UNREAL - my whereabouts

I'm beside myself with frustration, I just about punched my computer.

The CCES/WADA whereabouts form is so poorly designed it's criminal.

For those that don't know, national team athletes have to log onto a website and fill out a whereabouts form, this form is used by WADA/CCES to track us down for out of competition random drug tests. We fill out this form, updating it with our daily whereabouts upwards of 3 months in advance.

Where will you be at 3pm on march 7th? think about it, login and fill out the form.

My reputation and lively hood depends on me filling out this form correctly, adjusting and updating it accurately to indicate where I will be 365 days a year including being required to provide a 1hr window EVERYDAY where I guarantee I will be at and available for testing. Yet I challenge anyone to figure out how to fill out these ridiculously user unfriendly, poorly designed, ineffective, hell grossly incompetent forms (that sentence doesn't make sense but I'm beside myself with how frustrating this is).

CCES - USE GOOGLE CALENDAR!!!!

(I sent this in as a suggestion, you know, "don't just complain, be part of the solution". I even set up a gmail account and google calendar for CCES, I went so far as to fill out a mock calendar, in about 10 mins with my whereabouts... I received a "thanks for your input").

my frustration stems from the fact that I just tried to update my whereabouts over the next 2 weeks in Hawaii, we are travelling two weeks earlier then originally planned. I sat down to due my duty as a Canadian National Team athlete and correctly fill out my new whereabouts........ I started by having to erase everyday over the next 2 weeks one by one, no 'multiple select' here. I had to confirm every deletion and do it twice everyday. THIS IS NOT USER FRIENDLY but I forged ahead after a deep deep breath. I then tried to populate the calendar with my new whereabouts.... I was presented with 3 red error messages that make absolutely no sense and need an enigma decoder to interpret. As an example.

error; Sub period cannot be outside the global period for location 1

and

location selection zone 1 global position error

excuse me. what the hell does that mean? when I sent that error message to CCES I received this reply;

We think it means that you have entered a one-hour time slot that is not within the time for that descriptor. E.G., Descriptor time is 10:00-13:00 and the one hour slot in 08:00-09:00.

You "think" it means........ the reply doesn't even make sense.

So I took another crack at it, and started again.

conflicting sector position error

which means?

truly an accomplishment to make such a poorly designed system for something that has such dramatic consequences on an athletes career.

So, as of right now I'm in violation as my form is littered with errors that I don't understand, no matter how hard I try.

SO I'll state again for the record.

I Simon Whitfield volunteer to pay for and wear a GPS tracking unit so that CCES, WADA and any other acronym totting organization can track me down at any minute of the day and make me pee in a bottle while taking blood from my arm. Seriously I do. I'll start tomorrow if only to not have to fill out this insane form. I have nothing what so ever to hide. You can track my whereabouts via GPS to your hearts content.

I'm not trying to be funny here, I know I sound combative and I am, because I'm fed up with this form being so incredibly important to my credibility and yet so hard to fill out, with such definative consequences to my career and lively hood.

Please CCES, I'm begging you, fix the system, it's too important not to.

SQW

xmas pics

great xmas

Canmore Alberta really is a wonderful place, 5 days in the mountains with family is a great way to spend the holidays. We rented a place at beaver creek with a hockey rink up the street and a slide run around the corner.

The first morning in Canmore was all about finding good coffee and "communitea" didn't disappoint where we found good coffee and bean bag chairs. Following the discovery of the critical 'cuppa" we rented skate ski equipment and tackled the Calgary Olympic course. I think to her own dismay Jennie may have been a little rusty, her west coast living is catching up with her. She grew up in Saskatoon but the family made regular trips to the mountains and Jennie admits to missing a little bit (read; a lot) of university skiing in the Rockies. I wasn't rusty at all, just covered in snow as I proceeded to fall within 10 meters of clipping in..... after that it was smooth sailing.... for another 10 meters. I've only been on cross country skies a handful of times so I had nothing to lose and double poled my way to a fatigued and sweaty bliss. NO technique + big engine = out of control idiot who looks ugly but seems to just keep on moving despite his rough form.

We didn't really last that long, Victoria's mild climate has made us soft and once we were cold it quickly turned into a race back to the lodge and hot chocolate.

