Tag Archives: Michelle Prendergast

Family, Friends, Gabriel Dusil, Swimming

Swimming • Photo Restoration • 63 • Dusil

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Diary • 13th March 1994

• Swimming took a big commitment, both physically and mentally. But I have no regrets; Fourteen hours  a week, ten month swimming season, cold water, lactic acid pain, endless push-ups, three day swim meets, pressure of finals, waiting hours for your next race, boring lengths, heart sinking 20x200m endurance practices, swallowing water, goggles filling with water, chlorine burning your eyes, swimmer’s ear, eye sockets hurting because the goggles are too tight, the thrill of winning, and the agony of losing – It was all worth it. It’s a sport only understood by those who experienced it. With commitment and sacrifice, came patience, discipline, endurance, and grit that is hard to explain to someone that has never done it before.

• Reflecting on those years of competition, I remember how hard we trained. To this day I can say I have never trained harder, and no sport since has matched the shape I was in during those seven years.

• Swimming

If you missed previous swimming posts, then click on these links:

Photo Restoration

85 - Burlington · Stelco News, Gabriel, Roman, Vlasta & Karol Dusil (BYAC, AAA Championship winners, BYAC swimming)
85 – Burlington · Stelco News, Gabriel, Roman, Vlasta & Karol Dusil (BYAC, AAA Championship winners, BYAC swimming)
85 - St. Catharines · Gabriel Dusil (BYAC, Brock University, swimming, fly)
85 – St. Catharines · Gabriel Dusil (BYAC, Brock University, swimming, fly)
82.Jul - Burlington · Roman, Gabriel Dusil & Cezar (flexing, restored)
82.Jul – Burlington · Roman, Gabriel Dusil & Cezar (flexing, restored)
87.Aug - Kamloops · Gabriel & Roman Dusil (snowball finger, restored)
87.Aug – Kamloops · Gabriel & Roman Dusil (snowball finger, restored)

Documentation

85.Feb.19 - Burlington · Post, Striking Gold, Making a Splash (BYAC swimming)
85.Feb.19 – Burlington · Post, Striking Gold, Making a Splash (BYAC swimming)
85.Feb.9 - Burlington · Post, Vlasta Dusil Leads Aquatic Club in Meets (BYAC swimming)
85.Feb.9 – Burlington · Post, Vlasta Dusil Leads Aquatic Club in Meets (BYAC swimming)
85.Feb - Burlington · Post, Vlasta Collects Medals (BYAC swimming)
85.Feb – Burlington · Post, Vlasta Collects Medals (BYAC swimming)
85.Feb - Burlington · Post, Dusil Family Dominates Meet (BYAC swimming)
85.Feb – Burlington · Post, Dusil Family Dominates Meet (BYAC swimming)
85.Apr - Burlington · Post, Dusil's Pool Their Efforts (BYAC swimming)
85.Apr – Burlington · Post, Dusil’s Pool Their Efforts (BYAC swimming)
84.Feb - Burlington · Post, Roman Paces BYAC at Swim Meet (BYAC swimming)
84.Feb – Burlington · Post, Roman Paces BYAC at Swim Meet (BYAC swimming)

 

Tags

AAAA Championship, Bruce Law, Burlington Civic Award, Burlington Ontario, Burlington Y Aquatic Club, BYAC, competitive swimming, David Darling, David Murray, dusil.com, eurostartups.tech, Eva Dusil, Gabriel Dusil, gabrieldusil.com, Gareth Jones, Grant Reffell, Linda Weston, Meg Midghall, Michelle Prendergast, Morris Vaillancourt, Roman Dusil., Sandra Moore, Steve Babiak, Swimming, Tracey Colson, Vlasta Dusil, Wayne Kot, YMCA

Bio

• CEO • Strategist • Entrepreneur • Speaker
• Photographer • Designer • Creativist • Writer • Blogger
• Teacher • Trainer • Geek • INTJ • Father

Gabriel is a seasoned sales and marketing expert with over 25 years in senior positions at Motorola, VeriSign (acquired by Symantec in 2010 for 1.25 billion US$), SecureWorks (acquired by Dell in 2011 for 612 million US$), and Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013 for 25 million US$). He is a blockchain entrepreneur, with strengths in international business strategy.

Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University in Canada and expert knowledge in crypto incubation, cloud computing, IT security, and digital video technology. Gabriel also runs his own company, Euro Tech Startups s.r.o.

Hobbies include photography, video production, motion graphics, digital graphics, photo restoration, carpentry, martial arts, traveling, blogging, and trying to be better than yesterday.

Family, Friends, Gabriel Dusil, Swimming

Swimming • Photo Restoration • 62 • Dusil

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Diary • 13th March 1994

• Friendships developed over the years, between my fellow team mates. Friendships which initially centered around competition. We had similar goals and a competitive spirit. The veterans were Wayne Kot, David Darling, Linda Weston, Tracey Colson, and Grant Reffell. I was young for that crowd, and they were closer in age to my cousin Roman. In my age group was Paul Babiak, Dave Murray and Bruce Law. Gareth Jones left after a few seasons to pursue cross country skiing. I remember him well because he was such a nice guy, and how hard he worked at each practice.

• The duo of Wayne and Dave was a welcome refreshment in the club. At the time they were nearing the end of high school. They were truly hip, and fun to have around. Being two divisions higher in age and maturity meant that I looked up to them as positive infuence. They introduced the Daveski and Waynski nicknames for themselves. That spawned Paulski, Daveski, Romski, and Gabski. Nicknames that still hold today, with my cousin.

• Morris once told us, “Never lose to someone by hundredths of a second. If you’re in a close race then make sure you win.”  At a Western Regional Championship meet at Nepean, Ottawa, Canada I was in the 100m freestyle final. The leader was way ahead of us, but I was fighting for second place with a guy right next to me. As we swam to the finish I spearheaded my hand into the board. When I looked up at the clock I saw that I beat him by 1/100th of a second. That was a defining moment, and was proud of that I could action the words of my coach. I won silver, but  winning that battle was more valuable to me. In swimming it’s said that 1/100th of a second is the length of a finger nail. As much as my middle finger hurt, I made the finish count, when it was necessary.

• Swimming

If you missed previous swimming posts, then click on these links:

Documentation

84.Apr.25 - Burlington · Post, BYAC Dominates Aqua Seven Meet (BYAC swimming)
84.Apr.25 – Burlington · Post, BYAC Dominates Aqua Seven Meet (BYAC swimming)
84.Apr.25 - Burlington · Post, 28 Firsts at Dual Meet in Stratford (BYAC swimming)
84.Apr.25 – Burlington · Post, 28 Firsts at Dual Meet in Stratford (BYAC swimming)
84.Apr - Burlington · Stelco News, Super Swimmers (BYAC swimming)
84.Apr – Burlington · Stelco News, Super Swimmers (BYAC swimming)
83.May.11 - Burlington · Post, Ontario AAA Swimming Championships (BYAC swimming)
83.May.11 – Burlington · Post, Ontario AAA Swimming Championships (BYAC swimming)
83.Jul.22 - Burlington · Post, Swimming Victory Not A New Thing to Canucks (BYAC swimming)
83.Jul.22 – Burlington · Post, Swimming Victory Not A New Thing to Canucks (BYAC swimming)
83.Feb.13 - Burlington · Post, Dusil Takes Four Golds at CASA Meet (BYAC swimming)
83.Feb.13 – Burlington · Post, Dusil Takes Four Golds at CASA Meet (BYAC swimming)
83.Apr.22 - Burlington · Post, Dusil & Refell Go For Gold and Boys Team Takes Silver (BYAC swimming)
83.Apr.22 – Burlington · Post, Dusil & Refell Go For Gold and Boys Team Takes Silver (BYAC swimming)
83.Apr.22 - Burlington · Gazette, Dusil's Lead Y Club at Nepean Swim Meet (BYAC swimming)
83.Apr.22 – Burlington · Gazette, Dusil’s Lead Y Club at Nepean Swim Meet (BYAC swimming)
83.Apr.10 - Burlington · Post, Swimmers Impressive (BYAC swimming)
83.Apr.10 – Burlington · Post, Swimmers Impressive (BYAC swimming)

