My Watermark is Clearwater Lake, Ontario.

Growing up as a competitive swimmer, I am no stranger to the water. It is as familiar to me as my house. Despite the fact that most of my hours in the water have been spent in pools, none of them compare to my time spent in Clearwater Lake. On the shores of Clearwater Lake stands the camp I love, Ontario Pioneer Camp, where I spent my summers developing into the person I am today.

I remember being overjoyed whenever there was a "Free Swim, Boats Out" period. I knew it would mean endless possibilties for fun. I could choose between going kayaking, canoeing, or sailing with friends. Or maybe I'd want to spend the entire time doing crazy jumps off the diving towers and getting shot up into the air on our infamous 'Blob'. Or perhaps descending to the lake's murky depths in order to recover treasures lost by previous swimmers, my most memorable find being a bowling ball that still sits in my garage. However, it wasn't just fun that makes Clearwater so important to me. It was on Clearwater Lake that I learned how to sail, canoe, kayak and drove my first motorboat. It was where I had my love of boating instilled in me. It is where I still do the majority of my boating, because I return there during the summer to work with children at OPC and teach them how to boat.

Clearwater Lake is so important to me because it has made me who I am. I know for fact that if Clearwater Lake didn't exist I wouldn't be the person I am today. I hope that this lake continues to exist long after I'm gone so it may continue to shape people just like it did to me.