I did manage the find the warmest pool I've ever swum in.

The hot tub would like it's water back.

3 days of swimming in hot tub water makes for short workouts, at least I made it to the pool.

We did get to catch up with Chandra Crawford who is now officially our favorite skier of all time. She put up with Jennie's dads standard 100 questions, he asked some great questions and we learned that a) she travels with upwards of 25 pairs of skies b) they do "run outs" with timing lights to test their ski wax c) when she won GOLD in Torino one of the athletes she beat was a German athlete who had shoved her on to her back earlier in the year at a world cup, "I was pushing hard because I was so scared of this German girl" - I couldn't help but think about the chain of events that shove put in motion.... and d) she's excited, relaxed and ready for the build up to Vancouver 2010 with a new moto :) "just go faster, eh".

It's back to Vic now, after a 5 hour airport party. On Wednesday we're off to Maui for a month yes I know it's a hard life but someone has to live it. I'll be training with Ryder Hesjedal for a week before Joel's squad arrives on the 11th.

Thank you to Jen Mac for looking after our house while we're away!

I'm very keen to get back into training after what seems like too long away from it being a real priority. I've certainly stayed in contact with my fitness with 4-5 swims, 3-4 bikes and 4-5 runs a week but it's time to get back into the training routine.

I've just started with a new coach, more on that later but I'll still be training with Joels squad and contributing in every way I can to his group. This gives Joel more freedom and time to focus on Lauren and Kyle, something they have earned. Joel and I have a great friendship now, in his role as National Team coach I'll still be working closely with him and buying his "sticky bun and americano" at bubby's whenever I can, it's a good move for many many reasons, all very positive.

Besides I'm sure he's looking forward to not always having to deal with "mr. demanding". Joel is a brilliant coach and I'll continue to lean on him for feedback but I'm looking forward to a new approach and training plan.

We're finally ready to fly after a substantial delay in Calgary. We'll be back at the airport on Wednesday for more flying fun. I hope everyone enjoyed their Xmas and didn't eat too too much.

SQW

Pippa made a ginger bread house.

Ryder and Laird.

http://www.ryderhesjedal.com/

check out the video he just posted.

Apparently there are some really really bored people out there who need to focus on real issues. Who cares if "Jordan" and "Daniel" love each other!!!

their economy is failing apart and these people are fighting against same-sex marriages (while happily watching men in tights and helmets pile on top of each other as they wrestle over a football)....,,,, let me guess, it's those "gay peoples" fault, if the "jordans" and "daniels" didn't want to get married then GM would still be a viable business model and god wouldn't have told GWB to attack Iraq.

Ok then.


December 19, 2008 -- Updated 0459 GMT (1259 HKT) on CNN.com

Prop 8 proponents seek to nullify same-sex marriages

• Ballot initiative's sponsors have filed three lawsuits with state Supreme Court
  
• Lawsuit seeks to nullify same-sex marriages performed when they were legal
  
• Sponsors also respond to lawsuits seeking to invalidate Prop 8
  

(CNN) -- Sponsors of the California ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage are seeking to nullify thousands of marriages between gay and lesbian couples performed after the state Supreme Court ruled them constitutional.

The passge of Proposition 8 left the future of thousands of marriages between same-sex couples unclear.

The sponsors Friday filed responses to three anti-Proposition 8 lawsuits with the state Supreme Court. The briefs also defend Proposition 8 against opponents' legal challenges, including an argument that the amendment needed a constitutional convention to be added to the state's constitution.

"We are confident that the will of the voters and Proposition 8 will ultimately be upheld," said Andrew Pugno, General Counsel for ProtectMarriage.com and the Proposition 8 Legal Defense Fund.

California Attorney General Edmund "Jerry" Brown called on the court to reject the initiative.

"Proposition 8 must be invalidated because the amendment process cannot be used to extinguish fundamental constitutional rights without compelling justification," Brown said in a written statement.

Rick Jacobs, founder and chair of the anti-Proposition 8 Courage Campaign, said he was "appalled" that the initiative's supporters wanted to nullify the same-sex marriages that are already on the books.

"The motivation behind this mean-spirited and heart-breaking action should not be allowed to be buried in legal brief," he said. "If Proposition 8's sponsors plan to destroy lives, they should at least have the courage to admit it publicly."

