Free Beauty Treatments, Hot Chocolate + Mt. Hotham

Looking over Mt Hotham

For the past week I have been in Bright on the Kelly Cycle Coaching September Camp. As I am currently sitting in my cosy chair with the heater quietly pumping our warm air beside me, I can confidently say that I had an absolute blast on the camp. I can say this as I am no longer being flung across roads by Hercule’s strength cross-winds, I am no longer getting covered in cow shit churned up from the cyclists wheel in front of me, and I no longer have numb fingers from descending off Mt Buffalo in 3°C. Yep, camp was awesome! You think I am crazy right?

Not quite sure if I painted the best picture for you all after that introduction. Let me take a few steps backwards. The journey began bright and sparkly last Sunday morning when my teammate, Carley McKay, drove the two of us up to Bright. Just a quick shout-out of thanks to Carley for driving there and back; lacking cruise control and one leg doesn’t make for the best long-distance driving so I am extremely grateful to those who I can hitch a ride with!

Arriving at Bright Chalet, we were warmly welcomed back by the owner and his wife – Michael and Athalia. Carley and I did a quick test of two rooms; this included the traditional bed-bounce, bathroom check, and level of natural light. Once unpacked and settled in, I headed out for an ‘easy’ ride with Carley and two of the older boys. Definitely felt the lack of training post the hip arthroscopy a few weeks ago with my heart rate easily skyrocketing up into the 180 beats per minute for what was relatively flat and windless domain. Looking good for the week ahead of climbing….

We had a total of 18 athletes attend the camp. Of this, we had 5 girls and the rest was made up of mostly young teenage boys who have appetites that rival a small army. I literally couldn’t believe my eyes as plate after plate was consumed. For example, lunch consisted of a minimum of three sandwiches plus fruit, cake and muesli bars. Breakfast was a similar three-course affair usually of porridge, cereal, eggs, muffins, sausages, and toast. I had definitely forgotten the appetite of growing boys and have made a mental note to mention this to my mother next time she complains how much I eat.

With well-fueled bodies, we cycled up Mt Buffalo, Mt Hotham, Rosewhite, Buckland Valley, and other hidden gems outside of Bright. We also had skills sessions that involved cornering, jumping over broomsticks, and weaving around multi-coloured cones. All for a mini mars bar. Is the reason we are athletes simply because we love food? A high probability I think. There was also the amazing Belgium hot chocolate one afternoon in preparation for Mt Hotham the next day.

Spinning the Legs Over

Afternoons were spent recovering in the pool as a makeshift ice-bath, having strong showers to wash off the free mud packs we received during our rides, learning tactics from wiggly lines on a whiteboard, and completing laps around the obstacle courses. Evenings saw radio wars played where mock interviews in multiple languages taught skills such as how to deal with the media and how to handle Russian radio hosts trying to crack onto you. All in a days work.

 Bend and Snap - aka Core Work

Braving the chilly water to help recover the legs; I needed all the help I could get!

Yes, the riding was hard and intense, and I naturally had moments of questioning my own sanity – especially after slogging it up a mountain for hours and then having to descend without being able to feel my hands and hence my brakes. However, having the support of the whole group, whether it was from lending a hand to grab my spare leg or fixing bike issues, it was a pleasure to spend time with the team. From laughing so hard at bike horror stories involving female specific underwear, boxer shorts, or budgie smugglers, to enjoying Table Tennis Grand Slams in the evening. Kudos to Helen and Bob Kelly for putting on such a great camp.

Table Tennis (correction from Carol RE my previously labelled Ping Pong) Champs

 

Happiness occurs not only during the event but also in savouring the memories created. While we do need to be careful not to dwell too greatly in the past, we can boost our happiness by recalling moments of joy and delighting in experiences we have been blessed to have. I am still feeling warm inside from that delicious hot chocolate!

All the KCC Campers

Until next time,

Ride happy, ride safe, and ride in the moment,

Han

Celebrating our differences while remembering our kindred human spirit

“We are all different, there is no such thing as a standard or run-of-the-mill human being, but we share the same human spirit”

This is just one of the many pearls of wisdom that came from Professor Stephen Hawkings during the Paralympic Games. For me it really struck a chord and articulates a fundamental belief. It also echoes the message of the SCOPE See Me September Campaign, a message that is encouraging people to look beyond the disability and see the person.

Admittedly, sometimes this can be tough. If an amputee walks past me, I am constantly checking out their leg to see what type of components have been used, what the design is, and if I need to do a sneaky iPhone camera pic so I can show my leg man, Cam Ward at APC Prosthetics, what I want my next leg to look like! On a side note, if anyone happens to stumble along a high heel foot for the right side in a US 8, feel free to send it my way. Willing to negotiate baking skills in return.

