There shouldn't even be a debate about doing the necessary repairs to the roof of the Calgary Olympic Oval. The aging facility is in desperate need of a new roof and other upgrades.
Calgary's Olympic Oval is pushing ahead with much-needed repairs to the cash-strapped facility.
The aging structure -- built for the 1988 Winter Games -- has a leaky roof that's also a safety concern for skaters. The University of Calgary has put out a request for proposal and hopes to fix the problem by next summer, at the latest.
Think your spawn has the stuff of Jon Montgomery or Kristina Groves? Then sign them up for the Olympic Sports Training Camp at Calgary's Canada Olympic Park.
Shaw television came out to the Park earlier this month and took a tour of the Athletic and Ice Complex (AIC). Check out this great story that Brendan Parker put together.
WinSport Canada president Guy Huntingford - who led a major infrastructure expansion and struggled to keep the city's cash-strapped Olympic facilities afloat during the recession - has resigned.
Mountain Biking - This past Saturday, Canada Olympic Park opened its first 4X course.
Four riders at a time can pedal the 450-metre dirt four-cross course, which starts at the top of the hill and weaves its way down 135 metres of vertical drop through numerous gaps, berms, drops, logs and step downs.
The federal minister of sport is close to giving approval to a plan that gives a financial leg-up to Calgary's Olympic Oval by allowing it to draw on the principal of its legacy fund.
There turned out to be some familiar starting points. John Kucera in skiing, for instance. And Francois Hamelin in speedskating.
But other elite athletes, as kids, took indirect routes to their eventual pursuits of choice. Snowboarder Rob Fagan got his organized-sport start in soccer (Cranbrook, B.C.).
Construction of the $220-million Athletic and Ice Complex at Canada Olympic Park began long before the opening ceremonies on the 21st Winter Olympiad in February.
Clad in a hard hat and steel-toed boots, hockey player Carla MacLeod imagined what her life would be like at Canada's first winter sport institute as she toured its construction site.
"From an athlete's standpoint, it's like a little taste of heaven," the two-time Olympic gold medalist said as she ambled between concrete pillars.
Downhill mountain biking is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Just don't tell anyone how good it is for you.
Want proof? If you head out to Calgary's Canada Olympic Park (COP) and ride the trails for three hours, you'll probably have ridden 4,000 vertical feet and burned around 2,100 calories. You'll also be pumping clean air through your lungs as well as building muscle and endurance.
The days of financial uncertainty at the Olympic Oval are coming to an end.
WinSport Canada and the University of Calgary have signed off on an amendment to the Olympic Endowment Fund, created to pay for the facility after the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary.
Calgary kids will be able to experience a day of free sports on June 19 during the second annual All Sport One Day.
The event, put on by the Calgary Sport Council, is expanding this year to include four more facilities, 23 sports organizations and nearly a dozen Olympic and Paralympic volunteers.
They're not about to change the name to the Calgary Cowboys, but the Canadian men's alpine ski team has certainly found a home in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains.
Just three months removed from his World Cup overall win in super-G, Eric Guay is the latest Canadian Cowboy to settle in the Stampede City.
A mud puddle explodes in my face halfway down Haircut Rabbit, in a depression at the bottom of a steep drop bounded by a berm. My back wheel slips in the soup, gravity pulling me down. Ahead of me, Mark Venier is already gone.
"The Athletic and Ice Complex will be one of the most unique environments in the world, where athletes and sports organizations from many different backgrounds can come together in one place and learn from each other," says Guy Huntingford, president and CEO, WinSport Canada.
It appears more Canadians are eager to strap on skis, snowboards and speed skates and even hurtle down a sliding track in the wake of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
A junior provincial freestyle competition in Vernon, B.C. on Easter weekend attracted a record 165 skiers.
This past week Tracy Cobb of WinSport Canada provided the writer with a first hand look at construction of the $231 million athletic and ice complex on Canada Olympic Park. Construction is approximately 60% complete but already one can see the opportunities the facility will provide for the future of Canada's Winter Olympic Athletes.
Alberta could take a starring a role in the country's movie industry, with plans moving forward to build a state-of the-art movie studio at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.
Minister of Culture and Community Spirit Lindsay Blackett said Sunday his department has invested $1.2 million to get the request for proposal process moving in the next three or four weeks for the city's own $26 million movie studio, as part of soon-to-be announced incentives to get filmmakers to shoot in Alberta.
Thanks to great weather and increased activity because of the 2010 Olympics, Canada Olympic Park is celebrating its best winter ever.
It will close for the season on Tuesday and a spokesperson for the ski hill says starting then, workers will start preparing the hill for mountain bike season.
The Vancouver Olympics and an early blast of cold weather helped give Canada Olympic Park its best and biggest winter season since the 1988 Calgary Games.
A cold snap in the fall meant the snow-making machines could rev up early this season, spokesman Stewart McDonough said Saturday after COP's season-closing weekend bash... McDonough said the fact Calgarians are proud of their Olympic and sporting heritage helped make this season a rousing success.
Thanks to early snowy gifts from Mother Nature and a flurry of activity for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, COP is celebrating its best winter season ever.
Canada Olympic Park was open for a record 1,616 hours and only closed for two days this year, its fewest ever since 1988.
So believe it or not, school is a mere three months from giving back your kids for 18 hours a day of "I'm bored,...there's nothing to do,...stop ignoring me,...why are you crying..!" Having two to three weeks off a year for vacation will afford many families to get out of town for a week or so, but what about the rest of the time?
Re: "Alex Bilodeau is a class act," Letter, March 29.
My family and I want to congratulate Canada Olympic Park for hosting the Canadian national freestyle ski championships this past weekend. Also, and in particular, Alex Bilodeau, our Olympic hero, for being so accessible and accommodating for three proud Canadian fans.
Calgary's Mix 97.7 FM: GMC March of Champions at COP - Mar 26, 2010
Beesley interviews COP team member about the GMC March of Champions coming to Canada Olympic Park on Saturday, March 27. Olympic Champions Alexandre Bilodeau (moguls) and Ashleigh McIvor (ski cross) will be competing for National Championship titles in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans.
Event - Are you ready to say goodbye to the ski season at Calgary's closest ski area?
There's just one more weekend left to sneak in some spring skiing before Canada Olympic Park closes April 6. But there's still time for one last big party.
Canadians will get more chances to watch high-performance athletes compete on home soil as the Alberta and British Columbia governments work to attract World Cup events to the Olympic legacy facilities.
Officials with the two provinces announced Wednesday that they've drawn men's and women's bobsled and skeleton World Cup events to Whistler from Nov. 22 to 25 and then Calgary from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5.
Check out this great feature on COP during the Freestyle World Cup. Some of the best athletes in the world share their love for our great facility here in Calgary.
The Olympic Oval in Calgary will remain the home of Canada's long-track speed skating team for the next 20 years, thanks to an agreement between WinSport Canada, the University of Calgary and the Federal Government. The Oval fell into financial trouble last year.
A rescue plan to keep Calgary's cash-strapped Olympic Oval running for another 20 years has cleared a key hurdle with the federal government pledging its support.
The proposal, pitched by WinSport Canada and the University of Calgary, requires an amendment to a legacy fund created to pay for Olympic facilities in Calgary after the 1988 Winter Games.
The future of sport is in your hands. This may sound like an outlandish statement, but it's true. A generation of young Canadians were just inspired by the heroic efforts of Canada's best athletes in Vancouver and Whistler. WinSport Canada is calling on all Canadians to help provide this next generation of Canadian Olympic heroes with the best opportunity to discover, develop and excel at winter sport.
