Annual Review 2011/2012 - Olympic Oval - University of Calgary

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2011/12 aNNUal reVIeW

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The 2011/12 season opened with the unveiling of the
long awaited $9.7 million newly refurbished roof. The
project was unique in that one hundred percent of the
original roof was recycled or reused for the build. This
much-needed capital project will ensure the building
remains a home for speed skating in Canada for years
to come.
“This is a new beginning,” said Oval director Kameron
Kiland. “We are resetting the clock on the world’s best
speed skating facility. Canada’s speed skaters have a
guaranteed home for the next 20 years.”
In December of 2011, the Olympic Oval was
designated as a city-wide historic resource. This
formally acknowledges the property as a significant
part of Calgary’s history.
throughout the year. The ever popular Monday Night
Co-op Skate-to-Win was once again a resounding
success, with close to 7,000 pounds of food generously
donated by Calgarians for the Calgary Food Bank.
Another popular event, the Intact Family Fun Day, saw
over 2,500 visitors to the Oval.
The Oval was honoured to host Rick Hansen 25 years
to the day of his Man in Motion World Tour. Rick
inspired the University of Calgary staff and students
as he made his way to the Oval ice.
Along with Canadian Sport Centre Calgary, the
University of Calgary’s Faculty of Kinesiology, and
the City of Calgary, the Oval entered an agreement
with Athletics Canada to become a National Training
Centre for track and field. Many of Canada’s London
2012 medal contenders are training at the Oval in their
quest for Olympic excellence and we wish them every
success in London 2012.
Looking forward to 2012/13, the Olympic Oval has
many exciting initiatives in store, including the
celebration of the 25th anniversary of the facility. The
Oval will host the ISU Samsung World Cup Short Track
event on October 19-21, 2012 and the Essent ISU Long
Track World Cup January 19-20, 2013.
As the season unfolded, the Olympic Oval continued
to build on its reputation as “The Fastest Ice in the
World ”, and maintained its place as one of the best
training centres for high performance athletes. The
Oval ice produced five world records at the Essent ISU
World Sprint Speed Skating Championships in January
2012. Oval program athletes and coaches excelled in
2011/12, qualifying for elite national and international
events, winning medals, and receiving awards for their
contributions to sport.
The Olympic Oval is very grateful to its athletes,
coaches, staff, sponsors, partners, volunteers and the
community for their passion, inspiration and loyalty.
These groups are instrumental in helping advance the
Oval legacy and we would like to thank them for their
generous contributions.
Kameron Kiland
Catriona Le May Doan
Director
Associate Director
The Olympic Oval continued to be active in the
community, providing public skating, public running,
family fun events and various speed skating camps

The Olympic Oval ushered in the 2011/12 season with
a new roof, a $9.7 million refurbishment project that
signalled an end to a long history of water leakage at
the facility. The project was unique in that one hundred
percent of the original roof was recycled or reused for
the build. The new roof helps to ensure the building
remains a home for speed skating in Canada for
years to come. As well, two permanent fall protection
systems were installed: one on the perimeter of the
Oval roof to allow upgraded maintenance to the
drainage system, the other on the perimeter of the
link between the Oval and Kinesiology, allowing
better access to the skylights and drainage system
over the link.
FaCIlItY
In addition to the new roof, a permanent viewing deck
was installed adjacent to the Olympic Oval’s hosting
lounge. The multi-purpose concrete structure is a
premier view point during competitions. The deck
allows spectators to feel the energetic and vibrant
atmosphere as the action unfolds. It can also be used
as an access point from the lounge into the stands.
Facility upgrades also included the installation of a
new entry system into the Oval. The new gate system
improved ease of access for facility users and greater
access management for users during high performance
training times.
The high performance weight room was updated with
a new high density rubber floor. The upgraded floor
is designed to greater absorb impact and to minimize
the stress and movement of heavy strength training
equipment and weights.
Several new LED screens were installed throughout the
facility this year, allowing better access to information
for all user groups. The screens share information such
as public skating and running schedules, facility usage,
locker room assignments and event information.
In December of 2011, the Olympic Oval was designated
as a city-wide historic resource. This formally
acknowledges the property as a significant part of
Calgary’s history and the building is now part
of the City of Calgary’s inventory of
evaluated historic resources.

