Hero`s welcome for Hudec

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to discover, develop and excel, through a sustainable business model.”
Our athletes up close
Lascelles Brown, bobsleigh
Friday, February 21, 2014
The oldest male Canadian Olympian at age 39,
Brown has a silver medal from the 2006 Games
and a bronze from the 2010 Vancouver Games.
Considered one of the most powerful brakemen
in bobsleigh, Brown is part of pilot Lyndon
Rush’s sled in the four-man event, which takes
place on the final weekend.
Hero’s welcome for Hudec
J
an Hudec received a
heart-warming welcome
to WinSport’s Canada
Olympic Park on Friday, as he
shared his Olympic bronze medal with hundreds of excited fans.
Hudec returned home Thursday evening from Sochi, where
he captured a bronze medal in
the men’s super-G last weekend.
He was the first Canadian to win
an Olympic medal in alpine skiing since 1994 when Edi Podivinsky won bronze in the downhill
at the Lillehammer Games.
On Friday, Hudec completed a
run from the top of the hill at
COP, before addressing the
gathered crowd and media. He
then signed autographs for nearly 90 minutes.
While he acknowledged his
family and his coaches, he said
the list is too large to thank individually.
“I would have to mention
about 1,000 people, probably
more. I think that’s why this
became the people’s medal,”
said Hudec. “There are so many
people that have helped me
through, even from when I was
in Nancy Greene, growing up in
Red Deer, then later on in Banff.
It’s literally an endless list of
people.
“Without each one of those
little pieces, I don’t think I would
have ended up where I have
today. I am just so thankful for
everybody and everyone’s support, it’s absolutely incredible.”
Several ski racers joined
school kids and families on
Hudec’s trip down the hill. For
Jan Hudec heads to the Legacy Express lift with members of the Lake Louise ski club.
Hudec, it was important to share
his medal with everyone.
“When I see all these kids, and
the girls I went up on the chair
with, they are wide-eyed and so
stoked on skiing,” he said.
“It’s amazing to come back
Canadian Sochi medallists
Gold: Alex Bilodeau, freestyle moguls; Justine Dufour-Lapointe, freestyle moguls; Charles Hamelin, short track; Dara Howell, slopestyle
skiing; Humphries/Moyse, bobsleigh; Canadian women’s hockey team;
women’s curling; Marielle Thompson, ski cross; men’s curling
Silver: Canadian team, figure skating; Chloe Dufour-Lapointe, freestyle moguls; Mikael Kingsbury, freestyle moguls; Denny Morrison,
speed skating; Patrick Chan, figure skating.; Mike Riddle, freestyle halfpipe; women’s speed skating relay; Virtue/Moir, figure skating;
Dominique Maltais, snowboarding; Kelsey Serwa, ski cross.
Bronze: Kim Lamarre, slopestyle; Mark McMorris, snowboarding;
Denny Morrison, speed skating; Jan Hudec, alpine skiing, Charle
Cournoyer, speed skating.
and see that passion and to see
that kids are so stoked to be ski
racing and just to be out here
trying to ski fast and just having
fun.
“That’s literally the feeling
that’s gotten me through all the
Events at the Park
Public skiing/snowboarding
Weekdays: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Weekends: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fat Tire Race
Sunday: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., west terrain park.
Royal Series
(Grassroots snowboard event)
Monday: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., progression park.
tough times as well, coming
back to your roots, remembering why you are out here, that’s
to have fun to beat all your
friends.”
And in Hudec’s case, beating
nearly all his competitors, too.
MARKIN MACPHAIL CENTRE
Breakfast Television
Outdoor Classic
Friday: Games begin at 6:15 a.m.
Saturday: Games begin at 7:15 a.m.
Monday: Games begin at 6:15 a.m.
Public skating
Sunday: 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.,
visitcalgary.com (Arena D).
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HALL OF FAME
Tuesday to Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5
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WEEKLY
Olympic spirit
lives on forever
E
ven at a young age, Helen Upperton felt the
Olympic spirit.