Work is well underway on the future home of Hockey Canada in Calgary. The $225 million Athletic and Ice Complex at Canada Olympic Park will include three NHL sized rinks and one international sized ice surface.
Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympics was a game changer for Canada.
Our young people, our new immigrants, our long-time citizens, were swept up in a red-and-white storm of flag-waving patriotism the likes of which we have never seen.
Canada will finish the 2010 Winter Games with 26 medals - 13 of which are guaranteed to be gold and this number could still increase to 14 depending upon the results of the Men's ice hockey final on Sunday. Let the results show that Canada has had a very successful Winter Games.
If you've ever wanted to learn how to ski or snowboard, Canada Olympic Park is the place to go! Two reporters from "Eyes on Calgary" tested their skills on the slopes. Skiing Lesson
Article written by Ken Read - board member of WinSport Canada.
The most important thing is winning. If you're not in the fight, there's no excitement. It's not about the participation. It's about the scariness of lining up when you have a chance.
That wisdom is from Jake Wetzel, Olympic gold and silver medalist in rowing.
Guy Huntingford, CEO of the organization that manages Canada Olympic Park, said while some frustrated athletes and commentators are targeting the national program aimed at boosting Canada’s medal performance, it’s no time to retreat.
“Without Own the Podium we can’t stay in step with the rest of the world,” he said Sunday...
Today marks the half -way point of the 2010 Olympics and like we expected Canadian athletes are excelling. 8 Olympic medals to date, 4 of which are Olympic Gold. Canadians from coast to coast are rejoicing as a result.
As the rest of the country applauds the Own the Podium program isn't it time we recognized who is truly responsible for Canada's success at these Games. Stand up and Cheer Calgary! It is you and your Olympic Legacy who is truly responsible for Canada's success at these Olympic Games.
Consider the facilities alone. For the past 22 years, the Calgary-based WinSport Canada has contributed close to $124 million to sport development...
Sports groups are offered support to operate and train out of the facilities at WinSport Canada, with subsidies of approximately $1.6 million in 2008-09. The Own the Podium program, which provided resources to athletes, coaches and support personnel leading up to the 2010 Games, is based in Calgary and has been an important partner at WinSport Canada.
The legacy of Calgary’s 1988 Games (still one of the only Olympics to have actually turned a profit) continues to be felt far beyond the prairie city itself. In a very real sense, Vancouver’s Olympics has Calgary’s fingerprints all over them.
Consider the facilities alone. For the past 22 years, the Calgary-based WinSport Canada has contributed close to $124 million to sport development.
The Olympics are upon us, so use the time to take advantage of all that is available in Calgary. To try the sport of biathlon, contact the Foothills Nordic Ski Club (foothillsnordic.ca) or Canada Olympic Park (winsportcanada.ca) for the program best suited to you and your family. Go Canada!
Canada Olympic Park has already put about 10,000 more skiers on its chairlifts, a 25 per cent increase over last winter to this point. Though other ski areas declined to release actual numbers of skiers, most reported a significant increase in the percentage of skier visits so far this winter compared to a year ago.
An Ipsos Reid poll revealed this week that only 53% of British Columbians are "excited" about the Olympics. Must have something to do with all that rain. Here in Calgary, it's a different story.
As evidenced by the huge response to the torch run when it passed through Calgary, we just love the Olympics. Maybe that's because it's in our blood.
The Whistler Sliding Centre has been closed while coroners investigate the death of a 21-year-old luger in an Olympic training run, but the sliders scheduled to compete in the Games are staying put.
With the five world-class venues built for its Winter Olympic Games still in use over two decades later (like the Olympic Oval, which lays claim to "the world's fastest ice" for both professional speed skaters-in-training and the ice-skating public), Calgary is determined to ensure that its Olympic legacy isn't trumped by 2010 in Vancouver.
As the host city of Canada's last Olympics, we look to Vancouver with a certain envy today and offer some advice to grumpy Vancouverites who remain blase about the Games: quit your bellyachin' and try to have some fun.
Ottawa's tossed a $15 million strike to ensure the building in Calgary of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
Standing in front of heavy equipment that will almost immediately begin construction of the 40,000 sq.-ft. museum in the northwest corner of Canada Olympic Park, Environment Minister Jim Prentice said facility serve as a powerful symbol for aspiring athletes.
For the first three turns on what's essentially an open-top tunnel of thick ice, I'm relieved. Hey, this is great, I think. Then the intensity shoots up as my stomach drops down. Turns four through 14 are essentially a blur. Every now and then, my helmet bangs into the side of the bobsleigh as the velocity presses my head, neck and shoulders down.
Canada Olympic Park has been buzzing lately. First, there was World Cup freestyle skiing, then Intercontinental Cup skeleton races, the Canadian Bobsleigh Championships, and, last week, a FIS Snowboard World Cup event at which Canadian Olympian Justin Lamoureux finished second in the halfpipe.
Pierce Mimura sounds like a stereotypical teenage snowboarder when he talks about the tricks he plans to nail in the Burton Canadian Open at Canada Olympic Park this week.
"I can do, like, nines and frontside 1080s," says Mimura during a break from a practice session in the terrain park at COP.
Georg Hansen knew he wanted to get his hands on a 2010 Olympic torch. After all, the 82 year old Calgarian's metal fabrication company helped build the torches for the 1988 games. Georg got his chance Wednesday to tell his tale of two torches.
Holding the 2010 Olympic torch Wednesday was especially magical for Georg Hansen - mostly because he had its 1988 predecessor in his other hand.
Hansen, who owned one of several companies that manufactured the torches for the 1988 Winter Games hosted by Calgary, was surprised by his family with a chance to unite the two torches at Canada Olympic Park.
They may not be mandatory for skiers and snowboarders, but a new study by University of Calgary scientists proves people who wear helmets on the slopes are much less likely to suffer head injuries in a fall.
Snowboarder Jeff Batchelor is two weeks away from the Winter Olympics, but if he wants to reach his goal and win gold, he will have to treat it as a normal event.
After crashing out of qualifying for a World Cup halfpipe event at Canada Olympic Park Friday afternoon, the 21-year-old will have to recover mentally before he hits Vancouver.
WinSport Canada's Canada Olympic Park, or C.O.P. to it's friends, is the epitome of the ‘local hill'. A mere 20-minute drive west from anywhere in Calgary and easily accessible by public transit, C.O.P. is the ultimate urban winter playground. Originally named Paskapoo, the hill was sold in 1984 and prepped for the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988.
When it comes to describing the role the National Sport School has played in her development as a freestyle skier, high-performance athlete Melanie Gow is pretty blunt.
"I would not be at the level I am at now," says the 16-year-old Grade 11 student who skis at the national level.
Renowned reporter Larry Hoff and his southern crew were on location at COP for a two-day shoot that featured ski jumping and bobsleighing. Both days, WinSport Canada and Canada Olympic Park went live to 162 markets in the United Sates.
WinSport Canada and the University of Calgary have pitched a rescue plan to the federal government that could keep the cash-strapped Olympic Oval running for another 20 to 25 years.
The plan, which has been sent to Minister of Sport Gary Lunn, became necessary after the non-profit organization took a multimillion dollar hit on its legacy funds last year as financial markets plunged.
The Olympic Flame got a real taste of the 88 games as it was sent on its way to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Thousands of people gathered at Canada Olympic park for one last look at the torch before it heads westward.
Flickering isn't the right word to describe the flame that still burns in the hearts of Calgarians.
