Closing Thoughts...

Sorry for the long wait, we've finally arrived in Manila and have successfully updated the blog with pictures from the last few days. We have also added a blog entry from Mike Strilchuck on the swimming events in the Day 5 post.

FYI, medal standings are available through the World Transplant Games link on the right hand side of the page.

We would like to thank Trillium Gift of Life Network for hosting the blog. Updating the blog with our experiences from Bangkok was something we looked forward to at the end of each day. Hope you've enjoyed our journey! It has been an awesome experience as we got to re-acquaint ourselves with friends from across Canada and to meet lots of great people from around the world.

During the Games it was sometimes easy to forget that everyone competing has had an organ transplant...but that is what these Games are about, demonstrating the success of organ donation and how it has provided recipients a second chance at a healthy and active life!

Days 6 to 8 - The last days in Bangkok

It is Sunday afternoon...our last day in Bangkok. We have been absent from the blog for a few days...we didn't get home from the track until late Friday night, both of us totally exhausted. Yesterday, I was sick, while Rob took care of me. Had a little too much sun, and I think buying the fruit on the street wasn't the best decision I made.

So, here's a recap of the last two days of the WTG....

Day 6 - Track & Field, Part 1

It rained overnight, but the air remained heavy with humidity Toronto has never seen. When we arrived at 8 in the morning, the Women's 3K race walk was ongoing, and Margaret Benson (Double Lung) from B.C. was on her way to winning gold once again.

Lynn Pelletier (Liver) from Quebec City also competed in the 3K Walk. Both of these ladies did a great job considering it was no easy feat enduring the hot weather.


---Margaret and Lynn all smiles after the 3km Walk---

Marvin Meissner also capped off his four medal performance at the Games by taking the gold medal in the cricket ball throw.

---Marvin standing proud at the top of the podium---

Rob had three events scheduled on Friday - 100m, 400m and the 4x100m relay.

The first up was the 100m semi-final heats. Rob finished second in his heat and had a time that was good enough to put him through in the finals scheduled for later on in the day.

Next it was on to the 400m. Given some confusion (which led some competitors to miss the semi-final heats) and the heat (which led some competitors to bow out), Rob was advanced straight to the finals. He did well in the last Games in 2005 winning a silver so he felt some pressure in trying to put in a repeat performance. There was some further confusion and delay in the start of the race, but after a 30-minute delay, the starting gun finally went off. Rob had the 8th lane, which he disliked since he couldn't keep an eye on his competitors for the majority of the race. He started well and led the race for the first 300m, but was passed around the last corner by his UK competitor and friend Tony Miskelly (Kidney recipient), who was able to hang on and beat Rob by five tenths of a second. It was a repeat performance for Rob as he ended up with a silver, with a time of 1 min 00.01sec, just missing his goal of running under a minute.

---Rob with 400m gold medalist, Tony from the UK---

He had to shake it off pretty quickly as he just had only 10 minutes before the start of 100m finals. Given that he was the only one of the 100m finalists who just ran the 400m, he knew it would be a tough race. And it was! He ended up in fifth place, but pretty happy overall with the results as he ended up with a time of 12.58sec, 0.12sec behind the bronze medal winner, fellow Canadian Pierre Lezard (Heart recipent...+20 years and counting).

The 4x100m relay was up next and the Canadian team of Rob, Pierre, Dave Smith (Kidney), and Brent Dueck (Kidney) had hopes to sneak in for a medal. Their qualifying round provided them with a chance in the finals as they ended the round with the third fastest time. It was the first time that the team ran together and while they got away without any practice in the semi-finals, it was a different story in the finals. Every baton pass was plagued by poor timing and it severely slowed the team down at every transition. By the time Pierre crossed the finish line, four other teams had already finished. The team was very disappointed with the run which ended up being almost two seconds slower than their qualifying run. In the end, teams from Great Britain won gold and bronze while the surprising team from Iran won the silver. The heavily favoured team from the US ended up dropping the baton at one point and finished seventh.

--Rob waiting for the gun to go off in the 4x100m relay--



-Taking advantage of the massage tent after a day at the races-


It was a long, hot, and exhausting day. When we got back to the hotel at 7pm the only thing we could muster was to put in some food in our stomachs and take a long cold shower.


