william.baldwin@ryerson.ca Podcast Edits Introduction Music transition Will (3:00 approx)- Introducing the topic, the show, the guests and why we’re here My name is Will Baldwin,[1] welcome to another Hot Take.[2] Growing up, my family used to make a ton of fun of me for how much it bothered me how Canadian athletes talked about their sports.[3] Coming from a background[4] where I watched sports where athletes expected excellence,[5] it drove me crazy to hear the classic Canadian speech about how they were just happy to be there.[6] But, “Will,” my family would always say, “making the Olympics[7] is an incredible achievement, how is that not enough?”[8] Yeah, making the Olympics[9] is amazing, no doubt about that at all. However, when you grow up idolizing Michael Jordan[10] and Kobe Bryant[11], good enough isn’t really in your sports vocabulary. I never understood how losing was seen as acceptable. It’s an incredible achievement to play in the NHL or NBA or NFL [12][13]yet we criticize those teams and athletes when they fall short. Why does a Canadian who happens to be an Olympian instead of just a hockey player have to be treated differently? It never made sense. Winning only and individualism is always charged as a negative American value. To me when Canadians say things like that is negative, it’s a cop-out. The idea that striving to be the best in what you do is bad was for years a uniquely Canadian value for many. Of course, there’s an obvious hypocrisy[14] in this when you look at how we treat our hockey players. Every tournament it’s expected we win [15][16]and although we don’t every time, we sure do a lot. It’s almost as though this mentality of not just trying to win but rather expecting to works.[17] All of a sudden in 2010, things seemed to shift though. We hosted an Olympics[18] and constantly talked about “Owning the Podium”.[19] As a twelve-year-old kid,[20] this is exactly what I’d been asking for. Watching us put up a Winter Olympic[21] record 14 golds[22][23] felt like validation for years of my complaints and the ensuing teasing I got from my family. [24] 2012 was when the change became a real culture and not just a 2010 blip[26]. Particularly I think back to Canada’s women’s soccer team's inspiring run[27]. Although they came up short in that controversial loss to the US[28], the idea Canadians were excelling in sports like felt like a real shift.[30][31] In 2010, we succeeded in sports we should be good at it[32][33]. By 2012, the achievement was coming in ones we had little history winning[34] in.[35][36] As the decade progressed, Canadians started to have a real impact on the highest levels of sport. No longer were we the cute hockey country [37][38]who just participated in other s[39][40]ports. We were now winning at a level that when I was a kid in the 2000s w[41]as just a dream. As an example of the widespread improvement of Canadian athletics, take a look at the last five Lou Marsh Troph[42][43]y winners since Carey Price [46][47]took it home in 2015. Since Price, Canada’s top athletes have played swimming, baseball, skiing, tennis, soccer and football.[48][49] This all came to a head for me in the summer of 2020. [50]As I sat at home and watched the UEFA Champions League Final[51][52][53], European football’s top annual club trophy,[54][55] I saw a kid from Edmonton on the pitch.[56][57] Seeing Alphonso Davies[58] flying up the sidelines for [59]Bayern Munich in one of [60]the most-watched sporting event of the year,[61][62][63][64] I thought about how impossible this would’ve seemed years ago. Now, Canada is a country that can produce more than just the Sidney Crosby[65][66][67][68] and the Price’s[69] of the world. It can also produce Davies[70] or Bianca Andrescu or Chase Claypool[71] or RJ Barrett[72][73] or so many more. In just my lifetime we’ve gone from an athletic afterthought in many respects to a country with elite talent all over[74]. We’re currently living in the greatest era of Canadian athletes[75]. As the inquisitive person I am, I had to do research to find out how we got here. All of you will be joining me in that research. So, let’s get started on a journey to find out how Canada went from a country that infuriated me as a child to one that deserves athletic celebration in just a decade and a half. [76] [77] Sean Fitz-Gerald The Athletic Music transition Will (0:30)- Joining me up first is Sean Fitz-Gerald a senior national writer for The Athletic[78][79]. As a reporter, he has covered the Olympics[80], Pan American Games[81][82], Super Bowl[83],[84] Grey Cup[85][86], NHL playoffs[87][88] and the NBA playoffs[89].[90] In 2015, he was named sportswriter of the year by Sports Media Canada. Today we talk the growth of Canadian sports, what’s changed and what the future could be. Enjoy. Music transition Will: So the genesis[91] for the idea came in two places. The first was this summer, watching Alphonso Davies[92] in the Champions League final[93] and it kind of sort of hit me how impossible this would have seemed 10 years ago. Then the second was in reading, the Lou Marsh potential choices and kind of seeing it on paper,[94] how widespread the Canadian talent is[95][96]. Like we've got the elite NFL players now[97][98]. We've got soccer players[99][100], tennis players,[101][102] obviously like all these different sports. So my question is for you, Do you agree this is era best of Canadian sports? Sean: I mean, it's interesting. And certainly, Canadians can do a lot more. And I think there's a lot of reasons for that. I mean, you can take a look at how much of a role did Vancouver 2010 play that when Canada won the right to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, something changed sort of fundamentally in how we approached amateur sport, elite amateur sport, whereas, before everybody sort of got what little money there was in the system, everybody got carded. The philosophical approach was, you know, amateur sport for the pursuit of amateur sport. And that was in the era where the joke was that fourth place was Canadian bronze. Right?[103] Like, we didn't aim for the podium. If we got fourth, that was just as good as a medal. Heading into 2010, that changed. You started having things like Own The Podium come into play, which is at arm's length sort of funding mechanism whereby you are rewarded and your sports organizations are rewarded for performance.[104][105] So if you are a biathlete who hasn't placed higher than 50th, you are not going to get the same funding as a cross-country skier who has a couple of podium finishes and a bunch of top 10, that they are going to get more money to work with sports psychologist, to get better physiotherapists to get equipment because Canada is targeting that to win.[106] That that approach to win changed fundamentally the way we view elite amateur athletics. And from there you have things like B2Ten, which is the letter B and then the numeral two and then the letters T, E, N[107] and which is independent, entirely independent, not for-profit, where a bunch of very wealthy Canadians basically threw millions of dollars into a pot.[108] And you can go as an elite athlete and say, look, I'm in bobsled. I'm going down this hill on a sled that's older than I am. Can you give me money to get me a new sled? And they're going to evaluate it based on a whole bunch of metrics, like your past performance, your potential performance, your age, all of these other metrics. And they'll say, yes, we'll fund you, we'll buy you this new sled. But you have to come on our program and work with our nutritionist, our sports psychologist, et cetera, et cetera. [109][110]They've worked with some of the most famous names in Canadian elite amateur athletics, like people who have been on cereal boxes[111][112][113]. So I think 2010 in one respect sort of changed the way that we approach sports.[114] We don't approach sports just to sort of go and do it. We go there now with an eye to winning it. And I think that helped change not just the mentality of winter sports, but obviously summer sports. And it's sort of permeated[115] the broader landscape. Now, you patch that into the fact that the choices are broadening for what we do and what we put our kids in when they go to play sports where, you know, before it would have been unheard of for a lot of small towns to have, say, an indoor soccer bubble where you could play year-round. Now, that's that's fairly commonplace, that even mid-sized towns, small towns have a place where kids can play soccer.[116][117][118] And more than that, they now have the demand[119]. So you have soccer, basketball, you have all these other sports that are growing along the same lines.[120][121][122] And along with the same time frame as Canada's approach to what it means to compete on a national international stage, what that means. So I think they all come together and sort of produce this environment where Canadians know that they don't just have to be good at curling or hockey,[123][124] that there's a whole bunch of things that they can be good at. Will: You mentioned the idea of the Canadian medal being fourth place. My parents used to make so much fun of me because I would get really mad as a kid making fun of the idea that we would interview Canadians. They would give the I'm just happy to be here speech[125]. But twenty years ago, could you have seen us dominating all these non-traditional sports like this? Sean: I mean, we're still not dominant, right? We're still a fairly small country like there’s what, Thirty-nine million of us?