Last night I dreamed...

Last night I dreamed I was an Olympic torch bearer. The host country was Sweden. We were wearing blue and yellow outfits.

Somehow I was not dropped off at my position, so I was running along the course, stopping at the transfer points to find out who was the torch bearer. I passed one - not me. I pass another and it's the tennis player, Victoria Azarenka. I get to the next one and there it is. My name. I get in position and see the flame coming.

I call out to my husband and kids. I can't imagine I'll be carrying the torch in a moment and they're not there to see it. Then I hear him. There's my husband running behind the torch with his camera ready. He gives me the thumbs up and my panic changes to elation as the flame approaches.

We are positioned for the lighting. We're facing my husband first then we turn around to face the other cameras. We are interviewed briefly and we are asked who is most likely to be the next Olympian. I obviously have other supporters there because a number of them say me. I knowingly look at Azarenka and we give each other a little nod and a smile. The others don't know that she's a professional tennis player and already an Olympian.

The torch looks more like a 1988 torch than the 2010. It has a very small handle which is easy to hold. There's a small bucket at the top that holds the flame.

I start running with the torch...tears filling my eyes, not believing that this dream is coming true. How is it possible that I'm a torch bearer? I arrive at the next transfer point, and no one is there. How lucky, I get to carry it longer.

The next one, again, is empty. I can't believe my luck. Tears are almost streaming now. I run on a bridge wondering why I'm not getting tired yet (I haven't been a runner in a long time), another empty transfer point and the route goes up a hill (like a cross-country running trail with large rocks). I start running up the hill, so happy and not feeling tired. At some point, the relay gets stopped. The organizers can't figure out where the torch bearers are so they instruct me to go wait on the bus while they find them.

I'm sitting there talking with the person beside me and realize, I'm still carrying the lit torch. I take another moment to fully realize what is happening to me. Hard to believe!

Time passes and we notice that the flame is burned out. The person beside me thinks it's a problem, but I inform him that it's not. They will have flames to relit it when we start again.

Then it's time to go. As I walk off the bus, poof the flame lights up again. I was looking down at it, and the tip had a ring shaped hole that the flame came up through. I walk down the hill to the bridge where Simon Cowell catches up with me to explain what we're going to do. Yes, Simon Cowell is the organizer of the torch relay in Sweden that I am running in. Dreams aren't supposed to be realistic are they?

I go back to the start to begin the relay again. Then I wake up...amazed at an incredible dream.

Unveiling of CIBC Team Next

Originally published on SportCafé.ca

CIBC unveiled 67 athletes who were chosen for the Team Next Program. You can read the official press release by clicking here.

The event was held at Ryerson's Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto on Monday November 18.

The athletes were nominated by their National and Provincial Sport Organizations and reviewed by a panel of experts, including representatives from AthletesCAN and the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO).

Team Next is a program where the athletes will receive

• an annual grant for three years (total $15 000)
• mentorship from current and former world-class Canadian athletes
• workshops and advice on personal finances, post-secondary education and career planning, social media training and public speaking
• exclusive access to the CIBC Team Next online forum
• community support and networking opportunities through local CIBC branches and employees
• preferred CIBC products and services

Speaking to many of the athletes, they especially appreciate the mentorship part of the program. The mentors are:

• Josh Cassidy
• Mark de Jonge
• Stephanie Dixon
• Kara Lang
• Kyle Shewfelt
• Mary Spencer
• Bruny Surin
• Simon Whitfield

The unveiling began with Bruny Surin, Simon Whitfield and Stephanie Dixon taking to the podium to introduce the event. They spoke about the great weekend they just spent with the athletes and their roles as mentors. Although the athletes have been thanking the mentors a lot, Simon, on behalf of the mentors, thanked the athletes for giving them inspiration and said how fulfilling their roles are as mentors.

They were followed by Richard Nesbitt, CEO of CIBC who introduced the $2 million Team Next program to help the next generation of Canadian athletic stars reach their full potential. "What makes this program unique and special" he said, "is the elite team of mentors". He explained that the athletes had gathered from all over Canada - from St. John's to Victoria, from Yellowknife to Windsor. They represent all Pan Am and Parapan sports. CIBC will help build a sports legacy and will provide our next generation of athletes with the kind of support they need to succeed.

