I've been back in Canada now for four days and I couldn't have picked a colder week to arrive. The temperature in Winnipeg last weekend got as low as -43 degrees celsius!!! I have never in my life experienced such cold conditions. But despite the cold, I had a great time in Winnipeg, which is the world's coldest capital city.
Iām writing this from 25,000 feet somewhere over the Atlantic, on a flight bound for Canada. Itās been a tiresome few days, as I have been busy training, playing team matches, getting physio treatment and packing up our apartment. My more than usual visits to my physio are due to something that has become a major pain in the...heel. If youāve ever struggled with planters fasciutus, you know what Iām talking about. Itās a very frustrating injury, as it appears out of nowhere and stays for an unknown period, sometimes weeks, sometimes months, sometimes years. Iām hoping itās a 2008 thing that will become a distant memory come January 1, 2009. As the oldest member on my Aarhus Elite Badminton Team- (ahem, we have a very young team), I canāt help but feel responsible for our less-than-stellar season thus far. We've been unlucky with injuries, but that's a challenge that all teams must face. We played our last team match of 2008 last night and it did not go well. We had a difficult task ahead of us, as we were facing badmintonās equivalent of the āDream Teamā: Team Slagelse Skaelskor. When I say Dream Team, I donāt mean the Atlanta Olympics version, I mean more like the Sydney version, because this team is notorious for underperforming despite their star-studded cast. Team S.S., as itās known in the Liga, has two former world champs (Tony Gunawan and Nathan Robertson), one Worldās silver medalist (Donna Kellog), and other world class players such as Matias Bo, Joachim Persson, Anastasia Ruskih and Helene Kirkegaard. Oh yeah, and one other guy you might have heard of: Peter Gade. Although theyāve failed to win the Championship in years past, I think their unstoppable this season, barring injury.The only weak point for Team S.S. is their womenās singles, and I was happy to capitalize on that last night with a victory over a young talented Danish player named Camilla Overgaard. Despite the supportive cheers from her teammate (and boyfriend) Joachim Persson, I won the match in straight sets. But it was the first menās singles match that the crowd was eagerly awaiting. Our up-and-coming star Jan O. Jorgensen was to play against Peter Gade, and it was Jan who claimed victory over Gade in Indonesia last June. (Janās win marked the first time in over 10 years that Gade had lost to a fellow Dane in international competition- quite an impressive record!) But last night Jan was not on his game, particularly struggling with his control to the back line, where he hit about a dozen shuttles long. Gade was definitely āfit for fightā, as they say in Denmark, no doubt eager to dispel the bitter taste of their last encounter. The only good news of the night came when it was announced that Team Lillerod- another club hovering on the lowest rungs of the Liga ladder- earned three points against Team VEB by winning 4-2. This means that it will be Team Gentofte joining us in the bottom two. We have a much better line-up against Gentofte so it will increase our chances of success in the next few months, when weāll be fighting for our Liga survival. After getting home from Aarhus at 1am last night (-another speedy drive back to Copenhagen with my friend and teammate Lena Frier), I had to finish packing, clean the apartment and get some sleep before my early morning flight. Iām very happy to be heading home for the holidays, but itās not exactly a direct journey straight to Vancouver. Right now Iām on a plane to Toronto, where Iāll connect onwards to Winnipeg. Iāll be in Winnipeg for the weekend doing an all girls training and motivational seminar. Iām really looking forward to the weekend, except for the fact that the temperature in Winnipeg is currently -25 degrees celciusā¦and thatās the high! I'm told it will get down to -45!! After Winnipeg Iāll be in Calgary, where the temperature is much more reasonable, a mere -20 high! In Calgary Iām joining former Canadian team member and Athens Olympian Jody Patrick for another all girls training and fun-filled badminton evening. Iām excited for this leg of my journey as Iāll be staying with my good friend Lindsay Mullaly, who is my former doubles partner (from when I was forteen) and also my former rival ; )After Calgary itās up to Edmonton for the Alberta Open tournament and a quick visit with the common-in-laws. Then at last back, to Vancouver from there. When I finally reafch home, Iāll have a few days of last minute shopping before the big Birthday (J.C.ās that is), and Iām looking very much forward to some good food, good friends, and hopefully some good presents! ; ) Though in all honesty, being home for the holidays is gift enough, as anyone who lives abroad can attest.
It's been just a few hours after I played my singles match here in Hong Kong, I lost to Pia Zebadia from Indonesia 24-22 in the third set. The loss stings right now but the first and 3rd sets were very good and I can take a lot from them, so it wasn't all in vain.
