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.