FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 12th, 2022

Established Members of the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary Board of Directors David de Vlieger and Erica Wiebe Named Chair and Vice Chair After serving an impressive 13-year tenure, Cheryl Sandercock can say mission accomplished as she becomes past Chair

CALGARY – The Canadian Sport Institute Calgary (CSI Calgary) is excited to announce David de Vlieger and Erica Wiebe are moving to new positions on the Board of Directors as Chair and Vice Chair respectively.

David originally joined the CSI Calgary Board of Directors in 2017 and has served as Vice Chair since 2019. He brings an extraordinary amount of knowledge and expertise through his background and as an active member of the high-performance sports community.

He is presently Senior Litigation Counsel at Repsol Oil & Gas Canada Inc. where he oversees Repsol’s North American litigation portfolio, while also providing subject-matter expertise for litigation and claims impacting Repsol’s international operations, which span five continents.

David is also a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Board of Directors and is a prior Board Chair of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada and Swimming Canada.

“I thank Cheryl Sandercock for her tremendous efforts and I look forward to having her continue on as a member of our Board,” said de Vlieger. “I inherit a great team and I’m excited to help with the continued evolution of CSI Calgary.”

Olympic gold medallist and emerging business professional Erica Wiebe moves into the Vice Chair role. Erica joined the CSI Calgary Board of Directors in 2020 and has made an immediate impact in voicing the needs of athletes and as an advocate for Safe Sport.

Erica is currently a business partner at Neo Financial, is an advocate for Right to Play, Kidsport and Fast and Female, and is completing her MBA at Queens-Cornell.

“I’m honoured to continue to give back to the sport system and affect change at the governance level,” said Wiebe. “Sport is the backbone of communities in Canada and the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary is an incredible pillar of the sport community in Calgary at the high-performance level.”

Past Chair Cheryl Sandercock leaves a notable mark with CSI Calgary. She led the successful recruitment and transition of the President and CEO role when Dale Henwood retired in 2020 after 26 years at the helm of the organization.

During her eight years as Chair, the 2022 Calgary Influential Women in Business award recipient also helped CSI Calgary maintain financial stability, ensured sound governance practices, supported a clear strategic direction, and successfully recruited new Board Members.

We thank Cheryl for her outstanding service and contribution in elevating CSI Calgary athletes and coaches. Doug Penner will continue as Secretary Treasurer with Directors Les Gramantik, Whitney Hughes-Plummer, Catriona Le May Doan, Dan Proulx, Kyle Shewfelt, and Geoff Thompson.  

About the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

The Canadian Sport Institute Calgary provides world-class training environments in Alberta. With the support of our partners, we deliver leading sport science and medicine, coach education and life services to help Canada's high-performance athletes achieve Olympic and Paralympic podium performances. For more information, please visit www.csialberta.ca

Media Contact:

Annie Gagnon, Director, Marketing & Communications

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

c: 613.262.9644

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Annie Goncin, Manager, Athlete Services & Digital Media

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

c: 647.767.6862

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By Teddy Katz for the Canadian Olympic Committee

Warning: This blog post covers a subject and situations that can be distressing or triggering. A Canada-wide helpline and chat support are available 1-866-633-4220 from the National Eating Disorder Information Centre.

Athletes have a unique relationship with food and what they put in their bodies. They know proper nutrition and adequate fueling is important for their performance and well-being. But focusing too much on their bodies and their weight, in particular, can lead to big problems.

The issue of eating disorders in sport has recently been well documented in a series of stories in the Globe and Mail. It came after an examination of the scope of eating disorders in elite sport. Some athletes talked about binging, purging and other challenges they’ve experienced.

Kelly Drager, a performance dietitian who works at the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary, says it’s heartbreaking to hear some of the stories of what athletes go through. She says it’s important to normalize the conversation, so athletes know there’s help out there.

“These stories need to get the attention to have people talking about it, including those at the decision-making level for education, support and funding for mental health and nutrition.”

Drager says trying to diagnose someone with an eating disorder can sometimes be difficult. Athletes sometimes may not seek support. They might not even realize they’re experiencing challenges or sometimes are ashamed about what they might be going through. So, Drager says a team she’s part of at the Canadian Sport Institute in Calgary tries to proactively identify athletes in need of support.

For instance, the interdisciplinary leads (physicians, physiologists, mental health practitioners, strength and conditioning coaches, therapists, dietitians) at the Canadian Sport Institute in Calgary have collaborated on a baseline screening process for the national team athletes they assist. They refer to this as the intake process.

