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The view from the top of the track in Whistler.

I spent the weekend helping out with the ICC and NAC skeleton races. They had me wiping runners, measuring temperatures, timing the ice box, folding clothes and more. It was actually more work than I expected, especially the first day, but it was a good way to learn FIBT rules so I don’t accidentally disqualify myself in the future. Plus I got to watch dozens of athletes push off the block, which was super motivating.

I especially liked how supportive everyone was to the Korean slider who was still very new to sliding and especially the (challenging) Whistler track. Everyone still cheered her on to slide smart and slide her best even though she only tentatively ran off the block. It was the same when I was in Calgary last year, and it’s so helpful. There are some great people in skeleton.

I had an awesome sliding session on Friday night. My coach and I are now actively in the process of getting me ready to slide from the top. He told me a new thing to try in corner 7 and I got it right in my second run and went right through the straightaway (corner 8) without tapping and right into corner 9 cleanly. It was the first time EVER I have gone through 8 without hitting and it felt amazing. I cheered to myself as I went through corner 9. So good. Hopefully I can replicate it next week.

IN OTHER NEWS…

Today is Scott’s last day as only an Australian. We are going to his citizenship ceremony tomorrow morning!!! So exciting!!! Then we’re having a little party at our house in the evening.

And dad is arriving on Wednesday!!!

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Last weekend was AWESOME!!

On Friday I worked a short easy shift (while watching the Lake Placid World Cup race… so cool to see my friends racing!!) and then we all headed to Mahony’s for Christmas Lunch. Thank you doctors for covering the bill. We opened our secret santa gifts and I got an awesome tea tumbler. It’s so nice! Now I need to get some loose tea to put in it.

A photo posted by Rosemarie Perkin (@reirameso) on


Scott, Rosemarie and Lauren picked me up and then we headed straight to Whistler. Half way there we realized that Scott didn’t put my skeleton backpack in the car so I was missing a speedsuit, shoes, mouthguard and gloves. But my coach helped me scrounge up a pair of shoes and a speedsuit (that was actually way nicer than the suits I have) and I borrowed gloves from Matt. Thankfully I did have my helmet. I had a bit of a rough session but it’s all about gaining time on my sled. Then we checked into our hotel and went straight to the outdoor hottub. Ultimate relax. We got upgraded to a big penthouse room so everyone had a real bed, which was much better than we expected.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for SANTA SKI DAY!! There were around 200 santas this year. And one Christmas tree. Rosemarie got TONS of attention and fifty million pictures of her taken. I tried to stick close to her so I could be in pictures too. If your eyes are sharp you can see me a few times in this video.

A photo posted by Rosemarie Perkin (@reirameso) on


There still aren’t that many runs open, but the ones that were open were good. It was my most successful ski day in a while… I even went on a couple black diamonds. Scott, Lauren and Liz did quite well as well.

I have been here for 4 years and I somehow managed to never go the peak of Whistler??!! I always wondered where that inukshuk was that people always post pictures of. I’m not quite sure how that happened. We chickened out on skiing down the bowl though…. it had a scary entrance and there were SO many people around. Someone was even video taping!! But we skied down the saddle instead and it was lovely. So pretty up there.

My snazzy santa suit was actually one of those skin suits that covers your face too. No I didn’t ski like that. But I put it on at lunch and creeped everyone out, hehe. Man oh man that suit was a big upgrade from the felt dollar store special. So comfy and I had lots of mobility. It’s still in perfect shape so I can use it again in the years to come.

After skiing a FULL day, we drove straight back to downtown Vancouver to go to Scott’s work Christmas party at the convention centre. Rosemarie took the car home and Scott and I checked into the Pan Pacific. We got dressed up fancy super quick and only made it to dinner with a few minutes to spare. Scott didn’t even have time to shave, which he later regretted…

Dinner was good, same as the other years. Then they started the speeches. We couldn’t hear anything at all because the table behind us was super rude and loud. So then they were giving out the Award of Excellence… I could barely hear but then I heard the words “telephone” and “sense of humour” and “he” and was like….. wait…… and then “SCOTT JORNA”!! Scott won the award this year!! He got a sweet trophy and a sweet cheque! I’m so happy for him, he has worked really really hard this year and it’s so good that he got recognized for it. He had no idea!


PS Saturday was also Scott’s birthday. Earlier in the evening his friend had given him one of those pointy kid birthday hats and he almost went up with it on, haha. He got some pictures taken with important work people and lots of handshakes.

THEN, to cap off a really great day, we found out the hot tub at the Pan Pacific was open until midnight (and outdoors!) and we still had time to go for a soothing post-ski dip. It was the perfect way to end a really high adrenaline day.

Next morning we slept in super late and then went out for a nice southern-style brunch at Chewies, which I will review later.

Anyway yeah, so that was our Super Fun Skeleton Santa Birthday Party Hotel Brunch Weekend!!

