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| Canadian Olympic Team Member - Athens 2004 |
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Kara Grant wins the ride at the 2004 World Cup Final I had a solid competition on Saturday at the World Cup final. My shooting was a little better than the Olympic Games, fencing was solid and swimming was average for the season. My two best events (riding and running) were quite good and I had the best ride of the entire weekend with the only clear round. This was a very satisfying way to finish the season. I had a strong run as well and finished 16th at the end of the day. This has been a great season in many ways, but I'm ready for a rest and I look forward to getting back to Canada and enjoying some down time after so many fabulous experiences, including my Olympic Games debut in Athens. August 30, 2004 Kara Grant finishes 22nd at the Olympic Games in Athens!! It was amazing to be competing in the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece and even better with my family here to cheer me on as well as a few pentathlon and fencing friends who made it to Greece to take in the Games. The fencing was a lot of fun and I was able to use the energy from the crowd to get pumped up and stay sharp and focused. This was my first experience with a huge crowd of spectators as tickets were sold out and there were 10,000 strong in the stadium. The Canadian flags were waving and all in all it was an important addition to my competition experience. The Olympic experience is still very new and fresh in my mind and I'm still soaking it all in. I will definitely have more comments in a few weeks when I get back to Canada, after I've had some time to process all that has happened in the past days, weeks and months. I gave it everything I had on the day, but for whatever reason my performance wasn't as good as I had hoped. However there is a lot to be learned from the experience and I plan to use this in order to improve my performances in the future. It still took some great results to get to Athens and I'm still among the best pentathletes in the world which is something to be proud of. I know that I still have a lot of room for improvement before I reach the limit of my potential and I plan to spend the next four years working towards and beyond these limits. Thanks to everyone on the Island, in the Maritimes, Quebec, Canada and the world who have helped me get to Athens and sent me so many positive vibes leading up to and during the competition!!! Kara A detailed view of Kara's Olympic competition day The day started very strong for Kara in her warm up for shooting, the first event. She continued along this path until the 10th shot when things started to go poorly. Kara was able to get it back together at the end, but not without too many poor shots in the middle and she finished the shooting event with 964 pentathlon points, good for 18th place and her worst shoot of the year. This was very disappointing, but an important part of being an athlete and a pentathlete in particular is to be able to start fresh for the next event. Fencing went fairly well and Kara finished with an average fencing score of 832 points which was good for 12th place in fencing. She had some ups and down but overall scored quite a few very nice touches. Swimming did not go well as Kara swam her slowest time of the year by 2 seconds. It was a very difficult experience, not aided by the fact that the athletes were on a very tight schedule and had only 10 minutes to warm up before the start of the first heat which Kara was in. Things always improve with the last two events which are Kara's best, however when one must share the horse with another competitor who rides first, there are certain risks and unfortunately the Chinese competitor riding Kara's horse in the first round was not able to properly control it and was bucked off after jump 6. The horse was a talented jumper and Kara had a very nice round except for the having to circle after jump 6 because the horse remembered its successful ploy in the previous round and let out a series of mighty bucks which although they did not unseat Kara, they did allow the horse avoid the next jump which required a quick turn. Although it can be frustrating at times, this is the nature of the sport. Kara began the run in 28th position, not where she had hope to be after four events, but the reality of the day. Hoping to end the day better than it began Kara gradually reeled in several girls in front of her and was able to pass four more competitors in the final 500m to finish 22nd at her first Olympic Games. While this was not the result she had hoped for their were a lot of good points to the day. Kara received many compliments on her riding and recorded the 5th fastest run time and thus a strong finish which was a very nice way to complete her Olympic Games competition experience. August 20th My first full day in Athens is wrapping up and it was a full day in every respect. After getting up at a reasonable hour and somehow collecting my