Day 7 - Track & Field, Part 2

The humidity that hung around all day yesterday was gone. The sky is a clear blue and at 7:30 a.m., it is 29 C already. Rob's events today are the 200 m and the high jump.

The semi-final heats went in the morning and Rob finished second in his heat and with the fourth fastest time overall to push him into the next round. In the finals later on in the day, Rob had the same competition as he had in the 100 m race yesterday, so we knew it was going to be an interesting race. The gun went off, the race was on. I videotaped the race, and from the very beginning, it was clear Rob had a good start. The runners rounded the bend, and reached midway....it was not clear who was leading as all the runners were clumped together, all running at the same rate. At the last 40 m, it looked like there was a leader....it's Rob! Rob kept his pace, kicking it all the way to the finish line getting gold! He did it with an impressive time of 25.87 seconds. It was one of the most exciting races of the day, as the top 6 competitors finished within a second of each other.

--Rob pulling ahead in the homestretch of 200m finals--


--Rob and Pierre celebrating with their medals--

Not 10 minutes later, Rob had to go to the high jump area. Knowing that he used up a good chunk of his energy for the 200m race, he passed on the earlier heights, choosing to start off at 1.45m. He cleared this with no problem. At this point, there were 5 competitors left, with one of them, Steven from the UK, who was the leader of the pack. Rob cleared all jumps until the 1.56m attempts. Although he was able to clear this during practice on Thursday, the effects of the last few days are proving to be tough on him. He ended up receiving the silver medal along with a competitor from Greece. Steven ended up clearing 1.66m for the gold and setting a WTG record.

-----Missing the third and final attempt at 1.56m----

Rob is pretty happy with his performance. He came to Bangkok hoping to match his performance from the London games, where he received 2 golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze. He not only did this, but with 2 golds and 2 silver, he'll have a new goal to shoot for when the games are held in Australia in 2009 .

It was great day overall for the Canadian competitors, as one by one, they put in great performances and got to stand on the podium to receive their medals...

As for me, it was a trying day...Rob and I had to go home and miss the Closing Cermonies as I suffered from heatstroke, and also ended up cutting the night short at the Closing Gala as i continued to feel the effects of the Bangkok weather. From what we heard a great time was had by all and if we get our hands on any pictures, we'll take a look at posting them...

Day 8 - Present time: our last day in Bangkok

Tonight, Rob and I will be joining the remainder of Team Canada and we'll be going to the tallest tower in Bangkok for dinner. It has a very good vantage point of the city and will give everyone a last chance to take in the city we've gotten to know this past week.

Tomorrow, Rob and I fly to Ko Samui to enjoy the slower life away from hectic Bangkok. Goodbye, everyone! We'll see you back in Toronto : )

Day 5 - Track Practice & Swimming

Track Practice (for Rob & Mae!!!)

Hot, Thursday morning in Bangkok, the sun is beating down on everyone on the track. Today, Rob's plan is to try out his spikes on the track, and practice the high jump. Rob hasn't attempted the high jump in over a year; the last time was in Edmonton at the 2006 Canadian Games. He jumped 1.5 m there, so the goal for Bangkok would be that or more. A few laps around the track to get the legs warmed up... too bad I didn't wear my running shoes...oh, well, I think I will try some attempts at high jump, it looks like fun. Will my flipflops be good enough?

Right before heading to the hotel, we went for lunch at the Sports Village, where we saw these young girls dressed in Thai costumes...aren't they sweet?

Michael Strilchuk Competing in the Pool

Day 5 was also the second and final day of the Swimming competition. As we spent most of the day at the track, Michael Strilchuk (Bone Marrow) was in the pool and helped us out with a post on his days events...

Well, the night after volleyball saw a lot of broken and battered Canadians limping around the hotel, yours truly included. Needless to say, on the first day of swimming, I didn't bring my "A" game. Not sure if it was my "C" game to tell the truth. So, after getting caught late on the blocks and playing catch-p for most of the race, I finished a disappointing 4th in the 50 fly. Any reaction time whatsoever off the block and at least a bronze, possibly a silver would’ve been possible.