[126][127] So we're basically California except cold, like in terms of population base[128][129]. I don't know if we'll ever be able to be dominant in one of these sports. We'll certainly be able to excel. We'll certainly be able to put a lot of really talented athletes on the world stage and be very competitive, which is a huge step. But on a population basis, it's tough to say that we're going to go out and we're going to continually put out, you know, Felix Auger Aliassime [130][131][132]and Bianca Andreescu [133][134]we're just going to send armies of them out on to the tennis world. That's not going to happen just by basis of our population and the fact that it still costs a lot of money to produce one elite amateur athlete on top of, you know, winning a lottery in terms of ability and desire and having all those come together.[135][136][137] But, yeah, I mean, dominate is a really strong word. I wouldn't say that. I'd say that we're far more competitive at a far broader range of sports and activities than we would have been 20 years ago. Will: So it's interesting that you say that so do you think in 15 years we'll just look at like, hey, it just happened to be the confluence[138] of we happened to have a really good soccer player,[139][140] this tennis golden era [141][142]and a bunch of really good basketball players,[143][144] a really good golfer.[145][146] Like do you think we're going to look back and just be like, wow, all those sports randomly kind of peaked at the same time or do you think this is going to be a more sustainable thing where maybe we're not producing consistently these top, top athletes, but we'll still be consistently producing high-quality athletes for our population size? Sean: Yeah, I mean, you're also forgetting that Chuba Hubbard[147][148] led the NCAA in rushing two years ago,[149] right. Like that. Having a kid from high school in Edmonton [150][151]lead the NCAA in rushing is not something that you would have expected 20 years ago. I mean, if you're looking 15 years from now, a really interesting question will be, are we even dominating hockey at that point? Like, if you take a look at the United States, there's a lot of draft picks in the first round who have Stars and Stripes next to their name and not a maple leaf, a[152][153]s we've always come to assume that as we are rising in a lot of these other sports individually, some team success you can make the argument that 15 years from now, based on current projections and trends, that we're not actually going to be dominating the sport that we traditionally dominated. Will: So what is the sport that may be because football, I think is an interesting one, because football has been here for as long as any sport[154][155]. And yet it seems like just now we're starting to produce high-quality NFL players and we've got to do so[156]. We’ve got Duvernay-Tardiff [157][158]who obviously didn't play this year, but we also got Claypool,[159] like you mentioned, Hubbard,[160] like we're finally producing. So is that the sport that may be in four or five years that one starts to be the one that starts to really roll like we've seen a soccer or a basketball has in the last five years? Sean: And that's also another interesting question, too, is the future of football that as we continue to learn more about things like chronic traumatic encephalopathy[161][162] and really terrible brain diseases and injuries stemming from repeated head trauma[163], you know what the future of football looks like, period. That you take a look at registration in high schools in former powerhouse regions like New Jersey and certain parts of the Northeast that registration f[164]or high school football is dropping off.[165][166][167] So might football be sort of at the peak of its Roman Empire days [168][169]and that 15 years from now, it might be on the same trajectory and say boxing.[170] Boxing in the first half of the 20th century was one of the dominant sports [171][172]right up there with horse racing. [173]But now they're sort of they're on the fringe. Maybe football becomes a regional sort of fanaticism, but not as broadly international. Not international, but not as much of a broad national spectacle in the United States, which is an interesting discussion in itself. But I mean, to your point and to your question, I think that that along with, you know, basketball and other sports, soccer, the breaking down of whatever barrier there was, whatever wall there was off of Canadian kids having access to the NCAA, [174][175]I think that having those erode or come down has helped open up opportunities that might not otherwise have existed. That Chase Claypool 20 years ago might not have been so easy for him to connect with the head coach of the University of Notre Dame from a small high school[176] in suburban Vancouver. [177]But now, with technology being where it is, with the availability of video recording devices, frankly, where you can record him doing what he did to those poor kids on the field in BC and having the head coach of one of the most prestigious universities and in the United States being able to see it and then fly up, I don't know how that process would have unfolded 20 years[179]. Chase Claypool might just be a dominant player in the CFL right now otherwise. [180][181] Will: So I guess kind of the last question is, where do you see this going? Where in five, ten years do you see us as Canadians working at athletics, you think we're going to do with this? You mentioned the impact of added funding on these amateur sports, Sean: Targeted funding.[182] Will: So do you think we're going to continue to see growth? We're going to continue to see Canadians putting up performances in sports that we've never really seen before? Or do you think it'll kind of revert to a more realistic mean that maybe we could have expected 10 years ago if that makes sense? Sean: I mean. Part of this is recency bias, and I don't mean to impugn the idea here like it is objectively true that Canadians are doing really well in a lot of different pursuits where before they would have been really difficult to find. I mean, take a look at the NBA[183], take a look at the NFL[184], the NCAA[185], women's professional basketball,[186] women's soccer, [187]all of these places that the Canadians are excelling. Yes, you're absolutely right to your thesis that that hadn't happened before, but that's not to discount. The fact that Canadians have been successful in before like Mike Weir won a Masters[188][189] that hadn't happened before that there were Canadian athletes who did succeed on the world stage, Ferguson Jenkins in baseball,[190][191] where Canadians had opportunities. Canadians have succeeded. Now, it certainly seems like that number is increasing. But what really is the root is it because there's just more opportunity that Canada has kind of modernized? Is it because Canadians have changed their mentality when it comes to approaching athletics, whereas it's not necessarily something where you just go to compete, where it's you go to win? Is it that the youth sports industrial complex[192] that has really, really spread in the United States has also reached here where you have club basketball teams, you have tournaments, you have travel, [193][194]you have all of these things, Canadians spending thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dollars to get training and coaching and nutrition[195]. Is that all part of it? I think that it'll take a lot of study and I don't think we have the answers. But I think it's probably that all of those things sort of got tossed into the salad bowl and what you see here is that result. Anne Merklinger- Own The Podium Music transition Will Up next is Anne Merklinger, the CEO of Own The Podium[196]. Merklinger is a former national swim team member and curler who played in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts[197] on multiple occasions. [198][199] Merklinger’s role at Own the Podium is to lead them in achieving their mission of “providing the technical leadership for Canadian sports to achieve sustainable and improved podium performances at the Olympic and Paralympic Games through a values-based approach.” [200] Here Merklinger and I talk about Olympic success, future goals, the importance of sport and more. Music transition Will: Kind of just to start, for those who don't know what is the goal of Own The Podium? Anne: Well, Own The Podium is a technical agency with kind of two components of our mandate.[202] The first one is to provide technical advice for Canada's National Sport Organization to help them win medals at future Olympic and Paralympic Games.[203] And then the second piece is to provide investment recommendations on behalf of the funding partners that again contribute to helping national sport organizations win medals at upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games. [204] Will: Is there a moment in either 2014, 2016 or 2018 that kind of stands out as like the why we do this kind of thing like the hey, this is the point of this entire organization, if that makes sense? Anne: Well, I believe very strongly that success, Canada's success at the Olympic and Paralympic Games[205] adds tremendous value to Canadians, to Canadian communities, to young boys and girls who look at the many successful athletes who come back to their communities. [206]And those young boys and girls can be inspired and motivated and want to be like them and want to be like them. [207]Not so much through being successful in high-performance sport, but recognizing the importance of establishing a goal, a plan to achieve that goal, and then implementing and delivering on what your goal is.