Happy New Year

Happy New Year everybody… here’s hoping that you had a fabulous Christmas and wishing you the very best in 2012. Its crazy to think that 2012 is here. Time has a way of slipping by and the inevitability of that really dawned on me this holiday in particular.

We are in our final months of All Abilities Welcome... crazy to think that, after nearly four years. Our HRSDC funding is coming to an end as of March 31. Of course, there are the inevitable questionmarks here as we look ahead. Looking at the here and now, its very obvious that access to physical activity is still so very limited for many people who have a disability. I find myself wondering on some days, has our program really made any difference? Then there are other days when we receive positive feedback on workshops, or the few instances where a person with a disability has taken up physical activity as a result of an AAW session, or even watching some of our speakers embrace physical activity themselves and evolve as confident, empowered advocates - these are the times when you begin to feel that maybe some of this is actually having a positive impact, when you realize that it really is worth it. Over our remaining months we will be developing an e-book containing stories of people with a disability for whom physical activity has made a transformative difference. In addition we are aiming to do as much outreach as we can over the winter through delivering AAW workshops across the country, as a way to generate momentum around the idea that an active lifestyle is something which really can and should be available to everyone.

A little update about running: 2011 felt very much like a transitional year for me with some highs and lows. I think the high point came early on when Greg and I captured the T11 800m at the IPC Athletics World Championships in late January, in a tactical race where we came from behind. Its fair to say Greg and I felt like underdogs going into that race, so it was incredibly exhilarating and emotionally fulfilling for us to win in the way we did. A low point was dealing with an achilles injury which kept me out of training and racing for about four months. Another low point was coming to the end of the road, so to speak with my guide, Greg, over the summer. We had a terrific partnership which lasted thirteen years, longer than most teams. With Greg living in Toronto and me in Ottawa, it had become very difficult to find guides here to train with on a week-in, week-out basis and as a result, I really wasn't able to train optimally. The new coach I started working with last year felt that it was important to have a consistent person to work with and I came to that realization too. This past summer I had an opportunity to begin training with a runner named Josh Karanja, who had returned home to Ottawa after completing a track scholarship at Eastern Michigan University. Doing so has of course brought a crucial element of consistency to my training, but it meant the end of an amazing running partnership which I feel very fortunate to have shared in.

Of course the upcoming year in particular is a big one for any athlete with Paralympic aspirations. I’m excited for all the possibilities which lie ahead, both on and off the track. And I'm hopefully optimistic that it may be possible to sustain the energy of AAW, even as a concept if not as a program. Thanks to everyone who has visited the AAW blog over the past year, and to those who have contributed so many great stories, thoughts and reflections.