We had around a 7 hour drive ahead of us and we didn't leave PA until around 4, but the group I had in my car decided we still wanted to stop at Niagara falls even though it was dark, rainy, and cold. Not the best conditions, but we made the most out of it and it was definitely worth the stop.
We got to the house we were staying at around 1, got everything situated and rested until it was time to head to the track the next day for practice. We got lost on the way there since the track is still basically brand new and apparently doesn't show up on Google Maps, so we actually had to use a real map to find it. Once we got there, we had a good training session to get ready to go for racing, got a good meal in us and headed back to get some rest.
Racing started on Friday the 10th, but none of us raced until after 6pm, so Mary, Ally and I headed into Toronto Friday morning/afternoon to get some food from Marche, a great restaurant I ate at the last time I was in Toronto. The restaurant is also conveniently located in the same building as the Hockey Hall of Fame, so of course we had to make a stop there. We got to score some goals on "King Henrik" Lundqvist, announce the winning game of last year's Stanley Cup final, and of course see the holy grail of sports, the Stanley Cup.
Once we checked that off of our bucket lists, it was time to get to racing. The sprinters had our 500m time trials Friday night while Mary raced her scratch race. We were at the track until 12:30 that night, but it was definitely worth it with Eva taking home gold, Marcy taking home a bronze, me taking home a silver (my first cycling medal), and Mary also with a win in the scratch race.
It was a great day until my car decided it was going to break down on the way home from the track at 1am... thankfully, Peter Doucet is awesome and let us borrow his car for the rest of the weekend while mine was in the shop.
Over the next two days of racing, we brought home 3 more golds, 5 silvers, and 6 bronze for a grand total of 18 medals across the board for the team. We had a great weekend of racing, not only taking medals home, but also a great amount of experience. The trip was also a good chance for some team bonding, and it definitely brought our team closer together. I couldn't have asked for a better group to share this trip with!
Car update: The rear differential was what ended up being broken, so the shop had to order parts to fix it, meaning my car wouldn't be done until at least Thursday the 18. Since I had to be back in PA for classes, I had to abandon my car and head back home in the team van. I made it back for classes all week, then flew back to Toronto last Friday to get my car back. This somehow also ended up being an eventual 2 day trip. I walked into the Philly airport, got my boarding pass and turned around to see the band We The Kings standing there. I ended up walking up to security behind them and eventually asked for a picture once we got to the terminal. It has always been on my bucket list to meet a celebrity in the airport, so I can finally check that one off! But I did finally get my car back and headed back home on Saturday. It wasn't the best situation, but I definitely made the best out of it! Oh, and after 3 trips to Canada I finally got a stamp on my passport. :)
Thanks to Peter Doucet for all your help through the stressful weekend, Simmons Racing for providing me with the best cycling shoe out there, Andrew Harris for being the best coach, the parents for all of their help and support, and my Sprinter's Edge teammates for making this a great weekend!!
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