2009 Canada Games - Lots of Sports and Inspirational Athletes!

The last few days of the Canada Games have flown by. With all of the events taking place it can feel overwhelming to try to see everything. So far I’ve managed to catch some of the beach volleyball, rowing, triathlon and basketball however that is just the tip of the iceberg. Each event has been fantastic to watch as all the provinces are showing their strength.

Today was a treat. I was able to sit in and listen to the AthletesCan Ambassadors speak to athletes about their experience in sport from grassroots to the podium. David Calder highlighted the importance of setting goals. He had aspired to win an Olympic Gold Medal in rowing at age thirteen while rowing in Victoria with Silken Laumann on Christmas Day. (He passed his Olympic Silver Medal around and we all got to hold it - yeah!) Erin Carter enthusiastically highlighted what sport can mean to the athlete and how the skills that they are learning can transfer to all aspects of their lives. Kevin Stittle and Heather Moyse spoke about how now more than ever being an athlete is an attainable dream to have as a career. All encouraged the athletes to make the most of their experience at the Canada Games.

At the end of the AthletesCAN Forum the floor was open for questions. One of the athletes asked the Ambassadors how they knew that sport was what they wanted to focus on because he was at a crossroads between choosing a normal life of that of an athlete. After some humorous jabs at athletes being normal each, athlete took a stab at answering his question and overall their answer had a common thread. They all had an overwhelming passion to competing in their sport, it was their passion in life. They evening ended with, Michael Smith, convener of the evening commenting that each athlete in the room was an ordinary person but they were doing extraordinary things.

Check out the daily Athlete Ambassador on the SIRC Press Release!

Sunny, Windy Thursday

The countdown is on now until the closing ceremony of the Canada Games. I came into the Athletes Info and Activity Centre today and was pleased to notice that the athletes have been taking advantage of the materials in the mobile SIRC library.

This morning I was able to catch some of the kayaking. Despite being quite windy and a little chilly there were quite a few people out to watch at 9:30am. After a few mishaps (boat sinking, people falling out) they postponed some of the events until later today.

Last night was the AthletesCAN forum. The place was filled with athletes, most from canoe/kayak, to listen to the Ambassadors talk about their ups and downs in sport. The importance of mental training, imagery and building confidence was a theme with most of the athletes. My favourite quote was from Jeane Lassen. After talking about working so hard from the 2000 Olympics and not being able to compete because of an injury she said "hard work doesn't always pay off but it is the only way to achieve success."

Hopefully Facebook will let me post some pictures soon !

Hello from Halifax!

By Brandie Adams, SIRC Reference Librarian

The action at the Canada Games is happening everywhere. Whether you are in the stands watching hockey, at the Canada Games Centre watching gymnastics or at Ski Wentworth catching up on freestyle skiing great sport can be seen. There are also concerts, forums, receptions and more to provide the Canada Games community the opportunity to meet and share ideas.

Tuesday night CAAWS hosted a reception for women in sport and physical activity. They are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. The room was packed with people in support. While there SIRC had the opportunity to catch up with members of the Canada Games Council and AthletesCAN. One highlight was chatting with Kyle Shewfelt, the 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist in Artistic Gymnastics Floor Exercise. If you have the opportunity to meet Kyle you should take it. He is currently an AthletesCan ambassador but is also a speaker and momentum coach.

The first week is coming to an end. You can feel that Halifax has embraced the Canada Games and there are signs of it everywhere. Huge posters on sidewalks and buildings, recognizable swag of volunteers, Canada Games staff and Team clothing (especially Team Manitoba in black/yellow/white retro) can be seen on the streets. It can be heard around the city how friendly everyone is and how great the volunteers are. The East Coast is keeping up their reputation at being a welcoming host.

Check out SIRC's Canada Games webpage for more information!

(Photo compliments of Canada Games)

SIRC at AthletesCAN Forum

To kick off a new partnership Jaime McLean, SIRC's Project Coordinator, is attending the AthletesCAN Forum which is being held at the Westin Edmonton Hotel, September 15-18. SIRC is onsite to help familiarize and answer questions from the AthletesCAN members.


This partnership provides our athletes with easy access to the most comprehensive competitive and training resources; a sport librarian to help answer any questions; and the latest opportunities related to careers in sport. An athlete is always searching for ways to improve; now it’s easier to find the resources and strengthen their competitive intelligence.

Drop by the booth and see how SIRC can help you!

SIRC at AthletesCAN Forum - Recap

Jaime, SIRC's Project Coordinator, had a successful time talking with the High Performance Athletes at the AthletesCAN Forum in Edmonton this past weekend. AthletesCAN and the athletes themselves are very excited about the new partnership. Alexandra Orlando, @FreshFromAlex, tweeted, "Big shout out to @SIRCtweets for supporting Canadian Athletes and partnering with @AthletesCAN". @AthletesCAN retweeted and added,"Knowledge=Power".

Ryan Ferguson, athlete rep for Lifesaving Sport team, can't wait to start sharing this new resource with the rest of his team. The SIRC library will be able to help the athletes by providing the resources they need to find information on training, nutrition, and many other tools.

Craig Buntin, rep for the figure skating athletes, is looking forward to finding information to help him with his MBA.

SIRC is looking forward to working with and helping the athletes get to the next level!