Sport is friendship,
Sport is health,
Sport is education,
Sport is life,
Sport brings the world together.

Quoted at the 1996 Olympic Games
By Juan Antonio Samaranch (1920-2010)

Comment for a Cause (C4AC) is back for it’s 3rd year. C4AC is my way to raises funds & awareness. This year I’ve picked Right to Play as my charity of choice. Each comment this site gets equals $1 that I will be donating at the end of the month.. Don’t forget to keep up to date by subscribing to my rss feed

For the last while, I just found heading to the gym or even working out at home isn’t doing for it for me anymore.. It just feels like I’m doing the same boring thing over and over again even if I changed something. So after a lot of thought and googling I found a pilates studio that’s about 15 minutes from my house, so tomorrow morning (err in a couple hours) I’ll be taking in my 1st pilates class (signed up for 15 weeks). I’m looking forward to be working out in a different way and not be waiting in line for a treadmill or the weights.

My goal isn’t to have a killer beach body by the summer but to be able to compete the skill tests that you need to do if you want to join the national bobsledding team. The one part of that test I’m NOT looking forward to is the running since I’m not a runner, no matter what if I truly try out for the team or not, I see this as a great cross trainer for my paddling.

What’s driving you to your fitness goal?

Comment for a Cause (C4AC) is back for it’s 3rd year. C4AC is my way to raises funds & awareness. This year I’ve picked Right to Play as my charity of choice. Each comment this site gets equals $1 that I will be donating at the end of the month.. Don’t forget to keep up to date by subscribing to my rss feed

It’s day 15 of this years Comment for a Cause and I wanted to write a bit more on why I decided to pick this charity.

Everyone always says oh they are a 2nd or 3rd world country, Kids aren’t Kids there, but when it hits home then people whine and complain and want the Kids to be Kids.. It is true that a lot of Kids these days don’t have the chance to be a Kid and take part in sports or other after school activities. For me I think anyone who wants to take part in a activity should be allowed, if there isn’t a girls hockey team then let them play on the boys team until there is one and so on..

Can’t remember where I heard it, but 1 in 3 Canadians families can’t afford to put their kids into sports/after school activities. I can’t imagination what it must be like for those parents of the kids who want to take part in something but can’t. This is why I think a charity like this that helps out globally instead of just in Canada or say in Africa, will teach everyone to takes part a thing or two about life.

Just tallying up the total so far, Comment for a Cause has raised $74 that will be going to Right to Play.. In the 3 years I’ve been doing this, I’ve donated over $260 to different charities.

Comment for a Cause (C4AC) is back for it’s 3rd year. C4AC is my way to raises funds & awareness. This year I’ve picked Right to Play as my charity of choice. Each comment this site gets equals $1 that I will be donating at the end of the month.. Don’t forget to keep up to date by subscribing to my rss feed

Other day when I was working out this years budget and I just realized how much money I have spent in the last 16 years in my beloved sport of Dragon Boating. Sure I could have quit the sport and saved that money for a house in one of the best areas in Vancouver but I rather paddle and live where I am out in the boonies because there are less snobs and cheap rent is good.

More I think about it, the more I might want to get another job and have this job where I am at now and have it to pay for my paddling addiction and maybe my bobsledding addiction (going to be trying the sport in the Summer and use that as my cross trainer). Guess I should crunch some more numbers and figure how much sleep I’ll be getting before I apply for another job.

Would you get a second job just to help with your sport/hobby’s addiction?

As of today Comment for a Cause has raised over $43. Thanks everyone who has commented daily.

Days prior to the Olympics people were mentioning on twitter that they never heard so many different languages as they were walking around. When I heard that I was just shocked, as Vancouver is a multicultural city just like the rest of North America. Maybe they just been living under a rock all these years.. Who knows? I remember being six years old at Expo 1986 and being amazed at all the different cultures and whatnot and then again 10 years later when Vancouver hosted the World dragon boat championships, so I got to see all these different cultures once again getting together and take part in something they love. This is why I love this city as we are all so different.

I maybe a very proud Canadian with a maple leaf tattoo but I support every athlete out there whether your have a mega sponsor(s) like Shaun White of the USA or those athletes who taking time off work and paying out of your own pocket to attend the games.. Like most of the parlympics athletes had to do.

