Like a foot race to the finish, Prince Edward Islanders made major moves in their careers during the past year.
Whether it was a fashion designer who, inspired by the fall colours of P.E.I., won a major competition in Halifax, an inventor preparing to distribute his colourful board game or a P.E.I. singer becoming a hit with middle school girls in New Jersey, they celebrated a victory lap.
In keeping with The Guardian's feature department's annual year-end tradition, it's time to catch up with these Islanders to see what has gone on in their lives since their stories were published.
IN STITCHES
Louanna Murphy's sewing machine has been purring non-stop ever since she won the Off the Cuff Design Competition in Halifax last fall.
"Most of the work I'm doing is the direct result of that competition," says Murphy, whose high-waisted drainpipe trousers in a leafy print paired with a dusty blue camisole and a camel vest with a flawless circle hem and prim epaulettes caught the attention of Canadian fashion writers when they appeared on the runway at the Off the Cuff finale.
"Besides making these fashion pieces, I've been sewing custom-made wedding dresses. With the wedding season coming up, it looks like I'll be very busy," says the Kensington native, during a telephone interview from Halifax.
Murphy's other big news is that she opened the ninth annual Turbine Showcase in Halifax.
"I was absolutely thrilled with this opportunity," says the daughter of Reg and Nancy Murphy, whose collection was featured at the event, which took place at the World Trade and Convention Centre this past November.
"It was such a busy night. I worked right up until the last second before my eight models stepped out onto the runway," says Murphy, who was so busy with wardrobe changes backstage she didn't even get to see the show.
"But I got great reports from my friends and family," she says.
A great deal of thought went into the eight-piece collection.
"I started by using four looks from the Off the Cuff finale. I expanded that by adding four total looks, again inspired by the autumn colours of P.E.I.
"One of the key elements I focused on was layering, since it was a fall-winter collection. One of the trends I tended to use was a strong, angular shoulder for the women's garments. I used that look in three of the jackets I created for the show."
When the night was over she felt a deep sense of relief.
"It had been such a hectic year. I had graduated in May and right afterwards jumped into (making clothing for) the competition so I was excited to be able to get back to working on my own projects," says Murphy, a recent graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
TAKING HIS TURN
Enthusiasm over a board game created by Michael Corney is starting to spread.
Over 400 copies of Prince Edward Island's Raceroony have sold in the past six months.
"For the first little while we demonstrated the game at craft fairs so people could see it played live. Then we moved the game into tourist stores over the summer. We also made it available online," he says.
Then he revved up the excitement by creating an ad with his brother, Mark, and putting it on television, just before Christmas.
"As a result, many people got a game under the tree, this year," says Corney, adding that 200 were sold in the past three weeks.
Prince Edward Island's Raceroony is a roll-and-move racing game for ages six and up. The game board is a map of P.E.I. and the places where the markers land are actual seaside locations.
"It's a little like Monopoly and a little like Risk. We're trying to collect different cities, towns and villages. The object of the game is to race three laps around the board and to collect as many points as possible."
Since creating the game, Corney has received a lot of positive feedback.
"People have bought it for themselves or for loved ones who have moved away. We've had kids tell us about taking it to school for their board game day. Also, different teachers are using it in the classroom as a tool to teach geography," says Corney.
In addition to this game, there are others in the works.
Corney is getting ready to submit an Anne of Green Gables board game to the Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority for approval.
A computer programmer, he also likes virtual games.
"For me, the next step is launching Marked Mortals, a live action role-playing website where people can host a game or interact with similar minded people.
"Because role-playing games have such a mass appeal we hope to have this up and running early in the new year," says Corney, who divides his time between creative projects and working at Camp Seggie, a kid's camp at Rice Point.
A CHANGE OF DIRECTION
P.E.I.'s Brady Cudmore continues to embrace opportunities presented to him in the United States where he is pursuing his dream of becoming a pop star.
"It has been really productive, with lots of appearances," says the Hampshire native, a team member of Smart Trax, an organization that brings children positive messages about staying drug free, not smoking cigarettes, anti-violence, not drinking and driving and self-confidence through contemporary music videos and MP3s.
"My favourite gig was playing at The Pentagon (in Arlington, Va.) It was amazing (to be there) and the people were so responsive," says Cudmore, who performed for the United States Secretary of Defense and his 149 guests at the Hall of Heroes on Oct. 23 as three girls from Red Bluff, Calif., received an award for Impact, their substance reduction educational project.
Through his contacts, he has also been named Canadian spokesperson for Hopeline.com, a suicide prevention charity based in Washington.
He has also become popular in the public school system. In October, Cudmore had hundreds of high school students clapping in northern California when he premiered Impact, a song about drug and alcohol prevention.
"It was crazy seeing everyone getting up and dancing," he says.
Several weeks later when Cudmore performed at a Passaic, N.J., middle school for Castle Point Records, three police officers had to break up the fans.
"After my performance I had just signed 100 autographs and was about to go out the door and saw 200 kids waiting for autographs. I felt swamped.
"I was outside signing autographs when the police came. It was my first experience with security," says Cudmore.
Also in the fall, Cudmore ran into 12 students from his alma mater, Bluefield High School, and former teacher Stephen Cassidy when he attended the Audio Engineering Society (AES) convention in New York City. They went out for supper at the Hard Rock CafÉ, got together at Times Square for a photo shoot and toured the SkyRoom Studio the next day.
"Brady seems to be enjoying the New York experience. He's meeting lots of interesting people and should be releasing his new CD shortly," says Cassidy, during a telephone interview
Besides seeing familiar faces from home, a new door has just opened for Cudmore. He received his U.S. performance visa in November.
"This allows me to work in the states for the next three years and pursue acting opportunities. So now I'm working on my image and getting my performance perfected. I'm looking forward to the next step of my journey."
Fast facts
Getting in touch
Louanna Murphy: louanna25@hotmail.com.
Michael Corney:?www.kindacorney.com and www.markedmortals.com.
Brady Cudmore: www.bradycudmore.com.
