For many athletes, the start of 2016 brings the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games deeper into focus. This is the case for Canada’s top ranked women wrestlers: Jasmine Mian, Danielle Lappage, Erica Wiebe, Dorothy Yeats, Michelle Fazzari, Samantha Stewart, and Jillian Gallays.

The athletes and their support team were at WinSport from January 4-8 for their Olympic kick-off training camp with the goal of building their Olympic performance plan. Athletes first went through medical evaluations led by Dr. Katie MacGregor followed by strength, physiological and nutritional assessments at the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary (CSI Calgary). This was to determine their preparation state and identify where improvements are needed leading into the Games.

Head Wrestling Coach for the Olympic Games Leigh Vierling also used the camp to work with his athletes on a Key Opponent Analysis. Strength and Conditioning Coach Mac Read saw extreme value in the camp format because, “Normally the wrestling camps have up to 40 athletes. We had seven female athletes allowing for much more individual attention and focus. They also worked together to build a strong team atmosphere.”

Physiologist Erin Sargent worked with the athletes on their cardiovascular conditioning to ensure that they can sustain high intensity throughout a match. She notes that this will also “help improve their ability to recover between matches as the athletes can have up to six or seven matches in one day.”

Under the direction of Wrestling Canada, Registered Dietitian Kelly Drager examined all aspects of the recovery and weight cutting processes that wrestlers need to perform before every major competition.

Jasmine Mian, a 48-kilogram wrestler, enthused, “The camp was a great way to kick off the new year. We were able to see how far we have come and formulate a plan to get where we need to be. I am pushing myself to be ready for Rio, but I also see how hard the staff at the CSI Calgary are working to make sure we are ready. It gives me a lot of confidence heading into the Games because even though wrestling is an individual sport, I have a whole team supporting me. The culture of excellence has been integral to my success both on and off the mat.”

75-kilogram wrestler Erica Wiebe emphasizes the sentiments of Mian, noting, “Every year the team becomes more efficient at collaborating so that our performance on the mat becomes a direct result of the work that we put in on a daily basis. They really embody what it means to work as a cohesive team. I know I am in good hands.”

A veteran of four Olympic Games, Coach Vierling is confident the kick-off camp was a success, saying, “I believe we have created outstanding practices in preparing our athletes for Olympic success. ‬‪Our team is young, keen, and ready to commit to the work ahead! ‬”‬‬‬

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

The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, recaps a year filled with successes and lasting memories made possible by the work of countless individuals and dedicated volunteers.

Career Management, which is part of Game Plan, aims to help athletes explore and engage in different career paths. The Canadian Sport Institute Calgary (CSI Calgary) takes it a step further by directly helping current and retired Olympic, Paralympic, and National Team athletes find work experiences that are flexible and purposeful.

Cara Button, Director, Stakeholders Relations at the CSI Calgary, has been instrumental in the implementation of Game Plan, a program that ensures athletes are well prepared for life beyond their sport.

Strongly believing that part of being prepared is having confidence in the workplace, she discussed the opportunity to provide a more meaningful experience to athletes by offering something different than the typical sponsorship package with Christoph Faig, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Calgary based software development company aclaro softworks.

Faig jumped at the chance, and team aclaro currently sponsors individual athletes directly. As part of the sponsorship program, they offer the ‘team aclaro’ athletes the opportunity for part-time work experience. The team is comprised of skeleton athlete Micaela Widmer, biathlete Christian Gow, biathlete Scott Gow, speed skater Gilmore Junio, and track cyclist Monique Sullivan.

“We are not a huge company, and you don’t need to be to hire athletes and to have an impact,” says Faig. “Offering employment to athletes has not been charity for aclaro – we have benefitted hugely from having athletes at our company.”

Skeleton athlete Sarah Reid was sponsored by aclaro for the 2013/2014 season. Forced to take the 2014/2015 season off due to injury, Reid began working in the aclaro office. Blogging about the value the employment program provided her with, Reid writes, “It can be a pretty frightening thing to take that big step off of the ice and into the office. I had no post-secondary education, no work experience, and a very short resume. What I did have though, what we [athletes] all have, is an abundance of very unique life experiences to bring to the table. Through sport we have learned what it means to work as a team. To succeed and to fail. To persevere. To accept criticism and to commit to something.”

As aclaro has shown, there are many ways that a company can invest in an athlete’s Olympic dream. Faig insists that the key to success when employing athletes is flexibility with hours and using the resources available through the CSI Calgary to ensure the correct athlete-company match is made.

If your company is interested in gaining a valuable employee while helping an athlete prepare for their life beyond sport, please contact Cara Button at 403-220-8184 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Further information and resources can be found at www.csialberta.ca/game-plan.

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary: @csicalgary
Written by Brittany Schussler: @BSchussler