April 25, 2014 (Collingwood, ON) – Dara Howell, Jan Hudec, Mac Marcoux, and Mark McMorris are among Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic medal-winning skiers and snowboarders earning an extra $5,500 in training funds thanks to an endowment offered by the Canadian Ski Council (CSC).

Canada's Klebl and McKeever all smiles with GOLD © Matthew Murnaghan/Canadian Paralympic Committee

As part of its Making Winter Winners program, the Canadian Ski Council pledged $104,500 in funding to Canadian snow sports athletes who medaled at the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

The funds have been divided among 19 skiers and snowboarders ($5,500 each) who won Gold, Silver, or Bronze Olympic and Paralympic medals in sports designated as Canadian Snowsports Association (CSA) disciplines. Athletes benefitting from the funds also include women’s mogul Gold medalist Justine Dufour-Lapointe, women’s snowboard cross Silver medalist Dominique Maltais, men’s ski halfpipe silver medalist Mike Riddle, women’s ski cross Silver medalist Kelsey Serwa, and triple-Gold Paralympic men’s cross-country ski medalist Brian McKeever.

“Canada is so proud of this year’s winners of Olympic or Paralympic medals,” says Patrick Arkeveld, President and CEO of the Canadian Ski Council. “The ski and snowboard industry knows how incredibly hard these athletes worked to reach those podiums and how determined they are to reach future podiums-we hope that in some small way these extra funds will assist them in achieving their dreams.”

Making Winter Winners is a fundraising program created by the Canadian Ski Council (CSC), Canadian Snowsports Association and CSC member associations to assist amateur skiers and snowboarders on the road to competing at national and international levels. This year’s $104,500 Olympic endowment has been made possible, in part, through donations by participants in the CSC’s skier and snowboarder development programs as well as from donations by participating ski areas and ski area operator associations.

Cheque presentations to the athletes will take place this spring as part of regional meetings held by Canada’s ski and snowboard industry associations.

The Canadian Ski Council (CSC) is a national, not-for-profit ski and snowboard association whose goal is to increase participation in skiing and snowboarding. For more information on the CSC and its Making Winter Winners program, please visit: www.skicanada.org or call CSC President and CEO, Patrick Arkeveld at: 705-445-9140.

Making Winter Winners Medal Count:

In the Olympic competitions, CSA disciplines accounted for 12 of Canada’s 25 medals:

GOLD
1. Justine Dufour-Lapointe – Women’s Moguls
2. Dara Howell – Women’s Slopestyle
3. Alex Bilodeau – Men’s Moguls
4. Marielle Thompson – Women’s Ski Cross

SILVER
5. Chloe Dufour-Lapointe – Women’s Moguls
6. Mikael Kingsbury – Men’s Moguls
7. Dominique Maltais – Women’s Snowboard Cross
8. Mike Riddle – Men’s Halfpipe
9. Kelsey Serwa – Women’s Ski Cross

BRONZE
10. Mark McMorris- Men’s Slopestyle
11. Kim Lamarre – Women’s Slopestyle
12. Jan Hudec – Men’s Super G

In the Paralympic competitions, CSA disciplines accounted for 12 of Canada’s 16 medals:

GOLD
13. Brian McKeever- (3 Gold) Men’s XC10k, Sprint, 20k (Visually Impaired)
14. Chris Klebl – Men’s XC 10k (Sitting)
15. Josh Dueck – Men’s Alpine SC (Sitting)
16. Mac Marcoux – Men’s Alpine GS (Visually Impaired)

SILVER
17. Josh Dueck – Men’s Alpine DH(Sitting)

BRONZE
18. Chris Williamson – Men’s Alpine SL (Visually Impaired)
19. Kimberly Joines – Women’s Alpine SL (Sitting)
20. Caleb Brousseau – Men’s Alpine SG (Sitting)
21. Mac Marcoux – (2 Bronze) Men’s Alpine SG & DH (Visually Impaired)

Total = 19 individuals with 24 medals