wits, some clothes, accreditation, food, a ticket and a vague idea of where to catch the bus I found myself at the fencing hall cheering for the Canadian women's epee team who went on to have an incredible performance and defeat the powerhouse Team Hungary to get into the top four. It was exciting and exhilarating right down to the final toe hit in overtime which allowed Sherraine MacKay to finalize the victory for team Canada. Although the girls lost to the Russians in the final minutes of their next match they still fenced very well and should be as proud as I am. As well as cheering for the women's epee team I had the pleasure of a surprise meeting with Irene and Geoff, two old fencing friends from back east who will be sticking around to cheer for me on the big day next week. And to think all this happened before 2 o'clock!! The afternoon was primarily a time for organizing my training and getting familiar with the village and all it has to offer including the various gift shops, cinema, free hair cuts, more internet and of course a vast eating hall with all the McDonald's you could ever eat. I'm holding off on the fries and cheeseburger for now, but I think I might be in for a hair cut soon...don't worry Cardigan- it's just a trim and my loyalty still lies with Vera's Beauty Salon and the family!! Competing is still my big priority of course and I did a little run workout and swim this evening, followed by a dip in the hot and cold therapy tubs. Somebody was really thinking when they assigned the rooms as I have the good fortune to be located just 20 steps from the medical center where all forms of therapy are available. I'm thinking a little massage might be nice tomorrow afternoon after my training.... Yes folks, it's an early start tomorrow as I'll be catching an 8:00am bus to the pentathlon venue where there will be a full morning of training awaiting the Canadian pentathlon team of Kara Grant and Monica Pinette. Time for bed!! August 19, 2004 It's been a long 24 hours, but I arrived safe and sound this afternoon here in the Olympic village in Athens, Greece. The accommodations are very good and there are lots of volunteers helping to make sure everything runs smoothly and all the athletes have what they need in every way from extra water and snacks, to internet access, movies, training, medical care, you name it. I also received all my Canadian gear upon arrival and am feeling very patriotic in my new outfit, right down to my roots sandals. I'm currently enjoying some down time before bed in the Canadian lounge where I'm surrounded by 20+ of the best athletes from all across the country. It was a nice 34 degree this afternoon but it's already cooled off nicely so I don't think sleeping will ever be a problem. Tomorrow will be my first full day here at the Olympic Games and I'm looking forward to some training as well as the opportunity to watch my friends on the Canadian women's epee team fence in the team event. Over and out from Athens. August 10, 2004 The countdown to Athens has begun: eight days until I get on a plane and head for my first Olympic Games. Surprisingly, life has not changed much considering the fact that I'm about to realize a lifelong dream. The good news is that I've gotten over the cold I had after my nationals and all the associated problems that came with it and I'm feeling very, very good at the moment. My training couldn't be better, my mind is clear and I'm relaxed and ready for the last couple of weeks of preparation leading up to the big day. August 27th will be an incredible day for my family and I, but also for Canadian pentathlon as my teammate Monica Pinette and I will be the first two Canadian women to compete at the Olympic Games in the history of modern pentathlon. Stay tuned as I will be adding short notes here every few days leading up to my competition on August 27th!! July 20, 2004 Kara Grant Named to the Canadian Olympic Team for Athens!! There have been many big days for me over the past years and months and not one was bigger than Saturday July 3, 2004. On May 31, I had been one of 32 women officially invited to compete in the Olympic Games by the International Modern Pentathlon Federation, however I had not met the Canadian criteria which was a top 12 standard and my world ranking of 14th held no importance. In order to be selected for the Olympic team each athlete must meet both the international and the Canadian criteria. The Canadian National Pentathlon Championships took on a special meaning when they were named as Olympic trials. This afforded me the opportunity to meet the Canadian criteria by winning the trials and defeating my team mate Monica Pinette, who had already made the Canadian standard at a World Cup in April. I took to the field determined to complete this final step and after a very strong performance and record point total I crossed the finish line first and secured my final qualification criteria. On the 19th of July Canadian Olympic Committee put out their final list of athletes selected for the Games and both Monica and I