Photo Restoration

83.Apr - Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (swimming medals, BYAC swimming)
83.Apr – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (swimming medals, BYAC swimming)

Tags

AAAA Championship, Bruce Law, Burlington Civic Award, Burlington Ontario, Burlington Y Aquatic Club, BYAC, competitive swimming, Dave Darling, David Darling, David Murray, dusil.com, Eric Coulson, Eric Finstad, eurostartups.tech, Eva Dusil, Gabriel Dusil, gabrieldusil.com, Gareth Jones, Grant Reffell, Linda Weston, Mark Hopkins, Meg Midghall, Michelle Prendergast, Morris Vaillancourt, Roman Dusil., Sandra Moore, Sean Simms, Steve Babiak, Steve Belham, Swimming, Tracey Colson, Wayne Kot, YMCA

 

Bio

• CEO • Strategist • Entrepreneur • Speaker
• Photographer • Designer • Creativist • Writer • Blogger
• Teacher • Trainer • Geek • INTJ • Father

Gabriel is a seasoned sales and marketing expert with over 25 years in senior positions at Motorola, VeriSign (acquired by Symantec in 2010 for 1.25 billion US$), SecureWorks (acquired by Dell in 2011 for 612 million US$), and Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013 for 25 million US$). He is a blockchain entrepreneur, with strengths in international business strategy.

Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University in Canada and expert knowledge in crypto incubation, cloud computing, IT security, and digital video technology. Gabriel also runs his own company, Euro Tech Startups s.r.o.

Hobbies include photography, video production, motion graphics, digital graphics, photo restoration, carpentry, martial arts, traveling, blogging, and trying to be better than yesterday.

Gabriel Dusil

Swimming • Photo Restoration • 61 • Dusil

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Diary • 13th March 1994

• My first big meet was the Western Regional Championships. I was 12 years old. Leading up to the event I did 200 push-ups every night for six months, to get stronger. I remember building up to 4×50 pushups, which was my limit before the lactic acid was paralyzing and unbearable. Attendance required qualifying times, so only a few swimmers from my club attended. I was swimming the 50 meter, 100m , 200m and 400m freestyle and the 100m butterfly. I made the finals for all of them. This meant a five hour wait till the evening finals. This was my first experience with competitive pressure. Morris prepared me by asking what my splits will be for the 200 freestyle. I looked at him as if, “I should know?” He coached me on the experience of the swimmers I’d be competing against. Their years of swimming exceeding my short one year career. He told me I couldn’t eat any hard foods before the finals, despite how hungry I was. I was only allowed to have a bowl of soup, or juice. In the end I won gold in the 50m and 100m freestyle, and bronze in the other three. That earned me the nickname “Champ” from Morris. This carried along for at least two seasons. I was growing and improving quickly.

• Swimming also introduced me to my first girlfriend. I was thirteen when I started dating Sandra Moore. My mom allowed me to go to her house after practice, once a week. We’d watch Barney Miller with her mom. Sandra was my first childhood love. We’re still in contact and remain friends till this day.

• By the time I was fifteen my passion in the sport began to wane. The psychological commitment was too overwhelming, and I made a conscious decision that I wouldn’t submit myself to such a strict regime. Our seven day per week swimming schedule was my limit, compared to the 14 practices a week typical of division A clubs. High school, girls, and karate became more important. My lack of effort eventually demoted me to “ex-Champ”, and that stuck until the end of my swimming career.

