Riley is on the road again, this time to Montreal. He's competing in trials to determine which top two Canadian 10 metre divers will go to the World Cup in Beijing in February. This event is really really important because 1)World Cup is the test event for the Olympics and 2)it sets the tone and course for his competitions for the rest of the season. Establishing himself as the top 10 metre diver in Canada gives him confidence going into the trials for the Olympics which will be held in June in Victoria (and yes you are all invited!!!!).
Hard reality of sport - Riley is injured. During a routine practise 2 weeks ago he landed wrong on a back 3 and 1/2 and has hurt his back. The medical diagnosis is "He compressed the facet joints of his lumbar spine and mildly strained lumbar musculature". He is getting good care and healing but the timing couldn't have been worse. He's going into this competition less prepared than he would like. Its a good lesson however. I read somewhere that elite athletes rarely compete in top form, usually nursing some kind of injury or another. Its disappointing for him but its the nature of the game.
Wish him luck! For those interested - his competition is Sunday December 9th and the results can be found on http://www.integratedsports.net/diving/LiveResults46/. I'll be on the computer watching and cheering him on!
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