Federal Minister of Sport Bal Gosal and Provincial Minister of Sport Michael Chan were the final speakers before the official unveiling of the athletes. "The government can not do it alone" said Minister Gosal. With CIBC being a lead sponsor for the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, the public and private partnership will lead to a lasting sports legacy following the Games. The federal and provincial governments are very happy to see corporate sponsors like CIBC who come on board to help ensure athletes stand a better chance at reaching their goals.

The athletes selected for CIBC Team Next are a varied group representing the 51 Pan Am and Parapan Am Sports and disciplines. They range in age from 15-52. The athletes who mostly practice individual sports were excited about being part of a team and learning about the other sports.

As mentioned above, the athletes come from all over Canada representing 9 Canadian provinces and territories.

British Columbia - 11 athletes

“This program will provide for these aspiring athletes many of the tools they’ll need to achieve their goals in 2015 and beyond,” said Simon Whitfield, mentor for CIBC Team Next and winner of multiple Olympic medals in triathlon. “I would like to congratulate our CIBC Team Next athletes for all their hard work so far, and I look forward to being a mentor and a part of their phenomenal journey during this exciting time in their lives.”

Name	Age	Hometown	Sport
Amanda Yan	25	Burnaby	Wheelchair Basketball
Austin Hinchey	22	Vancouver	Sitting Volleyball
Christabel Nettey	22	Surrey	Athletics
Danielle Kisser	16	Delta	Swimming (Para)
Emily Belchos	18	Langford	Rugby
Hilary Caldwell	22	Victoria	Swimming
Isabella Bertold	22	Surrey	Sailing
Michelle Xin-Rong Liaw	17	Vancouver	Table Tennis
Nicole Luchanski	23	Campbell River	Baseball
Phyllis Chan	22	Vancouver	Badminton
Sukhi Panesar	19	Surrey	Field Hockey

Prairies and Territories - 8 athletes

“Mentorship has always played such an important role in my career as an athlete, and I think it’s important for the next generation of aspiring athletes to have the same positive experience” said Kyle Shewfelt, an Olympic and Commonwealth gold-medal gymnast and CIBC Team Next mentor. “I look forward to helping these athletes develop into Canada’s future sporting champions and more. Congratulations, CIBC Team Next athletes!” 

Name	Age	Hometown	Sport
Aron Ghebreyohannes	23	Calgary, AB	Goalball
Brett Leavens	20	Chestermere, AB	Speed Skating
Cody Yano	22	Edmonton, AB	Diving
David Letourneau	24	Calgary, AB	Squash
Denise Ramsden	22	Yellowknife, NWT	Cycling
Nikola Goncin	21	White City, SK	Wheelchair Basketball
Russell Wood	19	Calgary, AB	Swimming
Taryn Grant	18	Winnipeg, MB	Water Ski

Ontario - 21 athletes

“Congratulations to all of our CIBC Team Next athletes,” said Josh Cassidy, a CIBC Team Next mentor and five-time Canadian champion wheelchair racer and winner of both the 2012 Boston Marathon and 2010 London Marathon. “I’m excited to be mentoring athletes of all abilities on their journey to represent Canada on the world stage. As an aspiring athlete, it’s so important to have a strong support system around you to keep you motivated and encouraged, which is why I’m thrilled to be part of the CIBC Team Next program.

Name	Age	Hometown	Sport
Anthony Romaniw	22	Hamilton	Athletics
Brooke Henderson	16	Smith Falls	Golf
Cameron Smedley	23	Ottawa	CanoeKayak
Carling Zeeman	22	Cambridge	Rowing
Christine Roper	23	London	Rowing
Cody Caldwell	25	Cavan	Wheelchair Rugby
Corey Walsh	19	Ayr	Cycling
Emma Wright	17	Lindsay	Water Polo
Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson	18	Ottawa	Swimming
Grant O’Gorman	20	Scarborough	Volleyball
Jessie Fleming	15	London	Soccer
Joanna Brown	21	Guelph	Triathlon
Justin Karn	32	Guelph	Judo (Para)
Karen Van Nest	51	South Bruce Peninsula	Archery (Para)
Mathea Stevens	22	Rockland	Modern Pentathlon
Philip Scrubb	20	Ottawa	Basketball
Patricia Bezzoubenko	16	Thornhill	Gymnastics
Samuel Charron	15	Ottawa	Soccer (Para)
Samantha Sendel	22	Aurora	Trampoline
Vanessa Lee	24	Toronto	Archery
Yvette Yong	23	Etobicoke	Taekwondo

