One year before Chandra Crawford's legendary success as an Olympic Cross-Country Skiing Gold Medalist, she came to a realization: "We have to do something to keep girls in sports." She had witnessed first-hand the plethora of talented girls that had stopped participating in sports because they felt pressure to conform to more traditionally feminine pursuits. It was with that in mind that Crawford, along with local sport organizations and her teammates, created the Fast and Female program, who's mission today is: "Deliver programs that keep girls healthy, happy and active in sports through their teens." One year later, Crawford became an Olympic Champion and her ability to "connect that young age group to the red and white dream" gained unfathomable steam.

As a Canadian Sport Institute Calgary (CSIC) athlete for her 14 years on the Canadian National Cross-Country Ski Team, Crawford knows what it takes for females to succeed in sports. She credits much of her own success in high performance sport to the work of the CSIC and its employees, such as exercise physiologist Jodi Hawley who "worked with my team from before I won my Olympic gold until my last Olympics in Sochi. Jodi would measure my physiological parameters, but also dismantle a potential psychological melt down if I had a bad test by taking a moment to connect with me. I was so grateful to always have her."

Saturday, November 1 marked a big step in the direction of creating a measurable impact on female athletes, when Crawford hosted the first Fast and Female Summit at the WinSport and Canadian Sport Institute facilities at Canada Olympic Park. The program's most diverse event since its inception in 2005, the Summit was extremely successful. It was "our biggest event in Canada in terms of most athletes, parents, and volunteers," with 20 different sports represented, and the highest caliber of speakers for the parent/coach seminar.

The line-up of speakers included Canadian Sport Institute Mental Performance Consultant Clare Fewster, along with Shawnee Harle, and Stephen and Lea Norris. Knowing the time and energy that high performance support staff members put into athletes' careers, it is especially significant to Crawford when "people like Clare, of that high caliber, spend time on their Saturday to come and talk about girls in sports. They really care and we really appreciate that. The CSIC's entire staff has been so supportive of Fast and Female. It is really fun to share our dream together of more female sport participation."

Crawford notes, however, that through all of the amazing lessons taught at the Summit, the most inspirational moment came from an unplanned experience. "I took all of the girls and we were allowed to work out in the high performance gym. They have a sign on the wall that says, 'Stay Humble. Be Hungry.' We had 120 girls, all under the age of 16, go into the gym and get to walk through the CSI athlete lounge. We walked them into the CSI and said, 'Imagine being an athlete who gets to use this facility. This is the last time you get to work out in here until you are an Olympian.' It was all so motivating for them – they were envisioning what it would be like being an Olympian in that environment."

Currently working on her MBA at the Haskayne School of Business, Crawford aims to continue expanding Fast and Female along with the help of the organization's other part-time employee, Marie-Helene Thibeault. With the direction that things have been going over the past nine years, and the enthusiasm that has been generated within the female sports community, the future of women's sports in Canada is looking bright.

Be sure to visit www.fastandfemale.com to find out how your organization can host a Fast and Female event and keep girls in sports!

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Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Writer Brittany Schussler: @bschussler
Photo Credit: Dave Holland @csicalgaryphoto
Fast and Female: @FastandFemale, www.fastandfemale.com
Chandra Crawford: @ChandraCrawford

Mingling with ambitious female leaders over lunch while gaining valuable skills and insight into how to increase professional development sounds like a dream afternoon for many women. For that reason, the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary has partnered with the Alberta Sport Connection to host a series of women's empowerment and leadership workshops presented by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS).

The first workshop in the series, centered on Effective Communication, took place at the University of Calgary Campus on October 21. Led by 1996 Olympic Silver Medallist Dr. Cari Din, the workshop attracted fifteen local women who were eager to collaborate on how to improve personal development both in and out of sport. Created for all women, the CAAWS workshops series offers value for anyone looking for methods of career development, not just athletes.

Facilitator Cari Din raved about the success of the first workshop, saying it was "a fun, up-to-date workshop aimed at giving women insight and practical skills they can implement immediately. Women told me they enjoyed the opportunity to talk with and learn from women from a variety of sport and activity organizations."

World-class wrestler Erica Wiebe echoed Din's sentiments, proclaiming, "Initially, when I signed up I thought oh man, this is going to be a long 3 hours, but it turned out to fly by! It was very informative and felt like a very safe space for people to talk and share ideas."

After seeing CAAWS presentations and their subsequent results, the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary's Erin Wamsteeker and Jason Sjostrom initiated contact with the program, believing that elite athletes could benefit from the impactful messages that were being communicated. Not wanting to let the opportunity pass anyone by, they have opened up the workshops to staff members as well as any women who feel that they could use professional empowerment and encouragement from strong, independent women.

The CAAWS facilitations have been added to a full repertoire of life services workshops that aim to improve elite athletes' performance both on and off the field of play. Already featuring workshops geared towards skills such as self-marketing, social media, and public speaking, the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary prides itself on offering educational opportunities that athletes' would not normally be provided. The CAAWS workshops were a natural and seamless fit into the workshop catalog.

After the success of Din's Effective Communication workshop, there have already been three more workshops added to the calendar. The next three CAAWS experiences on the schedule are titled Conflict Management (taking place on November 18), Influencing Change (taking place on December 9), and Effective Communication (taking place on January 6).

