09/10/2025
Not a MTB post – but stay with me.
Last summer, my sister and her girls came to visit during one of those classic Okanagan heatwaves — the kind where all you wanted to be is in the lake. Naturally, I wanted to take them to one of my favourite spots: Rattlesnake Island. Such a cool spot!
There was only room for four in the kayaks, so I told them I’d swim there and back — about 8.5 km. My youngest niece looked at me like I was completely nuts. From the beach, the island looked impossibly far and to her 6-year-old mind, it just didn’t compute.
She was pretty cautious back then — nervous about deep water and hesitant to jump from the kayak. I started painting pictures of what it might be like one day to visit her dad’s side of the family in Fiji and explore magical tropical waters with her two sisters and her brother.
Slowly but surely, she opened up (see slide 3 and turn sound on for the BIGGEST inhale 😂). By the end of the week, that same cautious girl was leaping in without hesitation.
Six is such a magical age — imagination is big, but sometimes fears are bigger. She had both… but she also had the courage to grow.
This summer, they came back and like always, I wanted to teach them something new. This year’s challenge? Backflips. Within an hour, all three were flipping backwards and grinning ear to ear.
When it came time to say goodbye, I asked my youngest niece what she was most looking forward to about fall.
She said:
“Swimming lessons… so I can swim around the world like you.”
Oh, my heart ❤️🥺
The reminder? Kids — little ones and grown-ups — are always watching.
We all have the chance to inspire, to spark curiosity, confidence, and courage.
Now she’s joined her big sister in swim lessons, and both are stoked to show me their butterfly stroke next summer. 🏊♀️💙
Here’s to being the reason someone believes they can — and to all the beautiful places that belief might take them. Be it on a mountain bike, skis, or out in the middle of a lake. 🌍💫
