My Grand Final week is here!

---

MY exam starts friday! Everyone involved in sport at some stage in there careers dreams of winning a Grand Final in whatever sport they play or dreams of being in the Olympics. This is my Grand Final or Olympics!

The past 4 years have been a build up to the next five days.

No words can describe how much guts, effort, patience and self belief it's taken to get me to where I am right now in life! Three years ago 'on this day' I was a complete Cripple and needed everyone around me to do most of my 'day to day' things for me. As for now; in 4 days time I've got the opportunity to get a level of Skiing that is certified by the ISIA (International Ski Instructor Alliance) at any resort around the world. Only a very small percentage of Instructors are certified as a Level 3 in Canada and around the world! This is a huge deal and is what kept me going through out the 18 months of surgery's and rehab back in 2009-10.

Why I have put my mind on this goal and stuck to it?

When Dr's don't listen for years and years on end when I say "I think I've got a problem" and I end up getting told by a Surgeon; in 2 years from now "you will be in a wheelchair" "thats scary"! I had always wanted and had trained for my level 3 since my first winter here in Whistler but was not realy transfixed on achieving it in a certain time period. How a information 'slap in the face' can change all that in an instant! From the minute I got diagnosed with CMT in that dr's surgery I made my mind up straight away "when I get fixed up, it's game on"!

The first surgery come and by and it wasn't a huge mental battle. Until I got to the second surgery's rehab where so many times I wanted to give-up but then thought I will be so foolish to seeing I new I would never know my full potential on skis and in general.

Throughout the hours, days and months laying on the couch with my leg up with swelling or doing my perscribed exercises, I studied skiing day and night on Youtube. I fomulated lesson plans and dreamed of being back in a pair of Ski Boots all the time. I was always reminded that being a cripple is only temporary, so I knew I had to get cracking!



What's gone into my training?

Who knows how many days on snow training skiing black diamond mogul runs, GS runs on all types on groomed runs, exercise after exercise on getting balanced over my skis properly and turning of my skis better on all types of terrian, feeling at home with speed on all types of runs by leaving nothing in the tank, skiing all types of snow conditions.

Last season I achieved my 'teaching portion' of my level 3 which was a 1 hour lesson at an instructor training level which at the time I was over the moon about. Now this season this is the first exams for the season with 2 more exams in april. Knowing I have 3 bits at the cherry, it's reassuring to me and a relaxing me as the exams draw close which is where I realy want to be!



What's involved on the exam day?

I need to ski 8 seperate runs of 4 types of turns. Intermediate Parallel (the speed a tourist would go at), Moguls, Short turns and Carving/Race turns. From the 2 goes at each run I get I need to only get 6 out of 10 on average from only one of the two opportunities over the 4 types of turns I explained. As far as I'm concerned "I can do that"!

By getting the scores I need to pass I get awarded the level 3 pin in a ceremony off the snow later on in the afternoon and a pay rise for my efforts.

How will it change me?

It wont, it already has! It's going to be a great personal achievement but I've always tried to look at the process rather then the end result. Overall the process of learning about myself and how my body works on and off snow and what I'm mentally capable off is the biggest lessons I will take from achieving from my this.



I will let you know my results!



Until next time: there will never be another now so I will make the most of today. Mentally I need to risk big to win big.

---