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Brian McKeever, winner of Canada’s first Paralympic gold in Whistler on March 15. Lauren Woolstencroft took gold and Karolina Wisniewska took bronze in Women’s Slalom. PHOTO: Jessica Delaney
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| Index |
Katya Shevtsova
Question of the Day
Tip of the Day
Stay Informed
New Today
Your Day at a Glance
Whistler 2020 Accelerated
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Country
Medal
Count |
| 15 |
Russia
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| 7 |
Ukraine
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| 6 |
Canada
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| 5 |
Germany
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| 4 |
Belarus
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| 3 |
Austria
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| 2 |
Norway
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| 2 |
United States
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| 2 |
Australia
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| 2 |
Italy
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Medal Count as of 9:41 p.m. Monday March 15
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| Whistler Adaptive Sports House |
Local pub offers space to create a Paralympic House for athletes, volunteers, and supporters
The 2010 Paralympic Winter Games are well underway and the doors to the Whistler Adaptive Sports House are open.
Make sure you head to Whistler’s favourite Irish pub, the Dubh Linn Gate, located in the Pan Pacific Mountainside, to check out the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program (WASP) House during the Paralympic Games, open through March 21.
“We are so excited about the creation of Whistler Adaptive Sports House,” said Chelsey Walker, Whistler Adaptive Sports Program Executive Director. “The Dubh Linn Gate has stepped up to not only create a fun Games-time “House” for our athletes, volunteers and supporters to gather, they have pledged to raise much needed funds and help create a major legacy for individuals with a disability in Whistler.”
During the Paralympic Winter Games, the house will also raise money to help fund the creation of the Jeff Harbers Adaptive Sports Centre, a new facility on Whistler Mountain designed to store adaptive ski and snowboard gear.
As well as provide a home for WASP during the Paralympics, the Dubh Linn Gate and Pan Pacific have raised $2,300 for WASP programs. All of the proceeds collected through the fundraising efforts during the Paralympic Games will be directed to the creation of the Jeff Harbers Adaptive Sports Centre.
“We are most pleased and honoured to be in partnership with Whistler Adaptive Sports Program and to have a role in debuting the Whistler Adaptive Sports House for the Paralympic Games,” commented Chris Marshall, Dubh Linn Gate Manager.
“We are working hard to encourage our guests to take part in this momentous occasion as we raise funds to help support the Jeff Harbers Adaptive Sports Centre.
For more info please visit whistleradaptive.com.
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| Russians learn about the heart of volunteering |
Russian volunteer is in Whistler to learn about volunteerism in preparation for Sochi’s Games in 2014
“It is a great honour to be here,” says an excited Ekaterina Shevtsova (Katya for her new Canadian friends).
“I can’t get over how everyone is smiling, so friendly and wants to help out. It’s an amazing atmosphere.” Katya, 22, from Moscow, is one of 25 representatives from Sochi 2014. But don’t be mistaken, 21 of the 25 are not Sochi 2014 staff, but real volunteers who have come to the Vancouver 2010 Games to learn about volunteerism.
Sochi 2014 held a Russia-wide contest looking for applicants who were already volunteers or who had interest in learning about how to recruit and train volunteers.
Roman Potapor, 25, from Ryazan, a small town 185km south of Moscow, explains the intent of the intiative.
“In Russia it’s mostly students who volunteer, but when you are here, wearing the blue uniforms, you look around and see middle-aged and older people volunteering,” he says. “For Sochi 2014 we will need to get people from every age group involved in volunteering.”
And while both Katya and Roman will be busy volunteering in Whistler, they are also keen to check out the slopes. Roman took his first skiing lesson on Whistler just days ago.
“I was with all the little children,” he says, and Katya is itching to go snowboarding. “I could be on this mountain every day,” she says.
Katya and Roman were pleasantly surprised by the uniforms – they were very nice – and the people wearing the uniform.
“It’s a brilliant experience,” says Katya. “We are here to learn and want to help out as much as we can.”
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) hosts an official observer project which allows future host cities a chance to visit Paralympic Winter Games in action. The 25 Sochi 2014 volunteers are not part of this program, though there are several other staff who are.
The volunteer team is located in Whistler from March 2 – 22. Be sure to give them a Whistler welcome!
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| Did You Know? |
Ice sledge hockey was invented at a Swedish rehabilitation centre in the early 1960s, when a group of athletes with a disability decided they wanted to continue playing hockey.
The Swedes took two regular ice hockey skates and built a metal frame (called a sledge) to fit on top, with enough room for the puck to pass underneath. Using short poles to propel themselves along the ice, the men played the first ice sledge hockey match outdoors, on a lake south of Stockholm. By 1969, Stockholm had a five-team ice sledge hockey league.
