2 Years to London 2012

I still can't believe yesterday marked the 2 year countdown to the London Olympics. It feels like everyone is still reeling from Vancouver...literally. The pure adrenaline that I was running on the entire time threw my body into shock when I got back to the East coast. Don't get me wrong, it was totally worth it. I wouldn't trade the days without sleep and deliciously fatty foods for anything...not to mention screaming at the top of my lungs day in and day out either.

Everything about Vancouver was unbelievable. I have never seen so much Canadian pride. The streets were littered with Canada gear and there was something in the air. For the first time I could enjoy a huge sporting event, without the stress of actually having some sort of responsibility. Wait - I can go to that concert, only get 4 hours of sleep and still have time to grab that hockey ticket for tomorrow? You mean I don't have to dedicate 4-6 hours of my day to the gym and miss all the other events going on?

I could get used to this.

Not being an athlete anymore has its perks, but with London fast approaching I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's the next Summer Olympics and Beijing is becoming a distant memory for some. As our athletes look ahead, setting their sights on that podium in London, we all move on with them. It dawned on me that I am going to be just another Rhythmic Gymnastics spectator, cheering on the girls that gave it their all to grab that Olympic berth. My generation, my time in the sport is over and you know what - I'm ok with that. Maybe a year ago I wasn't in this place, but I've become a different person then I ever could be if I was still training. I'll never forget the incredible moments I had as a Canadian athlete, but I couldn't go back there now.

I stood at a press conference at the Canadian Athletes Now Fund yesterday afternoon downtown Toronto and was so proud of my former teammates. They came from all different sports, but all have the same thing in common. They are sacrificing it all for a shot in London. Let's do everything we can to support them.

Please check out www.canadianathletesnow.ca/ and make a difference in the life of an athlete. They need all of us behind them now in the home stretch to the Games.

Go Canada!

Moving Nightmare...

Ever since I heard that Toronto was throwing themselves into the ring to bid for the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games I have wanted to get involved. Being in the right place at the right time I stepped into the Bid Office two years ago. The space became home to the Bid family - a quaint little office in the St. Lawrence Market took on a whole new identity.

By now you should all know that we WON the bid and have now successfully transitioned into the Toronto 2015 Host Corporation. This is where we ran into a little bit of a problem. Our little home is just too little. So long story short...after months of negotiating we are all packing up and heading down to our new building after the long weekend.

Unfortunately, what that means for all of us trying to work this week is that we're stuck in the middle of a moving nightmare. Everything is being packed away in boxes, there are no supplies left for anything (internet is going down in about an hour) and there are people on ladders kicking us off our stations to take down artwork and flags hanging from the ceiling. Did I mention the noise level? Not cool.

You can probably tell I'm not impressed and am seriously counting down the minutes until we're in our new spot. Waking up on the wrong side of the bed this morning really doesn't help either.

Will send pics of the new digs asap...get me outta here :)

A

$40 MILLION ON NATHAN PHILLIPS?

Toronto has a spending problem. You know it, I know it. Even our mayoral candidates know it.

“Toronto doesn’t have a funding problem. It does have a spending problem”
- George Smitherman

“Toronto has a spending problem, not a revenue problem”- Rob Ford

It seems as if Smitherman and Ford have been drinking the same kool-aid.

The biggest challenge for our new Mayor is definitly going to be handling that beautiful budget of ours, but that’s a given. How they are going to do it is actually what we should all be worried about.

Ironically enough, today an article on some improvements to Nathan Phillips Square caught my eye. I took a closer look and what I thought was just a minor enhancement turned out to be everything but. Can someone please explain to me why we are spending $40 million dollars to give Nathan Phillips a face lift?

Alright, so it’s not the most modern or technologically impressive of places, but it’s not supposed to be either. Apparently the upgrades are going to make it a more inviting place. Well, I walk through it every day and the last thing I’m thinking is that it’s empty and cold.

Once the cold Toronto winter passes, the place is packed. It’s full of tourists taking a break from walking under the sun, kids running around playing and even couples enjoying a quiet romantic moment near the water.

There’s beauty in simplicity sometimes.

How will building yet another restaurant (that we don’t need) and creating a fancier landscape really benefit Torontonians? This multi-million dollar project is coming right out of the city’s capital budget too. Just what we need.

But hey – I’m all for an information and tourist Kiosk on Queen Street.

Let’s hope our new mayor can put this city’s money to good use because this sure isn’t a good way to start.