However, while my curiosity factor around prosthetic legs is due my similar circumstances, it is important to connect on a deeper level. We all have dreams, desires, hopes, fears, and a need to feel valued. This last one is critical. The need to feel like we are contributing to the world; the need to feel that we will leave the world a better place than when we entered into it. Whether this be from creating paintings for others to enjoy, cooking for our families, or volunteering down at our local Scout group, when we are helping others we are facilitating our own happiness and wellbeing. And this message is constant around the world, whether it comes from religious groups, scientific studies, government bodies, or the very communities we live in.

As such, when people get behind SCOPE’s campaign that encourages communities to welcome people with a disability, as well as ensuring their municipalities are accessible for all, the outcomes can benefit everyone. Not only does accessibility allow people with a disability to become involved, contribute, and feel valued, it also generates community wellbeing. While the Melbourne WalkWithMe event was last weekend, if anyone is in Bendigo on Saturday 15^th or Geelong on Sunday 16^th September, why not head down and show your support. For more details jump onto www.walkwithme.org.au. Not only will there be entertainment for the whole family, but also a few of our recently returned London Paralympians that you can go up to and have a chat with.

And what an awesome games London turned out to be! Not only in terms of how well the Aussie’s performed, but the general demonstration of what sport is truly about – bringing everyone together and breaking down those barriers. London has helped to shatter preconceived notions about disability and has helped to take society’s awareness into a whole new ball park. It was also fantastic how Prof. Stephen Hawkings challenged people to be curious, be creative, and question whether the boundaries we have created really exist. And so is my challenge to you – how can you use your creative talents to help others today?

Until next time,

Ride safe, ride happy, ride in the moment,

Han

Annie Skinne (VIS Para Equestrian), Natalie Palancian (SCOPE WalkWithMe Ambassador) 

and Han down at the Melbourne WalkWithMe Event

Living Every Day

We can often feel that once we have achieved a goal, won that gold medal, graduated from a university degree, own our on home, have kids, travel around the world etc etc, that we will be happier. Can’t you see the crystal clear water sparkling while you are lying in the deck chain in your bikini’s or speedos drinking coconut water out of a coconut with a little umbrella?! Bliss and happiness right?

While there is no doubt that lying on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean is very appealing, I am guessing that you are not there right now reading this blog post? So what are you doing today? Maybe some training, a recovery session, school, uni or work. Maybe catching up with friends for a coffee, taking the dog for a walk, whipping up a quick dinner. All normal, routine events yeah?

Since returning from my European adventure I have slotted extremely easily back into routine, perhaps a little too easily! Admittedly, hip surgery last week was slightly out of the ordinary but the fact that I knew the route to the hospital, where to park, and that surgery happens on Level 3, could all be considered part of my routine. As such, I have been struggling with how one can infuse each day with something new, creative or pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. Making each day an adventure, challenging yourself, or appreciating the familiar, yet beautiful world we live in. Something that when travelling is very easy to do but perhaps less so when return to the comfort of our own homes.

It is easy to forget how precious each day actually is when we are caught up in the midst of our routines and daydreaming about when will be happier. I am actually reading this book at the moment called ‘The Happiness Project’ and it synthesises the wisdom of the ages with current scientific research. The author, Gretchin Rubin, embarks upon a year-long Happiness Project where she implements different monthly ‘To Do’ lists such as ‘Make time to be silly’ and ‘Be generous with my time’.

I drew a little bit of inspiration from her ‘Do a little bit everyday’ where one spends that odd 15 minutes de-cluttering, tidying or cleaning. I have had on my ‘To Do’ list for a little while ‘Clean desk’; the whole space was covered in old articles left over from university last year, superannuation forms, mole-check reminders and pens that have gone to pen heaven. When I realised that I had a spare 15 minutes before dinner, I began to tackle the mountain of paper. While I did need another 30minutes after dinner to complete the task, I can now see my beautiful wooden desk and have recycled, bagged or placed in-the-correct spot, all the loose pieces of paper that previously inhabited my work space. And guess what – it gave me an enormous sense of happiness to walk into my room this morning and see my clean desk. I now have a much more creative space and know that I haven’t won’t be getting any nasty reminders about bills that I haven’t paid, which equals peace of mind as well. Double tick.

So achieving little things, like tidying a desk or making a pot of jam for someone, can boost your happiness. Little things that can be achieved everyday. Little things like stepping-stone goals to our long-term goals – maybe it could be 5 chin-ups in the gym or adding a little creativity to your next assignment or taking a walk during your lunch break; we are definitely blessed living in Melbourne – the coffee capital of the world (yep, I am putting it out there! If anyone wants to disagree over a coffee just let me know). 

 What do your stepping stone goals look like?

Continuously achieving the little things so we can enjoy the journey, and make the most of every single day. Maybe we could all even take a moment to stop and smell the roses (or roasted coffee beans).