Ahh graduation is approaching! hmmm maybe I should make a plan...

A couple years ago I was lucky enough to be able to go to JWOC and compete as part of team Canada. It was a great experience and was amazing to be able to be part of that atmosphere of intense competition.  However, I myself was not at that level and although it was a lot of fun I told myself that I didn't really want to compete internationally again until I had done significantly more training! Unfortunately, there is no orienteering team or maps in Kelowna (where I am going to school, studying nursing) and my motivation for training everyday dwindles when I don’t have people to train with, sad I know, but after 3 years here, I have to admit it as the truth... So in attempt to gain some speed, I joined a local triathlon group this past summer and this fall trained with the varsity cross country team.

Training exclusively for running was interesting as it was something that I had never done, but just reinforced to me how I would love to be in a place where I could meet every night with an orienteering specific training group!  I then began to think of the areas within Canada that have established orienteering programs and thinking of reasons that I would move there. This thought process coincided with the idea that I had been toying with of doing my masters (which seems to me like a really good way to put of deciding what ‘I am going to do with my life’, something I seem to have to know when I graduate in June...)

After looking more into different places I could take my masters and what programs were offered within Canada, I began to consider international options.  Mainly Europe... and seeing as my Mum’s from Scotland I thought it would be neat to be there for a year or so. There are a couple schools that I am looking into and one that looks promising is the University of Edinburgh, which not only has an appropriate nursing masters program, but also has an orienteering club that practises 4 times a week! :D I am in the process of investigating the program further, but am very excited about the possibility of being able to train at an appropriate level for someone of my skills (the club level, no French national teams for me! :P) but also at being so close to the many European competitions held every year.

After much discussion I decided that it was essential to work for a year before doing my masters, *sigh* Scotland you will have to wait another year... In the meantime I am hoping to keep up some of the speed I have gained running with the cross country team and hopefully get out to as many meets as possible this summer! Well that’s the plan, hopefully not too much of a pipe dream!