Licence to Fly

Today I got my Helicopter Pilots Licence ;)

Still in NZ but hopefully for not too much longer.

I am still in Wanaka, but I had some great news today:

Press Release: Legendary cross country running and ski coach, Bernie Gardner, coach to New York State's best young runners and skiers is helping me get to the Lake Placid World Cup.

THANK YOU Bernie!!

I have tickets booked and paid for that have me departing on the 31st of October, the cheapest round the world ticket $4600, it's not ideal, it only lets me stop in Montreal (two hours from Lake Placid) then onto Europe and back to NZ, so no flights to Park City or Calgary or Japan, I need to secure further sponsorship to be able to add those sections in. Even though I have the tickets, at this stage I cant afford to get on that plane, I still need the money for a rental car, accommodation food and training fees, and a coach would be nice too! The ticket can easily be changed right upto the departure date.

I have my heart set on securing a significant sponsor in the next 10 days, and it is looking positive, hopefully I wont have to make any changes. If I can do it, then I'll be there asap, and hopefully have the money to get to the Park City world cup and the Calgary world cup too. If I can get to at least two of the first 3 races, then there is a good chance that both myself and Tionette will qualify for the World Championships in St Moritz, if we don't then it comes down to the challenge cup race in Altenberg, where only one of us will qualify for the World Champs, which is the worst case senario, I hope we can avoid it.

It is a pretty crazy situation when New Zealands top female athlete, and NZ's highest performing female Winter Olympian from Torino (I came 12th), is struggling to get the money together to buy the airfares needed. If only the NZOC had kept their promise and refunded the cost of my airfare to the Olympics.

Let the good news I got today, spark a whole wave of sponsorship and funding sucess that'll take me closer to the podium finish with my name on it.


(ps when I havent been in the gym, persuing sponsors or rehabbing with the physio, this is what i've been upto over the last 4 months...full time student and pilot in command! 58 hours flying time logged, and all exams passed ;)

Just spoke to Peter (dutch athlete) in Lake Placid, they have found an apartment in town for only $US200 per month each, which is a bloody cheap, and wireless internet works there too. He said the ice is good and that I have to get over there. I Have re booked my tickets and am going to have to commit to paying for them, they need to be paid for on Monday, but committing $4000 to tickets with out having the money to actually go, live and compete yet is scary!!!!!!!

I'm on the wrong side of the world.

Ben and Peter are in Lake Placid. I need to be there too. I am still negotiating sponsorship with several companies, if they come to the party then I'll be away asap, if not, then i'll keep looking.

Getting to the Olympics last year took everything I owned and help from friends and family from all over the world, it was a HUGE $$$ effort. So $$$ wise me and my network of supporters have nothing left to put into this years campaign: I need to secure sponsorship to make it happen.

Despite the usual lack of money, and the rather concerning lack of a back up plan, there are some very positive and exciting aspects to this upcoming season:

• I have arms that work properly now (which is a nice bonus), I can lift them above my head, even better I can lift weights above my head, my surgeon did an amazing job.
• I am not popping pain killers evey four hours, and thankfully I wont be travelling with a supply of cortisone injections (which looked rather dodgy last season).
• I have been doing laps of the house carrying my sled (all by myself- by the end of last season and at the olympics my shoulders were so shagged that I couldnt carry it!)

I really am looking forward to sliding and racing, where as this time last year, I was saying that I was ready to slide and looking forward to it, but really I was was just being stuborn and unwilling to let a STUPID freak trampoline accident stop me from going to the Olympics, sliding with my injuries last year was a chore, it wasn't fun, infact it sucked, and you could see it in my performances, this year it's not going to be a chore, I am just going to have fun, and love it. With no pain, I will be able to relax, and when you can relax, you go FAST. I am itching to get back on my sled, try out my new runners, and slide freaking fast, and get my performances back to pre injury level and even better.

My 12th at the Olympics was not enough to qualifly for a PEG's grant from SPARC, I needed to finish at least 7th to get any help from them, but a top 16 (and top half of the field) at the World Championships this January will qualify me for a SPARC grant that'll make life a whole lot easier. I need to get to the world champs (St Moritz). Every day that passes with out securing a major sponsor makes qualifying for the world champs harder and harder, because while I am not over there training on ice, others are, so if you wanna help, cross your fingers, make a wish, or say a prayer (or even better, if you feel inclined- sponsor me!).

I have gotta get over there soon.