It starts with the athletes completing a medical screening questionnaire, which includes 10 questions about their eating behaviors and habits, and whether they’ve ever been diagnosed with an eating disorder. The intake also includes a mental wellness screen and nutrition questionnaire. That questionnaire assists in determining their fueling needs and if any food restrictions are happening. The team puts together a risk assessment for each athlete and a care plan if an athlete’s tests show cause for concern.

Then the team builds a treatment program for each individual. A program could be for days, months or even years, depending in large part on the root cause of what the athlete is dealing with.

In some cases, the support team working with athletes say a person with an eating disorder might have a concurrent mental health issue. There might be a history of abuse, trauma, depression, or relationship or family issues.

Other times, the issues can surface from poor coaching methods, bullying or body shaming. The athlete’s thoughts, feelings and perceptions about their body can be what leads to the disorder.

Judy Goss has worked for years as a mental performance consultant in sport. She says sometimes people think if someone is thin, they might have an issue. But she says it can happen to anybody and sometimes what makes a “good athlete” can blur the line between being dedicated and having poor body image or worse.

“Sometimes an athlete is willing to go above and beyond. They’re willing to do anything that the coach asks. They train hard. They follow instructions. They accept nothing but perfection. Those kinds of characteristics also can make you prone to eating disorders. We have to realize that it’s sometimes right in our face and we don’t see it.”

Goss says young athletes today face a new challenge: social media. She says that intensifies the issues around body image and eating disorders. Athletes, she says, just like everybody else might compare themselves to others or find themselves the subjects of harsh words or body shaming.

Often, mental performance experts say eating disorders start when someone is in their early teens and their bodies might be changing. That makes early intervention in sport extremely important.

That’s why Drager has worked with Goss and Skate Canada, where Goss is the mental performance advisor. Together, they produced Body Positive Guidelines, in December 2020 to share with coaches, parents and guardians, and young figure skaters in the sport.

The guidelines highlight how important it is for coaches, parents and others around athletes to be mindful of the language used toward an individual and about their body.

“There's always that one statement that you're never going to forget. We kind of call it a Velcro statement that always sticks with you. Coaches or parents might say, wow, you look awesome, you're so lean. Those positive comments can be just as detrimental as someone saying you're overweight,” Goss says.

Drager and some of the team at the Canadian Sport Institute in Calgary facilitate education sessions with coaches and athletes where they sometimes will role play. If an athlete says “I’m too fat,” they’ll ask the coach to consider what would be an appropriate response.

Coaches are told to focus on performance and fitness rather than appearance and weight. For instance, look at what the body’s doing to power the movements rather than how it looks.

Drager and Goss are working on a pilot project for Skate Canada. Later in 2022, they’ll hold workshops around the country with some skating clubs. They’re planning to introduce these Body Positive Guidelines to everybody at the club as well as to the young skaters.

“This is just the first step,” Goss says. She adds, “talking about body image in sport is long overdue. That comes from every aspect, whether it be the coaches or judges in certain sports. We need to realize that body shape and size does not predict performance.”

Recommended resources

Skate Canada’s Body Positive Guidelines

National Eating Disorder Information Centre

About the author(s)

Teddy Katz is an award-winning journalist and communicator. He worked as a national sports reporter at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for close to 2 decades. Teddy now runs his own communications company, Think Redefined Inc., where he assists national and international organizations with their storytelling. That includes the Canadian Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee. Teddy was in Tokyo as the media attaché for the Refugee Paralympic Team.

About the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

The Canadian Sport Institute Calgary provides world-class training environments in Alberta. With the support of our partners, we deliver leading sport science and medicine, coach education and life services to help Canada's high-performance athletes achieve Olympic and Paralympic podium performances. www.csialberta.ca

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Media Contact:

Annie Gagnon, Director, Marketing & Communications

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

c: 613.262.9644

e: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Annie Goncin, Manager, Athlete Services & Digital Media

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

c: 647.767.6862

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 19th, 2022

CALGARY, ALBERTA – The time has come to shine a light – a light that has been dimmed for too long – on the incredible athletes and para-athletes from Alberta, who have persevered through difficult times and emerged victorious on the sporting world stage.

At long last, CSI Calgary is thrilled to present an upcoming series of events, all centred around the theme of Coming Together to celebrate and share the incredible accomplishments of its many supported athletes, para-athletes, coaches, and staff over the last two years, culminating with peak performances in Tokyo and Beijing.

