Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Andrea Burk

I would like to introduce you to Andrea Burk.
Andrea Burk was born on April 7, 1982. She was born and raised in North Vancouver, BC. Living in the same house her entire life. Well, almost all 30 years of it! She can usually be found doing something powerful, robo-coping through a tackle, or changing you life with a meaningful question. She attended High school on the North Shore through Carson Graham Secondary, and has been a loyal memeber of the Capilano RFC for many years.
Only getting to know Andrea through rugby at the time, and being pretty new to the BC rugby scene myself, some of the things that stand out for me first getting to know Andrea would be her very confident, very intense, and very positive additude. For example, during BC trainings in the summer, stand out moments for me would be Andrea being the only one off a kick off reception screaming "ready." I think we can all agree as much as we all love playing BC rugby, we were not always thrilled to be there on a Sunday morning, so that shrill scream of "ready, ready, ready" had us well alert and back on our toes. If I'm completely honest I was probably thinking "how is she always so positive and ready to go?"
Well Andrea, your hard work, positive never give up attitude, complimented by your iron will has really come along way. You should be so proud. You have a booming laugh that captures all of our attention. It is as contagious as your go get'em zest for life.
These are some of the things Andrea had to say.

When did rugby come into your life?
Grade 10 I played for Capilano Rugby Football Club in the centres

Did you play any sports before that?
I was involved in all of the regular sports in school, although my favourites were wrestling and squash. I also played soccer on the BC provincial team for 5 years.

What did you study in school and how does it relate to what you are doing or your future plans for a career?Bachelor of Kinesiology from Acadia University and currently completing my Master of Arts in Leadership at Royal Roads University.  Right now I’m doing some performance coaching for individuals and I will soon be bringing teambuilding and leadership models into organizations and athletic teams…It’s all a part of my plan to change the world.

Has rugby been a life changing experience? How?
 Absolutely.  I have met some amazing people through rugby.  I have shared experiences, laughs and been able to share a lot of myself through this sport.  The support we get from the community has also created a space for me to further my education, pursue career dreams and pay it all forward to developing athletes.

When you’re not totally conscious of what you’re eating due to our obsession with food intake, what is some of your guilty pleasures?
Gummy candies or really good cheese!

What could we find you doing during a weekend off, any time of year, not just centralization. Or how about, what could we find you doing on any normal weekend let’s say post centralization, and what could we find you doing on a weekend in centralization?
On a weekend in centralization you’ll find me doing school work or meeting with clients.  Otherwise, hopefully I’m getting some fresh air and laughing with friends.

Where has one of your fav holidays been, and why?
My trip to Colombia in 2010 was way up there.  In general, I absolutely love spending my holidays hiking in the mountains and swimming in remote lakes and rivers.

What's your fad color?
Green right now.

Scrunch or fold?
I seem to have evolved into a folder….Does that mean anything?

Fav tv series?
Dexter or Grey’s Anatomy…or Wipe-out if I want a good laugh!

Most motivational quote personally?
 "If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves."                                             - Thomas Edison

A message  to people out there who might be curious as to what we are doing, how would you describe this experience?
A dream come true.  I think this is what most athletes hope for when they train….to do what they love, with the people they love each day.  Challenging each other to do what we are actually capable of doing and getting better each day.

How long you been involved on the national team?
2009 Can-Ams in Denver.  My first cap was against France in 2009

Long term goal? Short term?
 World champions (World cup and Olympic gold)……9 minute 2400m…..100kg Clean.

The High Five in no particular order  -

2013/2014 Calendar Photo Shoot….balancing on one tippy toe, holding a ball to cover special parts, contorting our bodies and faces to look natural isn’t so easy when there is baby oil all over the floor.  But alas we must, its these finishing touches that makes the calendar a bigger hit than Barbara Mervin off the back of the scrum. 

“Heck no we won’t go”  as the number of niggles increased after our Las Vegas win so did the number of players  on the bench…as the body count went up, we started to resemble a union on strike.  Chants of “Heck no we won’t go” was the quick response when the coaches tried to round us up.

“As One: We win together we lose together”  Both the men’s and women’s team let their money ride on red in Vegas at the roulette table.  After letting it ride not once but twice….Canadian rugby players walked away with a 25% ROI .  Maybe roulette is the fundraiser of the future?

“In memory of Rachael Spearing”  To celebrate the life of our great friend Rachael Spearing the team gathered at Thetis Lake for a polar bear skinny dip.  Innocent bystanders were intrigued by the gathering of people in their towels which only encourage more spectators….We were stunned that a skinny dip would be considered a spectator sport!

“Snow day”  One would certainly expect that a little bit of snow isn’t going to stop the Canadian team.  While we didn’t quite have a Snow Bowl outside, we did hit the indoor rink for for a game or 5v5 rugby/handball/soccer (I’m pretty sure that is the official name).  It was competitive to the point that we started the scoreboard, took penalty shots and did line changes over the boards.

Here are some words her teammates would use to describe her.

Got to love her robotic movements while running.
Life coach.
Bionic.
Intense and thorough.
So ripped!
What's Burk doing?  Burk is my life coach and always looks at the glass as half full...even if its empty ;)
Shines with positivity.
Any moment with Burk is a special moment.

Burk you're a diamond in the rough, keep up the hard work.





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