BLOG POST

I am a member of the Canadian Speed Skating team, I have been racing since the age of five and racing was and still is one of my biggest passions.  Another passion of mine is the power of one.  I strongly believe that one person can make a difference and it has been a dream of mine for a long time now to create a group of people who are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of others, in the community, and in the world.  I believe we have this in Team Icespire.

Two weeks ago, the members of Team Icespire came together for a very fitting first team activity. It was an event put on in Calgary by Lululemon and was led by the amazingly talented Ally Bogard – someone who happens to be a bit of a spiritual leader to me, though she doesn’t know it yet.  The event Flow in the Dark, or “yoga rave” as some have referred to it as, was an incredibly unique experience. When I say rave, I am not talking about one of those other types of raves you hear about on the streets either – it was over two hundred people coming together, sweating together, glowing together and uplifting each other with energy and open hearts. It was about being yourself, being free to express who you are.  Such a great and unique experience!  That’s what we want as a team, to inspire, empower and uplift the people of our communities.  We want to connect to people on a personal level, get to know each other and be active in the community.  To empower people with the knowledge that active living is a major part of living a healthy lifestyle, and to teach about respect not only to ourselves but to one another.

Now for the name.  This was not an easy task, we wanted to find something that showed we are committed to the community but that also ties us to what we do.  “Ice” – a community is a place people feel at home and feel comfortable and for a speed skater there is no place that we feel more at home than on the ice.  “-spire” – we are all athletes, and we all have our own individual goals that we are aspiring towards.  We also hope to share our stories with others and inspire them to have their own dreams and follow their passions, and that is how Team Icespire was born. This team is a chance to connect the sporting world, the corporate world and the community all together as one. Then not only can people join in our journey towards representing Canada at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, but we can be a part of other peoples journeys as well.

My final vision is that this team will grow, we are starting small but with support from partners in the community we will be able to make our team bigger and to reach more lives and connect further with the community.  My big inspiration comes from my parents who were both dedicated, committed and compassionate teachers, they have always inspired me to reach out to others and connect to the community to them I am always thankful.