www.teamontario.info The Official Team Ontario Newsletter for the 2007 Jeux du Canada Games June 2006 Inside this issue: Update from the Chef de Mission ~ Blair McIntosh Ontario Hockey Federation 2 ith less than eight months until the start of the 2007 hosts selection camp Canada Winter Games, Team Ontario Mission staff are working very hard in their planning and Mission Staff profiles: 2,3 W Cheryl Finn & Dave Saad communications with all the provincial sports organizations. The team is very enthusiastic and motivated to make these Games a Synchro Swim Ontario 3 announces 2007 CWG team valuable and memorable experience for all. We are currently exploring the possibility of hosting a Team Ontario training camp New lottery helps Team 4 where all sports can come together for mandatory training, such as Ontario’s “Quest for Gold” drug free sport, human rights and media training sessions. Besides Canada Games alumni shine 5 the obvious team building benefits, the camp will also be a great opportunity to on world stage complete registrations, take photos for the media guide and to gain a better overall Games venue info and photos 6,7 understanding of the logistics of attending a major multi-sport event. 2007 Canada Games to be the 8 I’ve had a chance to visit Whitehorse and observe the tremendous amount of activity most televised ever that is happening in preparation for the Games. The Whitehorse Host Society now has a staff of 50 and over 1,200 registered volunteers. The Society has successfully raised over $5.3 million that has gone into numerous construction and upgrading Please send your comments projects across the community. Whitehorse has played host to no less than twelve and articles to the Team major test events in the past year. These test events provide hands-on training for Ontario Communications Committee at: volunteers and help work out any bugs before the actual Games come to town. These [email protected] events also help many sports get a feel for the competition venues and the community. All venue construction is complete except the long track speed skating oval which Michelle Comeau, Chair will be finished by November 2006. There are a number of photos and a chart of Guy Napert-Frenette distances to all the venues in this edition of our newsletter and I’m sure you will Cheryl Finn appreciation how compact these Games are in terms of travel distances. Marc Seguin John Sims I encourage you to keep in continuous contact with your Mission Team staff and let them know about important events and dates in your sport. This will help us to serve you better and to allow you to focus on getting athletes and coaches ready for this great experience. I wish everyone a healthy and productive summer and until the next newsletter, work hard and success will come your way! Cheers, Blair McIntosh, Chef de Mission Team Ontario 2007 Page 1 Ontario Hockey Federation to Host 2006 Provincial Vision Statement Under 17 Camp Yukon people are proud to be hosting the 2007 Canada Winter Games, celebrating TORONTO – The Hockey Development Centre for Ontario's excellence, our northern Under 17 Policy Committee is pleased to announce that the cultures and traditions, and Ontario Hockey Federation has agreed to host the 2006 Under creating lasting legacies for 17 Provincial Camp. the benefit of future The University of Guelph will be the venue for this year’s generations. Provincial camp, which will convene on June 27-29, 2006. The camp will feature 80 of the top 16-year-old hockey players in Ontario, identified from regional camps conducted Be sure to visit the Canada Games Council’s website: throughout the province during April and May 2006. There www.canadagames.ca will be player representation from each Branch and division in Ontario with over 1,000 players attending the regional And the Whitehorse website: identification camps. www.2007canadagames.ca The Under 17 Policy Committee is responsible for the provincial camp hosting selection process and is comprised of a 2007 Mission Staff Profile chairperson, representatives from each of the three Ontario Cheryl Finn Hockey Canada Branches and the OHL. The goal of the provincial camp is to provide players with an Cheryl Finn is one of the rookies on intensive, high-calibre training opportunity as well as a positive Team Ontario 2007. Her personal learning experience, both on and off the ice. It also serves to sporting background includes speed and facilitate the process of identifying players who will ultimately synchronized swimming, tennis, both be selected to represent Team Ontario at the 2007 Canada water and snow skiing, track and field, Winter Games, being held in Whitehorse, Yukon, commencing and basketball. Her coaching on February 25 - March 3, 2007. background includes a Silver medal in the OBA basketball Novice girls The Ontario Under 17 Program is an integral component of Provincial championships. Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence and is facilitated through the Hockey Development Centre for Ontario Under 17 Born and raised in Northern Ontario has Policy Committee on behalf of its member organizations. The left her with a bias for winter sports and activities! Under 17 Program continues to provide high performance competition and development opportunities for players, Cheryl is currently employed as the Executive Director of the coaches and trainers, as well as identifying the elite athlete for London Sports Council. She is quickly becoming a specialist future national programs. on a multi-sport level as the membership of this organization caters to a wide range of athletes, sports and levels of competition. Cheryl also is a weekly columnist for a local For more information about the newspaper where she writes about 'good news' stories 2006 Provincial Under 17 Camp, contact: stemming from the diverse sport in her London community. Wayne Dillon, Executive Director Cheryl is the mother of four busy children who are highly Hockey Development Centre for Ontario involved in basketball, hockey, skiing, dance and school sports. Tel. (416) 426-7252 or 1-888-843-4326 Her husband is a certified basketball referee which makes for E-mail: [email protected] some interesting dinner conversation with players, a coach and a referee all seated at the same table. In their spare time, the Mike Futa family loves returning to the cottage in Northern Ontario for a Director of Operations little four wheeling, water skiing and knee boarding (not to Team Ontario mention a little dock time!). Her dream is to follow the Tel. (519) 371-7452 Professional Tennis Tour to all of the Grand Slam events. E-mail: [email protected] Cheryl is thrilled to be a member of this exciting team! She is Phil McKee looking forward to bringing new perspectives to the experience Executive Director Ontario Hockey Federation and drawing on the expertise of the veterans of the team! Tel. (416) 426-7413 E-mail: [email protected] Cheryl 's Week 1 sport is synchronized swimming and her Week 2 sport is table tennis. Team Ontario 2007 Page 2 Synchro Swim Ontario Announces 2007 Canada Games Team Toronto, ON – April 18, 2006 - Synchro Swim Ontario officially selected athletes to the 2006 Provincial Junior (Canada Games) Team April 2nd in Toronto. For more info visit www.synchroontario.com The Junior Team was named following three phases of provincial team trials. A total of 18 swimmers had been vying for a spot on the team in Phase 3, but in the end only twelve were selected. The Junior Team will be headed to a training camp in San Jose, California with the Santa Clara Aquamaids in July. In the Fall the team of 12 will be selected down to 9 in preparation for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse. Team Ontario 2007 - Canada Games Team Athlete Club Team Hometown Candace Caskey Olympium Synchro Weston, ON Tristin Gavin Variety Village Synchro Toronto, ON Alison Hull Olympium Synchro Kingston, ON Samantha Kowalski Olympium Synchro Kitchener, ON Katie LePage Durham Synchro Whitby, ON Julia Maclean Durham Synchro Ajax, ON Chelsey Matthews Durham Synchro Goodwood, ON Samantha Mawhinney Olympium Synchro Mississauga, ON Victoria Mintz Olympium Synchro Toronto, ON Annette Petersen Olympium Synchro Thornhill, ON Stephanie Saunders Olympium Synchro Hamilton, ON Samantha Wymes Olympium Synchro Mississauga, ON 2007 Mission Staff Profile ~ Dave Saad The 2007 Canada Games will mark Dave’s fourth time as a member of Team Ontario. He retired from the City of North Bay as the Manager of Tourism and Leisure Services after 30 years of service. He currently is the President of his own consulting firm. Dave has devoted most of his life to sport and recreation. In 1995 he was inducted into the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame as an athlete, coach, official and executive. He has been involved in both fastball and baseball for 50 years and was a hockey official for 22 years having served as a linesman in the Ontario Hockey League for 10 years. He was involved in two sets of Ontario Winter Games as Sport Technical Chair in 1977 and Games Coordinator in 1989. In 2000, he was chosen as one of the top twenty sporting executives in the 75 year history of North Bay. Dave currently is a member of the Board of Directors of the Sport Alliance of Ontario and also serves on the Board of Directors of the North Bay YMCA. He is a Past President of the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association as well as a Past President of the Society of Directors of Municipal Recreation of Ontario. Aside from his consulting business Dave is a part time instructor in the Recreation and Leisure Studies Program at Canadore College and also sits on the Advisory Board for that program.