Hundreds of cars lined 16 Avenue NW as drivers stood on their cars with cell phones and cameras to glimpse the Olympic torch parade as it left Canada Olympic Park - and most didn't mind the wait.
Thousands of Calgarians bid the Olympic torch goodbye Wednesday as the flame ignited memories of the city's 1988 games.
Waiting among an excited throng for the arrival of the flame beneath Canada Olympic Park's cauldron was 1988 Winter Games head honcho Frank King, who reflected on how the event's progressed over the past 22 years.
Golden memories of the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics were alive and well as the city said farewell to the torch.
"This is bringing back all the great memories of 1988," said retired schoolteacher Nancy Fehr, who was decked out in her gleaming '88 volunteer jacket and pants, with the '88 stuffed mascots Heidi and Howdy tied around her waist. "Now it's being experienced by a whole new generation of Calgarians, and they'll catch Olympic fever too."
It had been 22 years since the Olympic flame rolled through Calgary, and when the torch relay arrived this week for three days of celebrations, it brought with it the ghosts of Olympics past, present and future.
Today marks the return of the Olympic torch to Calgary, where 22 years ago, it ignited the most successful Winter Games ever. They are the Games that keep giving. The profits from the 1988 Olympics were invested in endowment funds, and used to continue operating the Olympic facilities in Calgary, Canmore and B.C.
The arrival of the scared Olympic flame in Calgary tomorrow is bound to rekindle a lot of memories - and emotions.
No one who was here when Calgary hosted the XV Olympic Winter Games will forget the passion and excitement that griped the city during 16 glorious days in February 22 years ago.
Outdoor enthusiasts will have a new playground on the western edge of Calgary that could also double as a venue for international cross-country ski and mountain biking competitions, if the city approves a proposal from WinSport Canada.
WinSport -- which owns Canada Olympic Park along with several other athletic training facilities -- hopes to present the 64-hectare donation of land at a meeting with the city in March.
Hockey players and skaters, get ready to lace up: Calgary is about to gain four sheets of ice, something that is laughably overdue in a city of more than a million people.
Now, add to that a high-performance training centre for pro athletes, plus new headquarters for Hockey Canada and Skate Canada, put it all at WinSport Canada's Canada Olympic Park (COP), and you've reached something close to frozen Nirvana
Construction workers hoist a 100-ft., 20,000 lb., glue-laminated beam into place at the ice rinks under construction at Canada Olympic Park yesterday. The beam was one of the first supports to be put in place to support the roof in what will be one of four rinks at the all-season park on Calgary's west side. The park was a major sports venue when Calgary hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1988. One of the rinks being built will be Olympic-sized when the complex is completed.
It's a cool winter morning at Canada Olympic Park as 11-year-old Natasha Bodnarchuk and her teammates, members of the Altius Nordic Ski Club, practise their ski jumping off the K18 and the K38 ski jumps.
With their eager parents looking on and Head Coach Alex Levichev calling out instructions, the kids look completely stoked.
With its arrival in Alberta this week, the Olympic torch will be winding its way through a number of resorts in Alberta and B.C. en route to Vancouver.
Canada Olympic Park is gearing up to salute the Olympic torch, which arrives there next week.
The world's best freestyle snowboarders from over 20 nations will make their way back to Calgary, Alberta, for the 2010 LG Snowboard FIS World Cup event at Winsport Canada's Canada Olympic Park Jan. 28-30, featuring the Halfpipe (HP) and Slopestyle (SBS) disciplines.
Transworld Snowboarding: Countdown to the Second Annual Burton Canadian Open - Jan 12, 2010
With less than a month to go, the countdown has begun for the Burton Canadian Open Snowboarding Championships, taking place from February 2 - 7, 2010 at WinSport Canada's Canada Olympic Park (COP) in Alberta, Canada. COP's 22′ halfpipe is one of only three in Canada and was used as the model for the 2010 Olympic pipe at Cypress Mountain.
Former Olympic folk hero Eddie (the Eagle) Edwards flew down Winnipeg streets Thursday morning as he proudly hoisted the Olympic torch in frigid weather.
The British ski jumper who gained a cult following during the 1988 Calgary Olympics - despite coming in dead last - carried the torch for several blocks as people honked their horns and shouted encouragement.
As Vancouver prepares to host the world for the 2010 Games, Canadians everywhere are anxious for their tax dollars and national pride to finally compound into a first for our country - gold on home soil.
Sport has come along way in the last 20 years, and we largely have the legacy of the 1988 Calgary Olympics to thank for the funding, facilities and spirit that will propel athletes come February.
With less than a month to go, the countdown has begun for the Burton Canadian Open Snowboarding Championships, taking place from February 2 - 7, 2010 at WinSport Canada's Canada Olympic Park (COP) in Alberta, Canada. COP's 22' halfpipe is one of only three in Canada and was used as the model for the 2010 Olympic pipe at Cypress Mountain.
Jennifer Heil -- a Spruce Grove, Alta., native who learned to ski at Canada Olympic Park-- won her second World Cup women's moguls event on Saturday in as many nights at the Canada Post Freestyle Grand Prix. Four competitors crashed in spectacular fashion on the treacherous moguls course at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.
If all goes according to plan, Jennifer Heil should kick off next month's Olympics with Canada's first gold medal on home soil.
So winning last night's World Cup moguls event at Canada Olympic Park is another bump on the way to Vancouver. After going through a season of recovery on her ailing body, the comeback is on schedule
Maintaining sports facilities so athletes and the public can continue to benefit from these legacies can be a daunting task. One city that built on its legacy successfully is Calgary.
Since 1988, Calgary has not only been able to maintain their facilities in prime condition but undergo mass expansion in many areas. WinSport Canada - formerly the Calgary Olympic Development Association (CODA) - operates the facilities that came out of the 1988 Games.
The Olympic torch is returning to Calgary for the first time since its flame lit the sky in 1988 -- and the city is rolling out the red carpet.
During its three-day stay -- Jan. 18-20 -- the torch is bound to trigger memories for many Calgarians, as it's feted at Olympic Plaza, skated around the Oval, raced down a bobsleigh track and carried through a half-pipe.
Taking a historical tour through the 1988 Winter Games facilities is set to return to Canada Olympic Park. WinSport Canada has announced the 2010 Olympic torch relay is set to reach COP on the morning of Jan. 20, where they will take a one-of-a-kind trip through the old Olympic stomping grounds.
The flame will begin its visit to the Park at the top of the Olympic Track and be carried down in a bobsled at speeds surpassing 120 km/h in the morning COP said in a release. After its tour; it will be carried out of the Park and on its way out of Calgary.
First Tracks: Calgary's Ready for the First FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup of the Season - Jan 3, 2010
The world's greatest freestyle skiers will descend on Calgary next week to compete in two mogul events and one aerial competition.
In this Olympic year, the competition is sure to be fierce at the only Canadian qualifying event. One hundred and seventy two athletes from 24 countries will compete at WinSport's Canada Olympic Park from January 8 to 10.
Seven Cochrane snowboarders will help unveil snowboarding at the Alberta Winter Games Feb. 4-7 in the Lakeland region.
The young athletes qualified for the Zone 2 Winter Games team during an evaluation session at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary Dec. 19. They will join roughly 70 fellow snowboarders from around Alberta for snowboarding's debut at the biennial event.
With all the snow around this season and so many monumental mountains on tap, every Albertan's New Year's resolution should really be to learn to ski or snowboard.
International visitors spend thousands and travel from all corners of the globe to take advantage of the Canadian Rockies, so it's about time more locals got out there and discovered the fun, fitness and fresh air.
