The sunshine and summer heat have finally arrived in Vancouver. It seems like every year, we Vancouverites bemoan the lack of summer, and applaud gently when it finally lands, with comments like, “that took a long time” or “well…finally”. I am pretty sure that it’s like this every year to be honest, and I am not sure from what memory we make the assumption that it should be 25+ in early June. Anyway, it is here, and that’s all that matters.

It is July 7^th, and that means I am just over a month away from travel to Singapore for the Youth Olympic Games. The team is nearly at full capacity, and I have had the chance to Facebook meet most of the athletes. It definitely reminds me of being an athlete in that age group, (mind you, ten years ago we weren’t Facebook heroes yet.) Ohhhhh! Just dated myself. (I’ve always wanted to write that, haha)

I remember being really dedicated to my sport. It was interesting because that dedication framed how I related to my world, whether that meant friends, family or other things. When it came to friends, it was tough to explain why I always went to be before 10 PM, or brought in bagged lunches that weighed 15 lbs. To my buddies that were non-athletes, it never resonated.

In seeing these Youth Olympians, those who are already connected with some of their Youth Olympic teammates on Facebook, it reminds me of the common ground I found with other athletes.

They just understood. It didn’t matter where they were from, what team, city, or province. When I eventually began competing internationally, I made friends just as quickly, because country was irrelevant, all that mattered was the sport.

Anyways, it’s been a cool flashback to meet and connect with our Canadian Youth Olympians thus far. They are inspiring people. I am sure I’ll be reminded of a lot more in the coming weeks, and no doubt learn a lot too.

Today is Olympic Day. June 23. Celebrating the Olympic Movement, and all that is good about the Games, and the positivity they create.

This morning, somebody asked me how I felt about Olympic Day.

Here was my answer:

“Today we should celebrate the pursuit of the Olympic Dream, admire those who try, and realize that whether we pursue or admire, we are all a part of something truly magnificent.”

To build on that, I want to imagine a place where people understand that being a part of something bigger than themselves is the most rewarding of memberships.

I used to have a coach who said that the most important thing we can do is be a part of something bigger than we are. To strive for it, and fight for it, even when it gives us no return or reward. We are most effective when we embrace that “big” thing, and join its supporters.

So today, to celebrate Olympic Day, remember that you don’t have to stand out from the crowd or do something worthy of applause. You just have to do something. That is the beauty of it. You might support a local athlete, cheer for a team on TV or just spend the day happier, because you know that every other Olympic supporter out there is doing that little “something” with you.

Happy Olympic Day. Thanks for your cheers, big and small.

With June well underway it’s time for an update.

Last weekend was pretty cool. On Saturday I played in the Burnaby Play On! street hockey Celebrity Media game, on behalf of Act Now BC. Great event. I was out there with the likes of Ian Hanomansing, our mayor Gregor Robertson, and my fellow Act Now BC ambassador Sian Bagshawe. Our team was particularly strong on this day, I attribute that to Gregor’s fine work on the point. We had a lot of fun.

This week I have been busy with both NG Farrell, Green Grads and my role as Young Ambassador.

There are some special things happening at NG Farrell. Next month, one of our favourite clients Josh Beamish will be showing off his contemporary dance rock concert “Sold Doubt” at the Vancouver Playhouse, July 9^th and 10^th. Pretty cool concept. All the classics from No Doubt paired with dance.

With the Green Grads site up and running, it has been a busy week getting everything in order and letting our clients know about the change. I like the site, but it will need some improvements over the summer to get to where I want it to be. I like to ensure that the vision is apparent in everything I do. Good exterior cleaning service, in an eco-friendly way, by responsible and honest students.

Finally, the first fifteen athletes were named yesterday to Canada’s Youth Olympic Games Team! Pretty amazing to actually meet those athletes for the first time online, introduce myself, and get them engaged on Facebook. It’s cool to see the names, and sports, and be a part of the beginning of their journey in international sports.

If you want, follow the athletes on Twitter @CDNYOGTeam

Singapore 2010.

If this doesn’t mean anything to you right now, it will in less than 3 months.

This is because Singapore will be the site for the first EVER Youth Olympic Games!

August 14 – 26, 2010.

26 sports, over 200 countries, thousands of athletes, coaches, support staff, officials, volunteers, sponsors, media.

It’s the Olympics folks. Just for Youth aged 14-18. And it’s going to be really special.

