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Donovan Tildesley
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Swimming
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Home Base:
Vancouver
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General Comments:
Donovan Tildesley is one of Canada's best known Paralympians. Blind since birth, Donovan competes in the S11 (completely blind) category as a swimmer. His first appearance on the international stage came at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, where, at age sixteen, he won a bronze medal in the 200 m IM (individual medley). Donovan enjoyed further success at the 2002 IPC World Championships in Mar del Plata, Argentina, where he came away with five golds and one silver medal. At the Athens Paralympics, he won two silvers (400 m freestyle and 200 m IM), and one bronze (100 m freestyle). In the summer of 2007, Donovan won six gold medals at the ParaPan-American Games in Rio de Janeiro. Donovan competed in his third and final Paralympics this past summer in Beijing, where he not only won a bronze medal in the 400 m freestyle, but had the honor of being Canada's flag barer for the Opening Ceremonies. At 24, Donovan is a recent graduate of UBC, with a BA in English Literature. Donovan's other interests include radio broadcasting, downhill skiing, and meeting knew people. Donovan's ultimate career goal is to become a professional motivational speaker, a skill which he was able to hone with the help of the RBC Olympians Program in 2007-08, and continues to develop with the help of Act Now BC and BC Athlete Voice.
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Alexa Loo
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Snowboarding
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Home Base:
Vancouver
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General Comments:
Alexa has been on the National Snowboard Team since 1998 and has competed in the 2006 Olympics. She is currently in training for the 2010 Games in Vancouver. Alexa mixes performance in sport and in the business world with a BComm, Chartered Accountant designation and Alexa has completed the exams towards the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Alexa is committed to sport as an athlete and as a volunteer as a board member of the COC Athletes' Council and AthletesCAN. Alexa also enjoys volunteering 2 -3 weeks per year to the International Paralympic Committee.
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Michelle Stilwell
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Athletics
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Home Base:
Nanoose Bay
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General Comments:
At the age of 17 Michelle was rendered quadriplegic after falling from a friends back while piggyback riding. Prior to her injury Michelle was involved in many sports. She excelled at track, basketball and ringette. Her injury has not put a stop to her enjoyment of these sports.just a few alterations. After three spinal surgeries Michelle was introduced to and had an immediate liking for wheelchair basketball, although it began as a tough sport for her, she exemplified the spirit of a team player and knew what her job was on the court. She has travelled the world representing Canada on the women's wheelchair basketball team. A gold medalist at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Wheelchair Basketball, Michelle Stilwell is no stranger to athletic success. However, Michelle was forced to quit basketball shortly after the games due to complications arising from her spinal cord injury. Despite this, rather than give up, she moved to a whole new sport and channeled her competitive drive and passion for sport into making one of the most meteoric rises for any Canadian athlete ever-going from a novice Wheelchair racer to World Champion in just two years. In past years Michelle has won the women's quad division at the Vancouver Sun Run 10k and the Victoria Times Colonist 10k but her specialty lies in sprints where she has won numerous track and field competitions in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m events. In fact, in May and July of 2008 Michelle broke the World Records in the 100m and 200m; (just seven weeks post surgery). Michelle is extremely dedicated to training, bringing her competitive drive to athletics after an extremely successful international career in Wheelchair Basketball. She manages to juggle full time child rearing, marriage and the training required to compete at the international level. She is an ambassador for the Rick Hansen Foundation and sits on several boards.
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Jonathan Redman
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Snowboarding
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Home Base:
Whistler
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General Comments:
Jonathan is a member of the First Nations Snowboard Team and has been providing strong athlete leadership to this group since 2005. Jonathon is the first First Nations Athlete to make the BC Provincial Snowboarding Team, has been invited to the National Championships for the past 3 years, has gained sponsorship with Team Teck Cominco and features on the Home-grown Heroes Sports Funder Lottery Tickets and in the Aboriginal Sport Gallery in the BC Sports Hall of Fame. When Jonathan isn't setting a great example for fellow athletes or hitting the mountain, he's winning awards. Jonathan was presented with the inaugural ACE (Athlete Community Excellence) Leadership Award at the Aboriginal Sport and Recreation Spirit of Excellence Banquet in 2008.