Canada Olympic Park has great ideas for stocking stuffers this Christmas, from gift cards, lesson packages and lift tickets to bobsleigh rides. There's free gift wrapping, too, from Dec. 19-24. Kids can sign up for Christmas Holiday Camps now.
Another one of her favourite places is Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. She said it's unique because it was the only skeleton track in the country until 2008. She also gives the facility credit for a large part of the skeleton athletes' success representing the country internationally.
Visiting Japan has long been a dream of one Calgarian - and that vision of the Orient translated to a snowboard won him a big prize.
Burton snowboards awarded Stephen Tran, 19, a $3,500 snowboard package in a Metro-sponsored contest with WinSport Canada for the design, selected from among hundreds of entries.
As Calgarians dig in during the latest blast of Arctic weather -- expected to drop the mercury to -29C today -- one group is actually welcoming the chilly temperatures.
"We've had some cold weather in the past weeks and we're probably the only people around the city that are actually smiling," said Canada Olympic Park spokesman Brendon Arnold.
For all of us fairweather winter sports fans who will jump square on the back of the bandwagon and claim we're bobsled's biggest supporters come February when the Canadians start winning all sorts of medals in Vancouver, we've got more than a few chances to redeem ourselves over the next few days.
Snow brooms have lost their lustre at Emery Jardine's southwest store.
Instead, customers have mobbed his E.J. Mower Centre at 503 70 Ave. S.W. for the heavier equipment -- snowblowers -- recently cleaning out a supply of 75.
Tons of entertainment at the hill, including the winning entry for the Metro sponsored Design Your Own Snowboard Contest at 2 p.m. Winner gets $3,500 in snowboard gear from Burton.
Known as one of the Crazy Canucks during his heyday, Ken Read will bring a vast amount of experience to his new role.
"WinSport Canada has an ambitious vision to develop this nation's first Canadian Winter Sport Institute. It is a model this country desperately needs, and I look forward to contributing to the fulfilment of that vision," said Read.
Known as one of the Crazy Canucks during his heyday, Ken Read will bring a vast amount of experience to his new role.
"WinSport Canada has an ambitious vision to develop this nation's first Canadian Winter Sport Institute. It is a model this country desperately needs, and I look forward to contributing to the fulfilment of that vision," said Read.
Anytime you have to sign a waiver to participate - there's a strong chance it'll be one heck of a good time.
And it was. All 59.75 seconds of it as Team Metro - comprised of readers Greg Poapst, and Chris Thompson, along with a professional driver and myself - out-slid seven other media teams in the inaugural COP Bobsleigh Media Challenge presented by Sony, yesterday at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.
Three teams from newsprint and five radio personalities suited up and tucked in behind a professional World Cup-calibre driver, negotiating 14 turns and hitting speeds as high as 126 km/h.
Upon making the trek out to Canada Olympic Park yesterday morning, I'm not sure I had any clue what I was in for. And sometimes, when agreeing to a 120 km/h bobsled ride down a 1,500-metre icy track, it's better to go into it blindly.
Turn to Page Six tomorrow for all the news on how the Calgary Sun bobsled team fared in today's COP Cup.
Sun contest winners Selena Knapfl and Jason Krasowski along with myself and a professional pilot will be gunning for the win in this inaugural tourney of potential spills, thrilling speeds and blowing snow.
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce has announced its board of directors for 2010, which is effective during the upcoming Annual Salute to Excellence event on January 30.
Current Chamber Chair, Lois Mitchell, said the chamber is happy to welcome several new directors to "our already diverse group of business leaders."
It's not every day that young and aspiring athletes get to meet one of their Olympic idols. It's even more rare that they get to spend an afternoon training with them, which is exactly what happened to a lucky few on Saturday Nov. 21, at Southland Leisure Centre.
Ever wanted to careen down the ice track at COP, wind racing through your helmet, bobsled under your bottom? Now's your chance, as the COP Cup presented by Sony is coming up, where one lucky Calgary Sun reader will win the ride of a lifetime for themselves and a guest with a professional driver.
Of all the facilities constructed specifically for the 1988 Winter Olympics, Canada Olympic Park (COP) remains perhaps the most visible reminder of the legacy the games left behind.
Constructed at a cost of $60 million, COP officially opened to the public on Nov. 28, 1986, drawing rave reviews for it's state of the art bobsleigh track and massive ski jump towers that still loom large on the western edge of the city.
The 2010 Winter Olympics officially belong to Vancouver-Whistler.Alberta gets that.
But the formerly booming province on the other side of the Rocky Mountains wants a piece of the action. And it's coming. Fast.
Most of the 2010 Olympics facilities on the West Coast are scheduled for closure this winter to allow organizers to make final preparations for the big event.
The Alberta government invested $75,000 towards the cause. Own the Podium chipped in with $60,000. The Canadian Luge Association - with help from title sponsor Fast Track Capital - picked up the remaining $40,000.
"This is critical," veteran slider Regan Lauscher, of Red Deer, said Monday at the official launch for the upgraded start facility. "Being successful in luge is a combination of a lot of things, but the start is one of those very, very critical things. It creates the speed and velocity right off the bat."
Time is a precious commodity that can never, ever be recovered once wasted.
This eternal truth applies to all of us, but perhaps especially to luge athletes, who throw themselves feet first down a canyon of ice in a quest for World Cup or Olympic glory.
The start isn't everything. But the push from the top can easily mean the difference between winning a medal, of any colour, or capturing the proverbial participaction badge for showing up.
The race can be decided with one pull from a pair of handles, plus the three or four paddles with the hands to get the sled moving down the track. "Compare it with a 100-metre sprinter. If you are not (fast) out of the blocks, you have no chance to win a 100-metre sprint race," Canadian coach Wolfgang Staudinger said Monday.
Calgary's reputation in the international film community is set to get huge boost if a proposed 75,000-square-foot production facility gets the budgeting greenlight, according to Calgary MLA Lindsay Blackett.
Blackett, who is culture and community spirit minister, announced Friday that the province has reached an agreement in principle to build a state-of-the-art studio close to Canada Olympic Park.
He won a bronze medal for West Germany in luge doubles at Calgary '88, just a stone's throw from the Tuscany neighbourhood he now calls home.
She placed seventh a day earlier, in front of an adoring home crowd, to secure what is still the best result by a Canadian female luger at an Olympic Games.
I ndustry insiders hope a new film studio planned for Calgary will unleash a gusher of new projects -- including television series and feature films--that will energize the province's struggling market.
Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett's announcement Friday that the province inked an agreement in principle with WinSport Canada to purchase land for the state-of-the art facility is generating buzz among industry members.
Alberta's minister of culture says the province's film industry will finally be getting its own state-of-the-art film studio after reaching an "agreement in principle" with the owners of the Canada Olympic Park site to purchase land for a new facility.
Hundreds of kids will have the chance to train in Olympic sports with hometown heroes as part of a campaign to help develop sport facilities in Calgary.
WinSport Canada and the Southland Leisure Centre have teamed up with Olympic gold medallists Kyle Shewfelt (gymnastics), Earle Connor (athletics), and Carole Huynh (wrestling) to offer kids the chance to learn from the pros.
He speaks of Vanoc CEO John Furlong's 80-to-90-hour work weeks as though his own 70-hour contributions to the cause are paltry by comparison.
But sometime in the near future, if any of the momentum from Own The Podium (OTP) is to be carried forward for the next generation of Canadian athletes, let alone the one after that, Roger Jackson will have to be recognized as an Olympic MVP in his own right.
