I first started talking with Graham Jenkins a few months ago to ask permission if he could use one of my action photos. He wanted to surprise his daughter Hallie for her 10th birthday by having it blown-up, printed to vinyl and pasted on her wall. I sent him a few options not really understanding how the whole thing was going to work out. He decided to go with the same image that was used on my poster that Big White printed last fall. It’s a shot taken last November by photographer-extraordinaire John Evely.

I recently heard from Graham again; he sent me a photo of the finished product. I couldn’t believe what I saw a life-sized image of me bursting out of Hallie’s bedroom wall. I decided that I would have to make a special trip to see the mural first hand.

On Friday November 2nd I surprised Hallie by showing up on her doorstep. Very politely and quite shyly, the young lady invited my mom and me into her house and led us up to her room. The Jenkins supplied a permanent marker, well actually two, and I got down to signing her wall. I was so excited that my hand was shaky. The marker didn’t take too well to the paint on the wall but I feel Hallie was happy with the finished product. “Believe in the power of your dreams” is the message that now themes the mural. I hope Hallie recognizes and embraces this idea daily. She is a great athlete both on the slopes and in the water and I hope she continues to excel in the future. I’m sure she will!

Follow this link to watch a short video of our visit: Visiting Hallie: Kelsey Serwa’s Greatest Honour