Quebec - 20 athletes

“I would like to congratulate our CIBC Team Next athletes for their hard work and dedication so far,” said Bruny Surin, a seven-time Canadian champion and winner of multiple Olympic medals in sprint and CIBC Team Next mentor. “It’s so important to have a support system with you every step of the way, and I’m honoured to be part of a program that recognizes funding alone isn’t enough for our amateur athletes to reach the podium.” 

Name	Age	Hometown	Sport
Alison Levine	23	Côte-Saint-Luc	Boccia
Dorothy Yeats	20	Montréal	Wrestling
François Dussault-Lavoie	20	Québec City	Bowling
Gabrielle Pilote Fortin	20	St-Augustin de Desmaure	Cycling
Jacqueline Simoneau	17	Saint-Laurent	Synchronized Swimming
Jean- François Sylvestre	29	Québec City	Wheelchair Tennis
Jean-Michel Lavallière	22	Québec City	Swimming (Para)
Jean-Philippe Maranda	27	Sherbrooke	Athletics (Para)
Kamille Desjardins	21	L’Ange-Gardien	Karate
Kelita Zupancic	23	Montréal	Judo
Kimberly Hyacinthe	24	Terrebonne	Athletics
Louis-Albert Corriveau-Jolin	23	Sainte-Claire	Cycling (Para)
Mathieu Roy	24	Saint-Gervais	Softball
Maxim Bouchard	23	Saint-Constant	Diving
Maximilien Van Haaster	21	Montréal	Fencing
Michelle Morissette	17	Baie-Comeau	Racquetball
Pamela Ware	20	Montréal	Diving
Pascal Plamondon	20	Ascot Corner	Weightlifting
René Cournoyer	16	Repentigny	Gymnastics
Sylvain Gaudet	24	Brossard	Handball

Maritimes - 7 athletes

“CIBC Team Next is such an essential program because it goes beyond the funding and recognizes the incredible role mentorship also plays in an athlete’s development” said Mark de Jonge, CIBC Team Next mentor and Olympic medalist and sprint kayaker. “I know how important it is to have someone rooting for you in your corner, and I’m thrilled to be a part of this exciting chapter for the members of CIBC Team Next as they strive to reach their goals in athletics and beyond.”  

Name	Age	Hometown	Sport
Ben Taylor	21	St. John’s, NL	Shooting
Brittany Fraser	25	New Glasgow, NS	Equestrian
Custio Clayton	26	Dartmouth, NS	Boxing
Ian Kent	52	Eastern Passage, NS	Table Tennis (Para)
Jason McCoombs	20	Dartmouth, NS	CanoeKayak
Michelle Russell	21	Dartmouth, NS	CanoeKayak
Pamela LeJean	29	Halifax, NS	Athletics (Para)

I was fortunate to attend the second day of the orientation camp and meet many of the athletes including some interviews. I look forward to following CIBC Team Next towards the 2015 Pan Am Games and 2016 Olympic Games.

(With files from CIBC)

Roz Groenewoud - World Champion

Roz Groenewoud won the FIS World Championships in 2011 and is the defending champion for tonight's X-Games competition which will be shown on TSN2 in Canada (10:30pm EST).

I was lucky enough to see Roz in action at the Dew Tour last month where she placed third in the freeski superpipe competition.

Roz may not be a household name in Canada yet, but with Target stores opening across the country in 2013 and with Roz being the first Canadian for them to sponsor, we will be hearing and seeing more of Roz leading into the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The Dew Tour was the first event for Canada's athletes' quest to make the Canadian Olympic team. Two podiums at five designated events (plus a top 16 at the World Championships or Sochi Test Event) will give an athlete early qualification so that during the Olympic season, they can concentrate on peaking at the Games instead of on qualifying.