Less than three weeks after opening to the public a month earlier than expected, Canada Olympic Park has reaped the benefits of being the only area ski hill open for business. Approximately 9,000 walk-up guests have hit the slopes at COP since it's season opening on Oct 17, which doesn't even include the number of skiers and snowboarders who have showed up with seasons passes.
"We've had really good numbers," said spokesman Brendon Arnold.
The Calgary Herald: 2009 Readers' Choice Winners - Oct 28, 2009
More than 20 years after it hosted the world, Calgary Herald readers still carry a torch for WinSport Canada's Canada Olympic Park.
COP has maintained its reputation as the place where the country's top winter athletes come to train. And with the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver-Whistler just around the comer, it's set to continue being one of Canada's premier training facilities.
Duff Gibson's neck, shoulders, and head were hurting - but the 2006 Olympic gold medallist and retired skeleton athlete wasn't complaining.
Carrying a 20-litre jug of water supported by his head, Gibson powered through the pain on a 12-kilometre trek from Canada Olympic Park to Alexander Ferguson School on Thursday. But, he said, it was nothing compared to what some African grandmothers, mothers and young children need to do to survive daily.
Early Start - Canada Olympic Park has started the lifts on its main hill for the park's earliest-ever start to a winter season.
The city ski area became the first lift operation in Canada to get underway when it opened a few runs for a few days on man-made snow over the thanksgiving weekend. after another week of cold and a few days of flurries, park staff decided on Oct. 17 to open its main hill for the season.
Travel Alberta and WinSport hope to entice thousands of European travelers this winter with a partnership promoting southern Alberta as the hot spot of Olympic sport leading up to Vancouver 2010.
Alberta will host seven World Cup events over the next several months, showcasing elite athletes battling for Olympic spots.
The coverage will secure more than 455 hours of international television coverage and reach more than 150 million viewers from Travel Alberta's target European markets.
Travel Alberta and WinSport hope to entice thousands of European travelers this winter with a partnership promoting southern Alberta as the hot spot of Olympic sport leading up to Vancouver 2010.
Alberta will host seven World Cup events over the next several months, showcasing elite athletes battling for Olympic spots.
The coverage will secure more than 455 hours of international television coverage and reach more than 150 million viewers from Travel Alberta's target European markets.
Calgary, in fact, has provided a model in running an Olympic legacy, first through CODA (Calgary Olympic Development Agency) and now via WinSport Canada. The facilities range from Canada Olympic Park to cross-country training centres to the Olympic speedskating oval and, even in the post-2010 world, Calgary will remain the Winter Olympics training centre for most of our athletes.
Iced, shaped and ready to go, the sliding track at Canada Olympic Park is now open. The Canadian national luge, skeleton and bobsled teams are lined up for practice times which began Tuesday morning with luge.
Medal contenders such as two-time Olympic bobsledding medallist Pierre Lueders are expected to take practice runs starting this week in preparation for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.
Just as the lift-ticket collection dangling off their zipper is a sign of notoriety for the kids in attendance at the Burton movie, the number of trips a skier or snowboarder makes to the mountains in a single season is an important basis for bragging rights.
And while Canada Olympic Park might not be a full-blown Rocky Mountain of many faces with more high-speed quad chairs than you can count, it is about to become the first ski hill in Canada to officially fire up the lifts for the 2009-2010 season this weekend.
Outdoor enthusiasts at Canada Olympic Park were soaking up the cold temperatures Monday.
"We are ecstatic right now," said spokesman Brendon Arnold.
The park began pumping out snow on Thursday, about a month earlier than it was able to do in 2008, he said. A partial opening over the weekend brought out a crowd of skiers, Arnold said.
"This is hands-down the earliest we've ever opened. How many can say you were skiing in the afternoon, then headed back for Thanksgiving dinner," he said.
Excerpt: And though yesterday's cold wasn't the kind of record many Calgarians were keen to celebrate on Thanksgiving long weekend, Canada Olympic Park was extremely thankful for the coldsnap.
The Park began making snow on Thursday night, nearly a month before it was able to in 2008 and this weekend offered Sneak-a-peek skiing and snowboarding.
"It was totally unexpected, but it's been great," said spokesman Brendon Arnold of WinSport Canada.
The Globe and Mail: Tough Gibson Answers the Bell - Oct 10, 2009
Duff Gibson has raced to burning buildings and slid headfirst down an icy track. But one night he had to ask himself: "Am I as tough as a 15-year-old girl?"
It seemed a perfectly relevant question at the time. There was Gibson, in front of his television, an experienced firefighter and, at 39, the oldest gold medalist in the history of the Winter Olympics. And there she was, an on-screen waif of a teen whose daily existence depended on a two-hour walk to a neighbouring well where she would fill up a large plastic container of water, then carry it back to her home on her head.
It's so cold out there -- you can hit the ski hill on the Thanksgiving long weekend!
The wintry weather allowed COP to turn on the snow guns Thursday night, so they're opening up the "Silver Carpet" on Sunday and Monday. Tracey Cobb with the hill tells 660News, you can get in for half-price but since the rental shop isn't open yet -- you have to bring your own gear.
Growing up in Jamaica, it's hard to imagine yourself winning Olympic medals in a sled on a track built like a roller-coaster coated in ice.
But Lascelles Brown took his natural sprinting talent and spent four years building a powerful body--his five-foot, 11-inch frame supports 217 pounds loaded with hard-packed muscle --so he could become one of the best bobsled brakemen of all time.
A council committee agreed Wednesday to release $20 million in already approved funds to complete construction of two ice rinks at Canada Olympic Park.
The city is using provincial grant money to help WinSport Canada build the twin 400-seat rinks by 2011. City hall is paying for a larger share of this project than it normally would, but council has acknowledged an urgent need for new hockey arenas in the city.
The Calgary Herald: Summit tries to link Calgary medallists with money - Sept 24, 2009
As athletes prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the organization responsible for Calgary's legacy facilities is trying to find ways to keep the money flowing to the country's medal hopefuls.
The WinSport Canada Sponsorship Summit 2009, being held at Canada Olympic Park, started Wednesday evening and runs through Friday. It's bringing together about 100 athletes, corporations and sport organizations to discuss how sponsorships work.
Cities try to differentiate themselves as world-class whether it is to attract tourism dollars or elevate civic pride. One way that cities have attempted to create a place brand is to host globally recognized sporting events and be viewed as a great sport city.
Recent examples include Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Rio de Janeiro. In Canada, several cities are also using this approach.
Despite this warm weather, staff at Canada Olympic Park are looking forward to colder temperatures and snow, and are already gearing up for the inevitable winter season.
WinSport Canada's human resources manager Karen Brodie says she will be looking for around 450 temporary workers to fill COP's winter operations positions.
In honour of TSN's 25th Anniversary, TSN.ca is taking a look at some of the top sports stories over the last 25 years. Next up is one of the best-organized international sporting events in recent memory - the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary.
In 1988, the eyes of the world were focused on the province of Alberta as Calgary played host to the 15th Olympic Winter Games.
It's always surprising to me how much I enjoy the Haig Glacier.
Who'd have thought that being sequestered on a mountain, many kilometres from the nearest flush toilet, living in cramped, stuffy huts and doing nothing but eating, sleeping, skiing and playing scrabble for a week can be so much fun?
All it took was one day of motorcycle school and two-time Canadian Olympic luger Regan Lauscher was hooked.
