Junior Worlds 2010

I just got back from the best trip of my life!

it all began December 4th and 5th in Edmonton for Junior Trials. Leading up to trials i have been dealing with Pneumonia for 3 weeks and training right through it. I hadn't been skating that great because of that, and decided to finally go to the doctor the week before to get antibiotics to get rid of it. When we got to Edmonton skating turned around and i was on it. I knew i was skating great. and i knew i had the most confidence i had ever had.

The first morning of racing al, my mom and me were trying to find a permanent marker to cover the maple leaf on my suit since i couldn't have that showing for racing, and my mom said to me, "Kristy let me just rip it off!" and i wouldn't let her, i said, "No mom!! Im going to be on the national team after this weekend you don't need to do that!" Al and my mom kind of just looked at each other and didn't really say anything back to me. This is when i knew i was going to make it. If anyone knew me very well before this year, they would probably never expect me to say anything like that. I think Al was a little thrown back at it. I never used to be very confident in myself.

After the first day of racing i was lying in 3rd position, i had a spot on the Junior National team at this point! On Sunday morning i walked out of the change room before my first race to find my brother in the lobby of the arena. This completely caught me off guard, i wasn't expecting him to be there. All week i was secretly hoping he was planning on coming, i didn't want to tell him i wanted him to be there though. So when i saw him i was SO happy. It meant a lot to me that he came.

Nothing can compare to the feeling i had when i crossed the line after my last race and i knew i was on the team. My parents didn't really believe i could make it, they knew i wanted to, but they just would say yea Kristy keep dreaming! So when i got to call my dad and tell him the news i was so happy. He was speechless! So was i! I ran out to the lobby in my skin suit and skates to call him!

Then January 2nd came along, off we went to Taipei, Taiwan! The team had been in Calgary training for a few days now! We started to all get to know each other and do some team bonding! The flight there was long, very very very long! Once we got there we got picked up by the organizers and got in a bus and taken to our hotel! I think we were all so tired at this point we didn't really pay much attention to where we were going!

During the week we got to do lots of sight seeing which was an experience! The cab drives were hilarious, they arn't very good drivers there! Probably explains why they cant drive here either!

We didn't skate on the ice we were racing on until the thursday before, we were training in some little arena where the ice was compared to slush. it was awful! But the ice we raced on wasn't much better!

When we walked into the Arena on the Thursday for practice i think all of our faces dropped a little. It was HUGE. And we thought the stands were going to be packed.. but they weren't! At the one end was a massive tv screen where all the races were played and results were posted, it was pretty cool. Nothing like i have ever experienced!

Racing was awesome. I don't think i have ever been that nervous for a race as i was for my first one. It was an awesome experience racing internationally, its a totally different kind of racing. For my first international experience, i don't think i have anything to complain about. It was the experience of a life time! I learnt so much about myself and racing. Things i will never forget!

I came home with my first international medal too!! We ended up getting third in the relay behind korea and china which was very exciting!!

Friendships and memories were made that are going to last a lifetime. And i truly believe that this is just the beginning to my international experiences. Coming home was difficult, you don't want to get back to reality. You just want to stay in the moment.

I just want to say thank you mostly to my brother, Jill Gilday, my parents, and Al for believing in me. I didnt believe in myself for the longest time and you guys never stopped. All along you knew i could do it and got me to believe in myself too. So thank you for helping me get my dream to come true!!