Still hurting that night although a few baht and a troupe of massage girls tried to put things back together at the hotel :)

Day 2 of swimming went better. Three races, three top 5 finishes with the pinnacle being gold in the 200M Individual Medley. For those who aren't familiar, it’s 50M of each stroke, butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. And generally not fun. I do have to say, the race before me, which came down to a Brit and a Dutchman, was truly fantastic! My other two races were good although I tried to drown myself in the 50 breast (and I really wanted to say I was a world champion breaststroker...) but finished a close 4th. Again, another bronze that just slipped by. Met a lot of great people, with the US, UK and Venezuela providing the best competition and 4 ot the top 5 of us move up age groups for the 2009 games. Good Luck to Eric of the US, alone in the age group, next time :)

--Mike (second from the top) in the 50m Breaststroke--

Socially and culturally, things have been a little slow since all of our time has been tied up with the games. My old buddy Matthew and his friend John pooped by the pool on the way to Phuket but didn't catch any of my swimming. Had a great dinner with them and caught up on Matt's last 3 years. Hit a championship night at one of the Thai boxing venues last night. Very cool experience and hopefully the British girl sitting beside me will send me a copy of the fight clips she taped.

Still have a lot to see before I head back on Tuesday and time is running out. One more reason to come back...

-----Mike with his buddy Matthew-----

Jaime Tapia, solo from Mexico

Jaime Tapia is all the way from Mexico to compete in the WTG in Bangkok. At the Opening Ceremonies, the sole Mexican competitor entered the stadium proudly representing his country. Also earlier that day, Tapia received a silver medal for the 5K Men's Road Race. Tapia is also looking forward to competing in the track & field events. Here, at the track, Tapia is envisioning the upcoming competition.

Good luck to Jaime and to all athletes participating in the World Tranplant Games! The Games demonstrate the success of organ donation - how it has provided these recipients a second chance at life....and a healthy and active one, at that!

Day 4 – The Sights, Sounds and Smells of Bangkok

After a full day of volleyball on Tuesday, Rob had the all of Wednesday off, and so we took advantage of it by exploring the city. We hopped onto the Skytrain with our Baht 120 ($3 CDN) day pass. The Skytrain is located close to our hotel and is a very clean and convenient way to access the city’s numerous points. Most of all, it is airconditioned!!! We figured why take a tuk-tuk, which puts out some pretty toxic exhaust and possibly even get the run around from the driver, when we can travel more comfortably and avoid sitting in Bangkok traffic.

We first headed towards Victory Monument, and walked around the area taking in the various food and merchandise stalls (note: we’ve learned that there are food vendors everywhere and there is always someone peddling merchandise of any kind at most sidewalks in Bangkok). We went into a gem store, where I was “attacked” by one of the salespeople. I don’t think I’ve faced such high-pressure tactics elsewhere….luckily, I escaped with all Baht in hand.


We then headed south toward King Rama IV park. It started to rain so we decided it might be the best time to try a traditional Thai massage. The street we were on seemed to be dotted with numerous parlours. We were able to find a legitimate spa, which costs double the street price. Well, what a wonderful surprise! Not only was it “clean”, but the atmosphere was tranquil and soothing. We left the spa refreshed, if not somewhat bruised.

By the time we finished our massages, the rain had stopped, so we headed towards the Snake Farm. Run by the Red Cross, who also oversees blood and organ donation, the farm provides daily shows of venom extractions and provides public awareness of the dangers of snakes. Too bad we missed the show, but we still got there in time to get acquainted with one of the residents. I’d have to say this particular one was friendly, despite its appearance.

Afterwards, we went to a local restaurant and tried more pad thai, as Rob’s search for the ultimate one continues. We then headed to the Lumpini Night Market. This has got to be one of the best parts of Bangkok. The market offers tonnes of beautiful and unique Thai handicrafts and goods, and all at amazingly low prices. It was a very pleasant evening, so we capped it off enjoying drinks on a beautiful patio.

Tomorrow, Rob has track and field practice, and we are planning on watching the swim meets and cheer on our fellow Canadians.

Day 3 – Canada Wins Gold in Volleyball

Canada Wins Gold in Volleyball

It made for a long day, but in the end Canada prevailed, beating Argentina in two sets (25-22 & 27-26) to win the gold medal in volleyball. I knew going into the competition that based on our performance in 2005, we had a good enough team to do well, but had I been a betting man, I could have made a lot of money putting some money down on Canada.

We beat Australia, the Czech Republic, Hungary (defending champions), and Argentina over the course of the day. The tournament format was a tough one, as a loss at any point meant elimination, but we pulled it off without dropping a set. It was a great day with lots of memories (Captain Canada aka John M. running around the court after out victory) that will have to last until the 2009 Australia games.

