I have always loved the challenge of competition. I was born with the desire to achieve and the belief that there was nothing I couldn’t do. Sports were a natural fit right from the start. In high school, I was captain of the rugby, basketball, and volleyball teams, and competed on the swim and cross country teams. I enjoyed them all, but my favourite was rugby. For me, there was nothing better than running down the field and dodging tackles while covered in mud. I was sure this was the sport I was going to make my mark in. But August of 2000 marked the beginning of a very different path for me. At 16, I became a below knee amputee. While tubing at a friend’s cottage, I lost my foot in a boating accident to engine propellers. It was one of the most shocking and devastating things that have happened to me. It was hard to imagine what life would be like without sports. I spent the next few months healing, getting fitted with an artificial leg, and learning how to use it. I was even able to start playing volleyball again just 5 months later. But I still missed competing and training terribly, and began pouring my energy into my schoolwork. I graduated high school at the top of my class as valedictorian, and went on to attend Queen’s University on full academic scholarship. While at Queen’s, I was introduced to track and field. After catching a glimpse of one of the varsity team’s early season practices, my desire to train and compete resurfaced and I decided that I wanted to be a sprinter. Showing up for those initial practices was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I was out of shape, I was training with athletes who had been doing track since grade school, and to top it all off, I was learning everything from scratch while learning how to use my new running prosthesis. But despite my initial frustration, I was determined to get better. By my fourth year at Queen’s, I was traveling regularly to competitions with the varsity team, and was even nominated for a major national CIS sports award. I have since graduated from Queen’s with a BScH in Biochemistry/Life Sciences, and have completed a graduate diploma in theology from Regent College. After 4 years of training, I am now at a place where I am able to run and long jump professionally. I have put my dreams of medical school on hold because I wake up every morning wanting nothing more than to be flying around a track. My goal is to be a multiple medalist in Beijing, and I am prepared to do whatever training it takes. But no matter what, I will always run, and I will always believe there is nothing I can’t do. To contact me, please click here