Alberta's Showcase

Through performance and life services programs, the Centre is geared to developing athletes and giving them the confidence to reach the podium and beyond. All programs and services respond to the individual needs of high-performance athletes and coaches, for success in sport and in life. While podium performances are the goal, the Centre also endeavours to develop athletes as individuals and as community leaders.

The Centre achieves this in part with its Youth Education through Sport (YES) public speaking program. Canada’s best athletes talk with—and inspire—Grade 4 to 6 students throughout the province about their experiences and involvement in sport.

During the 2007/2008, the CSCC supported athlete and coaches in the followings sports:

Alpine skiing Biathlon Bobsleigh Cross-country skiing Luge Hockey (women’s)

Speed skating Skeleton Ski jumping Snowboarding Nordic combined Athletics

Cycling (BMX) Gymnastics (men’s) Swimming Wrestling (women’s) Water polo (men’s) Cycling – Paralympic

WinSport Canada works with its sports partners to develop and sustain the facilities Canada needs to be the world’s foremost winter sport nation. Those facilities currently include:

• Calgary Olympic Park
• Bill Warren Training Centre
• Beckie Scott Training Centre
• Bob Niven Training Centre
• Camp Green on Farnham Glacier
• National Sport School
• Olympic Oval
• Ice House
• Spray Athletic Village
• Olympic Hall of Fame & Museum

WinSport was originally named the Calgary Olympic Development Association (CODA) and was founded in 1956 to bid on behalf of Calgary to host an Olympic Winter Games. On its fourth try, it won the bid to host the XV Olympic Winter Games in 1988. CODA was then restructured to manage the remarkable legacy of the Calgary Games. Since then, the organization has ensured the continuous use of Canada’s premier winter sport facilities and supported the development of Canada's Olympic winter athletes and the organizations that serve them.

WinSport also supported the spirit and intent of Alberta’s participation in the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Working in partnership with Alberta’s Olympic & Paralympic Secretariat, WinSport Canada organized and staged the following:

• World Cup Roundtable
• WinSport Sponsorship Summit 2009
• Collateral materials and promotional supplements
• Support of legacy initiatives
• Pathyways to Excellence Youth Program
• Alberta’s Own the Podium program

In 1994, the Calgary Board of Education and WinSport Canada launched the NSS for elite-level athletes in Grades 9 to 12. In 2006, 20 current and former NSS student/athletes were members of Canada’s team at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy.

The school’s success - and by extension its students’ successes - is based on a simple principle: give students the support they need to compete around the world without giving up their studies or grades.

This is achieved through a team approach: school administrators, teachers, parents and coaches are all equally committed to academic and athletic pursuits.

Many of Canada’s top athletes have attended the school, including:

• Kyle Shewfelt, 2004 Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics
• Jessica Sloan, 2000 six-time Paralympic gold medalist in swimming
• Alanna Kraus, 2002 Olympic bronze medalist in short track speed skating
• Blythe Hartley, 2004 Olympic bronze medalist in diving
• Deidra Dionne, 2002 Olympic bronze medalist in freestyle skiing aerials
• Jennifer Botteril, 2002 Olympic gold medalist in women's hockey