‘Culture of excellence’: 2010’s mark on Canada’s athletes

VANCOUVER (CityNews) – There’s no doubt the Winter Olympics in 2010 left behind a legacy that you can see for yourself to this day.

The Hillcrest Centre, where curling events took place, is one example, but the Games also created something in Canada that can’t be seen.

“I think what was important out of Vancouver was that this culture of excellence was created,” Anne Merklinger, Own The Podium CEO, said.

The culture of excellence can be credited, in part, to Own The Podium, a non-profit initiative that launched in 2004.

“It was really created to try and help Canada’s winter national sport organizations develop athletes who could potentially win medals in 2010,” Merklinger said.

Athletes she’s referring to include North Vancouver’e Maëlle Ricker, who made history as the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic gold medal on home soil back in 2010.

“I feel like we had that support from Own The Podium to make all those little one per cents to help us get to that top step, which was absolutely fantastic,” the snowboard cross athlete told CityNews Vancouver.

Funded mainly through a $64 million grant from the federal government, Own The Podium reshaped Canada’s approach to the Winter Games by streamlining fragmented sports programs across the country, and investing in high-performance training centres as well as innovative sports science research.

“In order for the games to be successful , the Canadian team needed to be successful,” Merklinger added.

Canada wrapped up the Games in 2010 with 14 gold medals — a record for any country at a Winter Olympics. In total, Canadian athletes won 26 medals. When Canada hosted the Games in 1988, Canadians athletes won just five medals.

“And that was really an aspirational goal for Canada to win as many medals as possible and certainly surpass our medal performance from previous games,” Merklinger said.

Own The Podium continues to prepare high-level winter and summer athletes in Canada. Since 2010, Olympic medal counts have trended upward. As the new mindset of greatness produces podium finishes, it also creates heroes for budding athletes.

“Role models and leaders that can inspire Canada’s youth to become more physically active, and you know, get off the couch and really pursue their own podium,” Merklinger said. “It doesn’t have to be an Olympic or Paralympic podium, it’s about getting active and embracing sport and physical activity.”

“If I’m able to target even one or two people and get them out and moving, that’s a bigger gold medal than the one around my neck right now,” Ricker added.