January 11, 2012 – The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2011-12 Para-Equipment Fund, presented by Petro-Canada, a Suncor Energy business, and supported by Sport Canada and the CPC.

The Para-Equipment Fund delivers grants of up to $5,000 to national sport organizations and provincial and local-level clubs to purchase adapted equipment – for sports such as wheelchair basketball, sledge hockey or sit-skiing, for example – to enable people with a disability to participate in sport.

In all, 33 sports organizations across the country, representing 21 different sports among them, have received a total of $116,670.

Grants are awarded to cover 50 per cent of the total cost of the equipment. The applicant is responsible for covering the other 50 per cent of the equipment costs, bringing this year’s total equipment investment to $233,340.

“We recognize that while it is important to support the Canadian Paralympic Team competing on the world stage, it is also vital to support introductory efforts to help more Canadians with a disability get active in the first place,” said Steven Keith of Petro-Canada, a long-time partner of the Canadian Paralympic Committee and presenting sponsor of the Para-Equipment Fund.

“Access to adapted equipment can sometimes be a barrier for people with a disability trying sports for the first time. We’re extremely proud to support this grassroots initiative and to help organizations make it easier for all Canadians to have the opportunity to participate.”

“On behalf of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, I’d like to congratulate all the recipients of the Para-Equipment Fund,” said Henry Storgaard, President of the Canadian Paralympic Committee. “It’s very exciting to see the increase in the availability of adapted sports equipment, ensuring that more people with a disability can enjoy the benefits of sport. Thank you, Petro-Canada, for supporting this essential program.”

The next round of applications for the Para-Equipment Fund will be accepted starting January 25, 2012. (Applications for the Recruitment Programs Fund, which helps organizations provide positive introductory sport experiences for people with a disability, will also open Jan. 25.)

Please visit www.paralympic.ca/funding for more information.

2011-12 Para-Equipment Fund Recipients
– Association québécoise de sports pour paralytiques cérébraux, Boccia, Montreal, Quebec
– Tbo Tbon Wheelchair rugby, Montreal, Quebec
– Athletics NB Para-athletics, Dieppe, New Brunswick
– Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing – National Capital Division, Para-alpine skiing and snowboarding, Ottawa, Ontario
– Canoe Kayak Saskatchewan, Canoe/kayak, Regina, Saskatchewan
– Cowichan Therapeutic Riding Association, Para-equestrian, Duncan, British Columbia
– Disabled Skiiers Association of BC, Para-alpine skiing, Richmond, British Columbia
– Manitoba Wheelchair Sports Association, Wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, Winnipeg, Manitoba
– National Cycling Centre-Canadian Sport Centre Calgary, Para-cycling, Calgary, Alberta
– NB Quad Rugby, Wheelchair rugby, Riverview, New Brunswick
– Ottawa Stingers Wheelchair Rugby Club, Wheelchair rugby, Ottawa, Ontario
– Pacific Volleyball, Sitting volleyball, Richmond, British Columbia
– Revelstoke Nordic Club, Para-Nordic skiing, Revelstoke, British Columbia
– SASKI Skiing for Disabled, Para-Nordic skiing, Regina, Saskatchewan
– Sledge Hockey of Eastern Ontario, Sledge hockey, Ottawa, Ontario
– St. Catharines Rowing Club, Rowing, St. Catharines, Ontario
– Variety Village, Wheelchair basketball, Toronto, Ontario
– Association québécoise des sports en fauteuil roulant, Wheelchair basketball, sledge hockey, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair tennis, Montreal, Quebec
– Hockey Luge Montreal, Sledge hockey, Montreal, Quebec
– Adaptive Sports Foundation, Para-alpine skiing, canoe/kayak, Knowlton, Quebec
– Balmy Beach Canoe Club, Canoe/kayak, Toronto, Ontario
– BC Blind Sports and Recreation, Goalball, Vancouver, British Columbia
– Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing – NS Division, Para-alpine skiing and snowboarding, Halifax, Nova Scotia
– Calgary Wheelchair Rugby Association, Wheelchair rugby, Calgary, Alberta
– City of Surrey Sitting volleyball, Surrey, British Columbia
– Cross Country Ski Association Manitoba, Para-Nordic skiing, Winnipeg, Manitoba
– Cruisers Sports for the Physically Disabled, Wheelchair basketball, para-athletics, boccia, Mississauga, Ontario
– London and District Wheelchair Sports, Wheelchair rugby, London, Ontario
– Pilot Butte Sledge, Sledge hockey, Pilot Butte, Saskatchewan
– Regina Ski Club, Para-alpine skiing, Regina, Saskatchewan
– Rowing British Columbia, Rowing, Richmond, British Columbia
– Tennis Canada, Wheelchair tennis, National
– Toronto Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair rugby, Toronto, Ontario

October 21, 2011 (Salt Lake City, UT) – The Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team was honoured Wednesday night in New York City at the 32nd Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards Gala. Team members and their supporting foundation, Women’s Ski Jumping USA (WSJ-USA), were recognized for their perseverance and courage in fighting to gain Olympic status for their sport.

In April 2011, the International Olympic Committee added a women’s ski jumping event to the Olympic Winter Games program beginning in 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Ski jumping (and Nordic Combined) have been the only disciplines in the Winter Games to exclude women.

