Team Official Newsletter for the 2011 Jeux du Games January 2011

Inside this issue: Welcome from the Chef de Mission - Blair McIntosh

Memories of Training Camp 2 ,W¶VWKHILQDOFRXQWGRZQ)LQDOSUHSDUDWLRQVDUHEHLQJPDGHE\HDFKRIRXU nearly 350 Team Ontario delegates. With the Canada Winters Games Team Ontario Alumni Spotlight 2 scheduled to start in less than a month, you can feel the excitement across our entire province! Thunder Bay Celebrates 3 In December we hosted a fun and informative two-day training camp at Creating a Legacy 3 the University of Toronto. We received very positive feedback from many who attended the event and found the experience and sessions valuable Meet the Mission Staff 4 for their preparations towards the Games. ! Mission Staff Spotlight 4 Additional team building exercises are planned to kick things off in Halifax Team Ontario R.O.C.K.S. 4 on the right note. We have two pep rallies planned for you during the Games that will provide great opportunities for al of us to get to know each other and finally bond as a complete team with the ultimate goal of Please send your bringing the Flag back home. comments, articles, and photos to Team Ontario Our assistant chef de mission, Rick Beaver, has spearheaded the Team Ontario legacy project ± Communications providing books to The Tim Horton Children's Camp in Tatamagouche, . Thank you to everyone who brought books to the training camp and I would like to remind those who were not able teamontariomedia to drop off reading material (and for those that have more to offer), please bring two new or slightly @gmail.com used books for underserved school-aged children with you to Halifax. This project is a wonderful way

Michael Cvitkovic for Team Ontario to give back to the Host Society. Carrie Croft Bryan Ozorio Hundreds of dedicated people from Halifax and the surrounding areas have been working for years to Marlene Stirrett-Matson prepare the national stage for you to shine. As you represent Ontario in competition, remember to say John Sims thank you to all of those volunteers who have helped make this experience truly special. Without volunteers, the Canada Games would not exist.

As the finishing touches are being made on our preparations, I would like to extend my sincere best wishes for a memorable and successful Games! Embrace the moment, strive for excellence and enjoy the Team Ontario experience! Only 30 Days and Counting ...

The Team Ontario communications team issued a media release and so- cial media hit to commence the start of the final countdown.

Wednesday marks the home stretch for Team Ontario with just 30 days remaining to the start of the 2011 Canada Winter Games that takes place February 11-27 in Halifax.

³2XU DWKOHWHV FRDFKHV PDQDJHUV DQG 0LVVLRQ 6WDII KDYH EHHQ ZRUNLQJ H[WUHPHO\KDUGWRSUHSDUHIRUWKHVH*DPHV´VDLG%ODLU0F,QWRVKFKHIGH PLVVLRQ7HDP2QWDULR³,QMXVWGD\VWKHH\HVRIWKHFRXQWU\ZLOOIRFXV on Halifax as our brightest young competitors will represent Ontario with SULGHDQGUHVSHFW´ @TeamONTMedia Team Ontario will be comprised of a total of 354 delegates, including 261 athletes competing in 20 sports with three talented artists participating in the National Artists Program, supported by 73 coaches, managers and 20 Mission Staff. Team Ontario

2011 Canada Games Provincial Sport Organizations have started to officially announce its teams on their own websites. With registration now complete (congratulations Steve Sevor, Jason Birch and others), the communi- cations team will work alongside other members of the Mission Staff to prepare the official Team On- teamontario tario media guide with pertinent player biographies, team summaries and Team Ontario information. A digital version of the guide will be available at teamontario.info in the near future.

www.teamontario.info

Memories of Training Camp

Team Ontario Alumni Spotlight: Kristina Groves

,W¶VKDUGWREHOLHYHWKDWLWZDVQHDUO\\HDUVDJRWKDW2WWDZD-born star Kristina Groves made her only Canada Games appearance in Grande Prairie, . Winning gold in the 3,000 metre and silver in the 1,500 metre-event for Team Ontario provided fans with a peak at what would become one of the greatest skating careers in Canadian history.

Fast-forward to today and the 34-year-old sporting legend possesses a tro- phy case that is the envy of nearly every athlete in the country. She captured a silver medal in the ladies 1500 metre and a bronze in ladies 3000 metre for Canada at the 2010 Olympics and earned a pair of silver medals during the 2006 Winter held in , becoming only the 11th Canadian to win four medals in an Olympic career.

Off the ice, Groves has used her notoriety to promote worthwhile causes such as Clean Air Champions ± speaking to school children about climate change and the choices they can make to help the environment.

If you have a story about a great Team Ontario alumni, email [email protected].