[208][209] And so, you know, whether that means that young boys and girls are aspiring to be successful in music or arts or business or science or being more physically fit and active. I think the impact of Canada’s athletes and coaches being successful at the Olympic and Paralympic Games can add such value to Canadians in every aspect of their lives. We saw the impact of Vancouver 2010, Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games on our country like nothing we've ever seen in high-Performance Sport before.[210] And sport and success on the world stage in sport helps strengthen communities, it helps unite our country and it helps inspire and motivate Canadians.[211] [212] Will: I mean, I could not agree more with you. I think back to some of the most fundamental memories of my childhood and upbringing. And probably three of the top five are Canadian Olympic moments l[213]ike I have like as any Canadian who was around in 2010 and remembers it. I mean, that goal, I don't even need to describe it any more than that[214][215]. 2012, the women's soccer team, just the idea that, hey, we have a soccer team doing this[216][217]. And then honestly, in twenty sixteen with Andre DeGrasse, just watching him push maybe the greatest athlete of all time[218], like those amazing Canadian Olympic moments, completely stand out in the course of my memory. Anne: I couldn't agree more. I really believe that Vancouver was a turning point a moment in time that really had a significant impact on our country[219]. I believe we're a different country than we were prior to our success at the Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were much more confident and proud and determined country in so many aspects of our society.[220] And we, fortunately, have been able to sustain that. And Canada’s athletes and coaches on the heels of Vancouver continue to believe that they can be on the podium. They aspire to be on the podium, and we see them on the podium.[221][222] Will: I was going to actually ask you because obviously you were an extremely high-level athlete for a long time and you represented Canada at the world championships.[223] So it's interesting to me to ask, do you notice a shift mentally for athletes when they're competing for Canada? Do you notice a shift from the classic we're just happy to be here, Canadian to the hey, we're trying to win this thing. Canadian like, do you see that difference with our athletes today? Anne: I’ve seen that difference since Vancouver and heading into Vancouver, we had hosted the games, the summer and Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games on two previous occasions[224]. And in neither of those occasions did we win a gold medal. [225][226][227]And so one of the key objectives in hosting the Vancouver games was for the Canadian team to be successful.[228] And the leaders of Vancouver and all the many partners involved in hosting those games knew that if the games were to be successful, then our Canadian athletes and coaches had to be successful.[229][230][231] And that's what happened. And the success of Canada in those games was unprecedented,[232][233] and it really did transform the mindset of many sports organizations and many sports leaders and athletes and coaches that were involved then and are involved now. And we've really been able to maintain that cultural belief that Canadians can be successful in the Olympic and Paralympic Games. They believe they can win. They want to win, and they are winning.[234] Will: As a proud Calgarian,[235] [236]you do not have to tell me that we didn't win any gold medals in Calgary.[237] It's a source of a sore spot, I think within the city. Would you classify Own The Podium as a success based on its goals going into Vancouver and where we are, I guess, 13 years later? Anne: Yeah, the early days were in 2005, 2006 And it was very much focused on performance in Vancouver.[238] Again, on the heels of Canada's success at those games, the key funding partners, largely at the time the Government of Canada maintained the financial investment into what is now called the targeted excellence strategy. And so that is almost 10 years later. That financial support, which is critical to Canada's athletes and coaches being successful, that financial support has been sustained and we've been able to see continuous improvement in our overall medal count at many of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, summer and winter hosted since Vancouver.[239] So, yes, I think it's been successful. That said, as an organization, we're always looking at where we can improve. How can we be better? You know, what is going well, what are what's not going well? What are some innovative approaches that we can explore and consider to help us continue to get better? So we're never satisfied, frankly, as an organization, we're always looking for opportunities and ways to be better tomorrow than we are today. Will: So to wrap this up, let's get into those goals, because I think it's interesting like you're saying that it's one of those things where the sport is great because as long as you're still competing, you're never fully satisfied. So looking forward to a Tokyo a China and on what are the goals of Own The Podium and the Canadian Olympic Committee[241]? Anne: Well, you know, we work very closely with both the Canadian Olympic C[242]ommittee[243] and the Canadian Paralympic Committee[244] in establishing specific objectives for upcoming games, we're in the midst of that right now.[245] We're also in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, an unprecedented environment that has impacted every country around the world and has had a significant impact on Canadians and on Canada's athletes and coaches over the past yea[246]r. So, this will be, you know, the landscape heading into Tokyo is unprecedented, it is like nothing we've ever seen before[247][248]. So, our focus over the last eight to 10 months has been in helping national sport organizations develop plans and protocols so that athletes and coaches and support staff can return to training first and foremost[249]. And then thereafter, the focus has shifted to return to competition. So that is the degree to which sport organizations have been able to implement those plans varies from sport to sport, varies from winter to Summer Olympics to Paralympic. [250]And so it's a very kind of unique conversation with each one of those sports. [251]So still, our goal in working with sports organizations as they prepare for Tokyo is to ensure that they are optimally prepared in a pandemic.[252] And so that's we've never said before, optimal preparation with the last three words in a pandemic. But that is what we have. And it's been quite phenomenal to look at the resilience and the adaptability and the determination and the perseverance that every athlete that and coaches and support staff member has demonstrated over the last year in getting back to training and doing the best possible preparation that they can do heading into Tokyo.[253] [254] Will: Well, I for one, sure hope the Olympics happens. I know it's not a guarantee right now, and I'm holding my breath[255][256], as I'm sure you are as well. But thank you so much for joining me on this. I really, really appreciate it. And all the best in the upcoming Olympics. I know Canadians will always be cheering for you guys. Anne: Thanks so much, Will. And I know that sport will play a critical role in helping Canada build back better and helping Canada rebuild. And re heal and reunite post covid. So, sport is a critical part of the fabric of our country.[257][258] Donna Spencer- The Canadian Press Music transition Will: Donna Spencer is a Canadian Sports journalist who has been covering Canadian sport for over two decades[259]. Her first Olympics was in 2000 in Sydney[260][261] Australia[262] [263]and since then she has been a staple of the coverage for the Canadian Press[264]. Here Donna and I talk things she’s noticed that have changed in her time covering Canadian sport and the potential future for the country’s athletics. Music transition Will: So what was the first Olympics you covered? Donna: The first Olympics I covered was in 2000 in Sydney, Sydney, Australia. That was my very first Olympic Games and that was a good one to start with[265]. I mean, I wouldn't say that Canada has been super strong in the Summer Olympics. I think there was a little bit of a dip there, sort of in the sort of the early as part of the century, right after the turn of the century.[266] But I think we saw in Rio there was a real improvement in Canada's performance at Summer Olympics.[267] It's taken a little bit of why it's taken it some time to sort of get the same traction under it that the winter side has.[268] But also, you have to keep in mind that summer sport, the competition is tougher. [269]There's so many countries that compete in summer sport. [270]And I mean, just look at Jamaica and sprinters. [271]There's lots of countries that specialize in certain summer sports and they do really well[272][273]. So I would say there's a lot more competition. The field is a lot deeper on the summer sport side for sure[274][275][276]. Will: Why do you think we saw that growth in the summer Olympic production in 2016? Donna: Well, I think there's been a lot of learnings on the summer sport side from the winter sport side.