To learn more about the CAAWS Workshops, and to register, go to http://csialberta.ca/en/events/icalrepeat.detail/2014/10/21/634/-/caaws-effective-communication-yyc

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Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Writer Brittany Schussler: @bschussler
Photo Credit: Dave Holland @csicalgaryphoto
CAAWS: www.caaws.ca

For the fourth consecutive year, ARC Resources Ltd. has partnered with the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary to award three $5000 scholarships to high performance student athletes. Wrestler Jasmine Mian, track cyclist Monique Sullivan, and speed skater Dan Carruthers are the ecstatic recipients of this year's funding.

Recipients of the scholarship are put through a rigorous application procedure that culminates with an in-person interview at ARC Resources Ltd., one of Canada's leading conventional oil and gas companies. Each successful applicant must be taking a minimum of four classes, and demonstrate a combination of academic and athletic achievement in combination with financial need and regular community involvement.

As the current Canadian Champion in the 48KG weight class, and an MSc candidate in Experimental Psychology, Jasmine Mian is the epitome of what ARC and the CSI are looking for in scholarship recipients. The impact that this funding has on student athletes is apparent, as noted by Mian who says, "I am very grateful to be one of the recipients of the Inspiring Excellence Scholarship. The support and encouragement I have received from ARC Resources Ltd. and the Canadian Sport Institute provide me with the tools and confidence to be successful in the classroom and on the wrestling mat. The funding will allow me to continue competing at the international level, while taking advantage of opportunities for professional development throughout my MSc program. Scholarships like this truly make a difference in lives of student athletes."

Scholarships for student athletes aim to encourage recipients to continue pursuing post-secondary schooling while being world-leaders in their respective sports. Wayne Lentz, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, notes the importance that ARC and the CSI put on preparation for life after sport, saying that "ARC created the Inspiring Excellence scholarship program to support student athletes in their commitment to education, sport and community. There is a strong emphasis on preparing student athletes for careers beyond their sport as well as their commitment to their education and community. Scholarship recipients are truly exceptional individuals who are excelling in both their academic and athletic pursuits and share the characteristics of work ethic, maturity, humility and long term views on the importance of their education and careers following their time in sports. The $5000 scholarship lowers financial barriers, furthers their studies and helps with expenses incurred while training and travelling to competitions."

Newly training with a National Team group, Dan Carruthers says that being awarded the scholarship is affording him some much needed relief over the financial worries that have accompanied coming into a more difficult training regime. He has felt that "one of the largest obstacles I face as a student athlete is making sure I can cover all of my costs, so I can perform my best. The scholarship will help me cover most of my skating travel expenses this year, some pricey equipment costs, and a portion of my tuition fees."

After finishing sixth in the keirin at the 2012 Olympic Games, Monique Sullivan is back in competition after taking time off to focus on school. Not wanting to be forced to choose between athletic and academic success, Monique believes that "The ARC scholarship is not only special because of the financial benefit, but because it represents being part of the ARC and CSI Calgary community. I am passionate about both racing and school, and it is really unique to be part of a community that supports both."

The scholarship winners will have an opportunity to thank the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary and ARC Resources Ltd. in person when they are honoured at a luncheon in November.

Stay in the loop!

Writer Brittany Schussler: @bschussler
Photo Credit: Dave Holland @csicalgaryphoto
ARC Resources Ltd.: www.arcresources.com
Monique Sullivan: @mmj_sullivan, http://moniquesullivan.wordpress.com/
Jasmine Mian: @jasmine_mian, www.jasminemian.com
Dan Carruthers: @ldcarruthers, www.ldcarruthers.com

Calgary's Michael Sametz is looking towards the 2016 Paralympic Games. After his recent breakthrough winning both the Time Trial and the Road Race at the National Championships in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, the 18-year-old has every reason to be optimistic that he will be a part of the team representing Canada in Rio de Janeiro.

Sametz's success has been meaningful not only for himself as an athlete, but for his training program as a whole. As part of an identified talent group, Sametz, who is coached by Nick Jendzjowsky, is the first athlete to graduate on to the National Cycling Team. The timing could not be better, according to the program's founder Stephen Burke, who notes that the combination of funding and support from the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary and Alberta Sport Development Centre (ASDC) "was a catalyst" to Sametz's success.

Burke's training group, the Calgary Cycling Centre based out of the Calgary Olympic Oval, is funded as a unique partnership between the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary and the ASDC Calgary Region. Now entering into its fourth year, Sametz's success indicates that the system is beginning to flourish.

The partnership has combined the resources that each institution would have provided separately in order to create a program that is greater than the sum of its parts. Whereas typically the Canadian Sport Institute would be able to provide some sports science, nutrition, and sport psychology to athletes at the development level, when partnered with the ASDC's resources the programs have been able to increase the amount of support that the Calgary Cycling Centre's athletes receive in these areas.

Sametz is well aware of the benefits that the partnership program has created, believing that, "the funding and program set up access to the services like nutrition, anthro [sport science], and sport psychology. It has elevated my performance on and off the bike. Since meeting with [performance dietitian] Kelly Anne Erdman and [sport psychologist] Clare Fewster, the way I approach my training and racing has evolved."

Sametz's mother Ronda, could not agree more, saying, "The services Mike received and the relationships developed while at Calgary Cycling Centre were and continue to be extremely helpful in his cycling development."

The excitement surrounding the recent success of Sametz and the Calgary Cycling Centre is tangible. As Coach Burke proclaims, "Mike has a bright future," it is clear that the partnership between the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary and the ASDC does as well.

Keep up to date with results from Michael and other cyclists by following the Canadian Sport Institute on Twitter and Facebook!

Stay in the loop!

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Brittany Schussler: @bschussler
Photo by Dave Holland: @csicalgaryphoto