• Swimming

If you missed previous swimming posts, then click on these links:

Photo Restoration

81.Sep.18 - Burlington - Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (birthday, lap, BYAC swimming, restored)
81.Sep.18 – Burlington – Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (birthday, lap, BYAC swimming, restored)
81.Sep.18 - Burlington - Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (birthday, BYAC swimming, restored)
81.Sep.18 – Burlington – Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (birthday, BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Apr - Burlington - Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (Burlington Road Race, BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Apr – Burlington – Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (Burlington Road Race, BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Jun - Burlington - Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (Graduation, BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Jun – Burlington – Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (Graduation, BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Apr.3 - Burlington · Post, Mark Hopkins, Steve Belham, Gabriel, Bruce Law, Linda Weston, Darling, Jones, Reffell, Roman, Cot, Moore, Midghall, Prendergast, Vlasta Dusil (BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Apr.3 – Burlington · Post, Mark Hopkins, Steve Belham, Gabriel, Bruce Law, Linda Weston, Darling, Jones, Reffell, Roman, Kot, Moore, Midghall, Prendergast, Vlasta Dusil (BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Apr.16 - Burlington · Post, Vlasta Dusil, Michelle Prendergast, Meg Midghall, Sandra Moore, Gareth Jones, Gabriel Dusil, Steve Belham, Bruce Law (BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Apr.16 – Burlington · Post, Vlasta Dusil, Michelle Prendergast, Meg Midghall, Sandra Moore, Gareth Jones, Gabriel Dusil, Steve Belham, Bruce Law (BYAC swimming, restored)

Documents

82.Oct.24 - Burlington · Post, Dusil Tops for BYAC at Guelph Swimm Meet (BYAC swimming)
82.Oct.24 – Burlington · Post, Dusil Tops for BYAC at Guelph Swimm Meet (BYAC swimming)
82.Feb.20 - Burlington · Post, Reffell & Dusil Gold Medallists (BYAC swimming)
82.Feb.20 – Burlington · Post, Reffell & Dusil Gold Medallists (BYAC swimming)
82.Apr.27 - Burlington · Gazette, BYAC Fifth Overall at AAA Event (BYAC swimming)
82.Apr.27 – Burlington · Gazette, BYAC Fifth Overall at AAA Event (BYAC swimming)
82.Apr.16 - Burlington · Post, Making a Big Splash (BYAC swimming)
82.Apr.16 – Burlington · Post, Making a Big Splash (BYAC swimming)

Tags

AAAA Championship, Bruce Law, Burlington Civic Award, Burlington Ontario, Burlington Y Aquatic Club, BYAC, competitive swimming, Dave Darling, David Darling, David Murray, dusil.com, Eric Coulson, Eric Finstad, eurostartups.tech, Eva Dusil, Gabriel Dusil, gabrieldusil.com, Gareth Jones, Grant Reffell, Linda Weston, Mark Hopkins, Meg Midghall, Michelle Prendergast, Morris Vaillancourt, Roman Dusil., Sandra Moore, Sean Simms, Steve Babiak, Steve Belham, Swimming, Tracey Colson, Wayne Kot, YMCA

Bio

• CEO • Strategist • Entrepreneur • Speaker
• Photographer • Designer • Creativist • Writer • Blogger
• Teacher • Trainer • Geek • INTJ • Father

Gabriel is a seasoned sales and marketing expert with over 25 years in senior positions at Motorola, VeriSign (acquired by Symantec in 2010 for 1.25 billion US$), SecureWorks (acquired by Dell in 2011 for 612 million US$), and Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013 for 25 million US$). He is a blockchain entrepreneur, with strengths in international business strategy.

Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University in Canada and expert knowledge in crypto incubation, cloud computing, IT security, and digital video technology. Gabriel also runs his own company, Euro Tech Startups s.r.o.

Hobbies include photography, video production, motion graphics, digital graphics, photo restoration, carpentry, martial arts, traveling, blogging, and trying to be better than yesterday.