[278] I mean, obviously, heading into the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, there was just a ton of effort, motivation, resources put into having a successful host team in 2010 in Vancouver. [279][280]And a lot of those learnings and a lot of, you know, to sound boring, all the processes and systems have also been adopted on the summer side. [281]But it's taken a little bit longer because there you know, there hasn't been the hosting of games to really push that along, though.[282] I think the Pan Am Games in Toronto [283]help that for sure.[284][285] But also, I mean, we are a country off skaters and skiers, I mean, we have a huge population base[286] to draw on for athletic excellence because so many people, so many kids take up a winter sport. And that's not to say they don't do summer sport.[287][288][289][290] Will: I mean, when you look at this, I think one thing we forget about as Canadians is we have a really small population like our country in size is obviously large.[291] But in terms of like the population of those other countries, we're going up against, like you mentioned, in the Summer Olympics, where there is even extra competition,[292] we only have thirty-five million people[293][294] Donna: And we're also not a country that's for outdoor sport, for outdoor summer sport, you know, it's just not a country that's conducive to training year-round.[295][296] A lot of track and field athletes, for example, have to go and train elsewhere, whereas, in[297] Winter Sport, it's right out the back door.[298] And having the 88 Olympics[299][300] and the 2010 Olympics has given us a couple of sliding tracks, which is pretty amazing. [301]You just said it. We have a small population[302]. Now, the issue with facilities like that is they have to be accessible and they have to be in a place where people can get to them.[303] I mean Calgary's track, which is currently closed, awaiting renovations. And I don't know if it will ever happen.[304][305] You know, there was a population base of a million people right around it[306][307]. So that's a huge reason why Canada has had success in sliding sports, for example, because so many kids could go try it after school here in Calgary.[308][309] Will: Yeah, because, like, I think part of why I wanted to do this is not necessarily just talk about the success Canada is having now because I feel like it's not as interesting to kind of look at is this like one of those golden areas where it's just a coincidence that we have an elite tennis player at the same time we have an elite soccer player. At the same time, we have an elite golfer for like all these things just happen to come together[310]. And in 10 years, we'll go back to where we were pre 2010 or if it's like actually this sustainable thing where, like you're saying, we've adopted these systems in these unique sports that maybe weren't as cared about prior to 10 years ago[311], and that this is going to be a sustainable thing where Canada is going to start producing high-quality athletes in all these random sports that maybe five years ago you would have had no idea about. Donna: I certainly don't know everything, every single detail of Alphonso Davies story. But I think as a country, we're better equipped to nurture talent, support it and provide opportunity. [312]And in some sports where we're not really known to be strong, where, you know, soccer [313]or even baseball, you know,[314][315] we've certainly been producing some Canadians who play in the NFL[316]. And I believe at one time, you know, that was pretty unheard of.[317][318] So, I think we're better as a country of providing high-quality opportunities, training environments, better training environments.[319] As you know, athletes develop. I think we're better at that. So that one in we’ll say 200 talent, you know, has a better chance of reaching the highest levels of the sport.[320] Will: So, in the next five years, what sport do you see being the next women's soccer or maybe even a basketball where we're not thinking about it now? Maybe there's been some small signs of success, but in five years, we're going to look back and be like, man, 2021, we probably should have seen this coming like there was an idea of this. Donna: That's a really interesting question. Boy. Yeah. Huh. It's tough. And, you know, we also see that sport is cyclical[321][322]. So, you know, Canada can be really good in a sport for a while. Then it kind of tails off and then it bounces back. I would say tennis has been like that. Where do we see that we're going to be great in five years?[323] Will: So a good example is[324][325] I'm looking at the 2016 Olympic results right now, sure. And. Same medal women's rugby, we're not known as a rugby country, per se, but we took home the bronze medal in the rugby sevens.[326][327] So could that be an example of maybe a sport where it's been around? Every or most high schools has a rugby team[328][329], but like that soccer team, [330][331]it's hardly comparable to the high-level countries around the world.[332][333] But maybe now when we start seeing like that, that bronze medal from that rugby team could be the sign of something coming. Donna: Yeah, I mean, I think it's no secret that when it comes to high-performance sport, it's women at the front driving that train[334]. You know, we're a country that really ascribes to equal opportunity in sport, providing the same type of training environments.[335][336] And so I think that women are going to continue it, certainly on the high-performance side, where women are going to continue to really drive Canada's excellence.[337] I believe. I would say that, yes, the team you just mentioned, soccer, swimming and even, you know, combat sports. Canadian women are really good at it. And I see that continuing and perhaps, you know, even improvement. I mean, certainly, Canada is a contender, but maybe you never know.[338] I think that certainly, the women's rugby team has shown the potential to win sevens championships and it's we figured out away, [339]and it's not easy in a country as big as Canada. You just mentioned that we're a huge country with, small population.[340][341] It's difficult to get teams together to train for an extended period of time. It's difficult. It's expensive, and it's a sacrifice on the part of the players. [342]But I think we're better at figuring out a way to make that work. Were way better in team sports. Summer team sports, we have a record number of qualified for Tokyo.[343][344] And there was, quite frankly, was some investment made, some base investment made around around 2010, 2011, 2012 that look, we need to have a base amount of funding for these teams, rugby, volleyball, water polo, softball, you name it, so they can build a contending team.[345][346][347] And we've actually seen that happen. So, you know, five years from now, are we going to be known as a real powerhouse in a team sport or team sport? Maybe. But as I say, that's it's cyclical. Right. So and that that sort of excellence kind of rises and falls depending on a lot of things. And quite frankly, a lot of it is funding as well. Will: I think your point about women's sports is really fascinating because although we try and have it equal, it's obviously not equal yet.[348][349][350][351] But the reality is, is many of our biggest names in sport right now are female athletes like you look at Rosie [353]MacLennan, Olympic gold medalist[354], Penny Oleksiak, gold medalist[355], I mean, Andreescu[356][357]. Like many of our biggest name athletes right now, which is kind of unique, I feel like, around the rest of the world are women. Donna: Right? Brooke Henderson, for sure. I think there's sort of two things here. I mean, it's sort of on the high-performance side. I would say there is more equality. And if a women's sport has a male counterpart, we'll say like a major tennis tournament, like the U.S. Open. You know, women's sport has done OK in the pandemic. [359]But I would say the pandemic has exposed inequality in sport.[360] And certainly when I look at women's hockey and they were contributing factors to that, but sort of on when you look at leagues, pro leagues, women's leagues, there's been some real issues there because only sort of the large and quite frankly, male sports have the resources to run sport in the pandemic. And a lot of female sport doesn't have that kind of resources.[361][362] And we saw with the NWHL bubble in Lake Placid,[363] it just didn't work. Didn't happen. They had to bail.[364] So, I mean, I would say that in Canada, women's, women are really, really rising to the top in their respective sports. But there's still some inequality there for sure. Will: So I think a good way to end with this final question. You kind of alluded to it with the pandemic,[365] but I think it's a fun question for someone like you who's been covering Olympics for it should have been 20 years,[366] but now we're at twenty-one because it got postponed and who knows? But what does Canadian athletics look like to you in 15 years? What do you think based on what you've seen in the last 15 and covering it that we could see in another 15? How is it different? Do you think, like we just were talking about women's sports, maybe don't get the funding that they should? We fund it better than other countries,[367][368][369] but we're also not at the level that it should be. So maybe is that that is that a fundamental difference in 15 years? What do you think it could be? Donna: I think so. You know, women's pro sport and we're using the hockey example, you know, has to figure out a way to be. Sustainable[370]. The women want to be able to make a living wage and do what they do[371], and so they have to figure out a way to, quite frankly, make money. The current business model for sport is your TV, your television rights package, the sponsorships that go with that, your event sponsors and having that over long term.