With Roz earning a podium result at the Dew Tour, another at the X-Games tonight will almost guarantee that she will be in Sochi competing for the first gold medal in her sport.

The Sarah sticker on Roz's helmet is a constant reminder of Sarah Burke's legacy to the sport.

Another Canadian in the competition was Keltie Hansen. She is also competing at the X Games and will be looking to join Team Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Freeski superpipe was Sarah Burke's specialty. Roz being seven years younger than Sarah grew up idolizing her and was coached by her at summer camp. In 2011 at the X Games, they shared a podium with Sarah winning and Roz in third. A few months later, she would beat Sarah at the FIS World Championships.

Last year, a week after Sarah died, Roz Groenewoud won the Superpipe competition at the X Games dedicating her win to Sarah.

Sarah was the pioneer who grew the sport and fought for it to be included at the X-Games (for women) and in the Olympics. Many assumed that Sarah would be the gold medal winner in Sochi but that was not her fate. She opened the door so that others could walk through and shine. Look out for Roz Groenewoud to shine in 2014.

Here's the video of her Dew Tour run.

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Spencer O'Brien - World Champion

Spencer O'Brien won the FIS Snowboard Slopestyle World Championships in Quebec this past weekend which leads perfectly into this second post about my trip to Breckenridge for the Dew Tour last month where she finished second.

You can read my first post about my trip here. I wanted to highlight our Canadians in separate posts so I have "saved the best" for these posts - well at least in sentiment if not in photography.

Snowboard Slopestyle will make its Olympic debut in 2014. In order to qualify, snowboarders must earn points on the FIS snowboard circuit. Although most snowboarders prefer to compete on the professional tour that offer courses that are more challenging, athletes competed at Stoneham Mountain in Québec this past weekend for the FIS World Championships where Spencer repeated as World Champion. She is also the reigning world champion on the pro tour.

Next weekend, she will compete at the X Games in Aspen, Colorado with coverage on TSN2 starting on Thursday January 24th at 3pm. 

I was happy to get to see some Slopestyle action at the Dew Tour. After watching the superpipe competition, I did realize that slopestyle is not as spectator friendly live as the superpipe especially if you are inexperienced like I was. 

Wherever you are at the superpipe, you can hear the commentary and the announcement of the athletes. You can also see the whole run.

For slopestyle, you have to pick your spots. You can't see the whole run and unless you're at the bottom of the run, you can't hear the commentary (at least at the Dew Tour this year) which means you don't know who is coming (or when). 

My original plan for the semi-finals had been to walk up from the chalet after lunch to the bottom jump but they wouldn't let people climb up. We had to take the chair lift then walk down. Climbing back up to the superpipe afterwards did make me understand perhaps one of the reasons. It's not easy climbing a mountain at altitude! It was a quiet day, so the other reason of having traffic flow one way wasn't really a factor on this first day of competition.

By the time I took the chairlift (not having given myself enough time for it), I had missed the first run. I still managed to get a couple of great shots of Spencer. She would qualify for the final in fourth.

The next day, I watched the first run where I could see a jump leading to a rail feature which is unique to slopestyle.

After Spencer's first run, I kept walking down the mountain looking for other great spots for photos (and to try to see if I could get close enough to hear commentary). Unlike in superpipe where the skier has your attention for their whole run so that the gap between competitors doesn't seem very long, in slopestyle the gap seems longer because we only see a small part of their run. If you're underneath a jump, you don't know when they're coming so it can get tricky getting shots, but eventually you get used to knowing the approximate gap and knowing great spots to get photos.

I love the following shot contrasting Jamie Anderson against the blowing cloud, the side view of the jump and the man-made snow in the foreground.

The conditions were a lot different for the second run only twenty minutes later. The lighting was a lot darker as can be seen on this unedited shot. The above shots are unedited (except some cropping). The difference in the colour of the sky and brightness of the snow is obvious from the beautiful blue sky in her first run and the dark clouds on this photo. 

(I edited the following shots to brighten them). On her second run, Spencer unfortunately didn't land this jump cleanly.