had the pleasure of being officially named to the Canadian Olympic Team. To say that the last month has been stressful, would be a grave understatement, but I was lucky enough to have my family, friends and coaches (many, many coaches) to help me through and keep me sane and relaxed. The reality is that my preparation for the Olympics and for this competition began a long time ago and had already been put to the test at the World Championships in Moscow, Russia May 27-29. This was to have been my last opportunity to meet the Canadian criteria for Athens and I had prepared really well. I pulled together a competition which, after three events, looked like it might be my best ever. With only the ride and run remaining, usually my two strongest events, I was in a great position to finish in the top 8. Unfortunately, I was riding in the second round and the girl with whom I shared my horse did not fare well in round one. She had refusals and fell off twice at the final obstacle. With this experience fresh in his mind, my horse was none too willing to accommodate me at the final obstacle, and despite my best efforts I too had refusals. I suppose a small consolation is the fact that I did finish one place higher than last year (21st) even with a poor ride, however I have to say it's a small consolation when I had hoped to qualify direct for the Olympics as well as make the Sport Canada carding standard of top 8 which would have given me a measure of financial security for 2005. This was possibly the most disappointing day of my life. I took a week off to rest, re-group and re-evaluate. When it was confirmed that we had the right to hold an Olympic trials, I re-organized and discovered that I was possibly tougher than I had thought and things were looking up. What is anything if it's easy? This was never meant to be easy apparently as I sprained my ankle at the end of a run only 5 days before my nationals (and Olympic trials!). This was not the end of the road, but definitely not what I needed to keep me calm and confident. I hopped to the nearest road and hitchhiked home to ice packs and ice cream. I was scheduled to drive back from Fredericton to Quebec the next day for my final preparations and packing as I was leaving Friday for Calgary with the competition on Saturday. In view of my swollen ankle and lack of cruise control I decided to wait another day and rest up. This proved to be a wise decision and I had a relaxing Canada Day with the gang in Fredericton and my ankle was greatly improved by the time I hit the road Thursday afternoon. At this point, one would think that I'd had enough adversity, and things did go fairly smoothly until it was time to board in Toronto for the final leg of my endless trip to Airdrie, Alberta. It seemed that there was one final test waiting for me and it came in the form of a mechanical problem on our aircraft. While I fully appreciate the fact that we didn't take a faulty plane, I was having some very dark thoughts as I contemplated my new hour of arrival in Calgary which was destined to be after midnight. Fortunately, I had a great friend picking me up and taking care of me once I reached Alberta soil (Thanks Jamie!!), however this didn't change the fact that it was 2:20am by the time I rolled into bed. Let me just say that 5:40am rolls around very quickly after this sort of experience. Luckily I had done a good job of resting up all week and had given myself a lengthy pep talk between Toronto and Calgary and I was ready for the day that was to come. Let it never be said that Kara Grant did not do her best to represent her Canada in Athens!! The details are all a blur now and really in the end are not important other than to say that I held it together under extreme pressure with a lot of great friends in the pentathlon community there to cheer me on and celebrate at the end of the day. My parents had been calling various people's cell phones all day for updates and were very happy to hear my voice communicating the good news just minutes after crossing the finish line and collecting many well deserved hugs. What can I say? I was very happy, yet this was all part of "The Big Plan" and I was now one step closer to Athens. I held it together very well until Bonnie Burlton stepped in. This enthusiastic friend and team mate was voted by the athletes as the deserving recipient of the John Norton Award. In short, this award is given to the person who most personifies the ideals of modern pentathlon, of sportsmanship, of fair play and of course all around friendliness and helpfulness. Bonnie decided that in view of the day and my contributions to the sport that she would give this award to me. Although this very act shows just how deserving Bonnie is of the award, I appreciated the gesture and I'm afraid it was the straw that broke the camels back. My speech was short, sweet and very emotional because the truth is, despite the fact that it was all in "The Big Plan", this was a huge day for me in many ways and the ultimate test of my tenacity and ability to perform under