[372][373] And that is kind of the way it is. Women's sport is still grappling with that. But what I would say, though, is we have so many different ways to view sport now on social media streaming packages.[374][375] There's if you are into a sport, you can find it and watch it. So how do how does female sport monetize that and make it work for them to achieve their dreams of being truly pro? Women's basketball, [376]women's soccer has made some inroads there[377]. Women's hockey still has a ways to go.[378] Yeah, but I do think that the what's the word? Sort of the democratization of how we consume sport. Is going to be good in particular for female sport. I do think that. Conclusion Music transition Will: So first and foremost, I just wanted to thank Sean, Anne and Donna for taking the time to talk with me. I know I, for one, learned a lot,[379] and I hope you did as well. I think it was in weird ways or, you know, weird ways, but in cool ways, especially with Anne inspiring. So I'm very glad that those three took the time to talk to me with the experience they have and the knowledge they have. It was pretty invaluable. And I think I started this by saying I wanted to have a bit of research into understanding this golden age of Canadian athletics. And I think in talking to those three, especially with Anne and Donna and Sean, I guess as well, but especially with Anne as the CEO of Own The pPdium[380][381], getting the behind-the-scenes look at what that goes into Canadian athletics these days. But I think I want to end by leaving you with something to ponder because we've learned a lot today in doing this and we've seen a lot in Canadian athletics. But I want to leave you with this thought, In a sort of prediction, because a lot of this podcast has been very retrospective and historical and looking back on what's happened. So I thought, why don't I leave you with a prediction of what I think is going to happen with Canadian athletics? And I think what's going to happen in the next 10 years, like I talked to Donna at the end, there is I think we're going to see the marginalized and the groups that have experienced inequalities in our Canadian society, continue to make strides in sport that allows us to continue to thrive in sports that maybe we didn't have to or previously have before.[382][383] So like we talked about women's sports, for example. Giving those female athletes fair and equal opportunities. And I think something like social media is going to do a big help in helping us get to a place where women's sports is on an equal ground with men's sports.[385][386] And I think we're going to see those marginalized groups.get these opportunities that, you know, they just haven't gotten yet, and looking at the future of how Canadian sports can continue to grow, is this the golden age like or is this a peak? And I think it's honestly going to continue for an extended amount of time. Like, of course, Donna talked about how it would be a cycle and Sean talked about he talked about how, “Who knows? We'll do some research on this and we'll see.” I think that this is going to be here to stay for the foreseeable future because of those groups and because of those new funding opportunities like Own The Podium that we're seeing that didn't exist in the 80s or 90s[387][388], back when Canada wasn't putting out quite as much athletic talent as it's clear here in 2021 that we had the capability to. So I'll just leave you with the thought that my prediction is based on this research that I guess Sean said needed to happen and we did it here in this podcast. I guess that's why you listen to it. Is Canadian athletic greatness and achievement is here to stay and we're not going anywhere. Well, thanks for listening. My name is Will Baldwin [389]and this Hot Take is a this is the greatest era of Canadian athletics, and I think it's here to stay. Music to end email above and via email via email w will via phone call w will played everything high level hockey - phone call w will watched mostly basketball hockey and football and everything olympics via phone call w will no specific reference to this just recalled/ opinion from wills mem via phone call spelling correct https://www.olympic.org/ reads funny at first off transcript but convo quote in pod spelling correct https://www.olympic.org/ spelling and pronunciation is right https://www.nba.com/history/legends/profiles/michael-jordan spelling and pronunciation right https://www.nba.com/stats/player/977/career/ https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/estimated-probability-competing-professional-athletics looks at the probability of making it pro and shows the odds out of ncaa athletes which it is low already to make it to ncaa https://www.dictionary.com/browse/hypocrisy https://www.nhl.com/news/canadas-winning-streak-ends-at-world-junior-championship-in-loss-to-swedes/c-374862 many articles written when canada loses in hockey supports this https://www.eurohockeyclubs.com/news/why-canada-always-wins-in-hockey spelling correct https://www.olympic.org/ no specific reference to anything just how will recalls via phone call with will born in 1998 and was 12 at the time https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/olympics-2030-vancouver-1.5991267 https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada-at-the-2010-olympic-winter-games#:~:text=In%20the%20overall%20medal%20count,Winter%20Games%20to%20that%20point. we won 14 gold medals in 2010 olympic games yes teased for years via phone call possible style change https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/blip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWb7UG4mDbU&ab_channel=TeamCanada%2F%C3%89quipeCanada https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1288010-olympic-womens-football-canada-dealt-huge-blow-in-all-american-affair both a change from actual podcast recording and a style change It was Canada's first Olympic medal in a traditional team summer sport since 1936. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWb7UG4mDbU&ab_channel=TeamCanada%2F%C3%89quipeCanada https://olympic.ca/games/2010-vancouver/ referring to winter sports via phone call w will as seen above havent won in a summer sport since 1936 https://olympic.ca/games/2012-london/#:~:text=Canada%20won%20a%20total%20of,first%20Olympic%20champion%20in%20weightlifting. Canada won a total of 18 medals, two of which were historic gold medals. Rosie MacLennan became Canada’s first Olympic champion in trampoline while Christine Girard became the country’s first Olympic champion in weightlifting. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ice-hockey historically and nationally a hockey country https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/peter-mansbridge-end-of-decade-review-1.5391131 speaks to the way canada has changed both as fan and athletes taking on new sports and new pride instead of shy shame can be applied further up when reference to the just happy to be here as well he was a kid in 2000's born in 98 via phone http://www.loumarsh.ca/en/loumarsh/trophy could also be the Lou Marsh Memorial Trophy but most publications use Lou Marsh Trophy https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/lou-marsh-trophy more referred to as trophy rather than award https://www.google.com/search?q=how+do+you+pronounce+carey+price&oq=how+do+you+pronounce+carey+price+&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30l9.9830j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 google pronounce thing https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/lou-marsh-trophy all winner since 2015 listed here all check out did start thinking about big picture after this game via phone call https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/025a-0ea4b8fec98a-b6eb8a2ae892-1000--2020-champions-league-final/ Not the most familiar with soccer but this would be the full name but often referred to as Champions League https://www.topendsports.com/sport/soccer/list-league-uefa.htm is an annual football cup competition organized by Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for the top football clubs in Europe. https://www.whitecapsfc.com/players/alphonso-davies Davies was born in Buduburam, a refugee camp in Gomoa East District in the central region of Ghana, to Liberian parents who took refuge in Ghana after fleeing the Liberian civil war. When Davies was five years old, his family moved to Windsor, Ontario in 2006 before settling in Edmonton, Alberta one year later. https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+pronounce+alphonso+davies&oq=how+to+pronounce+alph&aqs=chrome.0.0i20i263l2j0l3j69i57j0l4.5034j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://fcbayern.com/en/teams/professionals/alphonso-davies just to be safe until i find the real stat still finding this https://franchisesports.co.uk/super-bowl-versus-champions-league-final-which-event-is-bigger/ the Champions league final is undoubtedly the biggest annual event on the football calendar. still finding stat fro numbers 2020 https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sidney-Crosby born in nova scotia https://www.google.com/search?q=how+do+you+pronounce+sidney+crosby&oq=how+do+you+pronounce+sidney+crosby+&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30l9.5745j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 google speak thing remote village