She was still in the lead from the strength of her first run, but Jamie Anderson's second run ended up being the best on the day. Spencer finished second.

I would have loved to have talked to her and get her thoughts on this season and the next leading to the Olympics as well as the design on her snowboard. 

There was quite a crowd surrounding her with journalists interviewing her and kids waiting for autographs. I was happy to get a glance for this shot.

She may have been second on this day, but look for her to be at the top at the Olympics in Sochi.

Here's a video showing highlights from the Dew Tour competition. Spencer is highlighted starting at the 1:20 mark.

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Dew Tour - Breckenridge

Last month, I had the chance to catch some snowboard and freeski action at the Dew Tour in Breckenridge, Colorado.

Roz Groenewoud of Canada competes in Freeski Superpipe

The Dew Tour is the first qualifying event for the 2014 Sochi Olympics for halfpipe and slopestyle. Snowboard halfpipe was already an Olympic event, but for freeski halfpipe, freeski slopestyle and snowboard slopestyle, 2014 will see their debut.

Canada (unlike the US) is offering early qualification to freeski athletes who podium in two of five designated events (Dew Tour, X-Games (Copper WC for slopestyle), European X-Games-France, Sochi Test Event and World Championships) as well as a top 16 in either the Sochi Test Event or World Championships. Click here for full qualification process for freeski competitions. Click here for the Canadian snowboard qualification process.

For our Canadian athletes, the Dew Tour was especially important in their quest for Sochi 2014.

In my two days at the Dew Tour, I got to see the Men's Freeski and Snowboard Superpipe qualification, as well as the Women's Snowboard Slopestyle and Women's Freeski Superpipe finals.

I will write separate posts for the Men's Freeski and the Women's competitions highlighting the first qualifying podiums by our Canadians. This first post is an overview of the competition and showcases my favourite photos.

I started my first day by watching the Men's Freeski Superpipe competition from the bottom of the superpipe.

This view gave a great perspective of the full run. 

Matt Margetts

Mike Riddle

Noah Bowman

Mike Riddle

It was great to see the athletes' reactions at the end of their runs.

Matt Margetts

It was also the perfect place to be while waiting for the scores to be posted on the scoreboard as well as listen to the commentators during the runs and hear the interviews.

Mike Riddle

Canada was well represented with three men qualifying for the final:  Mike Riddle 1st, Justin Dorey 3rd and Matt Margetts 5th. 

After lunch, I managed to catch some of the semi-finals action for the Women's Slopestyle, including Spencer O'Brien:

I was quite happy with the photos I took of the freeski competition at the superpipe in the morning, but it would prove to be nothing compared to the photos I would get in the afternoon for the snowboard superpipe competition. Unfortunately there were no Canadians in this competition but it did include Olympic gold medallist Shaun White. 

When I arrived at the bottom of the superpipe, the sun was shining right above the pipe making photo taking from the bottom quite challenging. I decided to climb up the side of the superpipe so that the sun would be more behind me.

Although this didn't give me a perspective on the whole run, it made for some spectacular photos.

Starting with the best snowboarder in the world, I managed to catch a few good photos of Shaun White.

I didn't notice it at the time, but I was happy to see him wearing a Sarah Burke armband when I looked at my photos. She was definitely on my mind while I was at the Dew Tour.

Here are more of my favourite shots:

Benji Farrow

Louis Vito

Spencer Shaw

Watching the competition from the side of the superpipe was incredible to experience the speed and the sound of the snowboarders.

With the competition over, I walked back down to the chalet to meet my friends. On my way, I caught some practice action off a jump by some freeski competitors.

Alex Schlopy

I was happy to see some of this practice. Being a guest, I was on my friends' schedule. When they were done skiing and ready to go back to the cottage, I followed. This meant missing the Freeski Big Air competition that ended the day. It was still an amazing day and I couldn't wait for Day 2.

Stay tuned for my next posts that will showcase the women, including Canadians Roz Groenewoud who was third in the Freeski Superpipe and Spencer O'Brien who was second in the Snowboard Slopestyle. I will also post more photos and details about the Men's Freeski Superpipe where two Canadians Justin Dorey and Mike Riddle were on the podium.