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Nikola Girke
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Sailing / Windsurfing
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Home Base:
Vancouver
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General Comments:
Nikola learned to sail at Eagle Harbour Yacht Club and developed her racing career at Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. After graduating from West Vancouver Secondary School, Nikola received her Bachelor of Human Kinetics from the University of British Columbia. In the Laser 2 sailing class, Nikola was a three-time National Youth Sailing Champion, she represented Canada at the 1995 Youth Worlds placing fifth and she won the Women's Title at the 1995 Laser 2 Worlds. In 1999, Nikola went on to pursue her goals in windsurfing. While living on Maui, she trained and competed in some of the Professional Windsurfing Association's World Cup Tour. The summer of 2001 was Nikola's first season in the 470 class sailboat and after a successful four year Olympic Campaign in the 470, Girke placed 13th at the Athens Olympic Games. In 2005, Nikola made the switch back to windsurfing. The 5 time Canadian Women's Windsurf Champion took on a new challenge, to compete on the Olympic Circuit on the RSX windsurfer. At the 2008 RSX World Championships, she qualified herself for that sole spot to represent Canada at the 2008 Olympic Games. Nikola is amongst only a few athletes who have made the transition from one sport to another and competed in two different events at the Olympic Games.
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Chris Werrell
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Cross Country Skiing
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Home Base:
Squamish
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General Comments:
Chris began skiing at the age of seven in Burns Lake, BC and has kept going ever since. At 23 years old, Chris has his eyes firmly set on skiing towards his goal of reaching the podium in 2010. Chris has experienced his first taste of Gold at the Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse in 2007 and is hungry for more. While Chris regularly dominates in national competitions, he has also competed internationally as a member of the Junior National Team at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Stryn, Norway.
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Sabrina Kolker
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Rowing
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Home Base:
Vancouver
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General Comments:
Sabrina is a 3 Time All American and a PAC 10 Champion from the Stanford Women's Varsity Rowing Team. She was the Captain for 3 years and also the Crash Bs Monster Erg Champion (University Division) and a 5 time Member of the Senior Canadian National Rowing. Sabrina has represented Canada at the last two Olympics and is a dedicated volunteer with people with disabilities including coaching adaptive kayaking and snowboarding. She is also a Special Olympics Basketball Coach, a Volunteer with the Dale Brain Injury Services and spent 6 weeks in Bolivia volunteering in a children's burn unit. Sabrina is now attending UBC Medical School where her career goals include becoming a reconstructive surgeon specializing in burns and trauma
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Mira Leung
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Ice Skating
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Home Base:
Vancouver
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General Comments:
Mira was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and she began skating at age 3 with the Kitsilano Figure Skating Club and her former coach Christine Goodall. She has been home schooled since the second grade and has passed grade 10 piano in Royal Conservatory of Music. Mira landed her first triple salchow and triple toe loop when she was only eight years old. Skipping the novice level at Canadians, when she was thirteen, Leung jumped straight into the senior level. Mira has been involved in sport all her life and had the opportunity to represent Canada in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. Mira is now training hard with her sights firmly set on competing in 2010 on home soil.
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Ryan Cochrane
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Swimming
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Home Base:
Victoria
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General Comments:
Canadian record holder in the 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle, Victoria's Ryan Cochrane is one of Canada's leading force in the distance events. Ryan’s breakthrough year was in 2006 when he was well on his way to Australia with the Junior National Team, but his exceptional performance at the Commonwealth Games trial secured him a spot on the Senior National Team heading to the Commonwealth Games. From there Ryan went on to be selected to represent Canada at the Beijing Olympics and came away with the fantastic result of a Bronze Medal. Ryan started as a swimming camp swimmer with Paul Block and quickly joined the ranks of competitive swimming. He currently trains at the Commonwealth pool in Victoria representing Island Swimming under coach Randy Bennett. Focus, drive and determination are the qualities that Ryan Cochrane possesses in the swimming pool.
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Thomas Marks
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Water Polo
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Home Base:
Calgary
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General Comments:
Thomas has been on the Canadian Men's Senior National Team since January 2001 and was named captain in 2006. Thomas competed at the 2005 and 2003 World Aquatic Championships, helping Canada to a 13th and 14th place finish respectively. He was also part of Canada's bronze-medal-winning team at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo. In total, Thomas has competed in 4 World Championships, 2 PanAm Games, an Olympic Games and is hungry for more. Thomas grew up in Vancouver, but made the move to Calgary in 1999 to train with and tryout for the National Team.
