enough....I am sure you have given me the edge..no pun intended. Thanks Ray for your time and patience.
- And of course, all the media exposure I have received has been just amazing...without that exposure, the story just wouldn't get out....thanks!!
- And to top it off, Martin Thornell, who I met at the Greekfest, out of his own goodwill and generosity, has donated his time and efforts to create and build up this website blog for me....the non computer guy, but it has turned out awesome and now people can follow along on my stories and progress. Thanks.
All in all, I have raised approximately $12,000 net, after training and equipment and other costs. As for my upcoming sponsors, Marriott International, Hertz, Olympic Airlines, ING Direct, and Coffee Time Donuts Inc., when I hear from them, I will post it. With these companies on board, all my efforts would be concentrated on competing only. Thanks to all!!

The Hills.....

Every Saturday is my ' tank hill running' day. I run hills at 30, 40, 50, and 60 degree inclines at my old detachment in Orleans...it used to belong to the military so that is why I call them the 'Tank Hills'. I have 4 different programs to cap off a full month at a time. Week 1 is running all four hills from small to big and then big to small which gives me 8 turns plus 2 warmup hills. Week 2 is what I did today, down the small hill forwards quickly and up the small hill backwards quickly for 10 times and then a bonus run up the big hill once.....you really think you got tree trunks for legs after this one!! Week 3 is a doozy....down the small hill and up the big hill...10 times and 4 out of those ten are 'weighted' an extra 30 to 40 lbs (I am a sadist that way), and then as a bonus, if I can, 3 times backwards up the small hill.....a lot of swearing going on this day!! Week 4 is 10 sprints, at full tilt, up the small hill.....don't eat breakfast!! Oh yeah, I forgot, there are 10 to 20 push-ups between each hill run so that should be good for usually 100 push-ups.
When I look back, it is amazing how time has just flown by...I have been running the hills since May and now we are in September. It feels like just last week I was pushing my sled on the local outdoor rink, with my daughter on it for extra weight (told you I was sadistic that way), and then watching her bang into the boards cause I can't stop. Although it was just 2 weeks ago that I ran the small hill with her on my shoulders.....she loves to train with me. She has the makings of a great athlete....we'll see. Even when we go sliding in the winter...it has to be the highest hill, by herself, on her belly.....on a crazy carpet....wait a minute...sounds just like skeleton he he. Just yesterday, we had a family day at the Minto rink where I train. I trained and my girls skated and I was definately impressed with her. Alain and Ray the "Iceman" at Minto are amazing guys and have given me the edge over all the other competitiors by giving me the opportunity to train there twice a week.
Well, those are the hills.....the dreaded hills...but man do they work for power, endurance, and they help on recoup time.

Greece Lightning is in the house....

My coach Pascal just left my house, but he did not come without bearing a gift.....my brand new Greece Lightning skeleton sled....it's freakin' awesome and thought I should share my excitement!! I can tell you now, that this will be one fast sled....I'm gonna have to find a new way to hold on he he.
I just came back from the rink an hour ago and I knew that I would be on Pascal's old sled for the last time.......next Thursday, we try the new one....can't wait!!

And the training begins....

Well, the month of Febraury and March were not too hardcore...besides sliding at the ice house in Calgary once a month, (the ice house is where you get to practice your starts and loads) I truly let my body come back to its natural position and let my organs fall back into place. The Spring time is when I started to go harder.
I am not a natural sprinter, I am quick, but I had to learn about sprint dynamics and soon realized that sprinting is an art form. I have done 10kms, half marathons, full marathons, traithlons.....all out the window when it comes to sprinting. Learning how to transfer power down to the ground and then blasting off the block was, and is still a wonder although from last winter to now, I have seen a drastic improvement shaving a half second off my start times....this is an eternity with this sport. So since I was been coached by an Olympian, I decided to get sprint coaching from another Olympian in Glenroy Gilbert. We spoke a few times, he was interested in helping me out, I went to the track a few times but never caught up with him (no pun intended), and logistically, things didn't work out and we never trained together...but...by watching others at the track and getting pointers, I was able to train on my own and develop those sprint dynamics. I am still more a hockey player than a sprinter though.....
Needless to say, I have been going hard from April 'till now only taking 2 weeks off at the end of August...my body needed it. I have really focused on powering up my legs....I figured if I have half the sprint dynamics down pat and I have increased my power, blend them both together and I should have some decent results. Even my wife noticed my new tree trunks hehe.
My first time back at the ice house in Calgary was in July since March, and I was glad to see the improvement....even with a pneumonia....hard work does pay off...so far. I was there in August, I will be there next week, and once more in Oct before the season starts.

