I'm a bit of an artsy fartsy type (so my hubby says) and I work at a commercial photography studio so I'm surrounded by creative people, thus I am inspired / influenced almost daily. I take photos, not as much as I used to though. I enjoy stamping / scrapbooking when I have time. I usually try to make birthday / Christmas cards for people. I like to garden, especially vegetable gardening because I LOVE to cook and there is NOTHING better than eating fresh veggies right out of the garden. But, that can become a bit of a chore, especially when the training gets heavier in the nicer weather. My garden went to hell in a handbasket during my training for my first Ironman. I'm currently training for IM #2 so we'll see what happens with the garden this year.

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Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.

http://www.teamrunningfree.com
http://ironmanredux.blogspot.com/

Sorry for the late response, I just got back from a game, 0-0 tie. We were in total control of the game but ran into a hot goalie.

I learned to play hockey in a very small town (2500 people) in the interior of British Columbia. I then played in the suburbs of Vancouver for a few years. The level of competition was great in Vancouver, but the weather sucked, I am a sun lover. We moved back to Ontario a couple of years ago and I was playing hockey the first night back.

The women's league here is great. We have over a dozen teams and each year players are drafted to new teams so you play with new people all the time and the teams are even (ability wise) and beginner players are mentored by more experienced ones. There is also a competitive women's division that I played in last year, but didn't have time for this year. I play occasionally with men from my husband's office at lunch time, and yes I don't apologise when I run into them either but I'm usually picking myself up off the ice or trying to recover my wind.

Last year I was fighting for the puck in the corner with my husband and he turned and cross-checked me - knocked me flat on my ass. The whole arena went quiet and the guys went -oooh, he's dead when he gets home. He claims to this day that he didn't realize it was me.

We still never play on the same team.

Wow, we are still trying to really develop women's hockey in my town and experiencing major growth pains...i might need to pm you for some tips! What level are you playing at?

Love the story about your husband...I once got really mad at my husband when he was on an opposing team. he had stolen the puck from me mid slap shot. Something took over me and somehow the blade of my stick found its way to the hole in the blade of his skate and I lifted up as he skated away, took flight and landed flat on his face. he had no idea it was me.

The organizers of the league rank the players at the beginning of the season (beginner, intermediate and experienced). New players are encouraged to participate in a couple of "draft" or exhibition games where they are ranked by the captains of the league teams (I'm one of them). Then the captains get together over pizza and beer and choose teams starting with experienced through beginner. The last twenty or so players are randomly put on teams so that no one is really the "last pick".

This was my first year as a team co-captain/manager. Our first priority in the draft was not to pick any "fun-suckers", we just wanted a team that would show up each game and have fun.

As far as my level of play, I am ranked as a "low-experienced" player. We a dozen or so "high-experience" players who have been playing since they were kids and one who even made it several steps through the Olympic team tryouts.

The league asks players who are extremely skilled to play only in the competitive division, especially if they can't bring it down a few notches and be a teacher instead of a puck hog.

Here's an interesting article from last year if you are interested http://soogoodlife.com/sitepages/?aid=49

The league co-ordinator would be someone to contact if you want some ideas for building your league. There's some contact info in the article or you can check out the league site at http://womenshockeyleague.ca/index.html

What do I do for fun?

• Cake Decorating. I took the Wilton classes at Michael's, and when there's an occasion, I make a fancy cake.
• Genealogy. Though I've been on hiatus for a while, I do enjoy finding documentation to support the oral history that's been passed down through my family. When my employer sends me to Washington DC, I often find a bit of time for a side-trip to the National Archives or the DAR library. From what I've been learning about my West Virginia ancestors, the truth is even more interesting than the wild stories my grandfather told.
• Photography and Scrapbooking. The scrapbooking aspect of this is particularly important because I have a long-term goal to have all paper stuff I'm saving for the memories (race numbers, certificates from my son's ice skating class, etc...) either put in scrapbooks along with the accompanying story and photographs or put in the garbage. The clutter is getting to be overwhelming.

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"Real winners aren't content with yesterday's victories"

what do you mean-do triathletes reallyhave a life outside of work and training? JK-Love anything outdoors-camping, hiking,kayaking, horseback riding, etc. however, usually too tired to do these things during season, so they are good to do after season is over. Other than that, more low-key things like reading,movies, hanging w/friends,etc.

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Jolene Wilkinson
Triathlon Coaching http://www.pacificfit.net

I play trivia in a bar every tuesday night. The only night a week when I don't sleep early.
I write for magazines and local papers and take pictures. :)

I also read and drink a lot of coffee with friends on weekends.

I enjoy reading, camping (esp. in the Boundary Waters), working with my dogs--either going on hikes or to the dog park, or doing agility and obedience, and in the springtime I like to putz in the yard. I also like to golf, go fishing, hang out with family, and play board games.

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mmm-mmm-Momo Charms
Handmade beverage charms, jewelry, and miscellanea
http://momocharms.wordpress.com