Ski jumpers Lindsey Van, Jessica Jerome and Alissa Johnson, and WSJ-USA President Deedee Corradini were in New York to receive the award.

“To be honored by such a reputable organization with core values in which I truly believe is amazing,” said Jessica Jerome. “This award isn’t just for me and my team, it represents a much larger group of people and all their efforts and beliefs that helped us get to where we are today.”

The Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) was founded in 1974 by tennis legend Billie Jean King. Deedee Corradini said it is incredible for the team and WSJ-USA to be recognized by one of the most influential organizations in the world that advocates for girls and women in sports.

“This is a wonderful day for the team, the sport and all of our supporters and sponsors,” Corradini said.

Alissa Johnson, who also received a WSF 2010 Travel and Training grant, hopes others find inspiration in their struggle. “I want our story to show young girls that if they believe in something, they can fight for it no matter what’s thrown in their way.”

2009 World Ski Jumping Champion Lindsey Van said courage helped her and her teammates get through the toughest days. “We stood up as athletes and made it happen,” she added.

2011 Ski Affair – Salt Lake City – October 27
Women’s Ski Jumping USA is also being honoured in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 27 at the 2011 Ski Affair, sponsored by the Utah Ski Archives, which will highlight and honor Women’s Ski Jumping USA (WSJ-USA) for its persistence in pushing for women ski jumpers to be included in the Olympic Winter Games.

The annual event begins at 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 27 at Little America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City and is a fundraiser for the Ski Archives.

After a 10-year battle led by the nonprofit WSJ-USA and women jumpers from around the world, the International Olympic Committee finally announced on April 6, 2011, that women’s ski jumping would be a sanctioned event at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this year’s Ski Affair,” said Jenny Holden, WSJ-USA executive director. “We hope our athletes’ achievements are an inspiration for others, especially young athletes who have Olympic dreams too.”

More than 500 people are expected to attend the Ski Affair, which also pays tribute to Salt Lake City’s hosting of the 2002 Games. Deedee Corradini, president of WSJ-USA and former mayor of Salt Lake, is the first and only female mayor ever to accept the Olympic Winter Games flag.

Members of the Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team, supported by WSJ-USA, expected at the event include 2009 World Champion Lindsey Van, Jessica Jerome and Sarah Hendrickson.

“It means so much to us as athletes to be recognized by the Ski Archives and our community,” said Hendrickson, 17, of Park City, a 2010 Junior World Championship bronze medalist. “To be part of the first group of women ever to compete in ski jumping in the Olympics would be outstanding. That feeling drives me to work hard every day to reach that goal.”

The Utah Ski Archives were established in 1989 at the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library. The official repository of the records of the Salt Lake Olympic bid and organizing committees preserves information about the history of skiing in Utah and the Intermountain West.

Details
What: Fundraiser for the Utah Ski Archives
When: 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 27
Where: Little America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City, 500 S. Main St.
Cost: $60 per person
Includes: Dinner, silent and live auctions, photo displays of Utah’s ski history and a drawing for Ski Utah’s new “Yeti pass,” good for one day of skiing at each of the state’s 14 resorts for about $35 per day.
Reservations: May be made through Friday, Oct. 21 at www.lib.utah.edu or by calling 801-581-3421.
Contact: Whitney Childers, 801-503-6099, wchildersmedia@gmail.com

February 17, 2011 – The Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) announced the 12 recipients of the WISE Fund grants, each valued at $900. The Women in Sport Encouragement (WISE) Fund was created to help finance sport initiatives and assist members of the sport community in Canada. The annual grant is primarily to support women leaders develop and organizations that are currently offering or creating sport programs targeted to girls and women.

“CAAWS is pleased to support the WISE Fund grant recipients and recognize their efforts in developing their own leadership skills as coaches or officials, and in offering sport programs that will give girls and women an opportunity to be actively engaged,“ said CAAWS Executive Director, Karin Lofstrom.

The 2011 WISE Fund marks the eighth time CAAWS has offered the grant program. Since the program’s inception in 2004, CAAWS has now supported 92 individuals and organizations, dispersing over $82,800 to members of the sport community.

This year’s recipients include seven organizations, four coaches and one official. The following have been selected:

2011 WISE Fund Recipients
– Cowichan Storm Women’s Lacrosse – Cowichan Valley, BC (Supported by Canadian Lacrosse Association)
– Muskoka Girls Hockey Association – The District of Muskoka, ON (Supported by Hockey Canada)
– Ottawa Carleton Wheelchair Sports Association – Ottawa, ON (Supported by Wheelchair Basketball Canada)
– Cyclo Bellas – Calgary, AB (Supported by Canadian Cycling Association)
– Metepenagiag First Nation Recreation and Sport Committee – Red Bank, NB (Supported by Aboriginal Sport Circle)
– South Niagara Rowing Club – Welland, ON (Supported by Rowing Canada)
– L’Échappée Belle – Montreal, QC (Supported by Canadian Cycling Association)
– Joy Ang – Toronto, ON (Supported by Karate Canada)
– Candace Bloomquist – Saskatoon, SK (Supported by Football Canada )
– Vanessa Bonk – Regina, SK (Supported by Biathlon Canada)
– Katrina Couch – Whitehorse, YT (Supported by Canada Snowboard)
– Andrea Valois – Hamilton, ON (Supported by Rowing Canada)

For detailed bios of the grant recipients, please visit the CAAWS website HERE.