pressure. I know that I'm a good athlete that has worked hard over the years and that I deserve to be a part of the elite group of modern pentathlon athletes who will be competing in Athens at the Olympic Games, but I certainly couldn't have reached this goal without my huge support network of family, friends, coaches and sponsors. This important group of people extends all the way from Prince Edward Island, through New Brunswick, to Quebec City and of course across the country with the various people in the Canadian modern pentathlon federation and last but not least, to Switzerland where Philipp Waeffler my pentathlon coach has shown unfailing support and confidence in my abilities over the past two years. The women's pentathlon event of the Olympic Games will take place on August 27th in Athens, Greece and I will be representing Canada with great pride. For anyone wishing to follow my progress on the day of the competition, the results of each event will be posted in real time on the International Modern Pentathlon website at www.pentathlon.org A big thank you to everyone who has helped to make my Olympic dream, a reality. Sincerely, Kara April 30, 2004 China World Cup, April 24-27 2004 I can now check Asia off on my list of continents visited. The second Olympic qualifying World Cup of 2004 took place in Beijing, China last weekend. To everyoneÕs surprise it turned out to be the strongest, most attended world cup yet this year. It is clear that all the Asian nations have been training very hard over the past couple of years and China in particular has big plans for the future which IÕm sure are related to the 2008 Games. There were several things that marked my trip - most notably a very poor competition and a 12 hour time change, both of which IÕm still dealing with. Those of you who know me well are aware that it is not my habit to get up at 5:00 am every day, or to fall asleep at 7:00 pm. I had high hopes of putting in a great performance in China and attaining the Canadian Olympic top 12 criteria once and for all. The Olympic qualification system for Pentathlon is complex at best, but to sum up my present situation: IÔm in a strong position to qualify according to international standards, however there is also a Canadian standard which must be met in order for the Canadian Olympic Committee to allow me to compete in Athens. Having narrowly missed this standard several times, I am now down to 2 chances and it is weighing very heavily at the moment. It would be reasonable to assume that my fencing result in China is directly related to this pressure which I let get to me. After all what could be worse than Qualifying for the Olympic Games and having your own country deny you participation? I have spent some time thinking about this since China and there is only one answer: ItÕs time to forget about the results and the consequences and PERFORM!!! I need only have a little faith in my abilities and let it happen. Easier said than done of course, but the fact is if I perform up to my abilities I will make the standard. As a nice aside, I took advantage of my time in Beijing to have a look at a culture which is nothing if not different from what IÕve grown up with here in Canada. China is a very interesting place to visit and I highly recommend The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, the many markets, parks and of course Beijing Roast DuckÉmmmmm. I would also swear by the fact that the only way to really see Beijing is to rent a bike and to cycle around the city. I passed a very enjoyable morning cycling around before rushing off in usual Kara fashion to catch my flight. Thankfully I got home without paying any overweight charges AND got upgraded to business class as the flight was overbooked. So you can see there were some good moments on the trip, not to mention the great 10th place finish by my teammate Monica Pinette. Things are moving pretty quickly at the moment as I leave Tuesday May 4, arrive in Budapest Wednesday, and compete Thursday and hopefully Saturday in the Final. After that I go to Switzerland for my final preparations before the World Championships in Moscow May 27-29. IÕm fit, ready and eagerly awaiting the challenges to come. March 23, 2004 Mexico and Rio World Cups I have to say that I was more than ready to leave the cold behind as I stepped on the plane at 6:00am Tuesday, March 9. I had had one busy week of training and preparation since returning from African Championships and I was really looking forward to participating in the back to back World Cups in Mexico and Brazil. First stop: Queretaro, Mexico; site of the first modern pentathlon World Cup and Olympic Qualifier of 2004. I had an average performance in the semi-final on March 11 and advanced to the final without a problem. The day of the final, March 13, began well for me with a very promising first event. I improved on my previous international best shoot from Cairo two weeks earlier by shooting 185. Unfortunately, the fencing event did not mirror my result in Egypt, but was my worst fencing result