Greetings from Jen Bennett, Chef de Mission - Swim Ontario
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Greetings from Jen Bennett, Chef de Mission
I am honoured and excited to be leading Team Ontario for the 2017 Canada Summer Games in
Winnipeg. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Canada Games and the 150th anniversary
of Canada, so these Games will no doubt be an amazing experience for everyone involved. Our
dedicated team of volunteer Mission Staff have been working for over a year to ensure that all
athletes, coaches, and managers participating in the Games are fully prepared and able to focus
on an optimal performance on the field of play. I have a great mission team, some of whom you
will meet in this newsletter and I would like to thank them for all of their hard work thus far.
We know our Ontario athletes have been busy training hard and we hope that every athlete
participating in the Games enjoys every moment in Winnipeg. From the drama and excitement
of competition on the field of play to the friendships you will make, the Canada Games experi-
ence will be sure to give you memories to last a lifetime.
Early in the planning process we worked through an exercise as Mission Staff to develop a vi-
sion and value statement for Team Ontario in 2017 and came up with the following:
Performance, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, Excellence. You will see these values woven
throughout everything we do and we trust that our athletes, coaches and managers will
embrace the values of Team Ontario PRIDE both on and off the field of play.
With less than 100 days to go until the Opening Ceremony, we are excited to continue to work with you as we prepare for the
“hottest summer in half a century”. Go Team Ontario!
All my Best,
Back row: Kevin Sousa, Ryan
Albright, Justan Steele, Nick
Snow, Greg Theriault, Kelly
Stefanyshyn, Shravan Chopra.
Middle Row: Jennifer Bennett,
Janice Dawson, Marcia Morris,
Sherry Doiron, Laura Albright,
Jane Park.
Front Row: Marlene Stirrett-
Matson, Cecily Clarke, Stacy
Halonen, Katrina Galas, Janice
Robinson.
Missing: Cathy O’Doherty
Team Ontario Mission Team for the 2017 Canada Summer Games
April Newsletter
Introducing: Ontario’s Men’s Softball team for 2017!
Men's Softball returns to the Canada Games after a 12 year hiatus and Team Ontario has one of the strongest teams in the
tournament. Under the tutelage of Head Coach George Ryder they are expected to go all the way in the tournament.
The process of choosing Team Ontario for this season's games took 3 years, with 72 athletes called up for training camps after a
rigorous scouting process. After six different skill development camps, a final list of 15 athletes and 9 alternates was announced in
September last year.
The final preparations for participation at the games are currently underway with a holistic training camp held in Brampton in
January 2017. Sports nutrition, strength and conditioning, post game recovery and mental training were all part of the latest
camp as Team Ontario looked to provide the best possible environment for their athletes to excel at the games.
The team is pumped up and ready to go, and signed off the camp by making their mission statement rather clear - "To Bring Gold
Home to Ontario!"
Calling all Team O Teams! Let your mission staff know when your team is selected and
send us an article and a photo so we can highlight your team in an upcoming newsletter.
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April Newsletter
Team Ontario Alumni Profile: Michelle Fazzari
29 year old wrestler Michelle Fazzari is one of the many illustrious alumni of Team Ontario at the Canada Games, who
went on achieve greatness, even representing Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Michelle took some time out recently
to have a chat with us about her journey over the years and her future aspirations.
An athletic youth who spent a lot of time outdoors with friends and family playing everything imaginable, Michelle was
particularly gifted in speed skating. Her father Tony encouraged her to try her hand at
wrestling, and although she misses her adventures on the ice, Michelle is happy that she chose wrestling as her sport
of choice. Amazingly, her first time on the mat was a result of a dare in high school; it’s funny how some things are just
meant to be!
On an average day, Michelle begins by hitting the gym by 6:30
am. Mornings usually consist of weights, cardio, and technique
training. Wrestling practice runs for a
couple of hours from 4 pm.
Her favorite part of events are traditionally closing
ceremonies, and no doubt they will be more memorable in the
future when she fulfills her ambition of being a World Medal
winner.