Canada is sending a team of over 50 athletes. The absolute best youth athletes our country has to offer. Just like Vancouver, they’re going to be reaching for the top of the podium.

Strong and proud Canadians, unafraid to stand up next to the best in the world, and confident enough to beat them all.

I am going to go help them out. Anything I can do, because as much as this generation of athletes will forge a new definition of Canadian confidence, we’ll also be classically humble and helpful, as always.

Follow the dream right here. There will be a Facebook group and plenty of tweets, just for the Canadian Youth Olympic Team, launched in the next week or so.

The other cool thing is that the athletes will get the chance to take part in the Culture and Education Program, aimed at teaching athletes about Olympism, Skill Development, Healthy Lifestyles, Social Responsibility and Expression.

Go Canada Go – Allez Canada!

Learn more:

http://singapore2010.sg/public/sg2010/en.html

http://www.olympic.org/en/content/YOG/

Yesterday, Mr. Joey Coleman, a blogger for globecampus.ca posed the question “Why are athletics a priority in this fiscal reality?”

The obvious answer in this instance is a hasty and passionate, “Why not?”

While it is not possible for all students to participate in varsity athletics, it is abundantly clear that those who do have an enriched university experience, contribute to the university’s reputation and in turn, increase the value of an undergraduate degree for their fellow students. (Of course, varsity athletics is not the only method of achieving this.)

After sifting through the blog post, including a string of incomplete, untrue and often bizarre arguments and statements, it seems that Mr. Coleman has presented the thesis that universities are prioritizing athletic funding, charging students unfair fees to support that funding and that Canadian varsity team members are more like professionals, than dedicated student-athletes.

The best way to respond to this mayhem, is through a commentary on verbatim. Here is goes.

Mr. Coleman wrote:

“Canada’s collegiate athletics have increasingly professionalized in recent times with money, and now drugs, raising questions about how the system operates and what effect it may have on the academy.”

Prove it. Professionalized is hardly the word you might use to describe CIS athletes, who in most cases receive partial tuition support. (Which he actually calculates for us later in the post) And drugs? Well, no follow up premise is provided. What kind of drugs? Are universities giving athletes drugs? I’m confused.

Looks like Joey is confused as well because there is however a self-rebuttal in the third paragraph, “The two are completely unrelated.” (In reference to professionalized varsity sports, and drugs.) Thanks Joey, that is exactly what we were thinking.

Mr. Coleman wrote:

“Sport is no longer an addition to the university experience, in which players play merely for the enjoyment of the sport. They are playing to win and universities are spending record amounts of money to ensure a CIS title for their school.”

Wow, this is just plain bizarre. Varsity athletics has always been a competitive arena, not sure if I remember the time when our teams just played for fun. Oh right, that’s because there never was a time. I am at a loss here folks, not sure what else I can say. Perhaps someone else can help me determine why, “playing to win” is a bad thing.

Mr. Coleman wrote:

…a jumble of words that basically add up to Mr. Coleman opposing a fee for University of Toronto Scarborough students, in order to build the Pan-Am Games complex for the 2015 Games.

What he misses, which is dreadfully clear to everyone else, is that the complex actually benefits students, because they will get to use it as well. Even students who will graduate before completion are aware that legacy funding is a reality at all institutions. Student-use buildings across any campus exist thanks to fees and funding from those who may not have been around long enough to enjoy them.

Mr. Coleman wrote:

“With fiscal reality returning to higher education, now is the time for a serious discussion of the role of university athletics in the Canadian academy.”

This sentence doesn’t make sense, but what I think he means is “university athletics is bad and it gets too much funding for what it accomplishes.” But don’t worry, Joey backs up his statement by quoting an American physicist commenting on American collegiate athletics.

Ok I am tired of pointing out how ridiculous this post is. Can someone please tell me what the “Canadian academy” is?

So let’s talk about “university education”. It depends what it means to you. If university education is solely the classroom, the assignments, the textbooks and the professors, then perhaps you need to broaden your definition. This entire blog post is debunked by a misunderstanding of the university experience which also includes friends, residence, activities, clubs, varsity sports and so on

There are other wonderful examples of on-campus initiatives, groups and programs that allow students to experience the same growth and personal development as varsity athletics, like…(check this out Joey, I’m going to give examples), academic clubs, faculty specific teams, campus recreational sport. If you wanted to go dollar for dollar on how much grant money and scholarship funding these other programs receive compared to varsity sport, I’d be happy to oblige.

