ANNUAL REVIEW OLYMPIC OVAL 2018 implement a self-assessment tool called the relationship that Mark Messer and his team “Emergenetics” which gave us a better developed over the past few years with the local understanding of each other’s ways long track leaders in Gangneung allowed the DIRECTOR’S of thinking in order to facilitate project to be an overwhelming success in all better team cohesion and areas. collaboration. MESSAGE While a large part of our operations team was away for much of the season - the remaining operations team members worked hard to maintain the highest skating standard here at home. At the same time Guest Relations, in collaboration with Using Operations assessed and improved our profiles on our training environment with major a day to day basis makes a upgrades to the track & weight big difference in the ways we interact room. It was a great improvement with each other in order to reach optimal to the quality of training space for outcomes. all users. SPEED SKATING PROGRAMS FINANCIAL ASSETS From a program standpoint our support for the Lastly, our three year financial Canadian Olympic Team and Speed Skating targets were fully met with Canada was a priority for the entire season. Oval a 20% revenue increase. staff remained proactive in supplying services We continue to optimize our where needed to support coaches, athletes support to sport development and support staff in their preparation for the and protect our 1988 Olympic 2018 Olympic Games. As a result, seeing an Games legacy from a Olympic champion like Ted-Jan Bloemen sustainability point of view. in the 10,000m was a shared victory, a rewarding feeling for As the Olympic Oval Director and everybody on behalf of the faculty leadership group, I would like to acknowledge the great accomplishments our team has achieved over this quadrennial. Key objectives were met in all areas and I am proud to be part of such an exciting sport Another Olympic cycle achieved for the Olympic VALUES & SELF ASSESSMENTS management team. Oval staff, our university, Oval and our partners! After our 2017 staff retreat we reviewed and re- involved on sport partners, sponsors, athletes, users, and created our Oval values and made them our own. even the smallest level. of course our volunteers all played an important The 2017-18 season saw the conclusion of the Passion became the very top priority while Quality, role in helping to reach all of these successes. four year Olympic cycle leading to the 2018 Honesty, Respect and Enjoyment rounded out our 2018 PYEONGCHANG OLYMPIC Congratulations to each and everyone! Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games as well team’s five core values. The exercise allowed us WINTER GAMES as our three year strategic plan developed by to put into words the values which had the most On another note our ice making team Olympic Oval staff and partners. It was a busy meaning to our #OvalFamily. These values are had the chance to partner with POCOG year for our team, our users, and our partners. now shared throughout the building and offices (Pyeongchang Organizing Committee Maintaining our focus on our mission and vision, to fully integrate them into our day, guiding our 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games) our team had the chance to pursue excellence strategies and actions. as we provided our expertise to lead the and improve our sport business in many different ice making process up to and during ways. At the same retreat, our facilitator helped us to the Games. It was a long journey but JAMIE MACDONALD ISABELLE WEIDEMANN & BEN DONNELLY Inspired after attending an Two proud members of our #OvalFamily who Olympic Oval speed skating made their Olympic debuts this season were PYEONGCHANG summer training camp, Isabelle Weidemann and Ben Donnelly who both MacDonald began her short qualified to skate in Korea. Weidemann continued track career as part of what her climb as one of the rising stars in the sport in 2018 OLYMPIC was then known as the Oval Korea. The 2014 Canadian Junior Champion from program. Since then she has Ottawa skated to a 4th place finish in the Team gone on to become a member Pursuit, 6th place in the 5000m and 7th place in of the Canadian national the 3000m in her first Olympics. Donnelly, also a WINTER GAMES team, was the only former Canadian Junior Champion and a World With over 81% of Canada’s medals having been MARSHA HUDEY & HEATHER MCLEAN Western Canadian Junior Champion, made a splash with a 31st won by athletes who train in Calgary and Canmore, Competing in her second Winter Olympic Games, to compete with place performance in the 1500m and 7th place our