Opponents filed suit quickly after the November 4 election in which Proposition 8 passed 52 percent to 48 percent, effectively reversing a California Supreme Court decision that it was unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The vote also prompted a series of protests, some aimed at supporters of the proposition.

The proposition, which added an amendment to the state constitution, defined marriage as between one man and one woman.

Opponents argue that the amendment cannot be applied retroactively, but proponents say the amendment is clear on that issue.

"Proposition 8's brevity is matched by its clarity," one of the briefs read. "There are no conditional clauses, exceptions, exemptions, or exclusions: 'Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.'

" ... Its plain language encompasses both pre-existing and later-created same-sex (and polygamous) marriages, whether performed in California or elsewhere. With crystal clarity, it declares that they are not valid or recognized in California."

Opponents are also seeking to have the amendment nullified, arguing that it alters the state's constitution -- meaning the state Supreme Court's May ruling -- and therefore, according to state law, is a revision that requires a constitutional convention. Proponents of the amendment disagree.

"Petitioners' challenge depends on characterizing Proposition 8 as a radical departure from the fundamental principles of the California Constitution," their briefs said. " ... But that portrayal is wildly wrong. Proposition 8 is limited in nature and effect. It does nothing more than restore the definition of marriage to what it was and always had been under California law before June 16, 2008 -- and to what the people had repeatedly willed that it be throughout California's history."

California voters passed a ballot initiative in 2000 that changed the state's Family Code to formally define marriage in the state between a man and a woman. After San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom performed same-sex marriages in 2004, which were promptly annulled, Newsom and others sought to have the ballot initiative struck down.

The California Supreme Court did so in May, and same-sex marriages were performed legally in California a month later.

The court's ruling said the right to marry is among a set of basic human rights "so integral to an individual's liberty and personal autonomy that they may not be eliminated or abrogated by the legislature or by the electorate through the statutory initiative process."

But opponents had already been at work on Proposition 8, seeking to enshrine the marriage definition in the constitution, and the initiative was approved for the November 4 vote.

Proposition 8 supporters also announced the addition of Kenneth Starr to their legal team. Starr will serve as lead counsel and argue their case to the Supreme Court.

Starr, the dean of Pepperdine Law School, investigated the suicide of Clinton deputy White House counsel Vince Foster and the Whitewater affair. The $70 million investigation turned up evidence of President Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky and led to Clinton's impeachment by the House of Representatives. He was acquitted by the Senate.

globeauto

PETRINA GENTILE

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

http://www.globeauto.com/

December 18, 2008 at 12:00 AM EST

He's a superstar athlete who scored a silver medal in the men's triathlon at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. But Simon Whitfield is best remembered for his gold medal win at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney — where he came from behind after a crash in the bike race to steal the top spot.

When it comes to competition, the Olympic and world champion has plenty of drive. It's the same on the road, except he prefers a slower pace and opts for function over speed. That's why Whitfield drives a 2006 Honda Fit compact hatchback.

"It's a dynamic car; it's the perfect triathlon fit.

"For a triathlon, efficiency is everything because you have to conserve energy through the race to get to run. I suppose with my car it's the same — efficiency is everything. It's so functional," says Whitfield, who is married and has a 17-month-old daughter named Pippa.

Enlarge Image

'The best feature is the seats; they fold down completely flat and they fold up and they do all these different configurations.' -- Simon Whitfield

"We have a little girl and we throw our bikes in the back.

"It was totally incomparable to other cars. When you try to do comparison shopping — they're almost making it unfair. The Fit has got more room, it's more fuel-efficient, it's a really nice-looking car, the seats all fold down really cleverly. Somebody in North America needs to steal this design. And the price is great, too.

"We had been debating cars. I saw it in the parking lot one day when I was swimming. And I came home and there was no question about it, I found my car. And when my wife Jennie saw it, she was like 'This is easy — it's a no-brainer.'"

"It says I've become more practical and functional — in the expense, the low maintenance, the fuel efficiency," says the dual Canadian-Australian citizen who lives in Victoria.

Size is everything for the 33-year-old. "It's a way bigger car than it looks.

"It's like a mini-minivan and it's fun to drive. Jennie and I fight over who gets to drive it all the time. The best feature is the seats; they fold down completely flat and they fold up and they do all these different configurations."

