Stroking through the waters at the Hyack swim, now known as Haney Neptunes in Maple Ridge and strapping on her running shoes with a local track club, young Jill Savege couldn't even imagine where she would be 19 years later.
Now 28 years old, Jill spent the first nine years of her life in the local pools and running the local tracks attending Laity View Elementary.
Her mother Vale kickstarted the local school district's French Immersion program, and her grandmother Juanita is still a resident of Maple Ridge.
Since those days, Jill and her family have traveled east to live and learn, where she earned success and an Olympic tryout with swimming, and she spent her grad year at Centennial Secondary across the river in Coquitlam.
After earning an athletic scholarship to an American university, Jill realized it was time to get out of the pool. After running just for fun with the Simon Fraser University track and cross-country teams, Jill found peace in Penticton along with a new goal. The Ironman Triathlon.
Jill finished sixth in her first triathlon in 1999 after a years training, and was in a solid third place during the race in 2000 when she got a wake-up call that has forever reminded her never to ignore your body's messages. She had to walk the remainder of the race because her dreams of victory caused her to ignore the proper nutrition.
Two years later, Jill is on top of the world. She captured the title at the International Triathlon Union's World Cup race in September 2002, and then trumped the competition again in October in Japan. Now, the girl from Maple Ridge has her sights set on the 2004 Olympics and winning the Ironman one day.
"Win or lose it is more important to enjoy the process than to only focus on the destination," Jill says. "Challenge yourself to be the best you can be and make sure to have fun along the way."