June 22, 2009 (Thunder Bay, ON) – Earlier this month Canadian Pacific was recognized as “Sponsor of the Year” by Cross Country Canada at its Annual Awards Banquet in Thunder Bay. John Anderson, yard manager for their Thunder Bay operations and also one of CP’s 47 Olympic volunteers and his wife attended the gala to accept the award on behalf of CP. Maureen Kershaw, Chair of CCC’s Women’s Committee responsible for the CP Girls on Track Heroes and Mentor Program, cited CP as “a corporation that has provided wonderful support to cross-country skiing.”

“Supporting amateur athletics is a core component of CP’s community programming and we are proud to have been a sponsor of Canada’s cross country skiing community since 2003,” mentioned John in accepting the award. Leading up to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, CP has supported the development of cross country skiing in Canada by promoting mentorship opportunities through CCC. According to Dave Dyer, CCC Director of Marketing and Communications, “CP’s interest in grass-roots skiing has allowed us to engage in programs that we could not support on our own, motivating young athletes and inspiring Olympic dreams…CCC is very proud to have CP as a partner.”

Since 2006, CP has provided support for Cross Country Canada’s Girls on Track Heroes and Mentors Program and the CP Ski Tournaments Program both of which put Olympic athletes in touch with aspiring young skiers. In 2008/9, CP provided the resources to launch “Sea2Sea2Sea” Cross Country Canada’s club based Olympic Journey. With prizing for milestones reached on the journey plus standard club promotional materials including a log book, themed map of Canada to track progress and posters the program has been a great success. To date over 750,000 km have been logged by registered skiers during the first 2 years of the program. Another high profile opportunity for young cross country athletes, CP’s Spirit Train provided access for people across the country to get up close and personal with Cross Country Canada Olympic success stories, athletes Beckie Scott, Collette Bourgonje, and Robbi Weldon attended the Spirit Train in Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Thunder Bay.

The corporation’s support of CCC and the National Ski Team started back in November 2002 when past CP President Rob Ritchie hosted a fundraising gathering for the NST in Calgary. At that time the women’s team of Beckie Scott, Milaine Theriault and Sara Renner swooped into the Palliser Hotel on roller skis and highlighted that the tracks to 2006 would require commitment and funding. The girl’s message wasn’t lost on those in attendance, and a positive relationship was started. During the period leading to 2010, CP has been involved in numerous fundraising and promotional efforts in support of the team including sponsorship of the 2005 Alberta World Cup in Canmore.