But there's one thing he'd change about them. "I'd have leather seats. You can wipe them off really easily. I'd have heated seats, too, for my long runs."

Whitfield's second car is also a Honda — a 2008 CR-V SUV, but the Fit is still his favourite.

"Because we live in Victoria the running is spectacular. I like being able to get to runs so we'll drive out to Goldstream Provincial Park. My favourite thing with the car is having the trunk open, all the boys' muddy shoes in the back, people asking for towels to sit on seats — I like that," says Whitfield who started competing in triathlons as a tween.

Despite his quick race pace, on the road it's a different story. "I have a daughter now — I'm lame. I'm more cautious.

"The only thing we don't need now in the car is a manual — which is great fun when you don't have kids. Then when you have kids you wish that the manual no longer existed."

Whitfield's first car was a Renault. "I bought it for $500. First gear didn't work and reverse only kind of worked. So I was just resourceful. You had to start it in second. It ran well."

But it landed him in hot water on one occasion when he was 22. "My very first date was in the Renault — this was 10 years ago.

"I did two U-turns, turned right on a do-not-turn right on a red, cut across a Petrocan parking lot, cut across another parking lot to get to the restaurant and a cop followed me the entire way!

"Literally from the moment I did the first U-turn and he actually got out of the car and said, 'I just can't believe you didn't see our lights. We were behind you the whole time!'

"ƒ|'Officer, honestly, she said she really had to go to the washroom and I had to get her here as fast as I can!'

"He said, 'Oh, all right.' But he didn't let me off. He laughed a lot and I'm sure I was the joke later at the station," he laughs in retrospect.

Whitfield usually changes cars often. "Every November, I seem to get bored and buy a new car. We had a Volkswagen Westphalia for a while — that was my yuppie, hippy stage.

"I had a Mini Cooper — that was a gold standard of yuppiness. The Mini was fun, but the Fit is just so much more functional.

"It was just hard to beat the Fit. The best car we've had has been the Fit — easily, hands down."

And if he could have the keys to any car, well, he wouldn't take them. "You can just give me my Honda keys back."

Off topic - in fact a really "off" topic but something Victoria residents need to be informed about.

It's not a pretty subject but it's an important issue for our community.

http://www.rstv.ca/

Happy Birthday Sean from the gang.

Coach Joel is looking forward to you joining the squad for a day, he sent along a picture to welcome you.......

it's -10 degrees on Flagstaffs Snowbowl climb, we climb from 7000 feet above sea level to 9000 ft.....

We're looking forward you joining us!!!!

Enjoy your birthday.

Simon Whitfield

ITU promo vid

"GO DONNY BEAT THE TUBE!!!!"

Nike Canada are you taking notes :)

I could race the GO train.........

S :)

Jordan is awesomeness

Look at his position!!! and his bike split!!!! 4:26.

Fact: Coach Joel coached 2 bike course record performances this year. Tom Evans in Florida (4:18) - who doesn't use a power meter BUT it works for him - and Jordan at IMAZ#2 (where he out split Chris Lieto). I'm not saying the same shoe fits all but if it's not working..... then something needs to change.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Jordan does such an incredible job of leaving no stone unturned. From his position, to his equipment to his dedication to his training. It's amazing to train with him as he's so precise and dedicated (maybe a little too much time on slowtwitch but whatever).

I rode with a good friend recently who doesn't "believe in power meters".....

to my friend - a case study;

Jordan is admittedly at times a slave to the machine (the power meter), he downloads every ride file and reviews it with coach Joel. He can be annoyingly precise about his wattage during workouts, as he is always very controlled about his effort and paces accordingly. It's actually frustrating at times as I like to hammer and deal with it later but with a 4:26 bike split and an Ironman resume over the last 14 months that includes a debut 5th at IMC (having decided to do the race on the thursday before), 3rd at IMAZ#1 in April and 3rd (16mins quicker) at IMAZ#2 (November) (3 ironmans, 3 fast but controlled rides "I rode by the numbers" and 3 x 3hr marathons).

His results speak volumes. Joels coaching record speaks volumes....... yet my good friend(s) don't need that fandangled fancy numbers stuff....... :) to each his own.


S