"I remember the very first day we even got on them," recalls the 29-year-old, taking a breather between summer training sessions. "You have to just balance them, you aren't even allowed to turn the motors on. You just push them, just so you know how much they weigh, how they handle. Even just doing that, it basically reminded me of the feeling I got when I first started luge. I was really excited and I couldn't stop smiling, laughing and giggling.
While some members of Alberta's tourism industry are reaping the benefits of the staycation trend, as many local residents travel close to home to save money, the sector dealing with travel outside the province and country is hoping interest spikes again soon.
Andrew Hopkyns, director of business development at AMA Travel, said travel agents are currently trying to promote trips they have coined "yaycations" to counteract the trend of not venturing too far.
You can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle the ups and downs that life offers. I got to know my boyfriend really well when we experienced the easy ups and extreme downs at Canada Olympic Park.
Where else can you ride a zip line, mountain bike, grab lunch, go climbing, golf or bungy, all in the same day?
Who would have guessed that our innocent tour of the Canada Olympic Park would turn up an interview with an Olympian? Canadian skeleton racer Michelle Kelly...
Like many people all over the world, Carolyne and I are also both excited about the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. So when in Calgary, why not check out the Canada Olympic Park?
Built for the 1988 Winter Olympics for $5 million, the ski jump tower at Calgary's Canada Olympic Park remains the best place to take in awesome views of the city skyline and the Rocky Mountains.
Designed by Stone & Webster Inc., a Massachusetts engineering, design, construction, consulting and environmental services company that is now part of the Shaw Group, the concrete structure rises 90 m off the ground and is equipped with a glass elevator. An observation area at the top includes an outside deck.
Olympic fever Get an advance taste at Canada Olympic Park (go to www.winsportcanada.ca and click on Canada Olympic Park on the right) during the 11th annual Sprinter Tournee for ski jumping and Nordic competitions featuring North America's top junior and senior athletes. Don't want to be a spectator?
No horses, bulls or leather chaps here. Just four tiny wheels, a super-steep course, 200 kamikaze riders with a serious adrenaline addiction and a few km's worth of hay bales to protect competitors when they ride off course.
Among the world's best longboarders who'll be invading Canada Olympic Park for the Paskapoo Downhill Rodeo this weekend is local longboarder Aaron Christensen.
After a one-year hiatus due to financial strains, the Paskapoo Downhill Rodeo returns this year to the winding road that snakes alongside the slope of Canada Olympic Park.
Reaching speeds of up to 90 km/h, competitors will bomb down the course on longboards, hoping to claim the top prize of $10,000 and avoid the protective hay bales and concrete lunches.
Yesterday at Canada Olympic Park (COP), Camp Torch participants received a real treat. Canadian Olympian, Jeff Christie, came to the Park to help coach aspiring Olympians at the luge station. When Jeff was 10 years old, he discovered luge for the first time at COP's Camp Torch. Since his discovery, Jeff has gone on to compete at the highest level of competition - the Olympics. Now, Jeff's sights are firmly set on Vancouver 2010.
Just when you thought the rodeo had officially left the city until next season, we bring you news about a real thrill ride.
After a one-year hiatus, the Paskapoo Downhill Rodeo will be back at COP next weekend. For all the imports out there, Canada Olympic Park was actually named Paskapoo before Heidi, Howdy and the Olympic rings came to town.
Teaming up with the Speed and Longboard Association of Calgary (SLAC), WinSport Canada is bringing the free event back to life, where registered rodeo riders will wind their way down COP's switchbacks at ridiculous speeds.
According to Don McSwiney, the University of Calgary's director of communication for kinesiology, it costs more than $10,000 a day to operate the Oval and maintain the ice.
But good news arrived in May - a much-needed funding boost of $530,000 from WinSport Canada (formerly the Calgary Olympic Development Association), the Own the Podium program and the University of Calgary - and, suddenly the Oval was back in business.
Monday marked the first official day of new ice. Tamara Oudenaarden, a member of Canada's national team, was there to enjoy it.
Rather shiny. Kind of cold. Real slippery. Yes, there is actual ice at the Olympic Oval.
Until recently, it had appeared that July - typically the training-time kickoff for elite speedskaters - would present difficulties for the Canadian team. Because of a financial shortfall, ice would not be made until September, leaving a summertime gap for athletes. In an Olympic year yet.
But in May arrived good news - a much-needed funding boost of $530,000 from WinSport Canada (formerly the Calgary Olympic Development Association), the Own The Podium program and the University of Calgary - and, suddenly, the Oval was back in business.
It's best to take a vehicle out to Canada Olympic Park, on the western edge of the city, but it's well worth the trip if you're an adrenalin junkie. Slide down the Skyline zip line at speeds between 120 and 140 km/h for a seriously water cooler-worthy tale. (There's a museum devoted to the Olympics and plenty of other activities here, too.) It costs$55 per person for the zip line, or $45 per person for groups of 12 or more. For more information call 403-247-5452.
Seattle rock group Pearl Jam and Canadian punks Billy Talent will headline Calgary's second Virgin Festival. "We really wanted Pearl Jam because they are one of the most influential bands of the modern era," Virgin Fest's Chris Baines told the Sun.
The second-annual Virgin Festival Alberta features a largely Canadian lineup, including Hamilton rockers Arkells, hip hop star K-OS, indie-electro bands Metric and Shout Out Out Out Out and Toronto's Tokyo Police Club, to name a few.
Pearl Jam, Billy Talent and Metric top the bill of Calgary's Virgin Festival lineup, organizers said Tuesday. The festival will take place Aug. 8-9 at Canada Olympic Park.
The bill also includes the Cliks, Tokyo Police Club, the Arkells, Thunderheist, White Lies, Mother Mother and Edmonton's Shout Out Out Out Out.
Two-day passes are $132 to $300 plus service charges. They go on sale Saturday at Tickemaster; details later for one-day passes.
Looking for a way to avoid the chaos of Stampede Park but still give the kidlets a taste of the wild west?
How about an opportunity to feel good about the money you're shelling out this Stampede season by spending it at a place where every penny goes back to winter sport and our Olympic athletes?
The Stomp 'n Sunday Brunch is a perfect solution. Happening this weekend at Canada Olympic Park's massive festival tent, live entertainment, face painting, snow cones, cotton candy, bouncy houses and prize giveaways are just the beginning.
In other sporty celebrity news, Olympic and Paralympic athletes from dozens of disciplines descended on Silvertip Golf Resort in Canmore yesterday for the Right To Play Red Ball Celebrity Golf Classic, making for the largest group of Canadian Olympians to ever participate in a celebrity golf tournament.
Hosted by WinSport Canada and Stone Creek Resorts, more than 50 of Canada's best athletes golfed with the goal of raising a record amount of cash and awareness for Right to Play, a humanitarian organization that uses sport as a tool to support children and communities affected by war, poverty and disease.
The only camp in the world with these activities, adventures and non-stop fun Ever wonder where Olympic luger Jeff Christie got his start? Try the track right here at Canada Olympic Park. And thanks to programs such as COP's popular Camp Torch, your child could conceivably be the next Jeff Christie. Really.
"Jeff Christie first started luging in our summer camps a number of years ago," notes Natalie Gerstmar, summer camp director for WinSport Canada. "And now, he's one of our favourite medal hopefuls for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games."
From green to gold, silver and bronze, Canada Olympic Park (COP) offers a much different meeting experience for planners and delegates.
Located in northwest Calgary just off the Trans-Canada Highway, the multipurpose facility is perhaps best known as the premier facility of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games.
Today, the site continues to serve as training facilities for many of the world's top athletes, not to mention home to a number of meeting and event facilities that think outside the box.
