CALL FOR SPONSORSHIP

Ah yes, that time of year again!

Financial support in amateur sport will always be a bit of a struggle- I could give you the sob story of how I eat tuna fish out of a can, but it is not true. I'm not a starving athlete! I train hard, work hard and manage to make ends meet the best I can while still having a bit of room to breathe. However, this year, with x-c.com putting the breaks on their racing program I have been left with a substantial amount of costs with the World Cup Academy. Don't get me wrong, every penny I put into this sport and the Academy is worthwhile- and I am not in it for the money. I love this sport beyond what any tangible or monetary item it could bring. That said, reality is, I need money to pay for the coaching, travel and Academy fees.

If you or if you know of anyone interested in sponsoring an athlete please send them my email address or forward this link- I have a sponsorship package and a dvd full of photos and proposals to make a financial relationship work...I also like long walks on the beach and candlelight dinners...in all seriousness though, there are a few options to ensure that there is something gained from sponsoring me, and of course I am always open to suggestions.

brookegosling@yahoo.com

Regards,

Brooke

SILVER STAR SPRING SNOW CAMP 2008

Well April is done! That means rest is done and playing and having fun...just joking, the real fun just started!

After making the switch to the Alberta World Cup Academy this spring, two days later I was on my way to Silver Star, BC with the rest of the 15 new team members and two coaches.

I will be honest here and say that I was not at all prepared to go from blasting around the trails with my uber fast running friends and dancing it up on friday nights to being back in athlete mode. So the first three days of the camp I spent being grouchy and not sleeping. The mistake I made was trying to seperate the two "lives". So on day four I decided to stop fighting the fun vs. business sides of sport and just let the two coexist- after that I was back to my normal self- even throwing in a bit of a hammer ski and a trail run. BALANCE YOUNG GRASS HOPPER!!!

We worked a ton on classic technique- however my quote on day two of the camp was "I just don't feel like absorbing technique or taking constructive critism" yes, that was my nice way of saying "leave me the *^&% alone"...note to coaches and teammates, I have a mean streak! (sort of?)

It puked snow on two occasions, leaving us with a beautiful, perfect winter wonderland!...on May 9th!!!....but it didn't really stop me from loving it! My favorite conditions are deep wet snow- so I was all up for a good day of cruising slowly!

Canmore is warming up nicely and I'm happy!? to report I did my first rollerski intensity yesterday- I forgot how much I love to hammer!!! This is going to be a great summer!

cheers,
Brooke

MAY 1- giddy up

What am I doing this year?? by this year I mean from May 1- April 1 (the Nordic skiier calendar).

I just accepted a spot on the Alberta World Cup Academy! After a month of debate and questions and worry about how I will be able to financially afford this I decided that it is the best option for me at this point in time!

However, I don't want to sign off before making a point of expressing how amazing my parents are. After phone call after phone call filled with tears of not knowing how to proceed with the 2008/2009 season (see previous posts) today they told me that they would help make it work. This is not the first time that my parents have seemingly found a way to believe me more then I think I believe in myself. Afterall this is just as much their pursuit (without the sweat of course) as it is mine and if I do well then it is something that echos through my family and similarly if I get my heart broken (and I'm not talking about guys) they are the first to scoop me back up on my feet and tell me to try again.

My priorities this spring have changed drastically and my love for the sport as grown exponentially because of this shift in thought. Instead of skiing being the be all and end all of life, it has become a part of my life and something that complements who I am- it doesn't define me.

This april has been so refreshing and I think I have mastered the perma-grin. There is not one thing I would change! Life can be so amazing if you allow yourself to enjoy it!- who knew!!!???

May 1st!!!! GAME ON!!!