Dear Editor,

This letter is for my Dad. Dear Dad, today is your birthday and though you are not with us, we want to keep your message alive and well in our hearts and minds. Your strong belief in the importance of health and fitness through sports of any kind played a huge role in our lives, and I want to honour you by telling everyone what I learnt from my very wise father.

Though you were competitive, and believe you me, my Dad was Competitive with a capital C, you also showed us that fitness should be a part of our lives as much as eating, sleeping or brushing our teeth.

I swim, not to come out of the water first at a triathlon ('cause that ain't never gonna happen!), but rather to be the first to reach my son when he was swept out to sea with the current at Orient Beach. Never thinking twice, as I knew that my body and mind were strong enough to swim through the waves like a bullet, never needing that crucial moment to ask anyone for help, as I knew that I was fit enough.

I bike, not to sprint my fellow cyclist across the line for a top 5 position (ok, well that is a nice feeling as well!), but rather to be able to pedal over the hill to Philipsburg passing hundreds of cars along the way which are stuck in traffic due to the Cole Bay road closures, in order to arrive at my son's football match in time to see him score a goal.

I run, not for the 600 calories I know I will burn in an hour (but God only knows how often I count them, Ha!), but rather for the ability to run 400 meters with no effort to catch a thief, who had just stolen a customer's only form of transportation, his bicycle.

My point is that if your body is not strong and healthy, you miss out on wonderful opportunities, like being able to run next to your child as he or she learns to ride without training wheels, or the chance to play beach tennis with friends and family at Mullet Bay. These opportunities don't come around a second time. Thank you Dad for teaching us this valuable lesson. Happy Birthday!

Love,

Susy Maidwell