Canadian short-track speedskater Jessica Gregg suffered two concussions this season.

If my season went according to plan this year, I would be in Sheffield, England right now preparing for the short-track speedskating world championships. Instead, I'm at home in Calgary.

As much as we plan and prepare for each season, there are always variables we can't control. Such as falling hard into the mats and getting a concussion, which is exactly what happened to me for the second time this season.

In February, my team and I traveled to Moscow for the fifth stop on the World Cup circuit. Many of us had never been to Russia, so we had a good time experiencing all we could, visiting Red Square and taking the famous subway.

The competition went well for most of the team, but ups and downs were experienced, as usual. I had some good races, but overall didn't skate my best and wasn't able to make it to an "A" final.

Our relay team skated really strong and got on the podium in second place, so that was a nice finish to the competition. I was really looking forward to the next weekend, where the last World Cup of the season was being held in Dresden, Germany.

Crashed hard

The week was going well, and I was getting eager for the races. The day before the competition, we usually have a speed practice to get primed.

That's when all this started again.

I was chasing the boys, going as fast as I could, and as I came around the apex of one corner, the ice broke away from my skate. I crashed hard into the mats and my head whipped around into the mats as well. I got off the ice and tried to rest because I knew the instant headache was not a good sign. Long story short, I had to sit out the competition and still have not recovered fully. My season ended a lot earlier than I'd hoped.

I was really upset and frustrated and confused at first, but when I realized there wasn't anything I could do I knew those emotions weren't going to help. I still wonder what I would be doing if I was in Sheffield right now, but I'm trying to focus on the here and now and on the things I have in my control. Just like in skating.

I get to attend all my university classes for the rest of the semester - maybe something a normal student would not be too happy about, but it's one positive for me in this situation.

I have time to recover fully and get healthy before starting summer training. In a four-year cycle between each Olympics, I guess I picked a good year to have a little more time off than usual. The next three years will go by quickly, so I know I need to take every opportunity from now on and make the most of them.