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AthletesNOW
The newsletter of AthletesCAN - December 2009
Supporting the Voices of 2010 and Beyond
In support of our membership, Canada’s national team athletes embarking on one of the most important journeys of their lives, the 2010 Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games, AthletesCAN recently launched a new feature entitled ‘Supporting the Voices of 2010 and Beyond’ at www.athletescan.com for all Canadians to show their support.
“As the voice of Canada’s national team athletes, AthletesCAN must stand up for our members and support our sport partners”, says Andrew Nisker, President of AthletesCAN. “At the dawn of the 2010 Games, it is important that Canadians understand the financial challenges of our winter and summer athletes. These initiatives enable all Canadians to support our athletes, take pride in their country and become a part of the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth spirit."
AthletesCAN Board of Directors and Staff : (Back row from left to right) Josh Vander Vies (Boccia), Erik Petursson (Diving), Alex Orlando (Rhythmic Gymnastics), Nicole Forrester (Athletics), Andrew Nisker (Tennis), Suzanne Weckend (Triathlon), Thomas Hall (Canoe), Josh Riker-Fox (Modern Pentathlon) and Alec Denys (Archery); (Front row from left to right) Danika Tanguay (Operations Coordinator), Moira Lassen (Executive Director) and Ashley Kilburn (Manager, Athlete Relations & Strategic Partnerships).
How can you support our Canadian athletes during this exciting time?
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BELIEVE/IMAGINE Merchandise
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Canadian Olympic Foundation
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Canadian Paralympic Foundation
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Commonwealth Games Foundation of Canada
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Paint the Town Red
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Red Mitten Campaign
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Support Canada’s 2010 Commonwealth Games athletes through MUSIC!
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Molson Canadian GIVE’R Campaign
Follow the torch relay through the eyes of AthletesCAN Intern turned Torch Relay team member extraordinaire, Kristen Ray! Check out her blog Traveling Across the Country…with fire at http://crosscountryfire.blogspot.com/.
Join us at AthletesCAN in our commitment to Painting the Town Red while sporting our Red Mittens across the country! Click here to see how we’re doing it.
AthletesCAN has spirit…now let’s see yours Canada!
Applications for the 2010 Team Investors Group Amateur Athletes Fund are now available!
In keeping with their commitment to amateur sport in Canada, Investors Group is once again offering $5,000 each to 20 of our country’s high performance athletes to assist with costs of training and competition. Since the program’s inception in 2000, the Team Investors Group Amateur Athletes Fund has provided Canadian athletes with $1,000,000.
“The Investors Group Bursary kept me out of the line at the soup kitchen and in line for medals on the world stage!” says Jon Montgomery, Skeleton athlete and 2010 Olympic hopeful. “The additional funding has enabled me to focus on training and competition as I work towards representing Canada at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and I am thankful for their generosity”.
The bursary selection committee is made up of active and retired national team athletes and officials from AthletesCAN. The bursary fund is open to any active senior national team athlete who meets the eligibility criteria.
Deadline for applications is February 1st, 2009. Click here for more details and to download the application.
by Deidra Dionne, Olympic Bronze Medalist
As I sit down to write this article I keep wondering to myself - do I really have a piece of advice worthy enough to share with the masses in the lead up to 2010 (which is already so close it scares even me!)? I guess we’re about to find out…Having reached the podium at both the World Championships and Olympic Games, I believe the most important thing I did throughout my preparation was to listen to myself and those closest to me, while making an effort to block out all the advice I was getting from those on the outside looking in. I have been very fortunate during my career. I’ve always had a wonderful support team behind the front line who I put all my faith and trust in. I believed in my coach to lead me down the right path; I trusted my sport psychologist in her ability to read my confidence levels and react accordingly; I had faith in my strength trainer to create programs that made me strong and capable of handling the demands of my sport; and when my body parts started hurting (which in aerials it often does!), I had close relationships with all of our medical staff and felt comfortable turning to them in my time of need. I never felt the need to search because I knew I had what I needed at my fingertips….I just had to ask.
Asking was always the toughest part for me. I wasn’t always a great communicator and it took me a long time to learn to let down my wall and open myself up to my support team. I often felt the need to do things my way, on my own, believing the best way to build my belief and confidence was to try and succeed without the help of the professionals around me. Although I sometimes had success in my approach, I would have been a much stronger athlete if I had been open to those who dedicated their lives to making me better.
Having had the opportunity to reflect on my career, I think my biggest piece of advice to those heading into the Olympic, Paralympic, and Commonwealth Games would be to have those tough conversations now. Make sure you are on the same page as your support team. Let them know what works best for you and don’t be afraid of offending anyone - chances are they want to hear what you have to say. Everyone is different and should be treated accordingly. Use your voice…your dream is also the dream of those closest to you, so make sure you are all walking the same path. But then again, you shouldn’t need the advice of someone on the outside looking in.