Photo credit: Wrestling Canada Lutte / Vaughn Ridley
All about Winnipeg!
As we prepare for our time in Winnipeg, our host of the 50th Canada Summer
Games, here are some fun facts that we found. Did you know:
Winnipeg lies at the geographic centre of Canada and North America.
Winnipeg has the sunniest winter season in Canada with 358 hours of sunshine.
The Winnipeg Folk Festival, now 42 years old, is one of the oldest and largest folk
festivals in the world.
The Winnipeg Art Gallery has the world’s largest collection of contemporary Inuit
art.
The inspiration for James Bond was famous WWII spymaster Sir William Stephen-
son, who happened to be born and raised in Winnipeg.
The character of Winnie-the-Pooh was inspired by a black bear named Winnie,
who was named after Manitoba’s capital city, Winnipeg.
In 1959, Winnipeg was the first North American city to implement a centralized
emergency number, 911.
Winnipeg boasts the largest number of restaurants per capita in Canada.
Notable sports figures that hail from Winnipeg include six time Olympic speedskating medallist and most decorated Ca-
nadian Olympian Cindy Klassen, Olympic Taekwondo athlete and bronze-medallist Dominique Bosshart, Summer and
Winter Olympic medal winner Clara Hughes and Canadian Olympic Women's Hockey Gold Medallist Jennifer Botterill.
And the best fun fact of all: Winnipeg has been named Slurpee Capital of the World fifteen years in a row.
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April Newsletter
2017 Coaches/Managers Meeting
On Saturday October 29th, Team Ontario Mission Staff held a Coaches
and Managers Meeting at Humber College that saw more than 25
representatives from provincial sport organizations attend. The
coaches and managers received updates from the Mission Team on
all aspects of the 2017 Canada Summer Games. The meeting was also
the first time sports officially got to meet the dedicated Mission Staff
working with their team.
The day included Canada Games and Team Ontario overviews, as well
as updates from the four core team areas – sport technical, athlete
and mission services, administration, and communications. The final
session of the day provided time for Team Ontario Mission Staff to
meet one-on-one with their sports to gather and share sport-specific
information. We look forward to meeting coaches, managers and
athletes at your sport specific training camps this spring. Go Team O!
Canada Games Council Social Media Niagara Region Named Host of
Campaign: Top 50 2021 Canada Summer Games
Team Ontario congratulates the Niagara
Last fall, CGC launched a social media campaign celebrating the Region on their successful bid to host the 2021
Top 50 Canada Games athletes of all time. Here are the Ontario Canada Summer Games. The Niagara Region beat
athletes included in the campaign: out strong bids from the Greater Sudbury Region,
Waterloo Region and Ottawa to host the Games.
Christine Nesbitt Long Track Speed Skating
Ontario has previously hosted the 1981 Canada
Alex Pietrangelo Hockey Summer Games in Thunder Bay and the 2001 Can-
ada Summer Games in London. The 2021 Canada
Steve Stamkos Hockey Games will mark the third time the
Sue Holloway Cross Country Skiing and Canoe Canada Summer Games are hosted in the
province of Ontario.
Diane Matheson Soccer
Team Ontario can’t wait to welcome the nation in
Lennox Lewis Boxing 2021!
Adam Van Koeverden Canoe Kayak
Cassie Campbell Hockey
Brian Orser Figure Skating
Chris Pronger Hockey
Andre De Grasse Athletics
Anne Ottenbrite Swimming
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April Newsletter
Meet the Team Ontario Core Team
JEN BENNETT CECILY CLARKE NICK SNOW
Chef de Mission Assistant Chef Assistant Chef
Lead Sport Tech Team Lead Athlete and Mission
ATTENTION
Previous Canada Games Services SPORTS FANS!
experience: Mission staff in Previous Canada Games Previous Canada Games
2013 in Sherbrooke. Experience: Mission staff in experience: Mission staff in Passes to the Games have
2011 Halifax, 2013 Sherbrooke 2013 and 2015 Games; been on sale for awhile, but
Other Games experience: and 2015 Prince George. Observer 2011 Halifax; Volun- as of the end of February
Jack of all trades at 2012 teer 2001 London. single tickets went on sale
Ontario Summer Games; Other Games experience: Other Games experience: for all events. Check it out at
2015 Bid Committee and Athlete at the World Universi- Observer 2011 Pan Am Games; the Games website:
Volunteer in event ty Games in 2003 in Deagu, Staff 2015 Pan Parapan Am www.2017canadagames.ca
Management. South Korea; Staff for 2005 Games.