in the past three years. It was a huge disappointment, but also an important wake up call. I tried to the make the best of it and was able to perform very well in the swimming event with a time of 2:34 in a 25m pool and at altitude. My horse was excellent and I rode well, which enabled me to have one of only two perfect rides of the day. I started the run in 22nd place and after a gruelling three kilometres at altitude, I out sprinted a final competitor to finish 16th. Although the fencing was a disappointment, I had four very good events and I know that I have the ability to put together all five events, as I did at African Championships in Egypt. Two days later most of the pentathletes competing in Mexico flew down to Rio de Janeiro for the 2nd World Cup of the year. I had a very interesting and typical Kara/poor-Canadian-athlete experience on the way down. I flew Aero Boliviano in order to save a couple of hundred dollars and had stops in Panama City, Santa Cruz (Bolivia) and Sao Paolo, not to mention an interesting unscheduled early morning stop at some unknown town in Bolivia. First step off the plane I got bit on the head by a mosquito, which was something of a concern as it swelled up, but apparently it was not serious as IÕm here to tell the tale. After many hours and to my great relief, I made it whole and unscathed with my luggage to Rio de Janeiro. The competition in Rio was quite strong with many athletes vying for top spots and good points for world ranking. I was able to pass to the final without too much trouble, primarily due to winning the shoot and having a decent fence. I was starting to feel the effects of a lot of travelling, but I had hoped to be able to keep my focus and my strength for one more day of competing before a rest week. The day of the final I was very calm and, I thought, prepared for what was to come. However this did not keep my mental focus where it needed to be and I started very poorly in the shoot. The second half of the shoot was much better, but the damage was done and I still finished with a score of 173- not a disaster, but my lowest of the season. Knowing that itÕs all part of pentathlon, I put that result out of my head and got ready for the fencing event where I had hoped to significantly improve on my performance in Mexico from the previous week. I had 5 victories and 1 defeat after 6 bouts, but I was not able to keep this momentum and had several ups and down periods throughout the fence. I finished with 13 victories and 18 defeats which was something of a disappointment, but thankfully an improvement on Mexico. This was obviously not going to be my day, but if something can be learned in order to prevent this type of re-occurrence at even more important competitions, then the day is not lost. I swam hard and was sure I had improved my time but unfortunately this was not the case as I had swum exactly the same time as in the semi-final: 2:41.7 which is quite slow, even for me. I started the riding in 31st place and watched my horse go with the rider with whom I was sharing him. Prince Brian (my horse) and his rider had a disastrous half round before being excused. Philipp (my coach) and I decided that this would be a good time to take a reserve horse since they were all quite good and we proceeded to get that process underway. My new mount had had only one rail in the test ride and was quite willing and honest, if not the most comfortable ride IÕve ever had. We had a nice round with two rails which moved me up to 28th place which I was able to improve in the running to finish 25th. My running time was nothing special and I can honestly say that I was very, very tired at the end of the day. Five days of competition in three weeks is not easy on oneÕs mind or body. Although I didnÕt have any perfect competitions, there were many good things that can be taken from these competition experiences. Namely that I am capable of having some excellent shooting performances, that I have moments of brilliance in fencing that I just need to be able to bring out on a more consistent basis, and that my running and riding are at a very good level. It is clear that the swimming event still needs considerable work, but it is equally clear that when the other four events are at their best I am still capable of top level performances. I had a nice time in Rio, but IÕm now ready to face the cold as well as real life. The 40 hour trip back and two nights in planes and airports did nothing to improve my state of restfulness, so itÕs now time to take a short break and re-charge my batteries before getting back to training - provided Continental Airlines deems it acceptable to locate my fencing bag and deliver it to my door!! The next Olympic Qualifying World Cup will take place in Beijing on April 22- 25th and I look forward to testing myself against the best athletes in the world once again. February 27, 2004 Open African Championships, Cairo, Egypt - 2nd Place! I had the best competition of my entire career on February 27 at the African Championships in Cairo, Egypt. It