of bc https://careyprice.net/biography/ although not born he lived here for the majority of his life and developed most of his soccer skills here via phone call and moved here when he was 5 https://www.whitecapsfc.com/players/alphonso-davies pronounced right hes my friend and was born in abbotsford  source me https://playersbio.com/rj-barrett/ born in TO https://www.google.com/search?q=how+do+you+pronounce+rj+barrett&oq=how+do+you+pronounce+rj+barrett&aqs=chrome..69i57.13710j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_BQl7YPCeLtb3-gS2t6vADw40 https://www.tsn.ca/canada-continues-to-churn-out-elite-basketball-talent-1.1252533 https://www.tsn.ca/canada-continues-to-churn-out-elite-basketball-talent-1.1252533 rough decade and a half opinion via wills phone call yes one of many via email w sean https://theathletic.com/checkout/?plan_id=48&pc=plpintro6&source=googlesearchads&ad_id=479256321761&gclid=CjwKCAjwjuqDBhAGEiwAdX2cj7d6NPP18WiaCfkk5Agr2yJQ0SKh_COv-kgFKX3easby6IuhCJpWiBoC74sQAvD_BwE 2012 and 14 via email 2011 and 2015 via email https://olympic.ca/faq-what-are-the-pan-american-games/ https://www.nfl.com/super-bowl/ 2006/7 & 8 via email https://thegreycup.com/ 8 of them via email w sean https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-to-determine-start-date-for-stanley-cup-playoffs/c-323497584 could stay Stanley Cup Playoffs https://www.nba.com/playoffs/2021 yes to all via email w sean questions 1-7 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genesis https://fcbayern.com/en/teams/professionals/alphonso-davies https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/canadas-alphonso-davies-makes-history-bayern-munich-sundays-champions-league-fin will read it on social media but same thing https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/soccer/news/lou-marsh-trophy-2020-top-four-picks-canada-athlete-of-the-year/1x2a8fh2fo3uk1sk5adg6i6ill basketball, football, football, and soccer https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/soccer/news/lou-marsh-trophy-2020-top-four-picks-canada-athlete-of-the-year/1x2a8fh2fo3uk1sk5adg6i6ill claypool and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif both potential choices https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/soccer/news/lou-marsh-trophy-2020-top-four-picks-canada-athlete-of-the-year/1x2a8fh2fo3uk1sk5adg6i6ill alphonso is just one example https://www.tenniscanada.com/news/milos-raonic-and-leylah-annie-fernandez-named-2020-tennis-canada-players-of-the-year/ MILOS RAONIC AND LEYLAH ANNIE FERNANDEZ NAMED 2020 TENNIS CANADA PLAYERS OF THE YEAR via email with sean https://theworkingmind.ca/own-podium-case-study#:~:text=Own%20the%20Podium%20is%20a,and%20Paralympic%20medals%20for%20Canada.&text=Leading%20Canadian%20athletes%20to%20the%20Olympic%20podium%20requires%20exceptional%20coaching. not totally but this is his words and it is expanded on later by Anne from Own The Podium via email with sean https://athletics.ca/accueil/b2ten/ https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/jennifer-heil-dominick-gauthier-sami-jo-small-and-canadian-olympic-schoolprogram-win-live-positively-award-539363031.html https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh-game/story-b2ten-below-radar-group-could-play-key-005614749.html . How it works is simple: B2ten doesn't provide monthly or yearly funding to athletes, but instead focuses on providing specific, tangible goods and services to complement what athletes already receive and give them the resources they need to train and win. That "top-up" support has ranged from replacing Helen Upperton's bobsled to getting Brent Hayden high-tech starting blocks, a renowned coach and access to advanced video breakdowns to bringing together various athletes, speakers and motivational coaches for a retreat in advance of the 2010 Games. TESSA VIRTUE AND SCOTT MOIR, PATRICK CHAN, JENN HEIL, HELEN UPPERTON - via email w sean https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/845199055049266919/ etc etc in canada yes via seans email https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/permeate https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/canadian-pro-soccer-league-to-play-in-p-e-i-bubble-1.5043866?cache=qtdjrvikpa%3FclipId%3D104066 via email with sean he says he has been told this through interviews. i grew up in a town with one and the one I moved to also has one now via email with sean https://sportytell.com/sports/top-10-most-popular-sports-in-canada/ shows interest in some summer sports that are being played via email with sean https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/olympics-after-disappointing-2018-canada-s-hockey-curling-olympians-face-extra-pressure-in-beijing-1.5895869 shows the pressures canadians feel about hockey and curling via emails with sean and will https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/canada-population/ mid 2020 it was 37 mill now its like 38 mill https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/california-population population of california is roughly 39 million people https://youtu.be/dlmcJVUg6qk hard to get this one right https://www.atptour.com/en/players/felix-auger-aliassime/ag37/overview https://www.google.com/search?q=how+do+you+pronounce+bianca+andreescu&sxsrf=ALeKk013GoEdgn9mVNOUj1sj5_md9Ob4dA%3A1618775366443&ei=Ro18YJ_EGoP--gTyuIigDQ&oq=how+do+you+bianca+andreescu&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMYADIGCAAQBxAeOgcILhCwAxBDOgcIABCwAxBDOgoIABCxAxCwAxBDOg0ILhCwAxDIAxBDEJMCOgoILhCwAxDIAxBDOgoILhCxAxANEJMCOgQIABANOggIABAIEAcQHjoGCAAQCBAeSgUIOBIBMVDVYFiTbGCbd2gBcAB4AIAB0wGIAY4HkgEGMTEuMC4xmAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdpesgBD8ABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz#kpvalbx=_Vo18YLWMIo_0-gT4or2ICA18 https://www.tenniscanada.com/player/bianca-andreescu/ via email with sean https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/its-expensive-being-a-high-performance-amateur-athlete/article4323222/ and here: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confluence#:~:text=1%20%3A%20a%20coming%20or%20flowing,symbolic%20heart%20of%20the%20Southwest.%E2%80%94 https://breakingthelines.com/opinion/the-top-five-canadian-footballers-in-the-world/ top canadain soccer players right now (male) https://www.tsn.ca/canadian-tennis-rankings-january-9-2017-1.113238 top canadian tennis players right now https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canadian-nba-players-ranking bunch of canadian basketball players right now list of canadian golfers on tour right now https://www.golfcanada.ca/canadians-on-tour/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2uuH-dOx9I&ab_channel=TheOklahoman sec 30-32 https://sports.yahoo.com/oklahoma-state-rb-chuba-hubbard-nations-leading-rusher-returning-to-school-in-2020-232144483.html https://okstate.com/sports/football/roster/chuba-hubbard/8959 born in edmonton https://www.habseyesontheprize.com/nhl-entry-draft-picks-2020/2020/10/6/21503954/live-tracker-full-list-first-round-2020-nhl-entry-draft-order-results-draft-picks-trades-updates looking at the first 20 only 1 of them was from the usa while majority were from canada further down the list may be more americans but mostly opinion here http://footballcanada.com/about/about-us/#:~:text=Football%20Canada%20was%20initially%20established,games%20between%20various%20union%20champions. Football Canada was initially established February 7, 1884 https://canadiansportscene.com/ten-canadians-in-the-nfl-in-2020/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hgtwizDkeY&ab_channel=KansasCityStar 3-5 seconds https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/ClayCh01.htm https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4241416/chuba-hubbard https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20370921 most people know it as CTE could be mentioned https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK185336/ sean said he was referencing NY/NJ/MASS via email w sean via email w sean https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/the-leading-edge-of-a-much-larger-iceberg-new-jersey-high-school-disbands-football-team/2017/08/22/e13b6516-836e-11e7-82a4-920da1aeb507_story.html https://www.nj.com/sports/2019/08/hs-football-participation-plummeted-again-in-nj-how-bad-was-the-damage.html https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/496787/last-days-of-rome-phrase-meaning-with-examples last days of greatness https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1370083-boxing-breaking-down-the-steady-decline-of-the-sweet-science https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/culture-magazines/1900s-sports-overview https://www.marintheatre.org/productions/fetch-clay-make-man/fcmm-boxing https://www.britannica.com/sports/horse-racing (YES, BUT THE BARRIER IS NOT AS HIGH AS IT ONCE WAS) via email with sean there is also only one ncaa school in canada - SFU D2- but beyond that there are thousands of students competing for positions at respectful D1 schools and it is very difficult for Canadians to get noticed, the majority  of athletes at SFU lots were american Abbotsford Senior Secondary not really a small high school grad classes are respective 300 ish from abbotsford all over BC not necessarily just in VAN i can confirm this but the assistant coach saw it first, the video went viral on facebook where it got shared and shared until it made its way to Notre Dame the cfl has to fill a certain amount of spots w canadian players or around half w 7 starters all being canadian https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13606719.2012.674395?journalCode=rmle20 