PAVING THE WAY TO 2010

By Don Phillips

When Al Raine approached me in the 1970s with a proposal to develop Blackcomb Mountain in the Whistler area as a ski resort I didn’t dream the conversation would lead to the Winter Olympics in 2010.

Al was an expert on the area having been an earlier development advisor for the NDP

Not that an Olympics Games in the mountains of British Columbia would have been a new idea.

We made our first bid for the greatest of winter sports events in 1968 – the year Montreal won the bid to host the 1976 Summer Olympics and while BC won the right to host the Canadian bid for the winter games the Olympics organization had a rule banning one country from hosting summer and winter events so we lost out.

That first bid had been made by the Garibaldi Olympic Development Association formed in the early 1960s to promote skiing throughout BC.

As an offshoot Garibaldi Lifts came into being and built, in 1962, the first chairlift at Whistler, known then as “London Mountain adjacent to Blackcomb”.

It wasn’t until August 1965 that Whistler became the official name although the mountain had been known by that name that within weeks of British Army Engineers officially charting it as London Mountain.

The “Whistler mountain” came from the shrill whistles of the marmots that called the place home.

Over the years Garibaldi, Blackcomb and Whistler remained areas “of interest” with a decent gravel road punched through to Whistler by 1966 then on the Pemberton in 1969.

In 1974, with the NDP in power, a more modest development took place and on September 6, 1975, the Resort Municipality of Whistler was created.

Two months later in November the NDP was defeated and Whistler-Blackcomb proposals went on hold while the new administration found its feet, and I was privileged to be assigned Minister of Economic Development with responsibility for Tourist Industry Development projects.

It was while in that capacity that Al, husband of famous Olympic gold and silver medal skier Nancy Greene, came to see me about renewing interest in Blackcomb-Whistler.

As a skier who had taken the bus to the base of Whistler where all ski runs started, and made the run down to the parking lot at Blackcomb where the last run of the day ended, I was an easy sell.

But a few of my cabinet colleagues were not.  Among the doubters was my old and dear friend Highways Minister, the late Alex Fraser, who saw the advantages of the economic development but balked at the enormous cost of suitable highway to service the area.

Fortunately I had the support of Premier Bill Bennett and federally the considerable backing of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, himself a skier and familiar with the Whistler-Blackcomb runs.

In a private conversation in Ottawa Trudeau had urged me to press forward with the development ideas.  I think it was the only thing we ever agreed on.

After strenuous debate – in cabinet and public – it was finally agreed to put $25 million into infrastructure.  With that in place the private sector was invited to bid on parcels of land and it is a matter of record that government got back more than its $25 million in seed money.

Then came the call in the late 70s for tenders to develop what was to become the Village of Whistler.

It was won by a consortium based in Aspen, Colorado, and attracted the dramatic headline in the Vancouver Sun “SIN CITY COMES TO WHISTLER.”

On August 18, 1978 Whistler Mayor Pat Carleton officially turned the first sod.
And it wasn’t just Whistler that the old Tourist Industry Development Agreement helped.

Funding went to the Hudson Bay Mountain at Smithers, Mount Washington near Courtenay, to Elkford and Kimberly ski hills.

It also helped improve facilities at Penticton (Apex), Kelowna (Big White) and runs at Prince George, Dawson Creek, Invermere and Pine Pass.

It all seems a long time and lot of hard work ago now, but I watched the Olympic opening ceremonies on television with considerable pride as I was privileged to play a lead role in paving the way for them to be held in BC. — Phillips was the MLA South Peace River and an influential cabinet minister in Bill Bennett’s Social Credit government.  He now resides in Australia.

NANAIMO PARA-SKIER INJURED AT GAMES

Nanaimo para-alpine skier Andrea Dziewior was injured Thursday after completing the downhill race and will miss the rest of the 2010 Paralympic Games.

“I was rendered temporarily unconscious and have a concussion and severe road rash on my face along with bruising on my body,” she said in an email to supporters.

“Luckily I did not break any bones and my mouth guard prevented my teeth and jaw from breaking. Because of the severity of the above injuries I will not be racing for the remainder of the games and will not be able to attend any supporter functions until the concussion symptoms have lessened.

“I want to thank you all for your support and I will keep you informed on the

progress of my recovery,” the Vancouver Island University business student said.

“Andrea is doing very well,” Team Canada chief medical officer Bruce Davidson said in a press release. “Due to the intensity of her sport, we decided that it was in her best interest to withdraw from further competition at these Games. However, Andrea will be able to return to active competition in the near future.”

