January 2007 2007CRS017 Attachment 1 Table of Contents
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2007CRS017 Attachment 1 Draft - January 2007 2007CRS017 Attachment 1 Table of Contents Executive Summary .......................................... 3 CSC General Model .......................................... 5 CSC Funding ................................................... 7 Edmonton & The Capital Region ......................... 8 Potential Partners ............................................ 10 Rationale ........................................................ 12 In Closing ....................................................... 13 Edmonton Sport Council Honorary Directors P.O. Box 637, Station Main Lyle R. Best Edmonton, AB T5J 2K8 Ken Fiske Tel: (780) 49-SPORT (497-7678) Cathy King Fax: (780) 426-3634 Wendy Kinsella http://www.edmontonsport.com The Honourable Norman L. Kwong, CM, AOE Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Patrick LaForge Board of Directors John Ramsey Susan Agrios Dr. Robert Steadward O.C. Glenn Duncan The Honourable Judge James K. (Jim) Wheatley Kelly Eby Peter Harcourt Brandon Mewhort Kara Murray Staff Georgette Reed - Secretary / Treasurer Gary Shelton - Executive Director Darryl Szafranski George Multamaki - Project Director Marian Stuffco - Chairperson Aminah Syed - Office & Communications R.A. (Dick) White - Vice Chairperson Coordinator Carla Wilson 2 2007CRS017 Attachment 1 Executive Summary A Call for Support Edmonton’s elite athletes and coaches deserve the same opportunity to excel as their counterparts across Canada. In order to give them that level playing field, the Edmonton Sport Council would like your support in developing a Canadian Sport Centre (CSC) in Edmonton. The concept of a CSC began more than 15 years ago with a pilot centre in Calgary. Since that time, the concept of dedicated multi-sport training and support facilities for athletes and coaches has also proven beneficial in Victoria, Vancouver, Saskatoon/Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Atlantic Canada. While each Centre is unique in its facilities and scale of services, all share a common mission and vision. The CSC is committed to supporting high performance athletes and coaches in the pursuit of podium performances in national and international competitions. The CSC enables individuals to realize and achieve human potential through sport. In addition to specialized facilities, CSCs provide sophisticated services in critical fields such as: biomechanics, physiology, nutrition, sport psychology and sport medicine to help achieve podium performances. The Centres also provide Life Services, helping athletes and coaches to develop both professionally and personally. A CSC-Edmonton would complete the network of Canadian Sport Centres. A City of Champions Edmonton is primed for a CSC. The city’s commitment to sporting excellence is exemplified in sport event hosting, podium performances and championships. At the same time, Edmonton regularly recognizes those who build sport and succeed at sport within our community. We have an exceptional volunteer base, supportive education systems, a contributing corporate community, and enthusiastic spectators. Geographically, Edmonton is a logical location for a CSC. Athletes and coaches from regional sport development initiatives in the northern half of Alberta will be able to access high performance programs. Programs at CSC-Edmonton will also complement all CSCs, especially CSC–Calgary. As a result, the development of athletes to the junior level would feed the established programs in Calgary while offering international level development in sports not centered in Calgary. The City of Edmonton and its surrounding communities, with a population base of one million plus people, is currently home to more than 100 National Team athletes. Many local sport organizations currently employ nationally and internationally recognized coaches and several national sport organizations operate regional programs from Edmonton. A variety of facilities that support athlete training and competition already exist with several significant new facilities under development. The University of Alberta offers academic and athletic opportunities equal to any in Canada and has demonstrated an outstanding research record in sport and sport-related interdisciplinary studies. The Steadward Centre is a world leader in supporting 3 2007CRS017 Attachment 1 Executive Summary Cont’d... research, equipment development and training for disabled athletes. Given this, a CSC-Edmonton could offer unique services to Paralympic athletes. Athletic development services provided by a CSC–Edmonton would relieve many of the transition issues when athletes eventually have to relocate to join a national team program (e.g. Team Canada Volleyball is centered at CSC-Manitoba). The impact of such a move has significant consequences to younger athletes as they are unable to finish their high school education at home. With a CSC–Edmonton, emerging and elite athletes would be able to live and train at home rather than relocate, ensuring the crucial family support system stays intact. Partnerships Partners in a CSC-Edmonton could include The Steadward Centre, Sport Canada, Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Coaching Association of Canada, Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation, and the University of Alberta. Working together, these organizations would give CSC-Edmonton the financial and professional resources equivalent to other CSCs. On a broader scale, facility operators such as the City of Edmonton could contribute by giving athletes and coaches access to facilities and Edmonton Tourism could provide event hosting expertise. Canadian Sport Centres are now located in every major Canadian city except Edmonton (a 1999 Position Paper mentions establishing a Centre in Quebec City, however no indication of funding from Sport Canada has been found). CSCs have become a required legacy of major international multi-sport events hosted in Canada since the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games. Therefore a CSC would exist in Edmonton if the CSC concept existed prior to the Commonwealth Games (1978) and/or the Universiade Games (1983). With athletes, facilities, programs, and expertise already in place, creating a customized CSC in Edmonton would not only complete the national CSC network, it would provide an enormous competitive advantage to athletes and coaches who want to achieve their potential close to home. 4 2007CRS017 Attachment 1 CSC General Model History of the Canadian Sport Centre Network The Canadian Sport Centre (CSC) concept, piloted in Calgary in the early 1990’s, came as a result of Calgary hosting the 1988 Olympic Winter Games. The presence of facilities, programs, coaches and most importantly athletes provided an excellent environment for this pilot. With its success, the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC), Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Sport Canada joined in a partnership committed to creating a network of Canadian Sport Centres across Canada in order to enhance the training environment for high performance athletes. Following Calgary, initial location priorities for CSCs were the major population centres of Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. CSCs in Winnipeg and Victoria were legacy creations of major international games. Political and regional considerations added two Centres in Saskatchewan (Regina/Saskatoon) and Atlantic Canada. Mission and Vision CSCs’ purpose is to support high performance athletes and coaches in their pursuit of podium performances in national and international competitions. The CSCs enable Canada’s athletes to realize and achieve human potential through sport. • CSCs are committed to excellence and the facilitation of podium performances by athletes through fair and ethical means. • CSCs strive to provide a positive and comprehensive environment of excellence through programs and services that respond to the individual needs of elite athletes and coaches, for success in sport and in life. • CSCs ensure the maximum utilization of resources is achieved through partnering and teamwork. CSC Services Performance Enhancement Canadian athletes and coaches who compete at an international level know it takes more then determination and talent to get to the podium. The world’s elite athletes are stronger and faster than ever before given technological advances in medical research and training. Having a strong physical and mental framework to build from is also vital for success. Canada’s elite athletes gain the extra edge they need in order to be competitive through the work of Performance Enhancement Teams (PETs) at every CSC. The key element of PETs is a well-built relationship with coaches and athletes, working together to improve results. Using both laboratory and field testing the PET is able to pin-point target areas of improvement and optimal training techniques. Performance Enhancement Teams include: Biomechanists - enhance the understanding and performance of athletes through modeling, simulation, and measurement of movement. Physiologists - identify and quantify the physical and physiological characteristics that contribute to performance in particular sports and the most effective methods of manipulating these characteristics to enhance the likelihood of success. 5 2007CRS017 Attachment 1 CSC General Model Cont’d... Nutritionists - assess individual/team training and performance nutritional requirements, and provide the necessary nutritional support to enhance athletic performance. Sport Psychologists / Mental Trainers - create individualized and sport specific mental training