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canadian-nba-players-ranking https://canadiansportscene.com/ten-canadians-in-the-nfl-in-2020/ https://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2021/03/19/ncaa-march-madness-2021/ https://lastwordonsports.com/basketball/2020/05/29/canadian-wnba-players-top-five-players-in-canada/ https://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer/2020/09/04/canadian-invasion-of-womens-super-league-continues-as-fleming-and-zadorsky-join-beckie-and-leon.html https://www.masters.com/en_US/players/player_10423.html He was the first Canadian to win a major, and also the first left-handed player to win the Masters. http://www.fergiejenkins.ca/site/biography first and only to be inducted into the National Baseball National Hall of Fame https://www.smartcoachingblog.com/addressing-the-youth-sports-industrial-complex/ http://www.ybadawgs.com/Page.asp?n=113848&org=YBADAWGS.COM just one of many!!! via email with sean https://www.ownthepodium.org/en-CA/Notre-organisation/Our-Team/Bios/Anne-Merklinger https://www.curling.ca/2021scotties/ yes via email with anne https://www.ownthepodium.org/en-CA/Notre-organisation/Our-Team/Bios/Anne-Merklinger add: and to provide investment recommendations to the national funding partners - via annes email i know this doesnt actually matter that much bc podcast lol but its driving me crazy via email w anne via email w anne via email w anne https://www.paralympic.org/tokyo-2020?gclid=Cj0KCQjwse-DBhC7ARIsAI8YcWJMuGkW8jCZTHb_lKgZa3I3VeRCZtoPsDJk17H7YnJjobOgCPrVqkIaAhRcEALw_wcB via email with anne https://www.outsideonline.com/1921801/olympic-inspiration-young-athletes via email w anne https://www.inderscienceonline.com/doi/abs/10.1504/IJSMM.2017.087440 via email w anne via email w anne https://www.olympic.org/news/benefits-of-olympic-winter-games-vancouver-2010-still-felt-in-local-communities-today defs a part of it/ significant impact via wills phone call https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/the-golden-goal-an-oral-history#:~:text=On%20Feb.,had%20the%20entire%20country%20celebrating. the goal https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/olympics/canadian-womens-soccer-team-gets-olympic-bronze-medals/article4471130/ womens soccer team getting bronze at summer olympics https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/olympics/small-light-and-unconventional-how-does-de-grasse-do-it/article31450048/ https://www.olympic.org/news/benefits-of-olympic-winter-games-vancouver-2010-still-felt-in-local-communities-today via email with anne https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/the-buzzer-2020-olympics-forecast-1.5439910 and via email w anne via email w anne: Yes, I was the fifth player for Team Goring at the 1990 World Curling Championships https://www.cbc.ca/sports/panam-d3/canada-s-history-of-hosting-olympic-games-1.3167868 https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada-at-the-1988-olympic-winter-games two silver and 3 bronze in 88 https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-montreal-olympics#:~:text=Although%20Canada%20did%20not%20win,used%20for%20training%20and%20competition.  none at montreal https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada-at-the-2010-olympic-winter-games https://www.olympic.org/news/canada-aims-to-own-the-podium-in-2010 n the Podium - 2010 to prepare Canadian athletes to reach medal finishes at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games The Own The Podium programme aims to give Canadian athletes more than just home court advantage in 2010. Athletes are to be provided with fresh coaching, ... https://www.olympic.org/news/vancouver-2010-the-games-are-over-but-the-legacy-lives-on unbelievable legacy https://www.surreynowleader.com/sports/2010-winter-olympics-have-led-to-a-decade-of-canadian-confidence-in-sport/ https://www.lexico.com/definition/calgarian will is the one from Calagry via email with anne and phone call w will https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/winter-olympic-games es, OTP’s work in preparing for Vancouver began in 2005. via email w anne The Government of Canada invests approximately $70M into the targeted excellence strategy annually. This money does not go to OTP. Rather OTP provides recommendations to the Government of Canada as to how this money should be allocated across the many NSOs in Canada – Olympic, Paralympic, Summer and Winter. via email w anne first time mentioning it should be expanded on and this is what they were talking about via email w anne https://www.linkedin.com/company/canadian-olympic-committee/?originalSubdomain=ca https://www.linkedin.com/company/canadian-olympic-committee/?originalSubdomain=ca via email w anne I feel like it should be said fully here as well https://www.linkedin.com/company/canadian-paralympic-committee/ yes they do via email w anne obviii https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/2020/05/covid-19-sport/#:~:text=The%20global%20outbreak%20of%20COVID,activities%20outside%20of%20their%20homes. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/sports/olympics/tokyo-olympics-cancel.html one of countless articles outlining the struggles these olympics have posed via email w anne via email w anne via email w anne Yes, that is one of our goals. via email w anne https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/canadian-athletes-get-creative-training-tokyo-covid19-1.5501946 https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-03-11/nba-changes-covid-19-pandemic-year-later we can see the changes and adaptations of athletes here in general and also: he wasnt actually dont worry via phone call literally at least defs hoping it will happen https://communityfoundations.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Vital_Signs_Sport_and_Belonging.pdf via email w anne Yes, since 1995 via email w donna https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/cbc-tsn-to-carry-500-hours-of-games/article1041946/ also stated right below https://www.olympic.org/sydney-2000 also stated right below via email w donna https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/cbc-tsn-to-carry-500-hours-of-games/article1041946/ https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2016/jul/27/canada-summer-olympics-lack-of-medals-reasons https://www.macleans.ca/olympics/how-rio-canadas-breakthrough-olympics/ https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2016/jul/27/canada-summer-olympics-lack-of-medals-reasons Yes, I agree it is harder for Canadians to reach the podium in Summer Sport because of the depth of field in summer sport (more countries compete and more are good at it), and the fact we don't have a climate conducive to year-round training in outdoor summer sport. via email w donna via email w donna and one previous Canada has become strong in the Winter Olympics, and not so much the Summer Olympics. Canada is a second-tier country (outside the top 10) in Summer Olympics. https://www.foxsports.com/olympics/gallery/jamaica-sprinting-usain-bolt-olympics-gold-medals-dominance-why-so-good-081816 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/08/sports/olympics/history-olympic-dominance-charts.html?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=17CB7205152DDE36F9F10CDE6614E728&gwt=pay&assetType=PAYWALL https://qz.com/753605/china-is-better-at-table-tennis-than-any-country-is-at-any-olympic-sport/ another example Olympic team sports and 5 Paralympic team sports. There is still an opportunity to qualify another Olympic team sport. via email w anne Yes, I agree it is harder for Canadians to reach the podium in Summer Sport because of the depth of field in summer sport (more countries compete and more are good at it), and the fact we don't have a climate conducive to year-round training in outdoor summer sport. via email with donna Canada has qualified more team sports for Tokyo than in many, many years. Canada is also very good at individual sports. I do not agree that we are way better in team sports. Qualification is an important performance objective, but ultimately our collective goal as a nation is to be on the podium. via email w anne was said by Donna not Anne https://olympic.ca/2016/08/15/a-closer-look-at-canadas-swimming-success-at-rio-2016/ https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/vancouver-2010-decade-celebration-pride-inspiration-1.5458425 https://islandpress.org/blog/legacy-2010-winter-olympics-vancouver like OTP as previous mentioned by anne earlier and the efforts going into the summer olympics via email with anne via email with donna https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/2015-pan-american-games-under-budget-by-38-million-814232400.html https://runthenorth.substack.com/p/the-toronto-panam-games-were-five says it will benefit summer athletes not in actual population but in terms of kids playing sports yes https://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/sports-junior/ interest in winter sports dropping not as popular as they once were but as previously mentioned hockey is canadas sport https://sportytell.com/sports/top-10-most-popular-sports-in-canada/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/282125/number-of-registered-ice-hockey-players-in-canada/ https://tradingeconomics.com/canada/population-density-people-per-sq-km-wb-data.html#:~:text=km%20of%20land%20area)%20in%20Canada%20was%20reported%20at%204.1333%20sq.&text=officially%20recognized%20sources.