Dziewior is a former Junior National Champion in the Slalom and the Giant Slalom and has also had tremendous success competing in North American Cups.

Since making the jump to compete at the senior level, she has had multiple podium performances at the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Championships and has recently made great strides on the world stage, including a 4th place finish last season in the Slalom at an IPC World Cup in Korea.

She finished in ninth place in the women’s downhill standing, 18th in the women’s slalom standing. Her injuries kept her out of today’s super-G and Saturday’s super-combined.

Dziewior underwent an amputation of her left leg above the knee.

THIRD GOLD FOR WOOLSTENCROFT

University of Victoria grad Lauren Woolstencroft has done it again, winning her third gold medal of the Paralympic Winter Games today, when she captured the downhill title at Whistler Creekside.

The 28-year-old captured gold in slalom and giant slalom earlier in the Games.

Today’s win marks the sixth career Paralympic gold medal for Woolstencroft and eighth medal in total. She becomes the first triple gold medalist for Canada in this sport at either 2010 Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games.

The North Vancouver native, who was born without legs below the knee and without her left arm below the elbow, finished in a time of 1:25.54 — 4.4 seconds ahead of silver medallist Solene Jambaque of France. Germany’s Andrea Rothfuss took bronze, with Canada’s Karolina Wisniewska fifth.

“Giant slalom is one of my favourite events and I’m happy to win today and to repeat from Torino,” said Woolstencroft on Wednesday. “I feel great with how I’m skiing. I have potential to medal in every event. I think I feel strong.”

CANADA-USA BATTLE FOR CURLING GOLD

Canada’s 2010 Paralympic curling team, led by Esquimalt native Jim Armstrong, and bitter rivals the United States are locked in a tight battle for Paralympic curling gold at the halfway stage of the competition at the Vancouver Paralympic Centre.

The Canadian team is comprised of coach Joe Rea  and four BC athletes — Armstrong, Darryl Neighbour fell from a roof in 2000 onto concrete while working on a construction site leaving him a paraplegic, Ina Forrest who has been in a wheelchair for nearly half her life after being injured in a car accident caused by by a drunk driver and Sonja Gaudet who suffered a spinal cord injury after falling from a horse.

This same foursome won the 2009 World Wheelchair Championship in the same venue this time last year and will look to repeat their winning ways.

While Armstrong, Neighbour and Forrest look for their first Paralympic gold, Gaudet will seek her second after winning her first in Torino with skip Chris Daw.

The North American neighbours were leading a field of 10 teams that includes Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Canada was on a winning streak then lost its first match in the Games Monday to Sweden, 8-4,  then recovered Tuesday when it routed Switzerland 16-1. South Korea was running in a close third place in an event making only its second appearance at the Games.

Armstrong began curling in 1958 and competed, as an able-bodied athlete, in the Canadian Brier competition six times. He was president of the World Curling Players’ Association from 1997 to 1999 and has acted as an on-ice official at various major championships.

He was forced to start using a wheelchair in 2007, after suffering a degenerative back condition and a bilateral knee replacement, and began wheelchair curling almost immediately.

Armstrong is a three-time winner of the Ross Harstone Trophy for sportsmanship, exeplary conduct and curling skill. The trophy is awarded at the annual Canadian Brier. No other curler has won the award three times.

He curls out of the Richmond Curling Club.

PARALYMPIC TORCH RELAY KICKED OFF IN ESQUIMALT

The paralympic torch made its first appearance in Esquimalt this morning on a 31-leg tour of Greater Victoria .

Captain Trevor Greene, injured in Afghanistan leaving him paralyzed and unable to breathe without assistance, was one of the torchbearers.

“It certainly was an honour and a privilege for us to have the torch travel down the streets of Esquimalt, ” said Esquimalt Acting Mayor Bruce McIldoon.

McIldoon said it was particularly inspirational to watch Green carry the torch after having survived an axe attack in Afghanistan.

Organizers said the crowds in Greater Victoria were the largest and most enthusiastic yet for a relay that began Wednesday in Ottawa before moving on to Quebec City and Toronto.

Songhees elder Mike Charlie Sr. and his son, Mike Jr., sparked the day’s flame by putting a lighter to split cedar and newspaper.

VICTORIA PARALYMPIC SWIMMER MAKES WAVES FOR THE MOVEMENT

 

By Christine Hogg,
Canadian Sponsorship Forum Staff

After I met Stephanie Dixon of Victoria for a phone interview last week, the Canadian Paralympic Committee slogan “With glowing hearts” resonated on a new, meaningful level for me.

