Annual Review - Olympic Oval - University of Calgary

Message
from the Director
It’s been a record breaking year at the Olympic Oval with 15 athletes, including Canada’s most decorated Olympian, Cindy
Klassen, reaching the podium at the 2006 Olympics and coming home with medals around their necks.
In 2004 we revised our vision statement to focus even more on helping athletes succeed and coined the phrase, “On Target
for Torino”, setting our sights on top level performances at the XX Olympic Winter Games. This past season, we realized what
we set out to do. Now our focus shifts again, with the same dedication to bringing such performances home to Canada in
2010 and building on the spectacular medal count set in Torino.
Olympic Oval long track speed skaters had a stellar season with Cindy Klassen winning an unprecedented five Olympic
medals, one for each event she competed in. In Torino she won gold in the 1,500 metres, silver in the 1,000 metres and two
bronze in the 5,000 and 3,000 metres. She joined teammates Clara Hughes, Kristina Groves, Shannon Rempel and Christine
Nesbitt in winning silver in the team pursuit event.
The men also made it on to the Olympic podium in the team pursuit, with Jason Parker, Justin Warsylewicz, Denny Morrison,
Steven Elm and Arne Dankers earning silver for Canada. Speed queens Kristina Groves and Clara Hughes won individual
medals too, with Kristina winning silver in the 1,500 metres and Clara finishing the Games off with a gold-medal performance
in the 5,000 metres. The Olympic Oval also contributed to the training program of American Shani Davis, who won a silver and
gold medal in long track.
In short track, Alanna Kraus added a silver Olympic team relay medal to her bronze from the 2002 Olympics. She earned the
medal with her teammates who train in Montreal, Que.
The Olympic Oval women’s hockey team, the Calgary Oval X-Treme, contributed four players, Hayley Wickenheiser, Cassie
Campbell, Danielle Goyette and Colleen Sostorics, and two alumna, Jennifer Botterill and Carla MacLeod, to Canada’s goldmedal
winning team.
All together, Canadian Olympic Oval athletes brought home ten Olympic medals in three sports; women’s hockey, short track
and long track speed skating.
Capping off this amazing season, the Olympic Oval hosted the ISU World Allround Speed Skating Championships and
celebrated two Olympic Oval athletes crowned as champions of the event – Cindy and Shani.
In cycling Tanya Dubnicoff, Olympic Oval Cycling Head Coach, was named the first-ever national coach for BMX, which will
debut at the upcoming Summer Olympics. Many Olympic Oval cyclists, including Samantha Cools, are well positioned as
medal contenders for the 2008 Games in Beijing, China.
The Calgary community was welcomed to the Olympic Oval this past season as well.
Our building was open for public skating and running and Calgarians were invited to
our free community events such as the FedEx Kinko’s Christmas Skate and Papa John’s
Family Fun Day. At these events and the Oval’s weekly Share in the Community Spirit
public skating sessions, Calgary families donated more than 9,724 tones of food to the
Calgary Food Bank and helped raise $2,500 for Olympic Oval athletes.
Congratulations to all of our successful athletes and thank you to Olympic Oval staff,
our partners, and our sponsors for making this an amazing year for the Olympic Oval.
Mark Greenwald
Director, Olympic Oval
on behalf of the Olympic Oval Executive Management Team 1