This is the second column written by Canadian Olympian Andrew Willows, a sprint kayak athlete competing in the K2 and K4 events. The Chronicle will run his columns throughout the spring and summer, following his journey to the Beijing Games. You can learn more at www.k2speed.ca.

Every year around the beginning of February, my teammates and I migrate to Florida to start our on-water training in preparation for the new season. This being the Olympic year, the camp promises to be intense, and emotionally and physically fatiguing. However, I wouldn't trade it for world knowing it should pay off when the Olympics come around in August.

With two weeks of solid paddling and 250 kilometres of water behind me, my boat and paddle are starting to feel like an extension of my body again. The initial couple of paddles are difficult. My balance is poor, the paddle feels 10 feet long, and my hands are soft and blister easily. But as the blisters callous, my balance returns, and that odd feeling that my paddle is long goes away, I feel like a kayaker again.

In years past, this time of the season always brought a mix of emotions. Oddly, this year seems to be an exception. While it is still extremely sad to leave my wonderful wife at home for three months, I am excited she will be able to join me a few times throughout the camp for a couple weeks at a time in March and April.

Even more, the normal anxiety of wondering if I have trained enough over the winter has been replaced with the years of wisdom and experience that tells me I have prepared properly. This year, I have come prepared to push myself harder and to be mentally tougher. But most of all, I will enjoy every step on the road toward the Olympics.

For the next 10 weeks, we will spend an average of three to four hours paddling and an additional hour of weights or biking each day, six days a week. During this phase, our goal is to create a base fitness level that will allow us to train at high intensities during the summer. Most of our kayak training is done on what the locals call the 'Grand Canal" which is a seven-kilometre straight waterway that is an offshoot of the Banana River. On any given day you can find athletes from Canada, Norway, Sweden, Germany, and the USA training on this water.

While I was at home during the last weeks of January, I worked on a few different projects with my agent, Julien Heon. One of them was to join Right to Play as an athlete ambassador, as I believe in the importance of the power of sport and play in every child's life. Sport has provided me with rare opportunities and it helped me understand the difference Right To Play is making in its Sport for Development and Peace projects across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. This strong belief encouraged me to begin supporting Right To Play and raise awareness for their great cause.

Also, Royal Chevrolet in LaSalle has also offered me an amazing opportunity. They are now providing me with my new official vehicle, a Chevrolet Equinox.

Finally, Julien called me today to tell me that following an article in a newspaper talking about my project of building a house with my wife after the Olympics, Les Industries Bonneville are excited to help me with this endeavour. Les Industries Bonneville is based in Beloeil, Quebec, and is a modular construction company. After a visit to their factory, I soon realized their construction methods produce high quality homes. This is going to be an exciting adventure, but it will have to wait until after the Olympics. First things first, of course.

— Andrew Willows is a member of the Pointe Claire Canoe Club.