Born with one leg, Stephanie is recognized as one of the best swimmers with a disability in the world. A deserving reputation indeed, this heralded achievement should not overshadow her drive, leadership, and tenacious spirit for the Paralympic movement.

That’s what I came to admire most about Steph.

 

 

Stephanie recently appeared in a CPC ad that I saw in the Globe and Mail. In the half-page ad, she stands tall, arms crossed, over the tagline “She doesn’t want your sympathy. But her opponents might.”

 

Intrigued by the boldness of the ad, I quickly Googled her to find out that she is a world record holder, has won an astounding number of medals and earned an impressive career in swimming at a young age.

Thanks to our friends at the CPC, I soon after had the opportunity to connect with Stephanie and have a glimpse into the life of this woman who stared back at me from the pages of the Globe.

Ambition” should be Steph Dixon’s middle name. With an encouraging support system from an early age, she has gone after her dreams relentlessly. When she started swimming competitively at age 13, she had never heard of the Paralympics. Steph just pursued what she enjoyed most, amongst able-bodied athletes.

With dedication and practice, she developed her skills and results followed. One year after she started swimming, at age 14, Steph had already earned her spot on the National Team for Swimmers with a Disability.

Advertising Agency: BBDO Toronto, Canada Creative directors: Peter Ignazi, Carlos Moreno Copywriter: Greg Buri Art director: Julie Nikolic Agency Producer: Christie Gawenda Production House: OPC Toronto Executive Producer: Harland Weiss Director: Woods + Low DP: James Gardner Editorial: Posterboy Edit Editor: Mark Paiva Account Management: Katie Bardyn Aired: February 2010

“The best type of training is to have people to chase after,” said Steph. “I felt lucky to have trained with able bodied athletes. It opened up my eyes. I saw no boundaries and no limitations. You need a push and not be at the top all the time. Competing with able bodies pushed me to excel.”

Steph attests to the challenges that athletes with disabilities face, including accessible opportunities for training, portrayal in the media as elite and to be truly recognized for their level of athleticism.

In March of 2007, Steph visited Rio de Janerio and San Paulo, Brazil as an Ambassador of the Rio 2007 Parapanamerican Games. On the visit, she raised awareness for the need for equal sporting opportunities for all athletes.

“I would have never achieved what I have today without my great support system,” added Steph. “I want to come full circle and be on the other side of it – either as a support mechanism or to open up doors for other people to pursue their dreams. I feel like it is now time for me to lift someone else into that position. Although things are getting better and moving forward, there’s still a long way to go!”

(Can you see her glowing heart, yet?)

Not to be dwarfed by the media-frenzied Olympic Games, the awareness difficulties that Steph challenges translate to the Paralympic movement in various aspects.

She acknowledges the progress made in affiliating the Paralympic Games in conjunction with the Olympics, but conveys that it is the responsibility of the athletes to get their story out there.

“There are so many inspirational stories of Paralympic athletes,” Steph enthused. “If people only knew and could see these stories, then everyone would be keen.

“I want to use my accomplishments to promote the Games. I hope that I can help encourage the development of the Paralympic movement and bringing awareness to Paralympics.

“Paralympic athletes are not fighting for an individual spotlight. We are all fighting for the whole Paralympic spotlight.”

This community spirit is truly what sets the Paralympic Games apart. When I asked Steph what her favourite thing about being part of the Games were, the unique atmosphere and uniting energy topped her list.

“There are so many records broken because not only are athletes physically preparing, but they’re also feeding off of other teammates, the crowd, and the atmosphere – almost like people vibrating on a higher level,” said Steph. “The energy – it’s so wild. It’s like living in a dream world for a few weeks.”

(It was with this image in my mind that I could first imagine every single athlete with his or her heart aglow.)

Steph is a huge believer that role models are essential for anyone to pursue their dreams and achieve their best. For Steph, her role model is Natalie du Toit – a South African Paralympic athlete.

Du Toit began competing internationally in swimming at the age of 14. In February 2001, her left leg was amputated at the knee after an accident. Three months later, before she started walking again, she was back in the pool with the intention of competing in the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Du Toit swims without the aid of a prosthetic limb and went on to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and actually qualified for the able-bodied races!

Although, Steph maintains her stance on the importance of role models in sport, she emphasizes that just because someone is an amazing athlete that does not necessarily mean that they are good role models.

“It’s important to regard a role model as a human being and not just as an athlete or a gold medal,” she expressed. “All great role models should represent overcoming adversity, staring fear in the face and not letting it push you down.

“Seeing the stories about what they had overcome to get there… that’s inspiring!”