Ohhhhh the pain.....

Now I have played competitive hockey all my life, and I have been crunched something silly, and of course, I have dished it out, but nothing compares to the hits I took during my skeleton school in Park City Utah and my first race in Lake Placid. The pictures will prove my story (battered and bruised).
School lasted four days and to obtain my licence, I had to slide 3 times from the Junior start on day 1, 3 times from the Ladies start on day 2, and 3 runs from the top on day 3 and 3 more runs from the top on day 4 but you only needed 5 runs from the top to successfully pass the course. Well by day 2, after 6 runs, I called my coach back in Ottawa, totally discouraged and fully wrapped in ice bags that the Spanish speaking maids at the hotel helped tie on me with spare towels looking at me like a coco-loco, and asked my coach why he didn't warn me that this was such a traumatic and impact type of sport. I found it strange on the first day that people showed up with hockey shoulder pads and elbow pads.....it wasn't strange after the 1st run.....it was self explanatory!! Needless to say, I didn't wear any padding at all, except for my Helly Hansen fleece, for my 11 runs (didn't want to do the 12th and didn't need to ha ha). The joke of the week was I always volunteered to go first.....to soften up the walls for everyone else!!
That was Park City...when I explained to my teacher, at the end of the school, what my goal and intentions were....and he realized that the only race I could start qualifying for was in two weeks and in Lake Placid, considered a highly technical course...he pretty much took out the rosary beads, said a few hail Marys, and told me not to do it, that I may get hurt.....like the school didn't do that already.
Well, I'm living the dream, so off to Lake Placid we go....he was right!! I got my true skeleton banged around something fierce but after a few practice runs, and official runs...some on my back, I was ready to race!! For a new guy on the scene, in the start house with gold medalists like Jim Shea, and expected to finish last...or not finsh at all, I ended up having two respectable races finishing 29th out of 37 sliders on the Saturday and 34th out of 37 sliders on the Sunday (I blew a tire in turn 14 that slowed me down considerably). A race actually means two races, usually one on Saturday and one on Sunday, and for males, if you finish in the top 25 after the first run, you get a second run. Even though I didn't get a second run in either race, I was very pleased as I had beaten out athletes that had been sliding for years......and it only took me 'till March to fully heal!!

The adventure begins....

People aren't quite sure what the sport of skeleton is.....so I explain, you got bobsled, self explanatory, luge which you slide on your back, feet first, down the boblsed track, and then you got skeleton, where you slide on your stomach, two inches of the ice, head first, down the bobsled track, attaining speeds of 100kms to 140kms.....needless to say, you actually need to attend a skeleton school, successfully pass the course, practically, and obtain a licence so that you may slide competitively.
Well since securing a coach in December 2004, we researched the rules and regulations to qualify for the Olympics in 2006 in Torino, Italy. The rules stated that in order to qualify for the Olympics, an athlete had to have competed in five races, over two seasons, on three different tracks.......well a season usually ends in February or March. There was one school left, in the first week of January, in Park City Utah.....IF I made it there and IF I passed the course and obtained my licence, there was only one race that I was eligible to compete in to close out the 2004-2005 season, to say that I competed last season, and that was the America's Cup in Lake Placid, NY.......at the end of January. Talk about time constraints.....and to top off the almost impossible, once I received my licence, I had to send it to Greece to get it endorsed and approved by the Greek Ice Federation. They sent me my approval by fax on a Sunday and on Monday, I was in Lake Placid to compete. The first few hurdles were completed in a zippidy-do-dah fashion.

How it all started......