But to be honest, let’s just leave it at that.

Wow, it’s been a busy few weeks. Two growing businesses, not to mention all the cool things connected with the Youth Olympic Games, continuing to work on my French, and trying to have a social life. I’d like to put it out there that if anyone figures out how to slow down time, flip me an e-mail. Actually, text, might not have time to read an e-mail.

Ha, that being said, right now is a really exciting time. Along with the COC, we are ramping up for the big Youth Olympic Games this August, (14^th to 26^th), getting the plans implemented, and finding new ways to get the athletes stoked! (Ya, I wrote stoked, it’s nearly midnight, my vocab is waning)

I have to say, spending a minute at The Cube, which is the official Olympic portal for the YOG is enough to get you “stoked”. In the coming weeks I’ll be rolling out all the social media for the Canadian Youth Olympians, and everyone else that’s interested!

Follow my feed to get the real-time updates…it’s the easiest way for me to keep people in the loop. I can’t wait for summer to really hit, and to meet all the athletes. Plus, they will get the chance to experience humanity is a really unique way. I just hope I can make it easy for them to learn and grow at the same time.

I was getting out of bed today and wondering…why? I have plenty of reasons. What are yours?

Is it the fear that something will not happen if you don’t?
Or is it the excitement of what WILL HAPPEN if you do.

Recently I have been going through a pretty major transition with one of my businesses. No, not NG Farrell, that one is awesome. Yes, the other one, my exterior cleaning company.

It has been a fairly exhausting process. Let me be perfectly honest, things that suck the life out of you are:

-       reading legal documents

-       filing with the corporate registry

-       a bad business partner

-       reading more legal documents after working out the specifics of the last set of legal documents but drafting new ones to reflect all the changes as a whole, but not displacing those initial objectives set out in another entirely different set of legal documents created at an earlier date

It has become clear in the past two weeks that while I might painfully learn what does not inspire me, through this, I can also discover new sources of inspiration.

I think that it is crucially important to remember what we live for, what ignites our curiosity and what is so worthwhile that we can’t wait to start each day.

This might seem a little elementary. It probably sounds terribly obvious.

What isn’t so easy is keeping these inspirations present, and well watered, so that they might fuel us in our daily living.

Here’s an example:

I am inspired by my brother, his methods are different from mine, and he dreams lofty. So I talk to him when I feel deflated.

I like to read about really smart ideas, so I flip through blogs and my favourite pages at least once a day.

You can’t say enough about sunshine and fresh air.

So my advice would be this. When you’re feeling low, take the pulse of your tried and true inspirations, then find a way to bring them back.

Don’t let yourself go another day without your passion. Your world needs it, and so do the rest of us!

Every profession, job, trade, industry…every “thing” that you do has its own culture and flavor, its own set of features that allow the participants to be differentiated from members of other groups. In most cases, these features are so utterly unrelated to the actual performance of the “thing” that it’s pretty ridiculous. Sometimes even comical.

These features can be physical traits, a type of clothing, a way of speaking, even the music that plays. Either way, these various artifacts are closely linked to the image of the participants that they begin to form secondary levels of the base identity, the base identity that is constructed on the actual execution of the “thing”.

I think I am in danger of being vague so let me provide some examples.

My brother and I were ranting recently about half pipe snowboarding at the Olympics, how the guys rip down the pipe with their pants around their knees, and rocking out to an iPod. I mean, What!? They are pulling some crazy stuff, (see: Shaun White), wouldn’t you want some snug pantaloons?

Shaun White!

Painters wear white. Why? No one knows. Trust me. I googled it. That’s good enough research for anything Look at the mania is this thread. They just do, they always have. It doesn’t really make sense, but it’s ingrained in the culture.

What about those MMA guys. You know. In the UFC? Most of them have some mad tattoos. Based on my extensive boxing experience, (one hour last Friday morning), I know that it’s really hard to see and throw punches when you have sweat in your eyes. You know what would make it easier? A big ass orange tiger on some guy’s back. Just sayin’.

Alright, I could give you some more examples but to be honest, there is hockey on TV. Comment below with your best example of useless cultural features…

Last night I had the chance to check out Sport BC’s Athlete of the Year Awards.

The swimmers did well, and there was an amazing speech from Mr. John Furlong.

It was a pleasure to attend. Oh ya, have a great long weekend!