1. AASSA AGM
This year’s Annual General Meeting will be held at the Walking Eagle Inn & Lodge in Rocky Mountain House on Saturday, May 2nd and Sunday, May 3rd, 2009. Full details have been sent out to all Club Presidents and AASSA Executive Members. The deadline for registering is Monday, April 27th.
2. Olympic Ticket Sales
Mark your calendar - The Phase 2 of Olympic Tickets sales will start on June 6th at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific time). Your next opportunity to buy Olympic tickets for Vancouver 2010 will start on Saturday June 6th. It will be a first come first serve process. During Phase 2, all Canadian residents will be able to buy tickets directly on vancouver2010.com or by calling the Vancouver 2010 ticket Call centre at 1-800-TICKETS (1-800-842-5387). More information will be available as we get closer to June 6th. Visit http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/ticketing-information/-/32334/f64b2s/index.html for all details!
4. Call to Action
Calgary – Speed Skating Canada (SSC) sent a call to action to the Funding Partners of the Calgary Olympic Oval in order to address its current financial situation.
The operating budget of the Calgary Olympic Oval has been cut significantly this year, going from 3,6 million to 2,9 million, and the current funding from the funding partners for the 2009-10 year is of 2,1 million. To address the shortcoming, staffing cuts were announced in the last weeks, and there are plans in place to reduce ice time from 9 months to 5 months. This reduction means that SSC’s athletes, as well as all Calgary Oval athletes from various provinces and territories across the country, would not have access to the ice in the Calgary Olympic Oval until September, and would only be able to skate there until late January 2010.
In this critical Olympic year, SSC wants the situation to be addressed immediately in order to ensure optimal preparation for our athletes for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, as well as the future of our sport.
“The funding model for the Olympic Oval is truly deficient”, said Olympic medalist and current SSC Board Member Susan Auch. “But the solution cannot be to simply dismantle the most productive legacy of the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games. This threatens not only our 2010 aspirations for podium success, but also our potential for 2014 and beyond.”
In the short term, SSC asks that the funding partners, namely the Government of Canada, Winsport (formerly CODA) and the University of Calgary, rally together to find the necessary solutions to operate the Calgary Olympic Oval for 9 months this season, as it is crucial in order for National Team speed skaters to train there and prepare for the Olympic Team Selections scheduled for August for short track and December for long track.
“We need to address the situation right away in order for our team to be ready for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games”, said Brian Rahill, SSC’s High Performance and Olympic Program Director. “Canada’s goal is to be the number one nation in 2010, and speed skating is supposed to contribute about half of the medals, but without proper preparation and ice time in Calgary, this will be a very tough challenge for us and our chances to meet our expected performance objectives are jeopardized.”
In the long run, the Calgary Olympic Oval funding model needs to be revisited in order to ensure the long term viability of its programs. Speed Skating Canada is willing to help contribute in the development of the new system, but we need the Government of Canada to take leadership in revisiting the process, and we need to make sure we include the Province of Alberta and the City of Calgary as well.
5. Oval’s Response
From the Olympic Oval…
On Tuesday, Speed Skating Canada held a press conference to express their concern for the Olympic Oval and the athletes who will potentially be affected by some of the changes happening at our facility, due to the recent financial situation. Their show of support is greatly appreciated.
During the press conference and in a press release issued after the event, Speed Skating Canada stated there would be no ice at the Olympic Oval from now until Sept. 2009. In fact, *ice will go in as planned at the Olympic Oval for July 6, 2009 for the season*.
The University of Calgary and Olympic Oval is committed to providing the ice needed to athletes preparing for the 2010 Olympics as well as to our advertised 2009 summer camps. Our facility will also welcome international athletes who wish to come and train over the summer months.
The Olympic Oval is continuing to work with our partners, with the support of Speed Skating Canada, to resolve our financial issues, which includes a lack of funding for nine months of ice.
We are working to ensure Speed Skating Canada, our camp participants, international athletes and the rest of our partners are aware of our summertime ice availability. We apologize for any confusion regarding the issue of summertime ice.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us:
Kam Kiland (kkiland@ucalgary.ca, 403.220.2948)
Catriona Le May Doan (cldoan@shaw.ca)
Thank you,
Kam Kiland & Catriona Le May Doan,
Director & Associate Director, Olympic Oval