Programs
Oval Program athletes and coaches excelled in
2011/12, qualifying for elite national and international
events, winning medals and receiving awards for their
contributions to sport.
Long track speed skating successes included:
Stefan Waples qualifying for the World All-Round
Championships; Tori Spence, Scott Bickerton, Kali
Christ, and Brianne Tutt qualifying for the World Cup
Circuit; and Kate Hanly, Stefan Dilger, and Heather
McClean travelling to Obihiro, Japan in March 2012
for the World Junior Championships. Kate Hanly was
successful, bringing home the bronze medal in the
1000-metre distance at this event.
Short track skaters also had a great season, with
Courtney Shmyr securing a place on the short track
junior world championship team and winning the
Canadian Short Track Junior Champion title.
recognition that sport is about more than just wins
and losses.
“The passion and warmth that Marcel exhibits are two
of the reasons why he is perfect for this award,” said
Wayne Parro, Coaches of Canada, Executive Director.
“He has had tremendous success as a coach, but he
also influenced many people within and outside of
his sport with his inclusiveness and incredibly positive
energy. Marcel stands for everything that Jack
Donohue was about.”
In May 2012, Associate Director of Sport, Shawn
Holman, was inducted into the Cambridge Sports Hall
of Fame with his 1990 speed skating team. Shawn was
honoured for his many accomplishments in short track
speed skating and his commitment to the sport. That
same trait is evident today as Shawn’s commitment and
passion for speed skating continue in his current role.
Oval program coaches were equally successful leading
athletes at junior and senior international competitions.
Arno Hoogveld and Abby Ennis coached the long track
world junior championship team; Todd McClements
and Crispin Parkinson coached at 2011/12 World Cups
and the World Championships; and Maggie Qi was
selected as the short track World Junior Championship
coach. Shawn Holman, Associate Director of Sport was
named team leader for the short track world junior
championship team.
The Olympic Oval initiated the first International Long
Track Coaches Symposium in conjunction with the
Essent ISU World Sprint Championships in January
2012. Coaches from across Canada and other countries
gathered to take part in classroom and on-ice sessions
led by Oval coaches. Sport experts from the Canadian
Sport Centre Calgary shared their experience and
knowledge with the attendees. Following the sessions,
participants were treated to a weekend of exciting
competition at the event.
As an added highlight, Marcel Lacroix, Associate
Director of Sport, was awarded the Jack Donahue
Canadian Coach of the Year from the Canadian
Professional Coaches Association (CPCA). This award
recognizes a coach who exemplifies the great qualities
that made Jack Donohue the legendary coach he was.
These qualities include honesty, integrity, a positive
attitude, competitiveness, a love of the sport and the
The Olympic Oval is also a designated home training
centre for many athletes from Canada’s national track
and field team. With the upcoming 2012 London
Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games on the
horizon, several Canadian medal hopefuls have been
training at the Oval, preparing ardently for competition.
The track has been very active and will continue to be
so as the games approach.

Olympic Oval Program Long Track Coaches
• Kevin Crockett • Arno Hoogveld • Crispin Parkinson
• Abby Ennis
Long Track Skaters
• Darwin Ambros • Kyle Gendron
• Adam Ashdown
• Stephan Ayotte
• Katie Babich
• Ryan Bailey
• Allison Banwell
• Mark Beitel
• Jordan Bertagnolli
• Scott Bickerton
• Dan Carruthers
• Mikhail Choi
• Adam Clifford
• Chris Daeninck
• Stephan Dilger
• Lucas Duffield
• Hillary Fast
• John Grant
• Suzanne Hamilton
• Kate Hanly
• Joachim Haugen
• Elyce Henri
• Troy Henry
• Jackson Hill
• Sarah Hopkins
• Cooper Hunter
• Alex Ianculescu
• Jamie Inglis
• Kevin Jagger
• Alec Janssen
• Ellis Jordan
• Jennessa Kemp
Short Track Skaters
• Scott Beamish
• Sasha Fathoulin
• Keegan Christ (Sask.)
• Aaron Clark
• Helen Clark
• Heather Clarke
• Paul Cooney
• Laura Crack (Ont.)
• Sophie Croteau
• Jose Fazio
• Elizabeth Gordon
• Jordan Henkelman
• Keil Hillis
• Damian Konotopetz
• Kristian Lay
• Jamie MacDonald
• Leo Landry
• Elise MacDonald
• Keara Maguire
• Patrick Marsh
• Myles Matheson
• Justin Maunder
• Connor McConvey
• Lauren McGuire
• Heather Mclean
• Lucas McMahon
• Dustin Miller
• Axel Morin
• Stacy Muise
• Ashley Nelson
• Elliott Nelson
• Jesse Neufeld
• Nicole Maseja
• Jacob McKenzie
• Keri Morrison
• Samantha Morrison
• Ana Pacanins
• Gillian Richmond
• Taylor Schmidt
• Yujin Shi
• Crystal Phillips
• Keira Poelzer
• Julius Pokol
• Sarah Pousette
• Kelly Prokopchuk
• Kelsey Reilly
• Phillip Shrimpton
• Tori Spence
• Alastair Starke
• Tristan Stepnuk
• Pieter Stoffel
• Keith Sulzer
• Rosie Tempest
• Anastasia Vogl
• Stephan Waples
• Mike Wrubleski
• Courtney Shmyr
• Kirath Singh (India)
• Jessie Slusar (Sask.)
• Henry Thriscutt
• Rob Watson
Speed Skating Canada National Team Coaches
• Mike Crowe • Bart Schouten • Xiuli Wang • Mark Wild
Speed Skating Canada National Long Track Team
• Ivanie Blondin
• Cindy Klassen
• Christine Nesbitt
• Mathieu Giroux
• Jamie Gregg
Speed Skating Canada Development Long Track Team
• Jordan Belchos • William Dutton • Jennessa Kemp
• Anastasia Bucsis
• Kali Christ
• Martin Corbett
• Tyler Derraugh
• Todd McClements
Olympic Oval Program Short Track Coaches
• Alan McIlveen
• Maggie Qi
• Lucas Makowsky
• Denny Morrison
• Stephen Elm
• Sarah Gregg
• Kaylin Irvine
• Gilmore Junio
• Shannon Rempel
• Philippe Riopel
• Kirsti Lay
• Richard MacLennan
• Mykola Makowsky
• Matthew McLean
Speed Skating Canada National Short Track Team
• Gabrielle Waddell
• Brittany Schussler
• Tamara Oudenaarden
• Kyle Parrott
• Brianne Tutt
• Justin Warsylewicz
• Danielle Wotherspoon
Athletes & Coaches

