Beijing Bound

Flying through the week

Just call me a frequent flyer.
This was a week full of airports and airplanes.
Tuesday, I flew back to Toronto to surprise my dad for his birthday. Unfortunately, my dad acts as though he was an FBI agent at one point in his life and about half an hour before I arrive, he questions my sister as to when I was coming home. Despite his suspicions, he was still very pleased to have me home for a bit.
I arrived in Newmarket Tuesday evening and left Friday morning. Even though the weather was not ideal, I got in some outdoor workout. Fortunately for me, Amy Oliver (a Newmarket resident and friend for several years) was eager enough to want to come out and catch for me despite the fact it was pouring rain. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. When Amy wasn’t available, my dad crouched down and caught for me. I give him a lot of credit for continuing to catch for my sister and I throughout all of these years.
Friday morning I left nice and early for Arizona. The weather in Arizona was gorgeous. It feels like it has been a long time since I have been uncomfortably hot and I had no complaints whatsoever.
I left Arizona Saturday night to return to Lincoln, Nebraska. After a Sunday morning workout, I got on another plane Sunday afternoon and headed to Chicago for the night. I will returning to Lincoln Monday evening.
After that trip, I should be able to avoid an airplane for at least a couple of weeks.

Saying goodbye to Fresno State

We are now 15 weeks away from the Olympics, less than 100 days until the opening ceremonies.
Overwhelming? Yes, but exciting.
Yesterday wrapped up another week of training in windy Lincoln, Nebraska. The weather the past few days leaves me with hope spring is here to stay and summer is on its way.
Two teammates decided to stay back following our team camp last week and trained here for the week. They have both left now, but we have two more teammates dropping in at some point next week. A lot of the girls are in and out of places for a good part of May. I have decided to stay in Lincoln until we meet as a team because I really feel I can benefit from the individual coaching sessions as well as the convenient facilities.
On another note, it was recently released to the media I have decided to not return to Fresno State University to finish out my college career. I notified the coach and administration in face-to-face meetings about a month ago, but was asked to keep the information quiet for the time being. In respect of their wishes, I had not announced any of this.
It was an incredibly tough decision that has taken several months of thought and rationalization. I will greatly miss the fans and supporting community. There are several reasons and instances that led me to my decision, but without getting into details, it is fair to say I am looking for a better fit. I am pursuing options to transfer for the fall semester and finish up my two years of eligibility.
Having said that, in conjunction with training, I am visiting potential universities.
Thank you for your continued support. I look forward to keeping you informed on the rest of the journey. Have a great week.

Together again

Time really seems to be flying by these days.
We started team camp here in Lincoln, Nebraska last Monday. This is the first time everyone has been together since they came back from Australia near the end of March. The coaches referred to it as a "check-in" camp, just to make sure everyone was on the right track. The camp ran from Monday to Friday and once Friday evening came around, we were all wiped out. 
A typical day would start with a pitching workout at 7:30 a.m., team practice or fitness testing at 9 and then we would generally be done the morning session somewhere around noon to 1 p.m. Following lunch, we would have a lift to do in the afternoon and meetings of some sort in the evening. The weather was unfortunately not very accommodating. We only got outside for one team practice and the rest was in their indoor facility.
On Friday evening, most of the team left for home. Until June 1, I will be in Lincoln, NE, staying with a teammate and training. Two other team mates are staying for the week to train and then going to other locations for May. Everyone is at their own discretion as to where they feel they can get the best training and coaching during the next month.

Workouts better with teammates

I flew into Lincoln, Nebraska last Tuesday to live and train with some teammates. I am planning on being here until the end of May to train with the head coach of our national team. The weather here has not been very promising, but we are hoping for some sunshine this week. We have had just about every variety of weather…wind, sleet, snow, rain and sunshine.
We are doing all of our softball training out of the University of Nebraska facilities. In the morning we are generally at the indoor facility or at the softball field for a few hours of training. In the afternoon we have some sort of lifting regime to follow. 
It has been such a great experience to have the convenience of teammates to work out with all the time. There are four girls from the team staying under one roof. Starting Monday, the whole team will arrive for a five-day mini-camp. It will be great to have everyone together for a bit to check in before we see each other next June 1 in Oklahoma City.

