Canadian Athlete Family Program

An Athlete in the House - Tips for Parents

It's the holiday season and little girls and boys all over Canada are unwrapping their first pair of skates - or skis - or snowboard. Most kids enjoy sports recreationally - but if you can't coax your little one off the rink for hours on end, you may have a budding athlete on your hands!

We talked to former Olympian and sports psychologist Penny Werthner to get her thoughts on the relationship between parents and athletes; and what parents can do to help their children succeed.

Healthy training environment

While it works for the Williams sisters, not every child can or would want to have their parent as their coach! It might be hard for parents to give up the reins to another person, but having the right coach is a huge factor in an athlete's success.

As a parent, you'll want to watch the interaction between your child and her coach very carefully. Make sure that the interaction is positive and that the coach creates an healthy environment for your child to flourish.

If and when you see that your child is improving and you have confidence in their coach, you might want to move into the background, depending on what your child needs.

It's OK to ask your kids what they want

Everyone has a different relationship with their parents. Some kids love having their folks in the stands, cheering them on - for others, having their parents attend their sporting events may trigger stress and keep them from performing their best.

So ask your kids what they would prefer. Let them know that you're there for them either way. And if they ask you not to come, don't take it personally - it doesn't mean they don't love you or that you're banned for life. Trust that they're finding their way as an athlete and are figuring out how to improve their focus.

Great expectations

Supporting an elite athlete - both financially and emotionally - is a big commitment for the whole family. Whether you're in the stands for Peewee hockey or you're cheering your child on at the Olympic Games, your relationship with them - and their sport - is always evolving.

Photo credit: amoswright

Show Your Canadian Olympic Spirit - Participate in the WAVE in Toronto on December 16, 2009

As we've mentioned before, one way to show your support for Canadian Athletes is to join in the world's longest virtual wave.  Well, now we're taking the Virtual Wave to the streets!  

If you're in Toronto, you can join Olympian Kurt Browning, one of Canada’s foremost figure skaters and the first person ever to complete a quadruple jump at the World Championship level, in showing support for Canadian Athletes. 

Kurt will lead hundreds of Canadians in a massive Wave on Wednesday, December 16, 2009 from noon to 1PM at the Yonge-Dundas Square in downtown Toronto.

Getting Parents to the Games - Canadian Press

Of course every athlete wants their support system there when they cross the finish line in Vancouver!

In recent Canadian Press article For athletes' families, getting to the Games almost its own Olympic event, a group of athletes and their families share their challenges in getting their biggest fans to the Games.

The piece includes quotes from some of the athletes and families that we've been working with over the past few months, including skeleton racer Mellisa Hollingsworth, biathlete Megan Imrie, lugers Mike and Chris Moffat, and hockey player Hayley Wickenheiser. 

Here's a snippet from the article:

...for the first Winter Games in Canada in two decades, the families of Canadian athletes say not being at the Games isn't an option.

They're doing whatever it takes to make it there.

Corporate sponsors have stepped up to help. Petro-Canada and Jet Set Sports are running a program that gives each athlete's family two tickets to their child's event, plus four nights accommodation and transportation to the venues.

For Moffats' father Ed, having the program takes the weight off his shoulders.

"(Whistler) village itself its packed, it's crowded, hard to find a place to eat and it's expensive," said Moffat.

"With the (Petro-Canada) program you know you are going to have a room, a place to stay, get there and back and those are the big things you worry about. All I have to worry about now is making sure the kids know I'm here for them and that's the support they need."

Even with the Family Program's help, getting an athlete's larger support network of family and friends to the Games can require some creative problem solving! Check out the full article for what the athletes and their families are doing to make sure their cheering section is full.

Photo credit: bryangeek

Torch Relay, Training & Medal-Metal Preview - Athlete Blog Watch

The road to the Games is a long one and no one knows that better than the athletes themselves. On their personal blogs, they share the thrill of victory, the agony of their feet and the day to day living, training and perseverance that go into being a top athlete.

Here are a few of the Canadian athlete blog posts that inspired us this week:

Bobsleigher Heather Moyse's post Emotions Too Deep For Words... was chock full of amazing emotional experiences from her journey to the Games.

First, she was honoured to carry the Olympic Flame for a leg of the Torch Relay in her home province of PEI - and then the support she received at her successful fundraising dinner nearly brought her to tears.

As she says in her post:

There really are no words to describe the feeling of representing home! Especially in front of home! Hmmm… I guess that’s what the 2010 Olympics will be like! If I am awarded the honour of representing my country in front of my country, I expect that that, too, will be an emotional and indescribable event.

But although emotions will be with me throughout this entire season and, hopefully, into the Games, it is the support behind the emotion, the passion and the focus – not the emotion itself – that will get me there and get me through it! So, I thank you for your support! From the bottom of my heart! Because this journey would not be the same without you!

Alpine skier Kelly Vanderbeek wrote about training, fitness testing and travel in her post The Time is Coming. Kelly also got a rare treat - she was able to take a tour of the Teck smelting facility where the metal for the Olympic medals is being produced. Check out her post for a photo of her visit!

In Trail, BC I visited Teck`s smelting facilities before speaking at the employee recognition event. That is a SOLID bar of 99.9% pure silver, weighing about 70lbs. We saw lots of gold as well in its final stages before being melted down into a bar. Very cool stuff, it certainly made me excited to see where the metal for the medals is coming from.

Biathlete Zina Kocher is off to Sweden to kick off the World Cup season! In her blog post about training and packing for the World Cup circuit, she writes about her packing expertise, her picturesque ski retreat accommodations and sampling the local fare.

When I am in Europe, there are new foods that become my favorite snack. In Sweden and Norway, for instance, I love this type of cheese called geitost. It is strong, sweet and is strong with flavors of caramel and goat’s milk. Yum! Might just have to have some right now…

We'll be highlighting Canadian athlete blog posts every week, so stay tuned!

Enter the Petro-Canada Family Correspondent Contest!

We just kicked off the Petro-Canada Family Correspondent Contest over on our Facebook page and it's a pretty incredible deal. You and a family member could be one 30-second video away from winning the experience of a lifetime at the 2010 Games in Vancouver!

If you, your mom, dad, sister, brother or even grandma are looking for a way to get in on the excitement of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, this is your chance. Petro-Canada’s Family Correspondent Contest is looking for a sports-minded family who’s ready to spread 2010 Winter Games spirit by connecting with and following the families of our Canadian athletes.

Here’s what you get to do:

• Travel to Vancouver and attend the Games
• Reach out to thousands of Facebook fans about your collective and individual experiences at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
• Star in short YouTube videos, where you and your loved one interview family members of some of Canada’s top athletes
• Post real-time tweets before and during the 2010 Winter Games
• Blog about conversations and interviews you'll have with top athletes’ greatest fans – their families!

If you have a passion for telling untold stories and the ability to capture a moment in a few short but poignant words, we want to hear from you!

To enter, just upload a 30 second video featuring you and a favourite family member telling all of Canada (and Facebook!) why YOU deserve to be Petro-Canada’s Family Correspondent.

Hurry – your chance to enter ends December 27!

Please note that both family members must have a pre-existing Twitter following and Facebook accounts and must be at least 19 years of age. Check out the Official Rules over on Facebook for more details.

Head over to the dreambig Vancouver 2010 Facebook page and enter now!!