After years of competing, and
now working for WinSport as the
organization’s manager of community relations, there’s no
doubt that the Olympic spirit will
never leave her. Of course, winning a silver medal in bobsleigh at
the 2010 Olympics doesn’t hurt.
“Both my favourite Olympic
memories were home Olympics,”
said Upperton, who is currently in
Sochi, working for CBC as an analyst for the network’s bobsleigh
and luge coverage. “It just goes to
show you the impact it has on
future generations. There are so
many Olympians that are part of
the legacy of the ‘88 Games that
competed in Vancouver and continue to compete. I think that’s
something Canada should be
proud of.”
Upperton was born in Kuwait,
but the family settled in Calgary,
making the 1988 Calgary Games
the preview of what was to come.
“When I was eight years old, my
parents took me to see as much
of the ’88 Olympics as I could,”
she said. “My uncle ran the torch
relay, so we were all out there
with our little Petro-Canada
torches,. I still have a photo of me
holding the Olympic torch.
“That is the first Olympic
memory that I have and it’s a
special one. You start to understand what Olympic spirit means
and it kind of lives with you forever.”
Upperton took up bobsleigh in
2002 and finished fourth at the
2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. She had several podium finishes on the World Cup circuit leading into the Vancouver, but it was
the Whistler Sliding Centre that
provided the backdrop to her
most memorable Olympic moment.
“It was the moment I saw the
clock when I crossed the finish
line in my fourth and final heat,”
she said.
“You have spent your whole life
pursuing a career in sport, and
you never know what can happen. And the Olympics only come
around every four years. I was
fourth four years before that, it
was a long time to wait and train
for an unknown outcome.
Helen Upperton celebrates her silver medal as she crosses
the finish line at the Whistler Sliding Centre in 2010.
“You cross the finish line and
you look up at the clock, the first
feeling you have is relief, which is
very quickly taken over by complete jubilation and pride and
everything else. You are like
‘wow, I can’t believe we did it,’ ”
she said.
“ ‘We’ is like a huge ‘we’. We is
like your team, your coaches,
your family, the sponsors, everybody that was part of the journey.
“It’s pretty amazing how many
people get to share that moment
with you at a home Olympics.”
Phelan always willing to lend a hand
T
WinSport volunteer Jim Phelan gets plenty of satisfaction from volunteering.
he volunteer spirit has
always had a huge impact on WinSport.
Several hundred volunteers
help WinSport out each year, but
two special volunteers have
been singled out as nominees for
the 2014 Propellus Volunteer
Awards.
Jim Phelan was nominated for
the Silver Star Award, while Paul
Quan was nominated for the
Heart of Calgary Award. Michelle
Mungar Lumley, who is WinSport’s volunteer coordinator,
was nominated for the Outstanding Volunteer Management
Award.
The winners for the 18th annual awards will be announced on
April 8 at the BMO Centre.
He began volunteering at WinSport in September 2012 and has
WinSport has a database of 450
already contributed more than
volunteers that help at the Park.
400 hours.
Last year alone, volunteers
Phelan helps with WinSport’s
logged more than 23,000 hours.
Welcome Team, volunteers as an
office assist, and helps out at
This week, WinSport Weekly
special events, including Christprofiles Phelan, while the Feb.
masvilles.
28th issue will profile Quan and
Away from Canada Olympic
the March 7th issue will profile
Park, he volunteers with the
Mungar Lumley.
Kerby Centre and at the Silvera
“I’m very honoured. With the
for Seniors centre.
type of people that volunteer, all He said what he gets most out
the volunteer people are good,
of volunteering is thanks.
but to be nominated, it’s just an
“It’s amazing from all three
honour,” said Phelan, who spent how much you verbally get genu44 years selling golf and ski
ine thanks, it’s gratitude from
equipment to dealers. “I get a lot the people you are volunteering
of satisfaction out of volunteer- for,” said Phelan.
ing.”
With his three different volunteer positions, Phelan essentially
covers all age brackets, with seniors his obvious focus at the
Kerby Centre and Silvera.
“Here you go to the other extreme, from the little, little ones
to the teenagers to the 25 to 30year-olds, right up to the seniors.
They all have their own rewards,” he said.
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