Goodbye California, hello Nebraska

Unfortunately, my stay in Fresno, Calif. has come to an end. 
I arrived in town Tuesday afternoon and will leave for Lincoln, Neb. early Tuesday morning. 
Aside from the great people, I will miss the gorgeous weather. 
I think I am a lot more appreciative of the weather because spring hadn't sprung at home.
Aside from training and working out, I got to enjoy the company of a lot of people. 
One of the high points of Fresno is the people associated with the sport.
I got to work with some fantastic doctors and medical personnel. 
I got to visit some great friends and revisit with some team mates in the short period that they were home. 

Returning to the team

This week wraps up my visit back home.
My stay at home has been very successful. I was able to connect with almost all of my close relatives and friends, something I generally don’t get enough time to do.
I am happy to spring finally made its way to Toronto. This past weekend was sunny, warm and there is almost no trace of snow left on the ground.
I continued to practise in a high school gym throughout the week and an indoor facility on the weekend. Along with training, I was also involved in running a couple of clinics for softball players of various ages and talent levels.
I leave on Tuesday to return to Fresno for a very short period. Then I'm headed to Lincoln, Nebraska to train with team members and coaches.

Training at home

Not a whole lot to report for this past week. The team is split up and doing individual training at their desired locations and I am still training at home in Newmarket. 
As a result of the weather conditions, I am practising in my high school gym throughout the week and at an indoor facility on the weekends.
Unlike the softball players in Fresno, we do not have the luxury to be outside on the dirt at this time of year.
Hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to being in touch next week.

Back home

Happy Easter everyone.
Yesterday, most of the team arrived home from Australia. During the last week of our first team tour, the team travelled to Canberra to enjoy the wonderful scenery and weather of Australia. From the looks of it, they spent a fair share of their time on the beach. The next time the team will meet up will be near the end of April for a team camp in Nebraska.
After more than two weeks of wonderful weather in Fresno, I returned back to the harsh reality of living in Newmarket. There is still plenty of snow covering the ground, but as I have been told several times, this does not compare to what they have been dealing with the past month. I will be home for about two weeks, keeping myself busy with training and rehab. It has been such a treat to visit with family and friends.I look forward to running into more familiar faces in the area.

Gold medal for Canada

This was a very exciting week for my national team.
Still in Australia, they competed in the International Challenge which include national teams from Japan, China and Australia. They played a total of eight games over five days, and came out with a 5-3 record. After coming out of the round robin with a 4-3 record, they advanced to the gold medal game to face Japan. After seven innings of play, the score was tied at 0-0 and Canada ended up winning in the eighth inning by a score of 2-1.
Although I could not be there to cheer them on in person, I was able to watch all of the games over the Internet. If anyone is still interested, I believe the games are still posted and can be found at softball.ca. Next week, the team will take some down time in Australia to enjoy the beaches and warm weather.
From a personal standpoint, I also got to watch some fun and exciting games at Bulldog Diamond. Those were probably the hardest games to watch from the stands. I very badly wanted to be a part of the action.
As some of you know, I am also a huge hockey fan. On Wednesday I watched the Fresno Falcons play over at the Save Mart Center and on Sunday a group of us drove down to San Jose to watch the Sharks play. Each time I watch it live, it reminds me of how bad I miss playing the sport.
Wednesday will be my last day in Fresno. I will fly back to Newmarket to visit with the family for a bit before I report to Nebraska to train.

Team does well in Australia

The team is in Australia and just completed its first international tournament of 2008. Over three days they played six games and finished with a 5-1 record.
On the first day of action, the team defeated an Australian pro team 3-1, as well as Japan 4-1 in eight innings. On Day 2 of action, the team defeated an Australian pro team 3-2, along with China 2-0. On Day 3, they beat another Australian club team 3-2 and lost to Japan 1-0. The team will play more international competition starting Wednesday with Australia being their first opponent.
From an individual standpoint, although I am very upset I cannot be with the team in Australia, I have greatly enjoyed being back in Fresno. It has been nice to be able to surround myself with softball and get a chance to see this year's Fresno State team in action. I am getting a chance to work with some great doctors, as well as the treatment necessary to get me back in action.
The weather here is exceptionally nice, especially in comparison to the weather reports I am hearing from my family in Newmarket. I will be back in Newmarket for Easter and I hope I get a chance to experience some more winter.