Winter athletes from across the country will hit the links at Silvertip Golf Resort in Canmore on Wednesday.
Presented by WinSport Canada and Stone Creek Resorts, the Right to Play Red Ball Celebrity Golf Classic will feature more than 50 Winter Olympic athletes in support of Right to Play, which works to create a healthier and safer world for children. The Canada-based international humanitarian organization uses sport and play as a development tool to support children and communities affected by war, poverty and disease.
Duff Gibson was an adult when he first fell in love with the sport of skeleton and believes kids at any age can discover their passion.
"It's not too late for anyone," said the former Olympian, who is the oldest Canadian to win gold at a Winter Olympics, at Torino in 2006. "But the earlier, the better. "Everyone has their thing. They just have to figure out what that is. And you don't know what your thing is until you are exposed to it."
Athletes from across the country have rallied together and assembled the largest group of Canadian Olympians to ever participate in a celebrity golf tournament.
With fewer than 250 days remaining before the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, more than 50 athletes will tee-off at the second annual Right To Play Red Ball Celebrity Golf Classic, June 17.
Presented by WinSport Canada and Stone Creek Resorts Inc., the event at Canmore's Silvertip Golf Resort offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to play with Canada's best winter athletes as they prepare for Vancouver 2010.
Underneath warm sunshine that promised summer is finally en route, the Calgary Sport Council yesterday announced a new opportunity for hundreds of Calgary kids to dabble in sports they might not otherwise try.
All Sport One Day will provide 500 kids between the ages of six and 12 the chance to try their hands -- or feet -- at some more obscure activities, including trampoline aerials, roller luge and orienteering.
Excerpt: All Sport One Day will provide 500 kids between the ages of six and 12 the chance to try their hands -- or feet -- at some more obscure activities, including trampoline aerials, roller luge and orienteering.
"Everyone has the potential to be great at something and often the problem is just figuring out what that is," said Olympic skeleton champion Duff Gibson, who was on hand for yesterday's announcement at Canada Olympic Park.
"When a kid finds something they love to do it can be a lifelong gift. Gibson said kids should be able to take advantage of the local world-class facilities, which blossomed from Calgary's time as an Olympic host.
"Hosting the Olympics means we have facilities that very few cities have access to," he said. We have facilities that very few cities have access to," he said.
The Boston Globe: Go Insanely Fast - in Any Season - May 31, 2009
Just listening to the description of what bobsleigh riders at Canada Olympic Park have in store for them made my stomach flip.
"There are 14 corners," said the guide at the 1988 Winter Olympics track. "The first three are nice little corners, then you get into corner four, where there's lots of speed and pressure, then five, six, and seven all come together and in eight you get to rest."
The "rest" lasts a few seconds before riders hit the "Kreisel corner." Kreisel is German for "spinning top," which should tell you something. Finally after corner 14 "you get the long finish."
Canada Olympic Park in Calgary will host pre-Olympic freestyle and snowboard World Cups in late January, including the first ever snowboard slopestyle event. And while both Judge and McIllfaterick said they would be open to returning to Cypress, site of the Olympic events, Calgary is listed on the provisional skeds through 2013.
Both federations had significant issues with the private operators at Cypress during World Cups there this winter and say it is far easier to stage events at COP, where there isn't the same on-going commercial component.
Excerpt: WinSport Canada, which funds two-thirds of the Oval's operations, worked with Own The Podium to find extra money, Oval director Kameron Kiland said. The University of Calgary pays for the remaining third.
The money, combined with staff and programs cuts at both the Oval and WinSport, plus higher user fees charged to speed skaters, will allow the Oval to have ice from July to February.The Oval will run on a bare-bones budget of $2.9-million in 2009-10, which is a $1-million less than what had been initially projected, Kiland said.
"There was pressure from Speed Skating Canada to get this done," he said. "They're trying to win 14 medals and both the long- and short-track teams have training camps here in July." Speed Skating Canada high-performance director Brian Rahill says the athletes are relieved to know they will get their weeks of training in Calgary, but adds this is a Band-Aid on a larger funding issue that could still be a problem for the team after the Olympics.
The Globe and Mail: Calgary's Olympic Oval to stay open - May 26, 2009
There won't be any dark days at the Olympic Oval in Calgary after all.
A rush of new funding will keep the Olympic facility open this summer and fall for Canadian athletes training for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.
A financial shortfall had threatened to close the Oval for several months, but a recommitment from WinSport Canada and the University of Calgary, along with a $300,000 kick in from the Own The Podium program, has ensured the Oval's $2.6-million operating budget will be met.
Canadian speed skaters can train at Calgary's Olympic Oval from July until the 2010 Olympics because $530,000 has been raised to help cover a budget shortfall.
The speed skaters held a news conference last month to voice concerns over the prospect of decreased training at the facility, which they said would hamper their preparation for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
There was enough money to fund just five of nine months of training in Calgary and the speed skaters needed at least seven.
Canada's long-track speed skaters will get access to Calgary's Olympic Oval, a key training venue, from this summer through to the Vancouver 2010 Games.
A month after Speed Skating Canada held a news conference to say cutbacks at the Oval would compromise pre-2010 training, Own the Podium has kicked in $300,000 to ensure the ice is available from July through mid-February.
Canadian speedskaters can train at Calgary's Olympic Oval from July until the 2010 Olympics because $530,000 has been raised to help cover a budget shortfall.
The speedskaters held a news conference last month to voice concerns over the prospect of decreased training at the facility. There was enough money to fund just five of nine months of training in Calgary and the speedskaters needed at least seven.
Canada's long track speed skaters are no longer on thin ice heading into the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The team put out a distress call last month at a news conference, saying the performances of its athletes were being compromised by cutbacks at the Olympic Oval in Calgary. They faced losing two months of critical training time this summer on the fastest ice in the world after the legacy fund supporting the facility took a $40 million hit. But Speed Skating Canada official Brian Rahill said yesterday that Own The Podium (OTP), the program charged with helping the country win the medal race at the 2010 Games, is going to provide the extra $300,000 to ensure they can train in Calgary this summer.
If Canada's new home for the Sports Hall of Fame wants them, Kerrin Lee-Gartner says her Olympic gold-medal-winning skis are ready for display. Today, the skis, along with other gear from her 1992 downhill victory at the Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, are housed at a ski lodge in Fernie.
But now that three levels of government -- Ottawa, Alberta and Calgary--have ponied up $30 million to finance construction of a permanent Sports Hall of Fame at Canada Olympic Park, Lee-Gartner's skis could themselves find a new home.
The 2010 Olympics have kept sponsorship money for Canada's athletes from drying up in this struggling economy. A sponsorship summit is planned for Calgary later this year to help keep the money flowing to Olympic medal hopefuls. WinSport Canada is bringing athletes, corporations and the people running Canada's sport federations together Sept 23-25 at Canada Olympic Park.
Even if he doesn't come out of the summit with a cheque in hand, Canadian cross-country skier Devon Kershaw says it will be a success if he's learned how to seal a deal.
Active living in Alberta has never been better as Canada Olympic Park (COP) makes fitness fun for the entire family. So much more than just an Olympic host and training facility, Canada Olympic Park is open all-year round with dozens of sporting opportunities. Summer sizzles with exciting activities that not only push the body but the mind as well. Not an Olympian? Never fear. COP offers classes and training to everyone from beginners up on all of their activities.
Had my pals from Canada Olympic Park in on Wednesday and they are all set for the opening of the summer programs on the long weekend.
