Town loses more talent

When Romeo said to Juliet “parting is such bittersweet sorrow that I should say goodnight until it be ‘morrow” there was an underlying guarantee that the sun would rise and their love-stricken hearts would be together again.

For two Jasperites, Amy Guidinger and Tina Giotsalitis, as they drove south down highway 93 headed for Revelstoke, their next Jasper adventure has no date, but they both remain hopeful that they’ll stay in close contact with the friends and mountains they’ve come to love in Jasper. Until next time though, they said parting was bittersweet and sad.

Any Jasperite who has put their shoulder out, had an aching back, or is perhaps recovering from a sports injury, probably knows one, or both of them, as they’ve spent the last few years (four years for Guidinger, two for Giotsalitis) working at the Jasper Physiotherapy and Massage Clinic.

They both agree it wasn’t an easy decision. Guidinger explained that her pros and cons list of living in Jasper versus living in Revelstoke was a hard and painful task, but an important one nonetheless.

In the end, the sweet taste of juicy ambitions to set up her own physiotherapy clinic prevailed over the bitterness of leaving her beloved friends and lifestyle behind.

“The main reason was for the business opportunity - I was ready to start a business,” she said adding, “Mandi and Cyril, their business here has really been able to let me grow as a physiotherapist and I’ve kind of had these goals and achievements that I want to attain and I’ve reached a level now where I feel confident.”

So, ready to take the leap into her own business, the physiotherapist was lucky to find another town with similar recreational activities as Jasper that had a need for a private physiotherapy clinic.

Interestingly, Guidinger already has a solid network of ex-Jasperites who are now Revelstokians - people who’ve left Jasper to set down roots in a similar mountain-town environment, where a significant difference is that Revelstoke is on the outskirts of the national park.

“I’ve known for four years that there’s been no private clinic in Revelstoke and now I’m ready to go and I’m ready to start a clinic and that opportunity is not going to be around forever,” she said.

“So, it’s just kind of timing in life and Revelstoke has a good business opportunity and it’s got a lot to offer as far as similar experiences that Jasper has.”

Self-admittedly, and by the popularity of their work in Jasper, the professional duo make a solid team and are ready to take on the next challenge of their career - together. “Coming down with a partner is great,” the physiotherapist said.

For Giotsalitis whose partner Pete Elkerbout is also heading to Revelstoke with the girls, the decision was made easier once she knew Guidinger was going to Revelstoke to set up her own clinic another sweet bite in her career path.

“It’s definitely a lot easier to go with a team, than by myself,” Guidinger added. “We’re going very much as a team.”

As a massage therapist in an industry that isn’t regulated nation-wide, it was important that Giotsalitis followed on with her work from Jasper, she wanted to stay within a physiotherapist clinic.

“The other big factor too was, where do I work? I’ve got some pretty high standards now as to where I want to work and who I want to work with,” said the massage therapist.

“We can provide a coordinated service to people and then it’s going to just work out that Pete will fit in as clinic manager and be our backbone for running the show,” Guidinger said.

Giotsalitis added, “knowing that I could have all that in a town, plus have Amy to work with as well, plus be able to buy a house, it was just kind of everything all the little factors kind of all going in that kind of pushed us.”

A move to Revelstoke also meant a move into home-ownership, which was an important piece of the puzzle for both, though Guidinger admits she would have been happy to stay in Jasper and be part of the co-operative.

“The housing situation there was definitely an extra motivational push for sure, and just the fact that we did realize that ... we could settle down and buy a house, as we were ready for that ... and here it wasn’t really an option - not to the extent that it was there. So that was definitely a push,” Giotsalitis said.

“Housing is definitely more reasonable there,” said Guidinger adding that housing prices in Jasper were a “deterrent”, but it was more of a “bonus”, rather than a deciding factor, that she could purchase a house in Revelstoke.

Another added bonus for Giotsalitis, who is originally from Toronto, is a couple of her and Elkerbout’s favourite recreational sports - Brazilian Ju-jitsu and Ultimate Frisbee - are much more popular in Revelstoke. But the move also means heading due-south from the icy landscape that they enjoy to climb.

“The fact that we could both get into those activities again meant a lot,” she said.

Both women, obviously career-driven and extremely professional, have made life-long connections in Jasper with not only their co-workers but the rest of the community. These connections, they both said, are the hardest part about leaving the little mountain town - the sour aftertaste of their bittersweet goodbyes.

Thursday night rides, organized by Freewheel, are just one example of a place where she met many other strong, athletic, inspirational characters of the community.

With tears in her eyes, the agony of leaving Jasper - though exciting and positive roads lie ahead - is written all over her face as she talks of a community, with so many characters, she’s come to love.

“It’s sad,” said Guidinger as her eyes welled up, “really, really, sad.”

“It’s the community, for sure, that’s going to be the hardest to leave,” added Giotsalitis, “it’s been a long week of goodbyes and saying goodbye to people that you’ve developed a strong rapport and strong relationship with, even just therapeutically - it’s such an inspiring community especially coming from the big city to here.

“One of the first people I treated was this 84 year-old guy who had just done a crazy kayak trek, like backcountry six-day kayak trek and he was “just a little bit tight” from his trip and I was like ‘pardon me? What planet am I on that this 84 year-old guy is just a little bit tight after doing a six-day backcountry kayak trek.”

“Jasper is just full of inspiration on how you want to live your life and that’s why it’s just bittersweet,” Guidinger said with Giotsalitis nodding her head in agreement.

The pair hope to have the clinic, Helios Rehabilitation and Performance, open by the end of June.