CamPs &
ComPetItIoNs
Once again, the Olympic Oval held several
speed skating camps throughout the summer.
The Summer Speed camp welcomed over
150 competitors of all ages and skill levels.
The Masters Speed camp, aimed toward the
older, more experienced competitors, was
held in conjunction with the Summer Speed
camp. Adults from across Canada took part
in the Masters camp. The Top Blade long and
short track high performance camps were very
well attended and gave athletes aspiring for
national team status a competitive edge.
The Olympic Oval hosted twelve weekend
race series and ten long track competitions
this year, ranging from club level events to high
profile international events. In addition to the
Canadian Championships, the highlight event
was the Essent ISU World Sprint Championships
in January 2012. The Oval continued to build
on its reputation as “The Fastest Ice in the
World ”, with five world records broken at
this competition. The highlights were Canadian
national team skater Christine Nesbitt’s
1000-metre record of 1.12,68 and Chinese
national team skater Yu Jing’s world record time
of 36,94 in the 500-metre distance. This was
an historic moment for both Christine and the
Olympic Oval, as Yu Jing’s record was the first
time a woman has skated under 37 seconds in
a 500-metre race. In addition, three total points
records were smashed.
The Oval continued its long-standing tradition of
celebrating retired Olympic medalists who have
called the Oval home. Jeremy Wotherspoon,
winner of a record 67 World Cup races, an
Olympic silver medal, and still the world record
holder in the men’s 500-metre distance, was
recognized at the World Cup event. In front
of a crowd of approximately 2,500 spectators,
Jeremy’s family, former training partners,
coaches, local, national and international
fans paid tribute to him and a banner
in his honour was unveiled.
In addition to the regular Saturday morning
long track time trials, short track added a new
race series this season. This three-weekend race
series featured 117 participants from across
Canada and was very successful.
Short track kicked off the competition season
at the Oval with Oktoberfest, October 7-9,
2011. The competition is a staple in the western
competitive circuit, bringing together skaters
from across Canada to compete on “The Fastest
Ice in the World”. Many personal bests were
achieved, as skaters raced in one of the safest
short track facilities in the world.
On December 8-9, 2011 the National Short
Track Qualifier competition took place with
64 competitors from both the east and west
National Training Centres. The top 32 men and
32 women competed for the remaining positions
at this event.
The last short track competition of the season
at the Oval was the National Short Track Team
Selections March 9-11, 2012. Competition
was fast and furious as the top junior athletes
battled it out to secure a spot on the junior
national team. The Olympic Oval’s own
Courtney Shymr was crowned Canadian Junior
Champion at this event.