The series features school visits by several CSI Calgary athletes and para-athletes, the Game Plan Day event across Canada on June 1st, and the Red White and Gold Gala on June 15th in Calgary.

Two-time wheelchair basketball Paralympian Nik Goncin will visit Bowness High School on May 31st, along with freestyle skiing halfpipe bronze medalist from Beijing Rachael Karker, three-time Olympian in freestyle skiing halfpipe Noah Bowman, and rower Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski, a Tokyo 2020 gold medalist in the women’s 8.

Reaching over 600 students, the school visits will focus on mental and physical health, resilience, grit, and sticking to your goals in sport and life.

Goncin understands how valuable and impactful such school visits can be, especially as a para-athlete who has persevered through much more than the global pandemic. The opportunity to share his story with students is one he takes seriously.

“The earlier you can reach kids the better,” he explains. “It helps break down the barriers and social stigma associated with disabilities, and because of this kind of education there has been a huge shift in accessibility, inclusion, and diversity over the last 10 years.”

Finally, it’s time to dust off those ball gowns and tuxedos (when’s the last time you wore yours?) for a night of glamour and celebration. Coming together for the first time in a very long while, summer and winter athletes and para-athletes will attend the Red White & Gold Gala – a celebration and appreciation night at Major Tom in Calgary on June 15th.

In case you missed it, CSI Calgary affiliated athletes combined to win 25 of Canada’s 51 medals won in Tokyo and Beijing.

Goncin is looking forward to the Red, White and Gold Gala on June 15th with anticipation and excitement. “We’ve been virtual for two years, it’s so awesome now to finally be in person to meet athletes and supporters and have opportunities to make new connections.”

Goncin points to meeting other athletes as a major highlight, especially after two years of living in a bubble. “Whether we know each other or not, we all have a lot in common. It feels like we know each other already. This gala means a lot to the sport community in Calgary.”

This exciting series of events is generously supported by EFW Radiology, Invico Capital Corporation, Mawer Investment Management Ltd., Ignite Technology, DynaLIFE Medical Labs, and Avenue Living Asset Management.

CSI Calgary President and CEO, Gary Davies, says the Coming Together campaign is a special way to acknowledge recent successes.

“This is our chance to say thank you to, to showcase the hard work and dedication, as well as the major contributions of the incredible team of service providers at CSI Calgary,” says Davies. “We are all so proud of what CSI Calgary athletes and para-athletes have accomplished over the last two years – persevering through major challenges and putting together fantastic performances on the world stage.”

So, let’s shine that light. Let’s cast a glow of warmth, joy, and gratitude upon the shoulders of Alberta’s best, during this wonderful time when we can all finally come together.

About Invico Capital Corporation

Invico Capital Corporation ("Invico") is an award-winning Canadian investment fund management firm providing alternative investing and financing solutions in Canada and the U.S. The firm offers a range of private debt, energy, and real estate financing solutions that assist corporations in pursuing strategic acquisitions, financing capital expenditures and growth programs, and supporting working capital requirements. Invico is a registered Portfolio Manager (PM), Investment Fund Manager (IFM), and Exempt Market Dealer (EMD), and is an official signatory of the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The firm currently holds over $1.77 billion in assets under management (as at Apr. 30, 2022) and is the IFM for seven funds.

About Mawer Investment Management Ltd.

Established in 1974, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. is an independent firm that provides world-class, global investment management services to a broad range of institutional and individual clients. We are proud of our reputation as one of Canada’s most respected investment management firms and strive to earn such respect by continually delivering long-term investment excellence, developing strong client partnerships, and living our core values. Mawer currently manages approximately $89 billion in assets and employs over 200 people in Calgary, Toronto, the U.S., and Singapore.

About Ignite Technology

At Ignite Technology, we work with our customers to understand their business environment and develop a customized technology solution that works for their unique business. Our team is a passionate group, all experts in their own fields, who work together to help teams across North America connect seamlessly and securely. We’re committed to taking a people-first approach in all that we do and pride ourselves on developing and maintaining trusted relationships with our customers. We help companies empower productivity, enable innovation, experience seamless connections with tools people will actually use. At Ignite, we Connect People and Ideas through Technology. Visit www.ignitetechnology.com to learn more about what makes us your trusted technology partner.

