I got this from Drew Ginn's blog page.

Sport is heading down a dangerous path. Cloning is occurring at a great rate. The most obvious thing I can think of is selection. The easiest thing to see is the first and often the last thing we look for. It can mean we become focused on the obvious, the most visible and to be frank the lazy and easy things. This may not make sense, but copying something means your a copy. Reducing something or someone down is a reduction. Starving people and idea's of their uniqueness creates poverty. Wanting things to be the same becomes dull because eventually the controlling aspect play's out the only way it can. It all becomes average. We become average and our idea's become average.

A translation:

Be extraordinary, use the good things you see and make them your own, we don't all fit the exact same picture, the elements are the same but they way we go about them may be different. Keep your natural instincts too.

A friend had this written on their page:

Pain is your friend; it is your ally. Pain reminds you to finish the job and get the hell home. Pain tells you when you have been seriously wounded. And you know what the best thing about pain is? It tells you you're not dead yet...

It all begins...

Finally time is swinging to my favour at some training will be getting done,

For me it will include a few gym sessions per week working on basic movements, lighter weights, rubber bands preparing joints and muscles for heavier work later on.

Cross training, running GRRRR and paddling kms is also on the agenda, look out teddy bear!

As a big competiton approaches.

As a big competition approaches it can occupy a large amount of our thoughts and much of our energy is directed toward it.
Some important things to keep in mind during this period are:

• try an keep life a bit normal, we still need to do our everyday things such as work and school these can't be neglected as they too will pile up and become insurmountable, usually just as the competition is occurring and take our focus off the race.
• At this stage the level of fitness you have is what you will take into the race this is the reason we have prepared and trained for the many months leading up.
  
• We can find a bit more speed in the next week or so through training and ensuring our technique is good.
• Race tactics are important as as strategies for drinking and portaging.
• It is far easier to do things to make you slower at this stage than to make you faster.

• As the competition comes closer the work will get harder but there will be less longer work, now is the time to allow your body to recover and freshen up so it is ready. More is NOT better, the time for lots of work was months ago.

Nutrition:
Everything that you eat is what fuels your performance if you eat rubbish your performance will be so.
Eat regularly and in smaller proportions

Check you boat now!
Is the seat in a good place (have you grown?)
What condition are the cables in?
Is the rudder damaged.
Do I have all of my wing nuts?
Are there cracks in the foot bar?
Does your pump work?

After a long summer and many weeks under canvas and without internet or phone I am back online. Tasmania was awesome paddled some fun whitewater and may upload some photos and video when I get them sorted out. Plenty of C boat paddling including my first outrigger regatta which saw a 2nd in the OC2 and 4th in a very rough OC6 (spent a bit of time leaning out of boat to keep it from tipping, uncomfortable).

Goals for the near future:

Return to Tassie for some C1 paddling on the Mersy and Bradys Lakes and hopefully qualify fir the WC in Oct / Nov.

Get the team ready for Nationals and good performances.

Friday 14th Nov

Been a bit slack in posting!

Training for me has been patchy over the last week, had some good C1 paddles including and hour and a half with Steve and Trifon on Sat and a good K1 paddle at Patterson Lakes (soon to be my new training area / club).

Made an awesome carbon seat for the downriver C1 last night, popped it off the flat board this morning. Hope to have it installed in a few days after finishing the coaching course this weekend.

Weekend

Paddled friday night, pretty easy at the lake and coached Saturday Morning, got out in the c1 for a bit.

Sunday
Paddled on Goulburn River at Seymour, a nice stretch of river.
Paddled flatwater C1 in crosswind, currents, boils and through small rapids all excellent practice.