World Transplant Games, Or the Ticketmaster site for
the Games:
Favourite Sport to watch: Volunteer 2015 Pan Parapan Favourite Sport to watch:
https://
Tennis Am Games. Basketball www.ticketmaster.ca/2017-
Favourite Sport to play: Favourite Sport to play: Canada-Summer-Games-
Tennis Favourite Sport to watch: Basketball tickets/artist/2336691?
Favourite Sports movie: World Cup Soccer Favourite Sports movie:
Invictus Favourite Sport to play: Beach Space Jam
Volleyball
Most memorable sporting Favourite Sports Movie: Rudy Most memorable sporting mo- Stay tuned to the
moment: Toronto Blue Jays ment: Watching fiancée
World Series win 1992. Most memorable sporting Rosie win gold in Rio. next newsletter
moment: Being torchbearer to meet the Sport
Message to members of for 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Message to members of Team
Team Ontario: Enjoy every Ontario: Take full advantage of Tech Team!
moment! Message to members of the opportunity that you have.
Team Ontario: Let yourself get Make friends and
into the spirit of the Games! memories!
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April Newsletter
JANICE ROBINSON MARLENE STIRRETT-MATSON JUSTAN STEELE STACY HALONEN
Lead Administration Lead Communications Ministry Liaison Past Chef
Previous Canada Games Previous Canada Games Games experience: Games Previous Canada Games
experience: Mission staff for experience: Performer at 1981 Consultant for Ontario Games; experience: Staff for 2007
2015 on Admin team, working Summer Games in Thunder Sport and Games Specialist for Winter Games in Yukon and
with Synchro swimming, free- Bay; Mission staff for 1995, 2010 Vancouver Olympics; 2011 Winter Games in Halifax;
style skiing. 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and Manager, Sport 2015 Pan Mission staff for 2013.
2015 Parapan Am Games; Games
Other Games experience: Family Observer Glasgow 2014 Other Games experience: Or-
Special Advisor of projects for Other Games experience: Commonwealth Games. ganizing committee for 2010
2015 Pan Parapan Am Games. Bid Coordinator for 1995 Vancouver Olympics; Staff
Nordic World Ski Favourite Sport to watch: 2015 Pan Parapan Am Games.
Favourite Sport to watch: Championships, Thunder Bay Hockey, Baseball
Hockey, diving Favourite Sport to play: Favourite Sport to watch:
Favourite Sport to play: Favourite Sport to watch: Volleyball Hockey
Cycling Hockey Favourite Sports movie: Favourite Sport to play:
Favourite Sports movie: Favourite Sport to play: Cool Runnings Hockey
Tin Cup Cross Country skiing Favourite Sports movie:
Favourite Sports movie: Most memorable sporting mo- Slap Shot
Most memorable sporting The Blind Side ment: at 2010 Olympics, up
moment: Watching BOTH the against the glass behind the net Most memorable sporting
men’s and women’s hockey Most memorable sporting mo- where Crosby scored the golden moment: Watching Canada
teams win Gold for Canada in ment: When Team Ontario won goal. win Gold live in Sochi.
the 2002 Olympic Winter the Canada Games flag in 2007
Games! in Whitehorse. Message to members of Team Message to members of Team
Ontario: Represent your family, Ontario: Good luck to all!
Message to members of Message to members of Team friends, teammates, hometown
Team Ontario: Play hard— Ontario: Never give up. and province with pride!
have fun!
@GoTeamOntario @GoTeamOntario @GoTeamOntario
@GoTeamOntario @GoTeamOntario teamontario.ca
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