Petro-Canada’s FACE Program Helps Canadian Athletes and Their Coaches Dream Big for 2011
Petro-Canada is once again demonstrating its support of amateur sport in Canada by helping another 50 athletes and coaches move one step closer to their Olympic and Paralympic dreams through the Fuelling Athlete and Coaching Excellence (FACE) Grant. The FACE program provides pre-carded Canadian athlete and coach pairings with $8,000 in financial grants to be used for everything from training to equipment.
Working with National Sport Organizations across Canada, Petro-Canada’s FACE program provides up-and-coming Canadian Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls with the resources necessary to achieve national carded status and to improve coaching skills. All Olympic and Paralympic sports are eligible for FACE program funding and follow the Sport Canada review process to qualify. FACE was formerly known as the Olympic Torch Scholarship Fund.
“Petro-Canada’s FACE program has provided more than 2,300 athletes and coaches with nearly $7.5 million since 1988,” says Howard McIntyre, Vice President of Marketing at Suncor Energy. “Petro-Canada is committed to providing support for athletes at a grassroots level within communities across Canada.”
“Elite athletes at a grassroots level have difficulty obtaining funding to pursue their dreams of reaching the Olympic or Paralympic Games; this program helps bridge financial gaps” says McIntyre.
“Petro-Canada is proud to support Canada’s next generation of Olympic & Paralympic hopefuls.”
Coaches who receive grants, often purchase equipment that can be used to benefit multiple athletes within the same sport discipline. Mark Johnson, a curling coach and FACE Recipient from Calgary was able to purchase a laptop and slow motion video camera.
“The slow motion camera will allow me to film the players and provide them with instant, visual feedback on their curling deliveries,” he says. “I can’t express enough my appreciation for the Petro-Canada FACE Program as this grant will benefit the entire team that I mentor. For a volunteer coach, this grant has sure made life much easier.”
Cynthia Berringer, a FACE recipient and Para Swimming athlete from Mississauga, Ontario hopes to represent Canada at a Paralympic Games. “The $4,000 bursary that I am receiving from the Petro Canada FACE Program will assist with some of the costs of attending out-of town competitions and getting extra training time in long-course training facilities,” she says.
The FACE program has provided financial grants to Canada’s top athletes including 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games medalists; Alexandre Bilodeau, Hayley Wickenheiser, Kaillie Humphries, John Morris, Kristina Groves, Mike Robertson, Jim Armstrong and Ina Forest. Some of the other previous FACE recipients include Mark Tewksbury, Canada’s Chef de Mission at the 2012 London Games, Sylvie Fréchette, Canada’s assistant Chef de Mission at the 2012 Games, Marianne Limpert, silver medallist at the 1996 Olympic Games and Annie Pelletier, bronze medalist at the 1996 Olympic Games.
This year’s FACE program recipients are:
British Columbia
Mica Dyck, Cross Country Mountain Bike, Victoria
Alysson Marshall, Cross Country Skiing, Salmon Arm
Marielle Thompson, Ski Cross, Whistler
Matt Sharpe, Triathlon, Victoria
Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch, Equestrian- Eventing, Summerland
Jeremy Ten, Figure Skating, Vancouver
Braydon Luscombe, Para-Alpine Skiing*, Duncan
Melanie Phan, Taekwondo, Port Coquitlam
Curtis Gerein, Trampoline Gymnastics, Kelowna
Brenda Hopkin, Para Sailing*, Victoria
Alberta
Scott Gow, Biathlon, Calgary
Christopher Spring, Bobsleigh, Calgary
Samantha Preston, Curling, Calgary
Steph roorda, Cycling, Calgary
Laura Glover, Luge, Calgary
Wesley Savill, Nordic Combined, Calgary
Jaye Milley, Para Cycling*, Calgary
Robert Derman, Skeleton, Stony Plain
Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes, Ski Jumping, Calgary
Rachel Nicol, Swimming, Lethbridge
Niki Oudenaarden, Track and Field, St.Albert
Lexi Giesbrecht, Trampoline, Calgary
Saskatchewan
Jasmine Slinn, Wrestling, Regina
Manitoba
Kevin Kowalyk, Rowing, Winnipeg
Ontario
Dyshawn Pierre, Basketball, Whitby
Megan Farrell, Alpine Snowboarding, Richmond Hill
Darren Gardner, Alpine Snowboarding, Burlington
Dylan Grisell, Diving, Toronto
Yacinta Nguyen-Huu, Judo, Mississauga
Madison Lawson, Para Dressage*, Bonfield
Margarita Gorbounova, Para-Nordic Skiing*, Ottawa
Cynthia Berringer, Para-Swimming*, Etobicoke
Ashley Lawrence, Soccer, Brampton
Brittany MacLean, Swimming, Toronto
Anqi Luo, Table Tennis, Mississauga
Joanna Brown, Triathlon, Carp
Ronen Grosz, Water Polo, Richmond Hill
Emma Wright, Water Polo, Lindsay
Cody Caldwell, Wheelchair Rugby*, Peterborough
Brianne Barry, Wrestling, London
Quebec
Etienne Beauchesne, Canoe-Kayak, Trois-Rivières
Maximilien Van Haaster, Fencing, Montréal
Andréanne Demers, Fencing, Montréal
Arnaud Laurin-Landry, Freestyle Skiing, Montréal
Annie Moniqui, Weightlifting, Windsor
Mélodie Daoust, Ice Hockey, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield
Sarah White, Para-Athletics*, Montréal
Sarah Brunin Brouillette, Synchronized Swimming, Laval
Rachel Fréchette, Synchronized Swimming, Deux-Montagnes
Newfoundland
Jonathan Ladha, Sailing (49er), St. John’s
*Paralympic sport
For more on the FACE program, please visit petro-canada.ca. Suncor Energy is the proud owner of Petro-Canada.