was a well timed performance as I now have another strong competition to add to my resume and most importantly to improve my world ranking for Olympic Games qualification. Having had a great competition early in the season I feel very good about my training and my abilities, and there is also less pressure to perform as we come closer to the final chances to qualify. The day began well with a best ever international shoot, however the fencing event started very poorly, with 5 losses to start. I gradually got into a rhythm and gained my form with well over 75% for the last half of the fence which enabled me to score 904 points in fencing. I had my best long course swim since last March and as well one of my best rides. It was a very long day with shooting at 7:00am and the run at 7:00 pm, but on the bright side it had cooled off considerably by the time we began the running event. I started in 10th position and had hoped to run into the top 5. I was feeling very strong and very positive and I decided to go out very fast and hold on. I was able to catch 4 people within 500m, but the others were more spread out. I gradually reeled in 2 more people and with 800m to go the top 3 were within 100m. Knowing that if I was to catch them I would need to do it before the tight turns at the end of the course I increased my effort again and was able to catch 3rd and 2nd place with only 400m to go. I was able to close the gap to first, but was held off in the end by Elena Rublevska of Latvia. Not only was this my best overall result, but one of my best runs and I hope- a sign of things to come. This past week has been very busy between sending off a visa application for my next competition, plane ticket purchases and general business- all on top of my last week of normal training before resting up for the two upcoming competitions. IÕm feeling very ready and very positive about the upcoming competitions and of course the season ahead. The hard training is done for now and itÕs time to rest up. I leave March 9th for Mexico where I will compete in a World Cup and Olympic Qualifier on March 11-13, followed by a second World Cup in Rio de Janeiro March 18-20. My Olympic qualification is yet to come, however IÕm sitting in a very strong position on the world ranking list at the moment and when the latest official list comes out I believe I will be in the top 12. This is a strong position for qualification by the International Federation standards and it also meets the Canadian Olympic Committee criteria as well. There will certainly be changes between now and June 1 when the final Olympic berths are awarded at the World Championships, but a position of strength this early can only help. I look forward to competing in Mexico in less than one weekÕs time!! February 15, 2004 The Road is not always smooth This has been an unusual winter for me and an unusual year from day 1. January 1st I slipped on some ice in Fredericton and suffered a mild knee sprain which took the punch out of my return to training, at least in running. Fortunately I was still able to swim and the rest came back quickly. I've since gotten back full training, but suffered what can only be described as the winter blahs towards the end of January. My training was not going very well, it was cold outside (at least -30!!), and I was not feeling very organized and productive. In hindsight it's easy to say that this sometimes happens in the middle of training cycles and in particular in the middle of winter and that the important thing is to keep on training, however the injury did nothing to help my feeling of preparation and hindsight, as always, is 20-20. Luckily for me the Winter Pentathlon Nationals came along at just the right time. They were held in Guelph, Ontario on January 29-30. It was just what I needed to change up my training a little and help me re-focus for the next training cycle which leads up to some important competitions in late February and early March. The winter nationals are always a unique experience because of the need to adapt to the different circumstances which are sometimes involved when competing in Canada. In particular we don't include the riding portion of the pentathlon at this event. The shooting competition was held Friday night in an unheated area. I don't need to tell you that it was a little cool (about -15). However, everyone made the best of things and I had an average shoot of 178. The next day we began with the swimming event at 8:00. Those who know me well know that this is not my favourite time to be swimming (normally in competition we swim after lunch). I was not overly pleased with my swimming time (which youÕll notice I decided not to include!). I fenced consistently and scored a respectable 964 points. The running was comparable to the swim in the sense that it was not my best time, but a good training experience none the less. I was the overall winner for the fourth year running and was finally able to put the last couple of weeks into perspective. The fact is, in order to be at one's best at certain