Steph told me that when you are with a group of people fighting to be recognized, there is more of a connection; that the experience becomes a bigger cause than your own personal achievement; and that when anyone gets recognized, everyone is supportive because it is something they all believe in.

When I asked Steph what her proudest moment was, she demonstrated this as truth in her own actions.

At her second Paralympics, in Athens, Steph raced against the one and only Natalie du Toit. Going into the race, Steph held five world records. Every time she raced against her role model, du Toit broke those records! The end result for Stephanie was winning four silver medals and losing four world records.

“My proudest moment was how I dealt with the situation,” explained Stephanie. “Instead of getting angry, I took the frame of mind of being proud to race against such an amazing competitor as Natalie. I did the best races that I could do, and was so proud of coming silver. They were all my personal best!”

When it came time for the 100m backstroke against du Toit, she didn’t lose faith in coming out on top. Racing neck and neck, Stephanie out-touched du Toit in the end, creating a new world record!

“That was my David and Goliath moment,” Stephanie joked, proudly. “I was totally annihilated four times in a row, but still found the confidence to do the best I could do. I knew that Natalie would put up a fight, and I did too!”

Taking things one year at a time, reassessing at the end of each year, Steph will keep swimming as long as she has the motivation to do more than what she has already accomplished.

“Before committing to London 2012, I will look at things and see where I stand,” commented Steph. “After 19 medals, you wonder, ‘Can I do more?’ But competing in another sport? That’s another question!”

We will continue to see Steph do things she’s never done and climb to new levels. For now, when she’s not in the pool or advocating for the Paralympic movement, you can find Steph in the rock climbing gym or wherever her friends are. She will be there with laughter… and a glowing heart.

To see more of the Forum blog, check out  http://www.canadiansponsorshipforum.com/2010/blog.php

Hogg adds: “I hope this inspires you to give the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games the same level of support we showed Canada and our athletes during the Olympics!”

NANAIMO PARA-SKIER ON ROAD TO GAMES

Former junior national champion para-alpine skier Andrea Dziewior of Nanaimo is heading over to Vancouver today and will focus on training for the next 10 days prior to the games.

She recently was named to the 2010 Canadian Paralympian Team, and will be Vancouver Island’s only athlete to represent Canada on the world stage at the 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver.

“As of right now, she is uncertain about what events she will participate in, but thinks that it will be Giant Slalom and Slalom,” reports Chris Densmore of Pacificsport Vancouver Island.

“The other events are still undetermined whether she will race.  She may not know until the night before whether she is going to race.”

In 2006, the 23-year-old failed to claim a spot on the Canadian team for the Games in Turin. This year, Dziewior is confident that her consistent top-10 world rankings in the past two years will be enough to make her dream come true.

Dziewior started skiing at Mount Washington 13 years ago and the one-legged skier soon became captivated with the sport. At 14 it became her mission to race for Canada at a Paralympic Games.

Doctors had to amputate Dziewior’s left leg at birth to save her life. While still in her mother’s womb, the umbilical cord had wrapped around her leg and cut off circulation. It went undetected and when Dziewior was born gangrene had already set in and doctors were not able to save the limb.

The Vancouver Island University business student competes in five alpine events and has reached top 10 world rankings in every one.

The 2010 Paralympic Games are from March 12-21 in Vancouver and Whistler.
The 10-day, 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay will begin in Ottawa on March 3, 2010 and conclude at the Opening Ceremony in Vancouver signalling the start of the Paralympic Winter Games on March 12.

Approximately 600 torchbearers will carry the Paralympic Flame in 13 different communities across Canada including Ottawa, Ontario, Quebec City, Toronto, Esquimalt, Squamish, Whistler, Lytton, Hope and then it will be passed around in Vancouver for three days. The Relay will end in Vancouver at BC Place at the Opening Ceremony.

More than 1,350 Paralympic athletes and officials from 44 countries are expected to take part in five sports including alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, wheelchair curling and sledge hockey.

CANADA STRIKES GOLD

 

 

 

Canada defeated the United States 3-2 Sunday in an Olympic hockey overtime thriller at Canada Hockey Place.

It was Canada’s 14th gold of the Vancouver Games, breaking the record for most gold medals at a Winter Olympics. The Soviet Union, in 1976, and Norway, in 2002, each won 13.

In one of the greatest games in Olympic history, Canada’s collection of all-stars held off a young, desperate U.S. team that had beaten it the previous Sunday and, after staging a furious comeback after falling behind 2-0 on goals by Jonathan Toews and Corey Perry, almost beat the Canadians again.

