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CROSS EXAMINED McMillan associate Andrea St. Bernard will be competing for Grenada at the Olympics. Andrea St. Bernard is in full training mode preparing to compete in Going for gold taekwondo at the London Olympics. BY VAWN HIMMELSBACH find room for both in her life — although it' F or Andrea St. Bernard, law has always been a passion, as has competitive sports. But rather than choose between the two, she's managed to ciate at McMillan LLP in Toronto as well as a third-degree black belt in taekwondo who has qualified to represent her native Grenada at this summer' s a tricky balance. St. Bernard is an asso- Olympic Games. Growing up, s London 2012 Olympics with her family and imagine being there — doing whatever sport she happened to be doing at the time. But she didn't start taekwondo because she saw it as an avenue to the Olympics. At some she would watch the point along the way, the Olympics became a goal within reach. But St. Bernard also had a passion for the law. Before she went to law school, friends who she hadn't seen in years would ask her when she was going to do "the whole law thing. Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa., on a volleyball scholarship, she pursued business law at the University of Toronto. During her time at U of T, St. Bernard discovered martial arts — about eight months before starting law school. "I've always been interested in martial arts, but hadn't found the opportunity or right coach and situation," she tells Canadian Lawyer, admitting she was a relatively latecomer to the sport. "I was comfortably 24 M AY 2012 www. CANADIAN Lawyermag.com " After attending ready to move on from volleyball having done it for many years and quite possibly reached the height of my volleyball career. With volleyball, her options were lim- " ited: She could either play for the national team or pursue a career in Europe, where the sport is more popular. But volley- ball is also a team sport that requires a commitment to scheduling, which wasn't something St. Bernard could do through law school. She met a taekwondo coach through family and tried out a class at Young Choung Taekwondo Academy in Toronto. During her first class, someone held a target for her and told her to kick it. She started kicking, and hasn't stopped. On a physical level, taekwondo requires strength, balance, and speed. But it also mcmillaN