It certainly feels great to have a gold medal under my belt…it takes the pressure off the remaining events that will be coming up on Friday (100M, 400M, and 4x100M relays) and Saturday (200M and High Jump). Tomorrow we’ll be playing tourists and hitting the top sights in Bangkok, so be sure to check back in!

---Leslie & Captain Canada celebrating with Thai Youth volunteers---

------------The silver medalists from Argentina----------

---The bronze medalists from Hungary and the Netherlands---

Day 3 – Another perspective



So, now you’ve read Rob’s update on Team Canada’s Gold medal performance in volleyball. Well, I think Rob’s version is pretty accurate, but very much like him - nice and modest. Seeing the games from the stands, gives me a different perspective of how Day 3 went at the volleyball tournament. I have to say that it was one of the most exciting tournaments I’ve ever watched! By the end of the day, Team Canada had the whole gymnasium on their feet, cheering them on with their support.

Well, I’ll start off by saying that I do agree with Rob that Team Canada had a good chance of doing well this year. The team is comprised of some very athletic people, each one bringing with them his/her own set of skills. To give you some perspective, I should mention that previous to these games, the last time Team Canada played together was in 2005 in London, Ontario. So, in fact, practice the previous day was the first time that the team got to play together again, and some of the players are even new recruits.

As Rob did mention, the format for elimination was a tough one – losing against a team resulted in elimination from the tournament…Team Canada was the only team that won every set and every game. But then, you might think that the team’s success was due to better skills of the Canadian team compared with other countries. That is true. But this also holds true for the other teams such as Netherlands, USA, Hungary and Argentina. In fact, Argentina, who Canada played in the finals was a team of agile and powerful players. This prowess from the Argentinian players made for a nail-biter of a game. But with consistent athleticism, Canada successfully won the first set, 25-22, but not without struggle. They had to focus and work hard to come back from a weak start, where at one point they were losing 8-16.

If it sounds like the first set was tough, the second set was even more suspenseful….supporters in the stands where on the edge of their seats as Canada and Argentina battled to the neck…each team taking turns leading by one point. Tied at 24-24, either team only had to score two more points to win. The last 5 minutes of the game was just unbelievable, hearts were pumping and the crowd was on their feet…which team would get the gold? It was definitely a battle to the end, with Team Canada prevailing with a 27-26 win against Argentina!

So, congratulations to Brent Dueck (Team Captain), Leslie Petter, Michael Strilchuk, Janet Brady, Marvin Meissner, Lynn Pelletier, Heather Fisher and Sandra Holdsworth…and of course, Rob : )

Day 2 - Team Canada prepares for Volleyball

!!Canada picked up its second WTG medal on Day 2 - Marvin Meissner of B.C. won silver in the Men's Bowling event!!

!!Kaila Remilliard, first Youth participant, won gold in the 5K Cycling!!

_______________________________________________________

Team Canada Volleyball

The majority of the day was spent at volleyball practice getting ready for the tournament on Tuesday. Our captain, "Big" Brent Dueck (6'8") had us running through drills and formations for someone like me who doesn't get out to play as often as he'd like. This year we have three players returning from the London squad that got knocked out of the quarter-finals by the eventual champions from Hungary. Given that we were the only team to take them to a third and final set, we're feeling as though we have a good shot at making some waves tomorrow...a gold would make up for the loss in 2005.

---Team Canada discussing strategies of how to get the Gold----

----------Michael Strilchuk goes up for the kill ------------

Team Canada earning a well-deserved massage after a hard day's work



Traditional Thai Dinner

To cap off a day of hard work, the volleyball team (minus Mike S. who was doing who knows what at the internet cafe), went for an authentic Thai dinner in some back alley a few blocks from the hotel. It turned out that it was a gem of a restaurant that had the make-up of an old Victorian home. As you can see in the pictures, everyone enjoyed their meals. As I'm in the midst of my search for the best Pad Thai in Bangkok, I have to say that it was the best I've had so far!!!




------------steaming hot Tom Yum soup----------


----------Pierre enjoying a girly coconut drink------------


-------------Traditional Thai musician-------------

--Pineapple surprise (it's full of delicious chicken and shrimp)--