-,Canada%20%2D%20Population%20density%20(people%20per%20sq.,Bank%20on%20April%20of%202021. via anne and donna 38 now https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/71-607-x2018005-eng.htm https://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/canada-summer-winter-olympics-london-2012 not necessarily, but I would say winter sport is accessible to kids in Canada (skating, snowsport) via donna ryerson track team is an example of this bc they have to train inside due to weather conditions but I would say winter sport is accessible to kids in Canada (skating, snowsport)  via email w donna https://www.olympic.org/calgary-1988 held in calgary The track in Whistler, B.C., was the venue for the sliding sports in the 2010 Winter Olympics. The track in Calgary was the sliding venue for the 1988 Winter Olympics. The Calgary track has been the home of Canada's national bobsled, luge and skeleton teams, but is currently closed awaiting renovations. via email with donna 38 mill as a bove Not specifically the tracks. People have access to all remaining legacy facilities from both the 2010 and 1988 Winter Olympics. via email with donna https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/winsport-faces-8m-funding-gap-to-renovate-sliding-track Replacement of the refrigeration unit and replacing the upper section of the track. via donna https://www.macrotrends.net/cities/20370/calgary/population its 1.5 but same thing https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/next-generation-of-canadian-luge-recruits-get-a-snowy-trackless-start-in-calgary-1.5354047?cache=%2F7.334388 here are age minimums for bobsled and skeleton so kids don't get into that sport until they're almost adults. WinSport runs luge recruitment camps for young kids. If they take up the sport, they previously had access to the sliding sessions in Calgary. via email w donna referring to alphonso, Bianca Andreescu and brooke henderson as stated earlier referring to OTP In terms of facilities? Access? Training? It's a combination of all those things. I would say in the case of Alphonso Davies, the fact that Canada now has professional soccer teams in the MLS helped him. The Vancouver Whitecaps joined the MLS in 2009 and signed Davies in 2016. The Whitecaps were his stepping stone to German pro soccer. via email w donna https://torquestrategies.com/can-soccer-become-canadas-favourite-sport/ https://www.perfectgame.org/articles/View.aspx?article=1702#:~:text=%2D%2D%20Canada%20is%20not%20known,years%20to%20change%20that%20perception.&text=A%20total%20of%2047%20Team,playing%20in%20the%20minor%20leagues. Canada is not known for high-level youth baseball, but Team Ontario has done its share the last 10 years to change that perception. https://nfldraftcentral.ca/2020/10/22/how-canada-is-starting-to-produce-more-nfl-talent/ https://www.tsn.ca/canada-has-yet-to-produce-its-first-impact-nfl-star-1.1468584 before claypool we didnt have an impactful player in the league putting up numbers for a long time via my research and this news article via anne and her interview and her email and what OTP is doing not a real stat but as previously mentioned how hard it is to go pro as an athlete, this is a rough stat donna gave via email w donna https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/cyclical weird wording here I think all sport is cyclical to some extent. Sport organizations try to develop talent. Sometimes a lot of talent emerges all at once, and sometimes not. via email w donna https://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/canada.html although its been around for a long time in canada its popularity is now on the rise https://www.world.rugby/photo-gallery/197043/olympic-games-womens-sevens?lang=en https://globalnews.ca/news/2871606/rio-2016-canada-captures-bronze-medal-after-dumping-great-britain-in-womens-rugby/ https://www.schoolsport.ca/rugby/ after talking to will via phone and myself we have both seen the number of rugby teams at most high schools https://www.canadasoccer.com/about-landing-page/ also via phone call w will and myself we chatted about how many schools have soccer teams https://mastersoccermind.com/17-reasons-why-soccer-is-the-most-popular-sport-in-the-world/ although soccer is very popular here it is no where near what it is around the world, definitely more common in younger leagues and amateur  sports Canadian women are good at many sports. These are three that Canadian female athletes have excelled at in previous Games. Combat sport in this sport is specifically wrestling. via email w anne https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/working-group-gender-equity.html gov canada describes that here https://www.thestar.com/sports/golf/2021/04/09/power-drive-how-women-are-growing-golf-in-canada-to-never-before-seen-levels.html Canadian women are good at many sports. These are three that Canadian female athletes have excelled at in previous Games. Combat sport in this sport is specifically wrestling. via email w anne https://www.cbc.ca/sports/rugby/canada-rugby-league-takes-step-forward-ahead-2021-rugby-league-world-cup-1.5914756 https://tradingeconomics.com/canada/population-density-people-per-sq-km-wb-data.html#:~:text=km%20of%20land%20area)%20in%20Canada%20was%20reported%20at%204.1333%20sq.&text=officially%20recognized%20sources.-,Canada%20%2D%20Population%20density%20(people%20per%20sq.,Bank%20on%20April%20of%202021. Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Canada was reported at 4.1333 sq. Km in 2018, https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/canadian-olympics-team-pandemic-challenges-1.5806777 Canada has qualified more team sports for Tokyo than in many, many years. Canada is also very good at individual sports. I do not agree that we are way better in team sports. Qualification is an important performance objective, but ultimately our collective goal as a nation is to be on the podium. via email w anne 8 Olympic team sports and 5 Paralympic team sports. There is still an opportunity to qualify another Olympic team sport. via email w anne All of the funding investments for each sport are detailed on our web site. https://www.ownthepodium.org/en-CA/Funding/Team-Sport-Strategy-Historical-Comparison via email w anne https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1069&context=ur https://junior-report.media/en/inequality-in-sports/ https://an.athletenetwork.com/blog/gender-equality-in-sports and through my own research i back this statement reads better imo https://olympic.ca/team-canada/rosannagh-maclennan/ https://olympic.ca/team-canada/rosannagh-maclennan/ https://olympic.ca/team-canada/penny-oleksiak/ https://www.tenniscanada.com/player/bianca-andreescu/ https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/best-canadian-female-athletes https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/best-canadian-female-athletes https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/12/15/tennis-experiences-boom-during-covid-19-coronavirus-pandemic-how-to-play-safely/?sh=3d101c0570e3 https://www.vox.com/2020/8/2/21351799/college-football-pac-12-coronavirus-demands https://www.cbc.ca/sports/ncaa-s-weight-room-fiasco-clumsy-attempts-to-explain-it-are-the-real-march-madness-1.5960760 another example of this and also evidence and knowledge through my research for my book chapter https://www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2021/01/23/the-nwhl-begins-its-2021-bubble-season-in-lake-placid-on-saturday/ https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nwhl-lake-placid-bubble-bubble-experience-1.5928526 https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-04-18-21/index.html Yes, since 1995 via email w donna https://womenandsport.ca/resources/wise-fund/#:~:text=Since%202004%2C%20Canadian%20Women%20and,gender%20equity%20in%20Canadian%20sport. Since 2004, Canadian Women and Sport has awarded $250,000 in grants through our WISE Fund to leaders and organizations across Canada to help address this gap. With the support of Sport Canada, the 2021 WISE Fund will grant 45 organizations $2500 to advance gender equity in Canadian sport. also via phone call w will https://sustainablebizconsulting.com/corporate-responsibility/sustainability-and-sports-lets-talk-gender-equality/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliviaabrams/2019/06/23/why-female-athletes-earn-less-than-men-across-most-sports/?sh=e3b481b40fbe https://thesportjournal.org/article/economic-values-of-professional-sport-franchises-in-the-united-states/#:~:text=Unlike%20industrial%20or%20financial%20business,are%20valued%20on%20their%20revenues.&text=The%20reason%20for%20the%20rise,%2C%20advertising%2C%20and%20membership%20fees. including gate receipts, broadcast rights fees, luxury boxes, club seats, concessions, advertising, and membership fees. https://mashable.com/roundup/best-streaming-sites-live-sports/?europe=true all the diff ways to stream sports right now via my book chapter and research i can confirm this https://www.marketplace.org/2019/06/07/womens-world-cup-soccer-becoming-more-popular-with-sponsors/ https://theathletic.com/955690/2019/04/30/discussions-underway-about-future-for-professional-womens-hockey-the-foundation-needs-to-be-sustainable/ he did via phone call w will via email with anne https://www.ownthepodium.org/en-CA/Notre-organisation/Our-Team/Bios/Anne-Merklinger via phone with will seen through davies I just think this works better here via phone with will as seen in march madness this year and the weight room http://www.rbc.com/newsroom/pdf/Own-the-Podium-2010-Fact-Sheet.pdf created in '05 began mainstream in 2010 defs wasnt around in 80s/90s and nor was anything else via email at the top 1