Ice sledge hockey debuted at the 1994 Paralympic Winter Games in Lillehammer.
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| Question of the Day |
How does a visually impaired athlete shoot at a target in Biathlon?
Visually impaired skiers use an acoustic system for shooting that uses differing tones as the rifle is aimed toward the bull’s eye.
The bull’s eye is 15mm in diameter and if a competitor misses a plate, they must ski a 150m penalty loop for each missed shot.
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| Tip of the Day |
Have you seen a Medals Ceremony at Whistler Medals Plaza?
Come down at 6:30 p.m. to make sure you get a great vantage point for the medals and the nightly concert.
No tickets required!
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10:00
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Alpine Skiing - Women’s Giant Slalom - Visually Impaired
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10:14
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Alpine Skiing - Women’s Giant Slalom - Sitting
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10:39
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Alpine Skiing - Men’s Giant Slalom - Visually Impaired
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11:02
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Alpine Skiing - Men’s Giant Slalom - Sitting
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13:30
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Alpine Skiing - Women’s Giant Slalom - Visually Impaired - Medal
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13:32
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Alpine Skiing - Women’s Giant Slalom - Sitting - Medal
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13:44
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Alpine Skiing - Men’s Giant Slalom - Visually Impaired - Medal
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13:45
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Alpine Skiing - Men’s Giant Slalom - Sitting - Medal
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19:00
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Medals presentation - Whistler Medals Plaza
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19:30
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The Trews - Whistler Medals Plaza
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21:00
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MC NOBODY REALLY - Fire & Ice Remix - Skiers Plaza
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Check vancouver2010.com prior to your event for the latest information.
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| Whistler2020 Accelerated: Partnering for Success |
The Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre joins over 50 community partners in advancing sustainability
At the heart of Whistler2020, our communities’ shared vision for the future and a process to manage the journey toward it, is partnership.
We currently have 54 official partners in the Whistler2020 program. Over the past year, 12 new partners have signed agreements committing them to the community’s commitment to collaboration and accountability in achieving short and long-term success.
The new partners stood proudly beside one another in a ceremony at the SLCC last July 9, and officially proclaimed their support of Whistler2020. Partners commit to work together and demonstrate shared commitments to achieving meaningful results in our journey towards sustainability.
More specifically, the partners agree to promote and contribute to: increased access to information and networking opportunities; recognition as a community leader; a formalized commitment from other Partner organizations to work toward Whistler’s shared vision of success and sustainability; improved partner to partner relationships; and access to the Whistler Centre for Sustainability’s tools and resources for improving and expanding our commitment to sustainability.
Welcoming by design, inclusive in ideal and impressive in execution, the massive glass, wood and concrete structure of the cultural centre is a physical manifestation of Sea to Sky Country’s First Nations’ – the Squamish and the Lil’wat – first bona fide partnership.
This is the space where the SLCC Board of Directors signed on as the newest member of the Whistler2020 Partnership family. The core of this family was created in 2006 when 14 local business, stakeholder groups and organizations signed our partnership poster. Since then, the partnership family has grown to over 50. The poster and signatures are now on hand for all to see at MY Place.
To learn more about Whistler2020 please visit whistler2020.ca.
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In my darkest hour... by Kevin Damaskie
It’s the darkest 3600 seconds of the year we hope. Symbolic, maybe. Engaging, effective and educational, absolutely. Folks around the globe are switching off and turning on to Earth Hour.
Set for 8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 27, Earth Hour is all about switching off lights to illuminate the issue of climate change and our collective ability to make a real difference through energy choices we make every day. Even more than a call to action, Earth Hour enables citizens of the world to speak with one voice for 60 minutes.
Last year, Earth Hour was a huge success with more than 80 countries participating worldwide and in Canada, over 10 million people participated in more than 275 cities from coast to coast.
Whistler has signed up for Earth Hour for the third year in a row and the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) and other community partners are coming up with innovative “lights out” initiatives. Last year, Pemberton realized the largest energy saving in British Columbia during Earth Hour 2009 – 4.6 per cent.
In Whistler, we have some work to do as we saw in increase of 1.1 per cent.
Coordinated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Earth Hour originated in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and has now gained global attention. This year, organizers are pushing for a billion people in cities around the world to unite and switch off.
Here’s how you can participating:
Turn off your non-essential lights on March 27 at 8:30 pm (being mindful of lighting needed for safety, of course) including external signs. This will let the public know that you’re supporting Earth Hour.
Sign up and get more ideas at EarthHourCanada.org.
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| Overheard... |
“That’s the one we really wanted. It’s been eight years in the making.”
Paralympic athlete Brian McKeever, on winning Canada’s first gold medal at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
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