With that being said, I do believe that the Olympics and the Paralympics has changed us Vancouverites (and maybe even the rest of Canada) in a big way, As I’ve never seen Vancouver so bubbly and so patriot like our neighbours to the south. Where ever you went you heard a huge crowd people singing our anthem or a small group of people signing theirs. There was always someone in that crowd of red and white wearing their nations flags as a cape. This is a once in a lifetime event and it was priceless and just awesome. Only thing I am not looking forward to is the paying off the debt.

The highlight of the Olympics games for me would have been when we broke the 34 year curse of not winning a gold on home soil, and for every athlete being able to make it to the Olympics and doing their personal best. And talking to US Bobsled Elena and Canadian Luger Chris. (...)
Read the rest of What a rush (395 words)

With the Paralympics games just about to start (on friday)… My question is,

Are you going to be taking in any of the Paralympic games? (on tv or at an event?)

Me: My best friend and I are going to the opening ceremonies tomorrow.

Answers from Facebook:
- Wheelchair Curling
- Alpine Skiing

Question of the day: What was your favourite Olympic memory / moment ?

I have three:
- Talking to a few athletes (on twitter) and I am gonna try out their different sports this summer,
- Watching a friend of mines, friends take part in one of the snowboarding events. She didn’t medal but she had a blast
- As well seeing everyone in their countries colours cheering like no tomorrow.

Answers from Facebook:
- Plushenko’s many antics, including this gem if a quote: “Without the quad, it’s not men’s figure skating.”
- Joannie Rochette skating and winning bronze!
- Jubilant crowds on car free streets.
- Gold Medal Men’s Hockey will always live in my Memory.
- My daughters excitement as the torch came though.. she was sitting on her dads shoulders and screamed out “YAY!!!” Super cute.
- Running through the streets of downtown Vancouver yelling and screaming with a bunch of other people waving the Canadian flag. Total strangers, but all Canadian
- When we won gold and silver for women’s bobsledding, gold for both hockey teams, and the ridiculous closing ceremony with the flying moose. Ahaha

Question of the Day: Who is your Sports Icon/Idol? (Dead or Alive)

Since I attend the Worlds Dragon Boat Championships in 1996, my idol has been Andrea Dillon who is the head coach of FCRCC womens crew.

With Vancouver/Canada welcoming the world to our backyard next week for the 2010 Winter Olympics. I’m all for the purchasing 2010 gear but I’d rather support our local stores and companies then purchase something like those famous red mitts that aren’t made here in Canada.

3H Craftworks Society a non-profit organization that is a craft therapy program for adults with disabilities and has been in the heart of Kitsilano since 1966. The 3H used to stand for Handcrafts by the Home-bound, Handicapped until it was changed to 3H Craftworks in the mid 1990′s.

3H Craftworks came up with these Maple Leaf Hand Puppets for us Vancouverites/Canadians to show our support during the games (as well on Canada Day). These felt hand puppets are only $5.95 and are selling out fast. The store is located at 2208 West 4th Ave, Vancouver or call Joann at 604.736.2113

Have you gotten yours yet?

John and a few others bloggers have already spotted them around town.

- This is not a sponsored post .. I’ve been involved with this organization since I was in diapers
* 1st picture is from 3H Craftworks

(adjective) Unsportsmanlike: used foul means to gain power

When are we going to make examples of any and all “Pro” Sports players/our kids heroes who have the tempt to cause body harm to other players? I’m tried of hearing oh that player got fine this amount of money and or got suspend for so many games. When will it come down to ruling of this is not allowed in our sport and if you are caught once doing it your out of the game for the season and you been banned for life (aka this means can’t play again and ever coach). I also believe who ever causes the injury must pay for their recovery and their health bills from then on.

After reading the news this afternoon, I was just blown away that someone would think about serious injuring someone (not one but three players in a very short period) just cause they can.

Canada’s own Patrice Cormier (who is only 19) is known to use his elbow when he plays hockey and over a few week period he was caught elbowing two players at the World Juniors Hockey Championships last month in the pre-competition games, the last elbowing got him suspended for the rest of the games. And yesterday in a game his elbow did it again leaving Mikael Tam convulsing on the ice. I feel bad for Mikael and I hope is he able to recover and hopefully be able to skate again. For any of you who want to see the video clip you can here… it happens just after the 1 minute mark. It just made me sick to my stomach.

I agree with the Quebec Hockey League for suspending him and I really do hope that he is banned from the sport.

What do you think?