* Rosanna Crawford, biathlete: The ends not near, it's here.

Who am I?

My name is Rosanna Crawford, I was born and raised in Canmore, AB and started cross country skiing by the time I could walk! At the age of 10 I started biathlon and fell in love! Something about the challenge of skiing and shooting really stuck with me and being able to hang out with your friends wasn't too bad either! At 14 I got to compete in my first National Champs and got a taste of what it was like to race on a bigger scale! By 16 I was on the National team and trying to make international teams. In 2008 I competed in my first World Youth and Junior Championships in Ruhpolding, Germany. That was when I got hooked!

I train full time out of Canmore and spend my winters racing all over Canada and Europe. Follow along as I compete and train all around the World!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

The ends not near, it's here.

I sit here in my living room back in sunny Canmore and try to think of the words that describe my Olympic experience, and many come to mind;

proud, inspirational, motivated, honor, love, life, gratitude, with glowing hearts, team work, energy, passion...I could go on for a while!

With glowing hearts

I feel so lucky to have been able to compete at a home Olympics. Many athletes will never get this opportunity. From talking with other athletes I think there is a unanimous response that this was one of the best Olympics ever! The volunteers in blue were fantastic and deserve much more than just a thank you. The fans were inspirational and deserve a cheer them selves, WHOOOO HOOOOO!! The athletes played fair and made these games exciting to watch.

Although I did not have the races of my life at these Olympics I am very proud of my self. I shot clean in my first race and have come a long way from a year ago when I was stuck on the couch for months not being allowed to train. I am an Olympian and got to wear the maple leaf proudly! It has also shown me how much I love biathlon and I want to continue in it for the next four years.

Megan Imrie, Zina, Megan Tandy and me at the opening ceremonies in Whistler.

On the 28th we made our way down to Vancouver to go to the closing ceremonies. We arrived in the Van village right before the end of the 3rd period of the hockey game. Watching the Americans score that goal made for an exciting last event of the games. Over time was exciting and as soon as we scored we could hear the roar from BC place just across the way from the athlete lounge. I have never heard anything like that before, thousands and thousands of people cheering at once, and when they sung the National anthem we could hear them all the way across the water! It was exciting for Canada to get hockey gold but don’t forget we got a world record breaking 14 gold medals at these games! And not to mention around 65 top 8 finishes. We might not be owing the podium just yet but we are on the right track. It was also really cool to get to meet all the athletes who competed for Canada. Seeing all their medals and hearing there stories of how they got here is really motivating.

I remember watching the Olympics in 2002 and 2006 and knowing that being an Olympian was something I needed to do in my life time. Watching those athletes get their medals and knowing how hard I would have to work if I wanted to be there some day. I can only hope that some one out there watching me race might be motivated to follow their dreams. Whether it be sport, academics or the arts. Find something you are passionate about and hold on. Cause it will most likely be a bumpy ride, but the outcome is so worth it.

Brendan and I with the rings!

I am now home just in time for Nationals. Tomorrow is the sprint race, but I am on the edge of a cold and will not race. Thursday is the individual and I will take part then a couple days of training before I leave on Sunday to go race the last 3 World Cups in Finland, Norway and Russia! No rest for the wicked!

stay happy and dream BIG!

Rosanna