I, along with the COC (Canadian Olympic Committee) and Canada Basketball visited the SEED Basketball Academy in Dakar. Our visit to their campus began with meeting the coaches. You could hear their thirst for knowledge in the questions they were asking. They were passionate about what they do and wanted to equip their young athletes with everything they needed to be successful.
To think that I have now been inducted into the town of Milton’s Walk of Fame is both an incredible honour and also a bit of a shock. I am honored that my name was even considered for this incredible distinction and I have been incredibly fortunate, but I feel like I’m not done. There is so much I have yet to do, and goals on my list I have yet to reach.
After he gave us our wet suit, snorkels and flippers, we jumped into the water. The first sea creature I saw everywhere was jellyfish! So, obviously I - and the family I was on tour with - started freaking out! It turns out that these jelly fish (which were a beautiful purple color and looked so graceful and soft in the water) were called moon jellyfish. Although they can and do sting humans (it feels like a mosquito bite or small zap), they're not poisonous. Of course, I did not learn this until later in the day, so whenever I saw a large group of them during the actual tour, I…
As I was leaving the botanical gardens, I noticed a tiny garden of poppies. Growing up, I’ve always worn the pins on Veterans Day and have seen pictures of poppies, but I don’t recall ever seeing a poppy in real life. So, obviously I snapped some pictures! This little garden was called The Legacy Garden, with a small plaque in front that said the following…
If you were to look at my phone, you would probably find a good 500 pictures purely of nature; plants, trees, flowers, leaves, ponds, the ocean and green sceneries. I am obsessed! I feel close to God in many instances, but when I am consumed by nature, surrounded by it, observing it, sitting or walking in it silently, admiring its beauty, listening to the quiver of the leaves in the wind, the birds chirping, the crashing of the waves, or a disturbance in the bushes - just me and my thoughts - that’s when I always feel engulfed by Him.
Driving around lost allowed us to see beautiful mountain views of the ocean, take some fun pictures and we even encountered a blue-tongued lizard! When we finally reached our destination, thanks to a friendly older Australian couple, I was blown away. First, there were so many kangaroos! Male, female, joeys, just hopping around freely in their environment, it was so cool to see!
My last day in Vancouver consisted of the press release of a new court and the Raptors game against the Portland Trailblazers.
Saturday I didn’t have community events of my own, so I decided I would make my way to the PNE Grounds for the unveiling of The Nash Family Court. I also wanted to increase my chances of possibly meeting Canadian Legend Steve Nash, after all he is the one who put Canadian basketball on the map!
Friday was all about NBA Crossover, and exploring the connection of basketball, music, fashion, gaming and art… just a few of my favorite things all wrapped up in one!
NBA Canada partnered with Victory to transform The Permanent (an event venue) into this incredible space that explored basketball, art, fashion, gaming and music all in one place. Hence the name NBA Crossover, and it was executed beautifully.
I loved this co-branded event because it combines athletics (basketball and dance), academics and technology. It was super inclusive but more importantly sends an important message that not only can anyone play basketball but anyone, including girls can code! Just redefining stereotypes one kid at a time.
The Procreate app brush allows you to create multiple fine tip pens, sketching pencils, and painting brushes from watercolor to acrylic. You can create the illusion of luminance, brightness and shadows. The elements brush allows you to create water, clouds, flames and crystals. The list goes on and the possibilities are endless. I have a feeling that once I go digital, it will be hard to go back to paper.
A dream of mine has been to play for Canada on the Senior Women’s National Team - a dream that was finally realized, only to be taken away by injury a few days later.
Later this month Canada will compete in Tenerife, Spain at the FIBA World Cup. I had my eyes set on making the roster to help Canada compete for a spot on the podium.
While there I had to make a lot of adjustments. The time change was definitely the hardest, 14 hour difference! It took my body 2 weeks to properly adjust to the time change, way longer than I expected! Language barriers are nothing new to me, as I had plenty of experience with this in Russia, however, in Russia the letters were similar to the English alphabet. In Korea, its completely different, it was symbols, and complicated symbols at that! My apartment also didn't have…
Throughout the day, these young athletes were put through an experience similar to an NBA combine. It began with individual assessments of their athletic abilities, followed by skills work and teaching different offensive and defensive concepts as well as game break downs. It concluded with games and competitive play.
