By Alexis Brudnicki
“You’re different.”

I’ve heard that more times than I can count, and I promise you I am no slouch at math. It’s been said to me as a term of endearment, I’ve heard it as an offhand insult — such instances can be tiresomely common when you work in a “man’s world” — and I’ve been told in a matter-of-fact way. And now I’m starting to realize it might be the reason why I have been able to do everything I’ve done, and why I might not be able to do much more.

When I was growing up in London, Ont., my high school friends at Montcalm Secondary School were the first to point out many of my differences. As a Cougar, I played basketball, soccer and volleyball, and outside of the school walls I played softball all year round until it became too much of a commitment for me to handle. I was a competitive synchronized swimmer. I was a huge fan and avid watcher of Toronto Blue Jays games, I went to almost every Hamilton Tiger Cats matchup at Ivor Wynne Stadium. And I took in what felt like billions of hockey games. I watched my friends on the high school squad as their official timekeeper, went to whatever London Knights games I could finagle free tickets to and took in Colorado Avalanche games with my first boyfriend when they were broadcast in our area.

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