Gala Dinner Speaker Enjoys Life on the Edge

Organizers of the Annual Cardiovascular Conference at Lake Louise are pleased to announce that Will Gadd, world-class extreme sports athlete from Canmore, will be our 2008 Gala Dinner Speaker. The Gala Dinner is open to all conference attendees, and this year will be held

7:30 PM, Wednesday, March 19
Victoria Dining Room at the Fairmont Château

Will has chiseled out an international reputation for ice- and rock-climbing, paragliding and kayaking. But he’s also not too shabby at skiing, mountain biking, hiking and spelunking — to name just a few of his accomplishments! Catch a glimpse of him in pictures below.

But maybe you’ve already read about Will’s work with National Geographic or seen him in action in television stunts? He’s also got books and films available, and you can find info on all such things on his website, Gravsports.

We recently caught up with Will while he was at a paragliding competition in Mexico. He graciously answered a few of our questions, and his responses were so interesting that we’re providing a transcript of our e-mail conversation below. Enjoy.

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Not everyone becomes an extreme sports athlete. What drives you? Who are your heroes?
Will: I like doing “interesting” things. In fact, I’m near incapable of doing anything I don’t find interesting, at least not for very long. “Extreme” sports are very, very interesting…

My heroes are anyone who has made a life they truly love, or are trying to do so. It’s not easy to create your own life, but in my mind it’s the most interesting challenge going. I have a family and a house to contend with as well, so I’m not some total fringe individual, I just like to play on the edges of things.

Ever had a heart-stopping experience?
Will: Not literally. The birth of my daughter sure changed things around though!

When you’re on your own in the great outdoors — or preparing to be — do you contemplate or meditate on anything in particular? What goes through your mind at critical moments?
Will: Absolute focus on the task at hand. I don’t meditate in any formal sense, but I spend a lot of time thinking about how to do something as well and with the best outcomes I can generate. If I don’t feel that I have a strong chance at doing something safely, then I don’t do it.

Some projects take years of thinking and planning before they happen, and some may never happen but I’m still thinking about ‘em…

How might extreme sports and cardiovascular medicine be similar? Different? What’s the focus of your upcoming Lake Louise presentation?
Will: Hmmmm, as I read the above I’m going to guess that many people in cardiovascular medicine use some of the same thought processes [as I do]? I look forward to hearing how “cardios” look at the world!

If one of us less-than-extreme folks wants to get a sense of the extreme sports experience, what do you recommend? Your favorite book or movie, perhaps, or some sort of music, video game, or actual lesson…?
Will: One of my favorite movies is “Seven.” It’s not a movie for everyone, but it does show someone who executed a plan brilliantly and saw the world in a very different way. That’s what’s interesting — trying to figure out how and why things work, then moving within that framework in a novel way.

What’s your regular fitness regimen like? Any personal physio stats that a doc might find fascinating?
Will: I tend to do sports sequentially — kayaking in the spring and early summer, then flying, then rock climbing, then ice climbing, repeat. I’m never totally out of shape in general, but I’m heavier in kayaking season and lighter in rock climbing season. I do a lot of hiking up mountains and generally beating around outside, so I almost always have a good physical base and just tune that to the sport at hand (bad pun).

Resting pulse in the morning: usually below 40 unless I’ve had too much to drink or am above about 10,000 feet. Max heart rate is relatively low also. Why? Body fat fluctuates between about five and eight percent, depending on my sports season (although my daughter might have me pushing as high as 10, grin). Weight 73K, height six feet.

Is there a practical message in an extreme physical experience? Even a social or moral one? Talk to us about how we might experience Lake Louise a new way this year.
Will: Any extreme physical experience is automatically an extreme mental experience. Very few of the greatest athletes are idiots; they think about their games and performances endlessly, and the very best see their shortcomings and work to improve them. It’s always easier to work on one’s strengths, but for true success you have to work equally on your weaknesses, if not harder. That said…

How do you see yourself in 30 years?
Will: Alive would be a good start, in good health would be even better. I’m 40 now, so not exactly a spring chicken, but still going well physically and learning a lot every day. If I can do my best physically and mentally for as long as I’m able to, then that would be a good life.

What is your Everest? Eying a new physical achievement anytime soon?
Will: I’m going to climb all the high peaks in the Rockies, and then ski or fly off ‘em…

That will keep me busy for a year or so — there’s a lot to do! I’m always looking at the “next” trip or project: each one is something I believe in, then try to realize.

The achievement for me is not in having done something, but in figuring out how to do the next thing. It keep life interesting.

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