|
February 20, 2008
Cairo World Cup
I had a strong start with the shooting event where I shot 183 out of a possible 200 points for a pentathlon score of 1120. This is my best world cup shooting score in several years and bodes well for the coming season. I made some changes at the end of last season and have been training very well in shooting so I'm very happy to see this is carrying over to the competitions as well.
Unfortunately the day took a turn for the worse after that point. I had a very slow start to the fencing and although I fenced spectacularly in the middle portion it was still a below average score of 776 in the end. Swimming was also disappointing as I swam a much slower time than usual. As my swimming was already weak this left me in a very poor position at the beginning of the running event.
Only the top 18 advance to the final and I started in 25th and quite a ways back. I was able to move up to 20th but it was not enough. It was a disappointing start to the season, but hopefully this experience will sharpen me up and help prepare me for the next World Cup in Mexico in early March. I'm very pleased with the training I've been doing so it will just be a matter of tweaking a few details to get the performance I'm capable of giving.
Cheers,
Kara
Happy New Year!!
Once again we've said good bye to a year of experiences and are looking ahead to all the fun in store for the coming year. 2007 was an amazing year for me as I had some great training and competition results, not to mention the fact that I married a wonderful man!! The next 12 months will also be very exciting as 2008 is an Olympic year and all my hard work in the sport of modern pentathlon will be coming to fruit in time for the Beijing Olympic Games in August 2008.
I wanted to start the year off the right way, so I took part in a high performance training camp in the Swiss Alps over the holidays. We did some excellent training is a very scenic area and even had the pleasure of ringing in the New Year with a traditional fondue on a mountaintop, followed by a toboggan ride down the mountain at the stroke of midnight. I have to say that any toboggan run that requires access from a chairlift and takes 35 minutes to wind down to the bottom is pretty spectacular - especially on a clear, starry night!!
My fitness and mental focus are both in great form and I will continue training at this level here in Switzerland for another two weeks before heading back to Canada for my final pre-season preparation phase. There are several important competitions remaining in the Olympic Qualification period (ending June 1, 2008). The first event of the season is a World Cup in Cairo, Egypt, February 20-22 followed by another World Cup in Mexico City, March 7-9. I plan to be in top form to secure a good result early in the season and thus strengthen my position on the Olympic Qualification World Ranking list. While there will be several other opportunities to perform at other world cups in April and May as well as the World Championships in Budapest at the end of May, I would prefer to have a strong position early on!!
My Olympic Dream is made possible through the support of my husband, family, friends, supporters and sponsors. This exciting journey includes training and competitions, but also motivational speaking, sponsorship events, and of course my annual "Swing to Beijing" Golf Tournament which has been the cornerstone of my fundraising efforts over the past four years. We hope to confirm the date of the 2008 Swing to Beijing soon so keep a tentative place on your calendar for July 14th!
I've also been part of the Aliant Atlantic Canada Contenders Team since last July and this has provided me with additional support and opportunities. Check out the website for more information and contest details for a chance to win a trip to Beijing to watch me compete!! Click here to visit the Aliant Contest site.
The adventure continues. Thanks to everyone who has supported and encouraged me in
my pursuit of excellence!!
I wish you all the best in 2008.
|
|
|