competitions one is invariably not at one's best at others. Needless to say, I'm quite happy to save my best for Olympic Qualifiers. On top of the athletic benefits of competing at winter nationals, it was also great to get together with other pentathletes for a few days (Current and retired!). I'm lucky to have lots of people to train with at home in fencing and running, as well as a great group of coaches to work with, but I'm the only modern pentathlete in my region and it is always motivating to get together with other people crazy enough to do this wonderful sport. As the senior women's athlete representative I also spend a fair amount of time in communication with the various members of our executive and it's very humbling to realize how many people are willing to donate their time and energy in order to support this sport and its few dedicated Canadian athletes. If you're wondering what exactly I've been doing that has kept me from sending this update out sooner, you'll be happy to know that my training has been exceptional for the last two weeks. I've been working really hard and getting organized for the season to come. Running and swimming are finally where they should be; fencing and riding are at a strong and consistent level and I spent the better part of a week in Fredericton doing a shooting focus with my coach Bob Kierstead. This was the icing on the cake. My performance in shooting in the past two years has been just shy of a consistent top level, but with the work I did earlier this weekÉyou can expect good things from me in the coming months. I've also been busy with the other part of being a professional athlete in a sport with minimal structure- Plane tickets were booked, visas applied for, travel plans made, training plans confirmed, logbooks filled outÉand there was a lot of sleeping!! Cairo, Egypt is my next competition destination and I'm looking forward to competing there February 27 in the 4th Open African Championships. After a brief return to Quebec I'll be heading south on March 9th for World Cups in Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro. These three competitions offer a very good chance for some strong results to boost my world ranking from 20th into the top 12, which would all but guarantee me a spot in Athens. These next few months are extremely important, but much of the work is done. This has not been the easiest road, but it has definitely been worth every minute so far and I look forward to seeing it through to the end: to Athens, to Beijing and beyond. A big thank you to all of you- every single person who is receiving this email has helped me in some way, big or small, all very important. Sincerely, Kara January 6, 2004 The 2003 season ended dramatically on December 14, 2003 at the World Cup Final in Athens, Greece. This was a very important competition for those of us planning to compete at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece- not only because it was a qualifier for the top two finishers, but also because it was the test event for the Olympic Games. Athens is an interesting and historic city and it was very exciting to compete there in December. I think the Greeks will do a good job with the Olympics and it will be even more exciting next August at the Games. My overall experience in Athens was quite good, except for the riding portion. My shoot was a little low, but the fence was quite good- especially the second half (I won 9 out of my last 10 bouts!!). The swim was average for me at this time of the year, but unfortunately the ride did not go as smoothly. My horse was fourth reserve for the men and didn't get used with them. The competitor who rode him before me had lots of refusals, stops, a fall and finally she ran out of time and did not complete the course. According to the rules, I was not allowed to take a reserve horse because she did not have two stops at 3 different fences. I decided to make the best out of the situation and am pleased with my effort. I rode quite well and got around with 4 four stops and a couple of rails. However, this was enough to put me well back in such a tight field. I was quite a bit behind the main group at the beginning of the run, but was able to run up three positions to finish in 26th place. All in all, aside from my ride, it was a solid competition and good preparation for the 2004 season which will start in February. My teammate Monica also had a very solid day and finished 19th . Credit must also be given to our coach Philipp Waeffler, who has worked with us over the past year to help solidify our position among the worldÕs best pentathletes. The three of us have formed an excellent team. This is going to be a ground breaking year for team Canada and I look forward to another experience in Athens this coming August!! Now to qualify... I'm confident it's in the cards :) Special thanks to everyone who has shown their faith and support in my abilities during 2003 and over the course of my athletic career. Best wishes for 2004. |
  
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