CommUNItY
In October 2012, the Olympic Oval hosted its 7th
annual fundraiser, Casino Royale. Through a live and
silent auction and a raffle, over $60,000 were raised
for the Olympic Oval High Performance Programs and
the Olympic Oval Athlete Bursary Fund. Six athletes
were awarded bursaries to assist in training and
competition expenses. Three-time Olympic medalist
Catriona Le May Doan hosted the evening. NBA
All-Star Charles Barkley, former Calgary Stampeder
quarterback Henry Burris, and a host of Canada’s
Olympic speed skaters were the special guests of
honour.
To celebrate the unveiling of the new roof an open
house was hosted for the community in October.
Visitors enjoyed skating, face painting, sport
demonstrations from speed skaters and various
interactive sport displays from many of the Oval’s
sport partners. Over 1,800 people attended the event
and the Oval was proud to share the newly opened
facility with the Calgary community.
Public and recreational programs invited the
community to visit and enjoy the facility. Public skating
and public running attendance totalled over 75,000
people. The popular Co-op Monday Night Skate-to-
Win had a new and exciting twist this year. Guests
were invited to enter a monthly draw for a $100 Coop
gift certificate when they brought the Co-op
product of the month as a food donation. Six $100
gift certificates were awarded and the grand prize
of a $1,000 Co-op gift certificate was awarded at the
end of the season. Second prize was a skating party
at the Olympic Oval. Co-op Skate-to-Win succeeded
in collecting 6,850 pounds of food for the Calgary
Food Bank - showcasing the generosity and
spirit of Calgarians.
Intact Family Day and the Shine FM Christmas Skate
provided additional opportunities for families to enjoy
the Olympic Oval, and both were a smashing success!
Intact Family Day had 2,500 attendees and over $5,000
were raised for the Olympic Oval programs through
the sales of Papa John’s Pizza and a silent auction. The
Shine FM Christmas Skate saw close to 2,000 people
skate with Santa and celebrate the holiday spirit on
the Oval ice. The day included special appearances
by some of Canada’s national speed skating team and
Oval Program athletes.
Twenty-five years to the day of his Man in Motion World
Tour, Rick Hansen returned to Calgary, and chose the
Olympic Oval as one of the primary stops for his relay.
The University of Calgary Dino women’s hockey team,
led by head coach and Olympic double gold and silver
medalist Danielle Goyette, greeted Rick Hansen at
the Oval training site. Christine Nesbitt, 1000-metre
world record holder, gold and silver Olympic
Medalist, 2011 Sprint Champion, two-time 1000-metre
World Champion and three-time Team Pursuit World
Champion, conducted a special segment of the
Rick Hansen Relay on the ice. University of Calgary
staff and students rallied at the Oval to celebrate
this special day.

The 2011/12 season was a busy one for the
marketing and communications department.
Priorities included a revamp of the Oval’s
website, a focus on increasing social media and
the launch of a marketing campaign to lead in to
the Olympic Oval’s 25th anniversary in 2012/13.
The Oval unveiled a new
website, with better graphics,
a more user-friendly interface
and increased content. The
new site generated on average
over 14,000 hits per week. More
regular and timely updates and
a new design contributed to
this increase in traffic.
Similarly, the Oval Facebook
and Twitter social media feeds
experienced enormous growth
in 2011/12. Athletes, fans,
public skating users, the university
community and the international audience
followed up-to-the-minute updates for all the
news on happenings at the facility. Social media
traffic doubled this season. The Olympic Oval
now has over 700 “likes” on Facebook and over
500 followers on Twitter.
To end the 2011/12 season the marketing and
communications team launched
the “Mmmm…
my most memorable moment” campaign,
inviting those connected to the Oval to share
their most memorable experiences in the
building. Submissions came from around the
globe in the form of letters, emails, postcards
and digital media (video, audio). These memories
were shared with a worldwide audience via the
Olympic Oval website. The “Mmmm”
campaign also took to ice level
with a roaming speaker’s
corner video camera during
Olympic Oval Finale in
March to capture memories
from Oval and international
athletes competing in the
event.
Looking ahead to 2012/13,
the team will be focusing
on initiatives for the 25th
anniversary of the facility.
Some of the plans include a
25th anniversary coffee table
book, special anniversary events and another
website upgrade to incorporate the 25th
anniversary branding.
marKetINg &
CommUNICatIoNs

