XIII Olympic Congress

They say a picture is worth a thousand words... so I guess I'm in luck because I was trying to think of how to describe my time at the Olympic Congress in Copenhagen and I couldn't formulate a sentence that gave justice to the experience. I learned soooooo much, met some of the most influential people in the world, was able to contribute to the congress, and had the time of my life!

Thanks again to the IOC and all the people who made this possible!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

진영이 왔다감

So, it's July 2nd. Hmmm...
I'm sitting at the airport right now waiting for my flight back home. I've been dreading this day for over 6 months now. Oh gosh..

I came here with some goals that seemed way out of reach at the time but ended up achieving them all. It took a lot of hard work and persistence but my efforts always paid off. There were difficult days when things just weren't going well but not once did I ever want to quit. I came to Korea loving archery and I'm leaving Korea loving it even more.

It was tough saying bye to all the people who have helped me throughout my time here. The 11 archers that I trained with feel like family and I'll admit I shed a couple tears saying bye. Coach Ryu showed so much generosity allowing me to come and train with her team. I am very grateful to her but I can't seem to form a proper sentence to express just how grateful I am.

I missed my family and friends at home and I can't wait to see everyone again!!!

I love Korea. Bye for now, but I'll be back very soon.

Happy Father's Day, Post-Antalya, and 1.5 Weeks

Happy Father's Day, 아빠! I love you very very very much and I can't wait to see you again.
Thanks for always supporting me in everything I do. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you. 사랑해요~!

Post-Antalya...
I'm very happy with my accomplishments. I never imagined I would shoot personal bests at such a big international tournament. Considering the windy weather and my nervousness, I think I performed very well. BUT..... Antalya really opened my eyes to how I stand compared to the rest of the world. If I want to become a real international competitor, I need to start comparing myself to real, tough competition and set higher goals for myself.

I have only 1.5 weeks left here in Korea so training is full throttle right now. I'm heading to Daejeon in a couple of hours where I'll be training with the Korean national team being sent to the Universiade. It's going to be a very valuable experience, no doubt. Luckily, my friend 혜진언니 made the team so I'll be training along side a familiar face.

I'll be back some time during the middle of this week so I'll see you then! =)

Love always,

Vanessa

Antalya 2009 - Part 3

The third and final part of Antalya 2009!!!!!!!!

I can't tell you enough how great of an experience this tournament was for me.
I'll have to get into more detail another time and just let the videos do the explaining for now.

I'm off to Won-ju for the third Korean national tournament this year. Unfortunately, things didn't work out and I won't be competing but I'll be bringing my bow along to practice.

Okay see you soon!

Love,
Vanessa

Antalya 2009 - Part 2

Part two of the greatest time of my life

Antalya 2009 - Part 1

Here's my first video from the 3rd stage of World Cup in Antalya.

I had the greatest time of my life in Antalya and can't wait for my next international tournament.
I shot well during the ranking rounds... put up a good score by Canadian standards but placed 44th. That just shows how much stronger the female recurves in Canada need to get in order to become serious competitiors internationally.

I met SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many people at this tournament and had a wonderful time getting to know everyone.

See you tomorrow with another one! =)

대통령기 (President's Tournament)

FINALLYYYYYYY I figured out how to get Windows Movie Maker to save my video. The thing is, I had to slice it in half.

To put it lightly, I had an absolutely AMAZING time. I brought my bow along with me so that I could practice on the practice field. And when I wasn't shooting, I was taking pictures. It was great seeing people I knew and also meeting a lot of new people as well. I think I can say that I have plenty of contacts in the 'Korean archery world' now.

Anyway, I'm off to Turkey for the 3rd stage of World Cup on Sunday. It's my first international tournament at the senior level so my number one goal is to absorb and learn as much as I can. I'm going to the tournament so that I can start building experience. I'm sure it'll be lots of fun!

So, I'll see you sometime soon... I'm not too sure exactly when that will be. Maybe when I get to Turkey.

Take care and see you soon!

-v.