They have an incredible mountain bike facility with the only lift available in the province to get you back to the top after you roll on down.Programs start at $99.00 for the entire summer season and is sponsored by CJAY 92.
Canada Olympic Park offers two main types of camps -- Camp Torch and mountain-biking camps. Camp Torch consists of summer versions of traditional Olympic events and sports, along with canoeing, arts and crafts, orienteering and archery. Campers range in age from four to 15.
COP's mountain-biking camps make use of the COP ski hill, giving riders of all ages and abilities the chance to experience one of the most detailed chairlift-accessible mountain-bike parks in Canada.
You don't need to be a great athlete to enjoy summer day camps at Canada Olympic Park, but you'd better be prepared to perspire. "Our camps are very accessible. We get kids of all athletic ability for sure. It's for kids who have an interest in the outdoors and being active," says Travis Ferguson, manager of outdoor education programs at COP. "But if a kid doesn't like getting dirty or sweaty, they won't get much out of it."
COP offers two main types of camps -- mountain biking and Camp Torch. Summer versions of traditional Olympic events like roller-luge and ski-jumping are mixed in with sports, such as hockey and soccer, and camp mainstays, including canoeing, arts and crafts, orienteering and archery in Camp Torch.
Canada Olympic Park (COP) has extended its season for another weekend. Scheduled to close after last weekend, COP instead charted strong attendance and ideal conditions, indicating some Calgarians aren't ready to part with winter just yet.
COP will be open Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day. Beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, the hill will also host the Eggnormous Easter Egg Hunt, meaning skiers and snowboarders who find eggs on the hill will be eligible to redeem their findings for prizes at Guest Services.
The Star Phoenix: Winter Wonderland - April 6, 2009
The 1988 Calgary Olympics inspired a new generation of Canadian athletes, many of whom will be competing at the 2010 Games in Vancouver
Chandra Crawford, cross-country skiing - Chandra Crawford has never been shy about crediting the spirit and legacy of the 1988 Calgary Olympics for her cross-country skiing success. "I gave the legacy of the 1988 Olympics full credit for my gold medal at one point," says Crawford, who took the women's sprint gold at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin. "Being able to drop in to this facility (the Canmore Nordic Centre) and be exposed to high-level races, I am absolutely a product of that wonderful legacy."
Encouraging active living and athletic ability in a friendly and positive environment is what makes WinSport Canada's summer camps a truly winning idea. Held at Canada Olympic Park, WinSport's day camps offer an array of activities to kids of all ages and skill levels.
"There's a huge variety in Camp Torch," says Stewart McDonough, communications specialist. "There's ski jumping, field games, roller luge -- this combination of activities doesn't exist anywhere else in Canada, and the beauty of it is, the kids can improve on their skills and abilities year after year, whether it's in mountain biking or ski jumping. It's an unbelievable thing."
Excellence. If there was one word to exemplify WinSport Canada's mission, that word would be excellence. The organization once know as the Calgary Olympic Development Association develops and maintains the facilities Canadian athletes need to discover, develop and, yes, to excel at winter sport. Canada Olympic Park (COP) is the heart of WinSport Canada's facilities. COP is just minutes from downtown Calgary on the road to Banff as well as the more metaphorical road to Vancouver 2010.
Shortly after winning the Olympic sprint gold medal in 2006, cross-country skier Chandra Crawford was wondering what charity she could now lend her high-profile name to. In a moment of clarity, she realized she didn't have to look outside the Canmore home she rents. Fast and Female, the organization she formed in 2005 to encourage women -- young and not-so-young -- to getinvolved in cross-country skiing, was still taking infant steps and now she had a golden opportunity to provide it with a huge growth spurt.
Dozens of couples young and old gathered at the eightyeight Lounge at Canada Olympic Park on Monday night, sitting slopeside and sampling wines while planning upcoming weddings, reunions and anniversary parties.
It turns out the hill boasts five fabulously revamped event venues, including eightyeight, the Ski Jump Tower, the Naturbahn Teahouse, the Festival Tent and the recently renovated ATCO Centre. Complete wedding packages, amazing menus and really refreshingly affordable prices compared to the rest of the city, COP is quickly becoming a highly sought-after event destination.
Olympic gold medalist Chandra Crawford will be inspiring girls aged 9-19 Saturday at the Fast and Female Festival at Canada Olympic Park. The youth empowerment day includes skiing/snowboarding and lunch with an Amazing Tips adult seminar for gender-effective sports' coaching. The Season Ender Bender is Sunday, with Oakley providing prizes and customizing goggles. Don't forget the bonus weekend April 4-5. Websaver half-price deals and early bird discounts for next season are available.
VIBE 98.5: Mark vs. Fuzzy Challenge #4: Ride or Slide - March 23, 2009
The morning crew from Calgary’s #1 hit music radio station VIBE 98.5 came out to COP for an epic battle. COP’s Challenge course, a fat tire race and GT snow racing extravaganza pitted Mark against Fuzzy. Watch the video to see who came out on top.
The Calgary Herald: Ski Lift Rides at Canada Olympic Park - March 19, 2009
A close second behind sitting on the couch and watching the Flames on TV, hitting the slopes is among Calgary's most popular winter activities.
WinSport CEO Guy Huntingford says an unusually warm November and a frigid January led to a lower volume of skiers at the park this season, simply because there were fewer days to accommodate them.
"And yet, we experienced three of our top 10 biggest days ever in December, over the Christmas holidays," he says.
It's Canada Olympic Park's Countdown to Meltdown right now with deals abound over the last few days of the season. Visit winsportcanada.ca.
Events include On the Up & Up Series tomorrow, Salomon JIB Academy Slopestyle Saturday and COP Freeskiers Annual Colin's Cup, also Saturday. The Annual Fat Tire Race is Sunday, with Ski Cross National Championships following Monday.
According to Nielsen Media Research, two-thirds of the global population tuned in at some point last August to watch the Beijing Olympics. With the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver on the horizon, the Canadian Winter Sport Institute (WinSport Canada) is preparing the country for the spotlight.
"We believe that when your athletes do well on the national stage, it's great for national pride," says Guy Huntingford, President and CEO of WinSport Canada.
The falling price of materials and labour has dropped the cost of expansion at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary from $254 million to closer to $200 million. Construction has been underway for a year on new Hockey Canada and Skate Canada headquaters, four ice surfaces, and a fitness facility in the Park.
Despite the lower price tag, there is a downside. Raising corporate sponsorship to pay the balance could be difficult in the current economic climate, says WinSport Canada president Guy Huntingford. The federal and provincial governments and the City of Calgary have kicked in about $130 million to the project.
"I'd expect we'll be able to build this thing cheaper than what we thought," Huntingford said. "In terms of capital campaign, there's no question it's been slowed as a result of the economy. It's still going forward, but I'm sure you could pick up the phone and phone 100 people and they'll say, 'yeah, I'm really interested, but I'm on hold for a little bit."
The plan is for most of the head offices of Canada's sport organizations to eventually be housed at the Park on Calgary's west side. Also, a new Canadian Sports Hall of Fame will be built at the Park, with completion scheduled for early 2012. That project is expected to cost $30 million. Canada's bobsled, luge, skeleton, and ski jump teams train at the Park, which one of the main venues of the 1988 Olympics.
Speaking of great ski deals, my buddy Guy Huntingford wanted to remind everyone that the Countdown to Meltdown is on at COP, there is less than a month to go until we wrap up another great year of skiing at Canada Olympic Park.
Every Monday until the end of the season, Winsport Canada will be issuing media advisories that feature the weeks events, web saver deals and COP discounts for the family.