Athletes Making a Difference – Project Blue Sky: Taking Steps to Fight Climate Change
by David Calder, 2008 Olympic Silver medalist
by David Calder, 2008 Olympic Silver medalist
An Athlete’s Role
When I arrived at the race course in Beijing and couldn’t see further than 250 M down the 2000 M course, I was concerned about the long term impacts that the pollution could have on my health. How would this venue impact me 4 years down the road at my next Olympic Games? Then I started thinking about how the pollution would impact my 5 year old for the rest of her life.My children’s generation have a shorter life expectancy than my own. This is the first time a subsequent generation has been in this situation; I think of obesity, I think of TV and video games, I think of the internet as contributing factors. But what about the health impacts on kids by their physical environment? So I wanted to do something about it.
The Canadian Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Council, on which I sit, along with Paralympic and other high performance athletes have teamed up with the Masters of Digital Media (MDM) students at Great Northern Way to create Project Blue Sky (www.projectbluesky.ca).
Project Blue Sky (PBS), inspired by athletes and built by students, is a way to motivate individuals and groups to take steps in their personal lives to fight climate change through increased physical activity and sustainable travel. In the final lead up to the hosting of the 2010 Games, PBS aims to capture the imagination of individuals that have an interest in environmental issues, and have them track and capture their individual carbon reducing activities. The overall objective is to mobilize Olympic and Paralympic athletes to take a leadership role and to use the 2010 Games to shine a spotlight on the issue. The end result will be encouraging people from around the world to take action to reduce their carbon footprint by registering 1 billion kilometres of carbon reducing activity between now and the end of the Paralympic Games.
As athletes, the world watches us every once in a while. But unlike the professional athletes, kids can interact with us as there are no barriers. I challenge all of you to be positive role models, to make a difference in your communities by using your extraordinary position for good. Maybe you want to take a stab at beating my 1400 Km of carbon reduction, or take on your own cause. It’s not important what you do, it is important that you do. Research shows that enough people want to do their part, they just don’t always know how. Now is the time for you to show the leadership needed to rally people behind any cause – it’s up to you.
Back to Top
- AthletesCAN is donating Team Canada gear to Sick Kids teen athletes for the holiday season. The Team Canada gear was generously donated and signed by 2009 AthletesCAN Forum athletes.
- Five members of the AthletesCAN Board of Directors were named Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch bearers!
Congratulations to:
Thomas Hall - December 10th in Pointe Claire, QC
Alec Denys delivered a speech on Dec. 14th in Peterborough, ON;
Good luck to:
Nicole Forrester - December 17th in Markham, ON
Joshua Riker-Fox - January 19th in Calgary, AB
Erik Petursson - January 21 in Banff, AB
By Dan Strickland and Dave Reynolds, Sport Solution Program Managers
During the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the ad hoc Division will establish an on-site office. Since the primary goal of the ad hoc Division is the timely resolution of disputes, a binding decision will be rendered within twenty-four hours of an application being logged. If the issue at hand is of an extremely urgent matter, the ad hoc Division may enter a stay of the effects of a challenged decision. This means that the effects of the decision, such as a disqualification, will be put on hold until it can be properly addressed by CAS.
It should be noted that although the ad hoc Division is the final court of appeal for Olympic/Paralympic disputes, all other internal appeal remedies must be exhausted before an application can be made. If time permits, the internal appeal procedures of the IOC/IPC, National Olympic/Paralympic Committee, International Federation, or the Vancouver Olympic Committee must be addressed first.
To appeal a decision through the ad hoc Division, a written application must be filed with the court office. The application form will be made available to athletes through the court office or through the Canadian Olympic / Paralympic Committee. To complete the form, the athlete will be required to provide the following information: (i) a copy of the decision being challenged (if possible); (ii) a brief statement of the facts and legal arguments on which the application is based; (iii) the specific relief / outcome requested; and (iv) the athlete’s address at the site of the Olympic/Paralympic Games, and, if available, the facsimile numbers and e-mail address at which the athlete can be reached for the purposes of the proceedings. The application can be submitted in either French or English.
In the event of a hearing, the athlete may choose to represent themselves or be represented or assisted by a person of their choice, as long as circumstances (time) permit. If a hearing is being held in which an athlete may be adversely affected, the athlete has the right to be present, however, attendance at the hearing is not mandatory, and the proceedings may continue without the athlete. Any decision made by the ad hoc Division is enforceable immediately and cannot be appealed against or otherwise challenged. Please note: Both the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Canadian teams have appointed a Team Ombudsperson (Yann Bernard - Olympic / Jeff Palamar - Paralympic) to assist athletes,if necessary. Contact information and protocol will be provided by Team Canada.
Due to the nature of competition, appeals can and will be made during the Games and because of extremely limited time constraints, it is in the best interest of all athletes, whether competing at the Olympics, Paralympics, as well as, at any other internationally sanctioned competition to be aware of the rules governing in competition appeals.
For further information regarding in competition appeals, please contact Dan Strickland or Dave Reynolds at law.sportsolution@uwo.ca. The Sport Solution is a free-of-charge service offered to all members of AthletesCAN.
Editor: Danika Tanguay
dtanguay@athletescan.com
AthletesNOW is a quarterly publication of AthletesCAN, the association representing Canada’s national team athletes, including Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American, Commonwealth, and Aboriginal games athletes. Submissions to AthletesNOW (either stories or photographs) are welcome and may be sent to the editor. Submitted articles may be edited for length and content.
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