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Andrew Byrnes
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Rowing
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Home Base:
Victoria
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General Comments:
Andrew is one of the younger members of this year's Olympic eight. He has been a member of the team since 2005. Andrew grew up in Ithaca, NY, where he started rowing, and holds both US and Canadian citizenship. He attended Bates College, a small rigorous institution in New England, where he studied physics and graduated with a BS in 2005. Andrew went on to complete a masters degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Since finishing school he has been residing in Victoria, BC training with the rest of the team at the national training centre. For Andrew, the Olympics were a great experience. Not only was it an honor to represent Canada on the international stage, but to win a medal was a great achievement for the team and for Canadians. It was also a testament to the dedication, focus, and hard work of many over the years. In addition to rowing, Andrew enjoys skiing in the winter and being outdoors in the summer. He greatly enjoyed his time in China and would like to continue his studies in Chinese.
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Jeane Lassen
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Olympic Weight Lifting
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Home Base:
Whitehorse
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General Comments:
Jeane was born in Victoria BC, but moved to Whitehorse at age 9. She began weightlifting as a teenager in the Yukon and made the move to Montreal after graduating high school in order to train for the 2000 Olympics. Jeane suffered an injury but still managed to qualified as an alternate. She came back in 2003 and once again qualified as alternate in 2004. After look at her performance Jeane started using online research, books and trial and error to create her own training plan. In 2007 she moved from Quebec back to Whitehorse to train with a supportive Yukon community. She has now coached herself to world championship medals and Olympic participation and looks forward to the challenges ahead.
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Krista Guloien
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Rowing
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Home Base:
Vancouver
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General Comments:
Krista started rowing in 2001 as a mature athlete. Her pathway started when learning to row at Simon Fraser University. Krista trained and raced within the Canadian University system until 2005 and then made her way out to the women's training center. She worked tirelessly towards her goal of making it into the National team scene and was rewarded with her first World Championships in Eton, Great Britain in 2006. Krista has gone on from here to stake a claim in the Heavy Weight Women's Quad boat at the Beijing Olympics, the first time since 1996 that a boat has been qualified from Canada in this category.
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Catharine Pendrel
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Mountain Biking / Cycling
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Home Base:
Kamloops
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General Comments:
Catharine grew up in Harvey, New Brunswick and currently lives in Kamloops after finishing her BC at the University of Victoria. Catharine started cycling when she was 16 years old after many years of being involved in equestrian. She is one of the top mountain bikers in the world, ranked 2nd on the World Cup Series for 2008 behind her Canadian team mate Marie Helene Premont. Catharine has her sights set firmly on the 2012 Olympics and the podium.
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Dominic Seiterle
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Rowing
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Home Base:
Victoria
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General Comments:
Dominic is a two-time Olympian and 2008 Gold Medalist at the Beijing Olympics as part of the Men's Eight Rowing Team who also won the 2007 World Championships. Dominic has a MBA in Marketing and Competitive Strategy and has extensive experience in both public and private sector organizations.
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Gina Grain
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Cycling
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Home Base:
Vancouver
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General Comments:
Gina has been into the sport of cycling for 12 years. It was always her dream to go to the Olympics and she turned it into a goal that she achieved in 2008. Gina set's her sights and never looks back. Through out her career she has raced competitively in mountain biking, road cycling and eventually took to track cycling at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Gina admits to loving all three disciplines and continues to love it and be incredibly passionate about cycling.
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Jasvir Singh
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Weightlifting
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Home Base:
Burnaby
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General Comments:
Jasvir was a ploice officer in India before he came to Canada for the first time in 2002. After a long journey, Jasvir became a Canadian Immigrant in 2005 and was proud to become a Canadian Citizen in 2007. What has followed has been a fantastic story of triumph. Jasvir showed his tremendous ability almost immediately after gaining his landed immigrant status, winning back-to-back national titles. Singh took his oath of citizenship last year, and paid the country back by earning a spot on the team going to Beijing.
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Darcy Marquardt
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Rowing
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Home Base:
Richmond
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General Comments:
Darcy has a BA from the University of Victoria and has played an active role in the community volunteering at the Thames Valley Children's Health Center and being part of the Best Buddies Program where she worked with adults with disabilities. Darcy has great public speaking experience at both companies and schools and has been involved in delivering sessions for both small and large groups. Darcy has many interests outside of rowing including hiking, cooking and traveling to name only a few.