About DynaLIFE Medical Labs

Headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, DynaLIFE Medical Labs is a major Canadian medical laboratory offering a complete range of diagnostic testing services. Our 1,300 employees are proud to be seen as industry leaders – bringing reliable, innovative services to more than 2,000 physicians for two million patient visits annually – performing greater than 19 million laboratory tests every year. DynaLIFE has been operating clinical laboratory facilities in Alberta for more than 60 years.

About Avenue Living Asset Management

Founded on the principle of investing in the everyday, Avenue Living focuses on opportunities that are often overlooked by others, having grown to over $3.7 billion in aggregate assets under management across four private real estate investment mandates. The Avenue Living team includes over 750 professionals with expertise in real estate operations and transactions, property management, research, investment origination, and capital markets, as well as a suite of subject matter experts to support Avenue Living's growing portfolio of multi-family residential, commercial, agricultural land, and self-storage assets. In addition to over 14,400 multi-family units located in Canada and the United States, Avenue Living and its related entities own over 495,000 square feet of commercial space, 82,827 acres of productive farmland, and more than 3 million square feet of self-storage space.

About the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

The Canadian Sport Institute Calgary provides world-class training environments in Alberta. With the support of our partners, we deliver leading sport science and medicine, coach education and life services to help Canada's high-performance athletes achieve Olympic and Paralympic podium performances. www.csialberta.ca

Media Contact:

Annie Gagnon, Director, Marketing & Communications

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

c: 613.262.9644

e: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Annie Goncin, Manager, Athlete Services & Digital Media

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

c: 647.767.6862

e: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 21st, 2022

New Powered by WinSport menu for High Performance Athletes and Coaches Subsidized by the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary CALGARY – Beginning this week, Canadian Sport Institute Calgary (CSI Calgary) affiliated athletes and coaches can purchase subsidized meals through WinSport‘s Garden Café.

The new Powered by WinSport menu caters to the needs of high-performance athletes and includes food items inspired by CSI Calgary’s Fuel for Gold meal program. The menu is also available to the public.

“We are excited to have re-opened the Garden Café again after the pandemic challenge and look forward to add the Powered by WinSport line of items to our menu that CSI affiliated athletes, and our public guests can enjoy and fuel themselves for their day,” said Alan Fraser, WinSport’s Director of Food and Beverage. “Having healthy food options is critical to the success of our athletes and we are honoured to partner with CSI Calgary to launch this program.”

The Canadian Sport Institute Calgary is pleased to announce that we will provide Sport Canada carded and/or athletes and coaches with a CSI Calgary training group agreement with a 50% price reduction on a wide variety of items including lunch specials, salads, fruit cups, vegetable and hummus, overnight oats, power bars, muffins, sandwiches, and paninis.

Other items will receive 20% discount, with exceptions on pre-packaged items and beverages that do not qualify for discount.

“Properly fueling before and after training can have a significant impact on overall performance,” said Gary Davies, CSI Calgary President/CEO. “Having convenient access to nutritious and affordable food options through the Garden Café will ensure athletes can get what they need daily.”

The Garden Café at the Markin MacPhail Centre officially re-opened on Monday, April 4th and will be open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. and evenings and weekends based on events happening at Winsport.

Athletes can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for any questions related to the WinSport menu subsidy.

About Winsport WinSport

inspires human potential through the spirit of sport. The Calgary Olympic Development Association, operating as WinSport, is a community-based, not-for-profit organization that owns and operates Canada Olympic Park and the Bill Warren Training Centre in Canmore. WinSport also administers legacy funds that support the Olympic Oval. WinSport’s mission has three pillars: to help people discover the joy and health benefits of sport; to encourage talented athletes to develop their skills; and to enable Canada’s high-performance athletes to excel on the world stage. Financial commitments from Canadian governments and business have allowed WinSport to expand its sport and community offering over time; significant investment will be required in the coming years to renew the legacy facilities that have welcomed the world to the Calgary region for more than a generation.

About the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

The Canadian Sport Institute Calgary provides world-class training environments in Alberta. With the support of our partners, we deliver leading sport science and medicine, coach education and life services to help Canada's high-performance athletes achieve Olympic and Paralympic podium performances. For more information, please visit www.csialberta.ca

Media Contact:

Dale Oviatt, Senior Manager, Communications WinSport
c : 403.461.9074
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Annie Gagnon, Director, Marketing & Communications

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

c: 613.262.9644 e: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Annie Goncin, Manager, Athlete Services & Digital Media

Canadian Sport Institute Calgary

c: 647.767.6862 e: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.