Pickering News Interview

Sidebar Interview coupled with the story on my COC Election (posted separately below)

Source: newsdurhamregion.com
Posted Online: September 18, 2008
By Line: Al Rivett

Fast Facts
When asked how she's feeling right now, you could almost see Perdita Felicien's face light up through the phone line.
"I'm so happy right now; things are awesome," she said.

"In the summer, I made the decision I made (to bypass the Beijing Olympics due to a foot injury) and I have to live with it. In the back of my mind, I thought, 'Did I make the right decision?' A couple of months removed from that, I can say, 'Absolutely, I made the right decision'."

Her comments are based on her continued success in her rehabilitation from her stress fracture to her left foot, which has responded well to continued treatment. And, now, with her ankle fully recovered, she's putting a six-days-a-week foundation of conditioning together in advance of actual hurdles training, which she hopes to start in Champagne, Ill., possibly in late October.

"My main focus has always been my health and, finally, I'm at a place where (my ankle) can handle the demands on it. I'm having to get fit and conditioned. I know how hard it will be; I know how much effort it's going to take. It will probably take me a couple months to get that conditioning back...The main thing is re-educating my muscles. I'm not thinking about hurdling until I can sprint like crazy."

In the name of ramping up her fitness level, she's training at various venues throughout the GTA, all of which have held historical significance in her track and field career, including her alma mater, Pine Ridge Secondary School, along with Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke, where she won provincial high school medals in track and field.

Will she compete in the international indoor season? Felicien says it's possible, as her training is definitely ahead of schedule.

"I will make that call when I know where my fitness level is. It's looking like I will do indoors."

Her long-range plan, however, is to be race-ready next summer to compete in the 2009 IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Berlin.

While she didn't compete in Beijing, she was there nonetheless as a track and field commentator for Canadian Olympic broadcaster CBC. She noted being there as a commentator gave her a new perspective on journalists.

"They were a great bunch to work with and I didn't realize how gruelling it is. I have a new appreciation for members of the media. It was a great experience. I had the best seat in the house."

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Asked about fellow Canadian hurdler and Whitby native Priscilla Lopes-Schliep's bronze-medal performance at Beijing, Felicien couldn't have been more pleased for her Durham Region colleague.

"I think she did a great job. The field was wide open for her. Kudos to her; this was her moment. I wish her nothing but the best. It will be exciting for the nation to watch and follow the both of us."

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Felicien is chronicling her journey back to international competition through her new blog. It can be accessed at perditafelicien.blogspot.com/.