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Anthony Wright
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Field Hockey
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Home Base:
Vancouver
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General Comments:
Anthony is a recent UBC Graduate in Human Kinetics and was a finalist for the 2007 Rhodes Scholarship. He has been a member of the Senior Canadian National Feild Hockey Team since 2005 and was awarded the Bobby Gaul Award that recognizes the most outstanding male graduating athlete from UBC in 2008.
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Mike Lewis
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Rowing
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Home Base:
Victoria
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General Comments:
Mike started rowing in the fall of 1998 at the Gorge Rowing Club and joined the rowing team at the University of Victoria in 1999. Mike went on to earn a BSc in Chemistry while still competing as a high performance athlete. He won two silver medals at the 2003 Pan American Games and was the spare for the Lightweight Men's Four at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Mike won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in the Lightweight Men's Four
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Ross MacDonald
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Wheelchair Basketball & Soccer
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Home Base:
Burnaby
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General Comments:
Ross has been competing in Wheelchair Basketball since he was 13 years old and progressed through the BC Sport system. He has competed in numerous BC Games and represented BC in 2 Canada Winter Games in Wheelchair Basketball. Ross started playing Wheelchair Basketball because he was no longer able to keep up with the other kids playing soccer. Ross's disability was progressing and making it difficult to run with the other able bodied players. Ross's disability is Dystonia which causes involuntary muscle spasms in his right side. He continued to play wheelchair basketball and progressed to the national team in 2002. In 2003 the 7-A-Side Soccer program was starting up and Ross got involved in that for a new challenge. Ross has been on the Canadian Paralympic 7-A-Side Soccer team since 2005 as a Goalkeeper.
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Ben Rutledge
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Rowing
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Home Base:
Vancouver
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General Comments:
Ben Rutledge Grew up in Cranbrook, B.C. playing hockey, volleyball and golf. It wasn't until he attended the University of British Columbia that he tried the sport of Rowing. Three years later he was a world champion in the Canadian men's 8+, a feat which he repeated the very next year. After a disappointing fifth place finish at the Athens Olympics Ben's perseverance led him to continue his quest for Olympic Gold. Winning a national championship with UBC in 2006 and receiving top Male graduating athlete were his stepping-stones to getting back on top. In 2007 he and his teammates reclaimed their position at the top of the world and returned to their pre-Athens form, heading into the Beijing Olympics as top contenders. With the experience of Athens and four more years of training Ben and his teammates Won Olympic Gold in convincing fashion on lake Shunyi in August of 2008. In Combination with his training Ben is involved with Right to Play, a humanitarian organization focusing on promoting health play initiatives in war torn countries. Currently he is volunteering his time coaching first year rowers at UBC, where he hopes develop more potential Olympians.
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Patrick Tunnicliffe
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Snowboarding
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Home Base:
Vancouver
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General Comments:
Pat is a small hockey town kid who took up skiing and subsequently snowboarding. After facing many of his idols in head to head competition and holding his own, Pat realized that he encompassed the skills to win. There was no attention heeded by any "federations" or "coaches" until Pat became a contender in the North American Cup whilst attending University full time. Pat moved to Vancouver for the hills post graduation and received an invitation to join the BC Snowboard Team. Two years later Pat made the National Development Group and solidified World Cup start positions on four occasions due to good performances. Pat recently made the choice to drop his professional career as a maintenance engineer due to its suppression of his competitive snowboard potential. He is now dedicating his time to search for sponsorship to build the snowboard team he has started with his brother, Tunnicliffe Racing.
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Anna-Marie de Zwager
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Major Achievements:
Favorite Speaking Topics
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Sport:
Rowing
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Home Base:
Victoria
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General Comments:
Anna-Marie has a diverse athletic background competing in the BC Games in 1990 in the sport of basketball, then going on to compete in the Canada Games in 1996 in the sport of field hockey, before settling with Rowing where she competed at the Olympic Games in 2004 & 2008.
Anna-Marie has been involved in many talks not only in BC, but around Canada this summer and since returning from the Beijing 2008 Games. Anna-Marie has a variety of experience in speaking to groups from the past 5 years and enjoys sharing her experiences as a high performance athlete.
Anna-Marie has been involved in many talks not only in BC, but around Canada this summer and since returning from the Beijing 2008 Games. Anna-Marie has a variety of experience in speaking to groups from the past 5 years and enjoys sharing her experiences as a high performance athlete.