UPComINg
The 2012/13 season promises to be an exciting, actionpacked,
and fun filled year! The season begins with
the 8th annual Olympic Oval Gala in support of the
Oval Athlete Bursary Fund and high performance
sport programs on September 27, 2012. This cocktail
reception and market-style dinner features premier
Calgary area chefs, special celebrity athletes and
guests.
With the 25th anniversary of the opening of the
Olympic Oval and the 1988 Winter Olympic Games
in Calgary, the legacy continues to thrive and strive
for excellence. There will be some thrilling events to
recognize those 25 year milestones.
The Olympic Oval will be home to the Samsung ISU
World Cup Short Track on October 19-21, 2012. This
event promises to the best ever Short Track World Cup
hosted at the Oval. True to its nature, this competition
is sure to offer spirited, high energy and exhilarating
competition.
Following the short track event, the Olympic Oval will
host the Essent ISU Long Track World Cup January
19-20, 2013. This sprint distance event will showcase
some of the world’s best speed skaters in head-tohead
competition. It is anticipated many of Sochi,
Russia’s 2014 Olympic hopefuls will race during this
competition in the pre-Olympic year.
With the new roof and secured funding in place for the
next 20 years, we look forward to building on the Oval’s
legacy as the “Best-Ever” high performance facility in
the world.
staFF
Director
Kameron Kiland
Associate Director
Catriona Le May Doan
Manager Administrative
and Business
Operations
Darlene Kastner
Associate Directors
of Sport
Shawn Holman
Marcel Lacroix
Olympic Oval Program
Long Track Coaches
Kevin Crockett
Abby Ennis
Arno Hoogveld
Todd McClements
Crispin Parkinson
Olympic Oval Program
Short Track Coaches
Alan McIlveen
Maggie Qi
Oval Program
Coordinator
Stacey Polet
Associate Director
Guest Services
and Speed Skating
Competitions
Sylvie Tanguay
Guest Services
Christopher Berry
Sandy Johnson
Tracy Stewart
Shivani Sodha
Ivonne Vargas
Skate Shop
James Monson
Braeden Elliott
Competitions
Dawn Brown
Gregg Planert
Associate Director
Marketing, Events,
Communications
Sally-Anne Bowerman
Leah Lacroix
Communications
and Corporate
Events Specialist
David Vink
Marketing and
Sponsorship
Jock Wilson
Finance Partner
Terry Lockhart
Financial Officer
Telma Cuellar
Suma Joshua
Technical Solutions
Manager
John Little
Operations Manager
Keith Toupin
Chief Plant Manager
Mark Messer
Facility Scheduling
Manager
Jo-Ann Billingsley
Facility Booking
Coordinator
Karen Delaney
Facility Supervisor
Mick Kiddle
Operations Coordinator
Caprice McGonigal
Facility Operations
Support
Mitch Hewitt
Brad Kowal
Joachim Kuzel
Norm Lennon
Terry Masikewich
Andrew Yardy
Cleaning Service
Workers
Jenny Li
Eva Sy
Gary Wright
John Yallop
Daguang Xu

We invite you to visit “Canada’s Medal Factory”, the
Olympic Oval. Whether you come as a spectator,
athlete, competitor, public skater or volunteer, it is
an experience to remember! Take advantage of this
dynamic world class training environment and watch
Canadian Olympic medal hopefuls pursue excellence
as they strive for podium performances.
The Oval is pleased to open its doors for public skating
Legacy Partners
Supporters
• University of Calgary • Shine FM
• WinSport
• Webber Academy
• Government of Canada • Flagworks
• Papa John’s
Major Sponsors
• Big Rock Brewery
• Intact Insurance • Fitterfirst
• Remax
• Main Dish
• Hotel Alma
• Carma Developers
• Skyline Roofing Ltd. • United Communities
• Calgary Sun
• Morrison Homes
• Calgary Co-op • Lake Louise Ski Area
• Fuel for Gold
Host Hotels
• Pepsi
• Quality Inn University • Church Eaton
• Sheraton Four Points, Insurance
Calgary West
• Centaur Products
and running, corporate Christmas parties, trade shows,
festivals, competitions and other large events. The
unique legacy environment offers a remarkable venue
for hosting “Best-Ever” events.
Special thanks to our corporate sponsors for their
support. These partnerships are invaluable and we
encourage you to recognize their contribution to the
Olympic Oval by supporting them.
Sport Partners
• Stampede Toyota
• Marmot Concrete
• Kidco Construction
• ATB Financial
• Astoria Homes
• Royal Liquor
Merchants
• Corus Entertainment
• Samsung
• Marriott Calgary
Downtown
• Spolumbos
• Canadian Sport
Centre - Calgary
• Speed Skating Canada
• Organizing
Committee Calgary
• Alberta Amateur
Speed Skating
Association
• Calgary Speed
Skating Club
• Athletics Canada
• Alberta Sport,
Recreation Parks and
Wildlife Foundation
aCKNoWleDgmeNts

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