Oh, Canada!

Being the only Canadian at Worlds caused quite a stir. You’re the only one? There’s a wheel club in Canada? Who is your coach? The answers (yes, no, I don’t have a one) simply lead to more questions and more astonished looks.

Overall, I received very good feedback and people were impressed. Many people told me they really liked what I did. I think a lot of that had to do with the performance element that comes naturally as a circus artist. You don’t exactly see the other gymnasts smile.

But by far, the best part about being the Canadian at Worlds was when people sought me out, not to talk about wheel, but to talk about Canada. It is incredibly flattering to have people come up to you and tell you that they’ve been to Canada and loved it or that their child is studying in Canada and loves it. It’s overwhelming and heart warming to be greeted with raucous applause when your country’s name is called, even though there isn’t a single Canadian flag being waved out in the crowd.

And while the best part about being the Canadian at Worlds may be the general warmth coming my way, the most touching gesture by far would have to have been on the second to last day at lunch.

The Swiss organizers made a huge effort to make everyone feel welcome. One of the things they did was try to have foods from each country to offer some kind of comfort and a link to home. So imagine my surprise when I got up to the lunch counter and saw two bottles of maple syrup! They were serving crepes filled with Nutella and jam, so the syrup wasn’t really necessary, but wow. Way to extend a hand in welcome!

I got to lunch near the end and neither bottle had been opened. But you can bet I drowned my crepes in syrup with a smile up to my ears. Such a small gesture, but I was completely overcome with emotion! Seeing as the Canadian delegation was a delegation of one, they very easily could have lumped me together with the Americans (as many people do). To take that extra step, for just one person… Thank you Switzerland and thank you IRV!