Friday, February 28, 2014

Off to Sochi 2014!!

Caroline and I are sitting here at the Maple Leaf Lounge in the Frankfurt Airport waiting for the rest of our teammates to arrive. Our next flight is not for another 8 hours and it is to Istanbul from where we will be heading to Sochi tonight. 

All this can only mean one thing: I am going to the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Games! The moment is finally here!

The team was named on February 11. In the last two weeks I have had more media interviews than I have ever had in my life! It's been truly awesome to see all of this interest in the Paralympics this year. 

I know this post is somewhat disjointed, but given the fact that it is currently 4 a.m. in Ottawa and I didn't really get any sleep on the flight here and the fact that, since my last post was in the summer, I am not quite sure where to start, I hope you will forgive me.

So we will be getting to Sochi early tomorrow morning and heading to the Welcome Centre to sort out accrediations and other formalities. By that time we will have been in transit for over 24 hours and will probably be completely incoherent. Then we'll be off to our own accommodations up on the mountain near the "Laura" biathlon and cross-country centre and will be able to get some rest. 

I've been meaning to write a post about my seasons so far, but it hasn't really worked out what with all the interviews and last minute preparations. I will say that I have had a good ski season with some personal best results but also have had some very difficult times as a very close and dear member of my family passed away last December. My sister-in-law and best friend Tanya Martin lost her battle with cancer on December 4, 2013, and the world lost a most amazing and caring person. We are all still grieving her loss, but skiing has helped me cope by providing a focus and an outlet. 


This is a picture of Tanya, Cliff and I at our wedding. She was my Maid of Honour, and she was the best Maid of Honour a bride could have had. 

So here I am on my way to the Games with Tanya watching over me and cheering me on from above and with family and friends back home poised to watch and cheer from Canada. 

Good morning from Frankfurt and watch for my next update from Sochi in the coming days.


1 comment:

  1. So Nicely said Margarita we will be cheering you on Go Margarita Go!!!!!!!!! we love ya

    ReplyDelete