Page 2 Team Ontario 2011 Thunder Bay Celebrates Canada Games Past and Present

It may be 30 years since Bringing the Canada Games to thousands of Canadians in all reaches of Thunder Bay hosted the 1981 the country, former Canada Games host cities have the opportunity to Canada Winter Games, but the host the Canada Games Flag for three days on its cross-country tour. city remains proud of its role in The Flag arrived in Thunder Bay from Brandon, who hosted the Canada Games program. &DQDGD¶V:LQWHU*DPHVDQGWKH6XPPHU*DPHV The City of Thunder Bay received the official Canada The flag will remain in Ontario, with its next stop scheduled from January Games flag on Tuesday during 14-16 in London, who hosted the 2001 Summer Games. its cross-country tour to Halifax. Mayor Keith Hobbs along with The Flag began its tour in Whitehorse on December 3 and will arrive in local athletes who will be Halifax for the opening ceremony on February 10. competing in the Games raised the flag in McGillivray Square With files from the City of Thunder Bay. during a special ceremony at City Hall to celebrate Thunder

%D\¶V SDVW DQG SUHVHQW involvement in the Canada Games.

Two Thunder Bay female hockey players, Amanda Makela and Brittany Zuback, will be competing in the Games with WKH2QWDULRZRPHQ¶VKRFNH\WHDP0DNHODZDVDPHPEHURIWKH- 10 national champions Thunder Bay Sportop Midget AA Queens and has just returned from Sweden where she was a member of Canada's national team competing in the World Under-18 Women's Hockey &KDPSLRQVKLSV ZKHUH WKH\ ZRQ D VLOYHU PHGDO‚=XEDFN ZDV DOVR D member of the 2009-10 Queens and currently plays for the Kitchener Waterloo Lady Rangers in the Provincial Women's Hockey League.

There will be a strong Thunder Bay presence on the Team Ontario Cross Country Ski teams with four local skiers competing including; -LPP\*XQND&KULVWRSKHU+DPLOWRQDQG0LFKDHO6RPSSLRQWKHPHQ¶V team, Erin Tribe competing for the women, and joined by Team Manager Liz Inkila and Head Coach Eric Bailey.

Making a Difference - Team Ontario Legacy Program - More Books!

The Team Ontario Training Camp in December was a great start to the legacy project. Close to 400 books were donated at the camp. However, we need more books!

Members of the team are asked to donate one English and one French new or gently used book for young adults. You can also make a small cash donation in lieu of a book donation. If you have not donated to this worthwhile cause or would like to donate again, please bring the books with you to Halifax.

7KHSURMHFWZLOOUHVXOWLQKXQGUHGVRIERRNVEHLQJGRQDWHGWRWKH7LP+RUWRQ¶V&KLOGUHQ¶V&DPSORFDWHGDW Tatamagouche.

This legacy is a wonderful opportunity for athletes, coaches, managers and Mission Staff to say thank you and to give back to one of the communities playing host to the Canada Games.

Team Ontario 2011 Page 3 0((7<285$7+/(7($1'0,66,216(59,&(67($0«

(Left to right): Joyce Chiang, Christine Craig, Jill Valentine, Laura Jarvis (Core Team Leader, Athlete and Mission Services), Cathy Vincelli

MISSION STAFF SPOTLIGHT: JAYSON DOLL

$QDYLGVQRZERDUGHUVLQFHWKHODWH¶V-D\VRQGHYHORSHGDSDVVLRQIRUWKHVSRUWDWDWLPHZKHQWKH DFWLYLW\ZDVQ¶WHYHQDOORZHGRQWKHVORSHVLQ2QWDULR-D\¶VORYHRIWKHVSRUWZDVVXFKWKDWKLVILUVWMRE out of university was working for the Canadian Snowboard Federation.

Over a decade later, Jayson still works in the sport sector for the Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport and continues to volunteer at numerous winter games ranging from the Ontario Winter Games to the Winter Olympic Games.

Nicknamed Jay-Doll by many, Jayson hopes his experience in Halifax will be different than in Vancouver where he was frequently mistaken for Olympic icons Joe Thornton and John Montgomery.

Jayson is serving as Mission Staff for the and teams, while also being a valued member of the Sport Technical team on Mission Staff.

TEAM ONTARIO ROCKS

Show your support for Team Ontario at the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax by wearing Team Ontario customized clothing. Order today! Whether you will be in the stands cheering in Halifax or glued to the television set at home, let those around you know that you are R.O.C.K - "Relatives Of Competing Kids"

Order by January 22 to have your items delivered prior to the start of the Canada Winter Games.

FREE Shipping anywhere in Ontario for orders over $35 (before tax).

To place your order, visit www.teamontario.info.

Page 4 Team Ontario 2011