province and the Olympic Oval were well Marsha Hudey finished 10th in the women’s the short finish as part of the Canadian team in the Team represented at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter 500m while her teammate Heather McLean track team Pursuit. Both athletes are former recipients of the Olympic Games. Speed skaters Ted-Jan Bloemen, ranked 14th. Coming off a career- best finish at in Korea Intact Insurance Olympic Oval Athlete Bursaries. Marsha Hudey, Heather McLean, Vincent De the 2017 World Single Distance Championships, 2018, Haître, Ivanie Blondin, Kali Christ, Keri Morrison, McLean also participated in the women’s Kaylin Irvine, Isabelle Weidemann, Jordan Belchos, 1000m long track event in Pyeongchang Josie Morrison, Gilmore Junio, Ben Donnelly and where she finished 25th. The 2018 Games Denny Morrison all competed in this year’s games rounded out an impressive four years for thanks to the help of much of the Oval and SSC the pair of former Oval program sprinters staff as well as the ability to train on the Fastest Ice as both Hudey and McLean captured in the World. their first World Cup medals and skated to some of the fastest 500m times for TED-JAN BLOEMEN Canadian women in the last decade. In his Olympic debut, Oval based athlete Ted-Jan Bloemen took home a gold medal in the men’s VINCENT DE HAÎTRE 10,000m, and a silver medal in the men’s 5000m Vincent De Haître raced in both speed skating events. The Dutch-born thirty-one the men’s 1000m and 1500m, year-old from Calgary completed the 10,000m race finishing 19th and 21st respectively. in 12:39.11 breaking opponent Jorrit Bergsma’s Pyeongchang was the second Olympic record previously established that Olympic appearance for the twenty- day. Bloemen earned his spot on the podium three year-old Ottawa and over the THE COMEBACK KID in the 5000m event after recording a time of native, who also past two years With athletes booking their tickets to 6:11.61 (0.002 seconds faster than Norway’s competed in Sochi 2014 claimed her Pyeongchang there were many great storylines Sverre Lunde Pederson) in twelve where he posted a top 20 first World Cup to follow at the 2018 Long Track Team Selections and a half laps around the finish in the 1000m event medals as one of held at the Oval in early January. One of the Gangneung Oval. winning him Speed Skating the country’s elite. most compelling stories came as Denny Morrison Canada’s Long Track MacDonald competed made his amazing return to the Olympics Rising Star of the Year in the 3,000m after rehabbing from a pair of life and career Award. De Haître also women’s relay event threatening incidents. Helping Morrison along posted a Men’s Team Sprint in Pyeongchang, placing the way was his wife and former Oval program World Record alongside eighth in her Olympic debut. athlete Josie Morrison, who herself qualified for fellow Olympians her first Olympic Games. Denny would place 13th Gilmore Junio and in the 1500m and 7th as part of the Team Pursuit. Laurent Dubreuil on December Josie finished 21st in the women’s 1500m and 1st, 2017 at World Cup Calgary. helped the Canadian women’s Team Pursuit to a 4th overall finish. OVAL WORLD CUP CLASS CALGARY 2017 The Olympic Oval was pleased to host, on behalf Kikuchi, Miho Takagi and her sister Nana Takagi, of Speed Skating Canada, ISU World Cup Speed a record which Team Japan would shatter in the Skating Calgary in early December. This was the 2018 Olympics a few months later en route to ICE largest World Cup event ever held at the Oval Team Pursuit gold. A Women’s 1500m Junior As the culmination of over two and a half years of work with with 283 athletes from 34 countries taking to World Record was set by Allan Dahl Johansson of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & The Fastest Ice in The World in one of the Norway and a Men’s 1000m Junior World Record Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG) the Olympic Oval brought some of The final large scale International events prior was set by Chung Jae-Woong of Korea. Fastest Ice in the World to the Olympic Games. From the construction of the oval to the ice to the Olympic Games. crew working the Games the expertise of the Olympic Oval was on display. Attendance for the weekend topped 5000 Canada collected a total of four fans. The Intact School of Speed had another medals at World Cup Calgary. Alex successful event. With the support of Intact Boisvert-Lacroix earned his first ever Insurance, the Oval was able to welcome over gold medal on a national stage in 2300 Calgary area elementary and middle school the men’s 500m race, while Gilmore students to see the world’s elite compete.