 

 

The game provided a thrilling end to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

 

Sidney Crosby, shut down most of the tournament, wristed a shot past Ryan Miller seven minutes 40 seconds into overtime to decide the last medal of the Vancouver Olympics.

Crosby said he did not remember making the shot.

“Our team worked so unbelievably hard,” Crosby said. “Today was really tough, especially when they got a goal late in regulation. But we came back and got it in overtime.”

Playing 4-on-4, veteran Jarome Iginla dug the puck from the corner and fed Crosby for a short, low shot from the left side.

With only 90 seconds to the end of regulation time, Miller was pulled for an extra attacker. Then Zach Parise tied the game and forced a 20-minute overtime with less than 25 seconds to play. Ryan Kessler scored the other goal for the USA.

Canada stormed out for the overtime and Crosby, who had yet to score, came through for the win.

After receiving their medals, the Canadians took turns skating around the ice with a giant Canadian flag.

The win means the 22-year-old Crosby now has an Olympic gold to add to his Stanley Cup ring, NHL scoring title and Hart Memorial Trophy.

On Thursday the Canadian women’s team won hockey gold, defeating the U.S. 2-0.

As in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Canada took gold in both men’s and women’s hockey — this time in the first Olympic tournament held on the smaller NHL-size ice surface.

It was a first loss at these Games for the Americans. The last hockey team to go undefeated at the Olympics was the Soviet Union, which was 5-0 in Calgary in 1988.

 

Leaving behind a thank-you note

Nice thank you note to Canada from Brian Williams (NBC)

 

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

After tonight’s broadcast and after looting our hotel mini-bars, we’re going to try to brave the blizzard and fly east to home and hearth, and to do laundry well into next week.  Before we leave this thoroughly polite country, the polite thing to do is leave behind a thank-you note.

Thank you, Canada:

For being such good hosts.

For your unfailing courtesy.

For your (mostly) beautiful weather.

For scheduling no more than 60 percent of your float plane departures at the exact moment when I was trying to say something on television.

For not seeming to mind the occasional (or constant) good-natured mimicry of your accents.

For your unique TV commercials — for companies like Tim Hortons — which made us laugh and cry.

For securing this massive event without choking security, and without publicly displaying a single automatic weapon.

For having the best garment design and logo-wear of the games — you’ve made wearing your name a cool thing to do.

For the sportsmanship we saw most of your athletes display.

For not honking your horns. I didn’t hear one car horn in 15 days — which also means none of my fellow New Yorkers rented cars while visiting.

For making us aware of how many of you have been watching NBC all these years.

For having the good taste to have an anchorman named Brian Williams on your CTV network, who turns out to be such a nice guy.

For the body scans at the airport which make pat-downs and cavity searches unnecessary.

For designing those really cool LED Olympic rings in the harbor, which turned to gold when your athletes won one.

For always saying nice things about the United States…when you know we’re listening.

For sharing Joannie Rochette with us.

For reminding some of us we used to be a more civil society.

Mostly, for welcoming the world with such ease and making lasting friends with all of us.

http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/02/26/2213393.aspx

 

CANADIANS ROLL OVER RUSSIANS

The Canadians rolled over the Russians 7-3 today at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and will face the winner of tonight’s game between Slovakia and Sweden in the semifinals Friday.

Canada dominated fully and completely from the start until the fans were chanting “We want gold” towards the end.

As one reporter stated: On one of hockey’s biggest stages, in a best-on-best between the two nations’ greatest stars, this was an unqualified slaughter.

Russian super star Alex Ovechkin was a non-factor in one of the most high-profile games of his career with three shots on goal, no goals and no assists.

Canada had faced Russia nine times in Olympic hockey prior to today’s quarterfinal, and won just once — in 1960, at Squaw Valley, Calif., where the United States won the gold, Canada silver and the Soviet Union the bronze.

In 18 Olympic appearances, Canada has six gold, four silver and two bronze medals, and six times has finished out of the medals. Russia, in 14 appearances, has eight gold, two silver and two bronze medals and has twice finished out of the medals. Neither team performed well in Turin four years ago; the Russians finished fourth, Canada seventh.

On Tuesday, Switzerland stayed alive in the men’s Olympic hockey tournament with a shootout victory over Belarus at Canada Hockey Place.

Thomas Deruns and Romano Lemm scored in the shootout while Dmitri Meleshko netted the lone Belarus tally.

The teams were tied 1-1 after one period and 2-2 after two before netminders Jonas Hiller of Switzerland and Andrei Mezin of Belarus slammed shut their doors until the shootout.

The Swiss team faces the Americans, who had beat then 3-1 in the opening game of the tournament a week ago.

 

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