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1. I forget if I mentioned it already or not, but I joined a spartan barbell weightlifting gym and have been going to lessons every week. It’s been super fun!! The coach is helping me re-learn how to squat and deadlift properly, and slowly teaching me the Olympic lifts (snatch, and clean & jerk). The Oly lifts are very complex lifts and even though it’s been a month I’ve still only snatched the 20 lbs bar, and I haven’t even cleaned anything. Last week I learned how to jerk (hehe). I jerked the 30 lbs bar, woop woop.

2. I finally got trained out at the UBC nuc med department and have been working out there a bunch lately. It’s very different than VGH, so quiet and lonely. Only two techs there, with two cameras, although one camera is old and doesn’t get used that much. It’s good to have another site where I can potentially get shifts though. But from 2:30-4:00 I pretty much just stare at the printer in fear that it’s going to print out a suprise last minute requisition.

3. I applied for a PET job at the BC Cancer Agency, had an interview, got asked for references, got a call back…. and then didn’t get the job. Bummer. I really thought I got the job for a while. Maybe it’s for the best though because I am still getting lots of shifts at VGH, and it’s already going to be a busy winter. I always think I’m not going to work a lot, and then end up working almost every day. Hopefully I am fine without PET.

4. This is week 7 of no sugar or simple carbs. I feel good, more stable, less crazy cravings for sugar first thing in the morning. I’ve lost 10 lbs, and Scott’s lost like twice that. However I also feel weaker while exercising, which isn’t ideal. I want to quit the diet so I can get stronger, but the weight loss is addicting tbh. Just 5 more lbs?? One more week?? I don’t know. I think even if I do start eating sugar again, it’s not going to be a lot. Maybe just low GI foods, like a pre-diabetic diet.

Anyway it’s a beautiful blustery fall day today and we’re going to watch the Ottawa vs. Vancouver hockey game tonight. The tradition continues.

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Every year at the beginning of the skeleton season Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton puts on a couple selection races that helps decide which athlete gets put on which race circuit team. Last year they had a race in Calgary and a race in Whistler, but this year they decided to do both races in Calgary. (Next year it will be in Whistler, more about that later). I didn’t get invited to do these races, which I expected, since I don’t have that much experience yet. But I was following everything very closely because I am a skeleton NERD and also because a lot of the athletes are my friends now and that makes things way more interesting.

Then last minute my friend Matt, who is at a similar level to me, although naturally a faster runner, was invited to do it. Begin jealousy. Anyway he drove to Calgary alone and kept me posted on how everything was going, all through training and race days, which I appreciated greatly. If I don’t get to be there myself, at least I got to live vicariously through him. Then he texts me that I probably could have done the race too if I just asked. WAAAAT!!?! Begin regret. That sucked. Especially when I found out there were only 9 girls in the race, and even if I had come in last place, I COULD HAVE BEEN #10 IN CANADA!! Waaahhhh.

Anyway all those crazy feelings have made me super motivated for training because I WANT TO DO THAT RACE NEXT YEAR. And also I want to do some North America Cup races. Since the selection races will be in Whistler, I will have a big advantage. And as long as not too many new girls join the sport, I should have a pretty good shot at getting my chance. Between now and next year though I have a lot of work to do: get way faster at sprinting, jump further, weightlift more, move up to the top of Whistler, and slide really really well this year!!

I feel like I can do it though?

PS Teams get announced today I think. Can’t wait to see my friends’ futures!

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And it’s fall.

We did squeeze in another games day on the patio before the summer was over. Scott and I taught them Agricola. Agricola is quite complicated, but it’s my all time favourite game. Even though it makes me really stressed.

I have never been so excited about a used pair of shoes. And check out my new speedsuit!! My skeleton friends Jane and Madi were so nice to send a pair of spikes and a suit my way from Calgary. It can be so hard (and expensive) to get gear for skeleton so getting anything, even used stuff, is extremely appreciated. Up till now I had been using track spikes for skeleton, but my goal for the year is to start from the top of Whistler and the track crew will not let me do that with them. Now I am fully equipped! I am so so so excited for the season to start, especially now!

I have been working a lot lately, lots of full weeks of shifts, which is fantastic. I am also supposed to get trained at our remote site out at UBC too, but there hasn’t been any time yet where I haven’t been already working! I keep expecting my amount of work to drop off drastically, but so far it hasn’t happened. Fingers crossed it keeps going the way it is!

Ooo also in exciting news… Scott got notification of his citizenship test!! This happened about 1.5 YEARS ahead of what we thought!!! Everything we read told us the application would take about 2 years, but now his test is in a couple weeks and the ceremonies tend to be about a month later! We are totally having a Canadiana party.

And lastly, I spent like two whole evenings reading through the old emails Rosemarie and I used to send each other back in 2003-2004, when I was off in Halifax and Holland, and she was in middle school/high school. They are amazing. My sister is the best. She used to send me all sorts of hilarious pictures. And now I have determined that it’s been too long since this one was last seen….