As you all may know by now, I work for the RCMP....in July 2004, I received a phone call at home from an Officer in the RCMP. He asked me if met the President of Greece when he visited Ottawa a couple of years back, which I did, in red serge, and then asked me if I spoke Greek, which I do. He then asked if I would like to spend the month of August in Greece, for the Summer Olympics, on duty as a liaison person for any Canadian ministers that attended the Games.....believe it or not, I asked if I could think about it because I couldn't bare the thought of leaving my two girls behind for a whole month, my wife and my daughter,....well actually, my daughter moreso he he.
Well of course, as soon as I hung up, my wife simply said that I was crazy and should jump at the opportunity presented....she is so supportive. So the next day I called back and said yes.
I am a first generation Canadian from Greek parents. I have been to Greece three other times for vacation but this time.....I actually got to live there, in the heart of Athens in the Plaka district. I shared a house with three other Sport Canada personnel. I bought groceries there at the local market, worked with the local police and military, met a lot of the merchants in the Plaka, etc....I was Greek!! Needless to say, I worked my butt off, 12 to 18 hour days, but, when I had the time, I enjoyed it to the fullest, I visited the Olympic village, saw the opening ceremonies six rows from the track where the athletes entered the stadium, called my parents from the stadium and held up my cell phone while they played the Greek National Anthem, saw a few beach volleyball games, met Canadian silver medalist Karen Cockburn (see photo)...I was so overwhelmed by the experience, to the point when I came back home, I said to myself, I had to do something for Greece, and to honour my parents. I have always been proud to be Greek, but now I had a new found respect and pride for my heritage.
So, as I am telling you this story, I was telling it to a colleague of mine, Pascal Richard, in December 2004 while on a business trip to Boston after a workout and in the whirlpool. I was telling him that I was thinking about trying out for the Greek bobsled team, based out of Chicago, to represent Greece...that would be my payback. Unbeknownst to me, and by total sheer coincidence, Pascal turns to me and tells me that he was a Canadian Olympian in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics in skeleton....well, I was so excited that I think I created a few more bubbles of my own in that whirlpool.....the long and short of it.....I asked him that if I tried my hand at skeleton, would he coach me....and even though he was out of the sport completly and he no longer had his sled building company (which he had in Calgary), .........he said yes!!

Pascal Richard - Skeleton Coach Extraordinaire

My coach, Pascal Richard, was sliding for 8 years and placed 14th at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. He was also a sled builder when living in Calgary and I actually competed on his Olympic sled in Lake Placid this past January. His sleds were called "rocket" as in Rocket Richard the hockey player. He no longer competes or builds....except for mine which should be ready any week now.

Upcoming Competitions

To gain as much experience as possible and maximize my "sliding time" I have packed my schedule with as many competitions as possible. Here is what I have planned for the coming months:

• America's Cup Lake Placid, NY - Oct 31st to Nov 6th, 2005


• America's Cup Calgary, Canada - Nov 14th to Nov 20th, 2005 (qualifier)


• America's Cup Park City, Utah - Nov 21st to Nov 28th, 2005 (qualifier)


• Europe Cup Konigssee, Germany - Dec 4th to Dec 11th, 2005


• Europe Cup Altenberg, Germany - Dec 12th to Dec 18th, 2005


• Challenge Cup Konigssee, Germany - Jan 16th to Jan 22nd, 2006 (Olympic qualifier)


• 2006 Winter Olympics - Torino Italy - Feb 10th to Feb 26th, 2006

Lake Placid Curve #10

Battered & Bruised

Learning the sport of skeleton is not without a little pain...
The bruises come from skeleton school in Park City Utah. You have to get a licence before you start sliding competitively. That school lasted 4 days with a total of 11 runs...3 from the junior start, 3 from the ladies start, and 5 from the top. Nobody told me that you needed padding around the shoulder and elbow areas cause when you hit the wall out of a turn at anywhere from 100kms to 140kms, not only are you getting hit hard for a bruise, but you are also getting ice burn too...like road rash. By the 2nd day, after 6 runs, I had had my fill but I kept thinking about the ultimate goal and plowed (literally) through. The joke of the week was that I always volunteered to go first out of 16 students...."to soften the walls for everyone else".....I survived and the sport humbled me quickly.

Greekfest

The organizers of Greekfest, an annual festival of Greek culture and food were kind enough to let me set up an information table at this year's event. I met many wonderful people interested in my story, spoke to people about the skeleton and even sold a few t-shirts!