Leanne Stanley

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Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy other Non-Denominational Holiday you may be celebrating!

December 24th, 2009

Upcoming Events

May 25-29. 2010 - IVF World Outrigger Sprint Championships

Race Schedules

(updated for 2010 soon)

The trees have been up for weeks (that's right, trees, there are 11 Christmas trees in my house!), the outside lights are buried by the snow, the presents are wrapped and stockings are hung .... it's starting to feel just a little bit like Christmas around here :)

Who am I kidding, really?! It's been a fantastic holiday season already and it's still just getting going. I've been back in Parry Sound since the end of November and am enjoying it much more than I anticipated. I found a gym that I enjoy and the people in there are great even though I know I must annoy them by using a few pieces of equipment at once and doing my crazy warmups and stuff. Other than the gym, really not much else I do around town. We have a bike and treadmill at home so it's nice to not have to go out in the -20C for cardio. I managed to find a pair of classic xc skis and am looking forward to getting out. Hopefully hit the trails tomorrow for my first ski of the year.

With all the "free" time I have around here I've managed to get myself caught up on some NCCP coaching stuff. I took a course one weekend here in Toronto and now only have a booklet left to fill out and I'll be fully certified Level 2 for Track and Field - Throws. But track isn't my main motivation for doing the courses, I've found that since I've been out of the classroom for 6 months I quite miss attending PD sessions (the ones that were actually useful that is). I really enjoyed my coaching course and now that I'll have my Level 2 completed, I can qualify for some funding assistance to take some of the Level 3 multi-sport modules! Bonus eh! So I'm looking to take as many as I can to bump up my coaching credentials then take the sprint canoe coaching course and dragon boat one as well since there is no outrigger coaching courses. I already have my marathon canoe Instructor's Certification but I'm always looking to learn more about any kind of paddling. I feel that the more I'm exposed to different types of paddling, the more I can take aspects from each discipline and apply it to my own paddling and to the people that I'm coaching.

So what's next .... good question. I'm still in the hunt for a job in or around Kelowna. As soon as I can secure work there I can go back and get on the water! I've got applications in to all three school boards in the area. I'm willing to pretty much do any kind of job. Work in a gym, baby sit, house clean, 'mom's assistant' is one I read the other day, pretty much anything to get some cash to cover my living/training expenses. Until then, I'm hoping to get some supply teaching here in Parry Sound in January and just ski and go to the gym until I line something up out west.

I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday season! Enjoy the time you have with loved ones because you never know when you will get the time to enjoy their company again. We often take our family and friends for granted but when you really need them, they are there for us. Show your appreciation and love for them this holiday season, I know it's hard to share feelings sometimes but even little things like a hug can go a long way.

As was written by Kevlon on OCpaddler.com:
“On the subject of waiting for ONE DAY to do something, think about time this way; say we have 70 good active years in our life in which to have our adventures, now transpose that 70 years into 7 days and if you are 45 years old its already Thursday afternoon and you’ve only got till Sunday to do everything you planned on doing ONE DAY.”

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