Suncor Energy: Recipients of 2015 Petro-Canada ‘Fuelling Athletes and Coaching Excellence’ program announced
CALGARY — Petro-Canada, a Suncor business, today announced the 2015 Fuelling Athletes and Coaching Excellence (FACE) program recipients. The 2015 FACE recipients from across Canada represent both summer and winter sports, and athletes competing in individual or team events. Each athlete and coach pairing receives $10,000. Petro-Canada’s annual financial commitment to the program is $500,000.
“From coast to coast, Canada has many outstanding athletes and coaches and we’re honoured to support tomorrow’s Team Canada,” said Marc Goodman, director, loyalty and strategic partnerships, Suncor. “Each year we’re inspired by the dedication of our FACE program recipients. Congratulations to the Class of 2015.”
Developed by Petro-Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), and facilitated by their National Sport partners, the FACE program provides developing, pre-carded Canadian athlete and coach pairings with funding to help fuel their dreams. Coaches are selected along with the athletes they directly coach as they often incur additional costs on the road to developing the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic stars of tomorrow.
“Petro-Canada has supported Canadian athletes for more than 25 years and we are excited for this year’s funds to reach new athletes in need,” said Chris Overholt, CEO, Canadian Olympic Committee. “The funding Petro-Canada’s FACE program provides is crucial in ensuring the next generations of athletes receive the resources they need to succeed. Thank you, Petro-Canada.”
The FACE program, formerly the Petro-Canada Torch Scholarship Fund, was launched in 1988 and has provided more than 2,700 Canadian athletes and coaching pairs with almost $9.4 million in direct financial support.
“On behalf of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, I’d like to thank Petro-Canada for investing in Canada’s dedicated, up-and-coming athletes and their hard-working coaches,” said Gaétan Tardif, President, Canadian Paralympic Committee. “These grants will provide valuable funding for athletes looking to make their mark internationally and go on to pursue their dreams of representing Canada on the world stage. I have no doubt we will be seeing some of these names again in the future, on the podium at Rio, PyeongChang or beyond”
In the past, the FACE program has provided financial grants to Canada’s top athletes. In the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, there were more than thirty FACE recipients competing and contributing to Canada’s overall medal count, including; Patrick Chan, Mélodie Daoust, Kaitlyn Lawes, Marielle Thompson, Hayley Wickenheiser, Jim Armstrong, Mark Arendz, Mac Marcoux and Dennis Thiessen. Some notables from London 2012 Games included, Jasmin Glaesser, Rosie MacLennan, Robbi Weldon, and Mark Tewksbury, Canada’s Chef de Mission at the London 2012 Games and Barcelona 1992 Olympic gold medalist.
The 2015 FACE program recipients are:
| Athlete | Sport | Hometown | Coach |
| Robbie Andison | Freestyle Skiing (Moguls) | Oakville, ON | Guillaume Turgeon |
| Danielle Arbour | Wheelchair Basketball | Goulds, NL | Todd Hickey |
| Audrey Jean Baptiste | Athletics | Montreal, QC | Cliff Mitchell |
| Loïc Beaulieau | Fencing | Sherbrooke, QC | Charles St-Hilaire |
| Zoe Bergermann | Snowboard Cross | Erin, ON | Rene Brunner |
| Kristen Cameron | Wheelchair Rugby | Charlottetown, P.E.I. | Garett Hickling |
| Carsen Campbell | Biathlon | Vail, CO | Richard Boruta |
| Marie Corriveau | Cross-Country Skiing | Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, QC | François Pépin |
| Brianna Delmaestro | Figure Skating | Burnaby, BC | Aaron Lowe |
| Kevin Drury | Ski Cross | Toronto, ON | Sead Causevic |
| Sabrina Duchesne | Para-Swimming | St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, QC | Johanne Giradin |
| Max Gallant | Sailing | Victoria, BC | Steve MacBride |
| Maria Gheta | Synchronized Swimming | Timisoara, Romania | Johana Vasquez |
| Ioana Gheta | Synchronized Swimming | Timisoara, Romania | Johana Vasquez |
| Kinley Gibson | Cycling | Edmonton, AB | Cameron Jennings |
| Scott Gow | Biathlon | Calgary, AB | Roddy Ward |
| Xavier Grenier-Talavera | Triathlon | Vaudreuil-Dorion, QC | Kyla Rollinson |
| Rachel Honderich | Badminton | Toronto, ON | Jennifer Lee |
| Alex Hyndman | Para-Cycling | Morpeth, ON | Sebastien Travers |
| Emmanuela Jada | Rugby | Kharfoum, Sudan | Colette McAuley |
| Matt Joosten | Freestyle Skiing (Moguls) | Toronto, ON | Guillaume Turgeon |
| Collina Joseph | Wheelchair Curling | Stittsville, ON | Carl Rennick |
| Jessica Klimkait | Judo | Whitby, ON | Kevin Doherty |
| Mathieu Leduc | Ski Cross | Chicoutimi, QC | Stanley Hayer |
| Marine Lewis | Mountain Bike | Piedmont, QC | Ian Hughes |
| Derek Livingston | Snowboard (Halfpipe) | Scarborough, ON | Ben Boyd |
| Alex Loginov | Swimming | Toronto, ON | Steve Price |
| Monica Lubczynski | Fencing | Pointe-Claire, QC | Julian Badea |
| Carter Malyk | Luge | Calgary, AB | Guntis Rekis |
| Chelaine McInroy | Para-Alpine Skiing | Surrey, BC | John Newton |
| Marko Meduigorac | Table Tennis | Sherbrooke, QC | Maxime Surprenant |
| Nicolas Nadeau | Figure Skating | Broisbriand, QC | Yvan Dejardins |
| Kristel Ngarlem | Weightlifting | Montreal, QC | Mark Nehme |
| Hamilton Nguyen | Archery | Husum, Germany | Joan McDonald |
| Rachel Nicol | Swimming | Lethbridge, QC | Peter Schori |
| Étienne Papineau | Golf | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC | Robert Ratcliffe |
| Russell Pennock | Triathlon | Calgary, AB | Bart Ujack |
| Jocelyn Peterman | Curling | Red Deer, AB | Paul Webster |
| Kyle Reyes | Judo | Toronto, ON | Hiroshi Nakamura |
| Cody Salomons | Para-athletics | London, ON | Chris Williams |
| Jasmine Sepandi | Ski Jumping | Halifax, NS | Gregor Linsig |
| Liam Smedley | Canoe/Kayak Slalom | Dunrobin, ON | Michal Staniszewski |
| Taryn Suttie | Athletics | Saskatoon, SK | Justin Rohde |
| Adam Tenwolde | Canoe/Kayak Sprint | Dartmouth, SK | Chad Brooks |
| Rosalie Tremblay | Speed Skating | Saint-Félicien, QC | Marc Gagnon |
| Cameron Wheelan | Beach Volleyball | Barrie, ON | Adrianna Bento |
| Carmen Whelan | Gymnastics | Aurora, ON | Iana Nadtotchii |
| Juliette Wheler | Long-Track Speed Skating | Saskatoon, SK | Tim Comfort |
| Brandie Wilkerson | Beach Volleyball | Lausanne, Switzerland | Dana Cooke |
| Derek Zaplotinsky | Para-Nordic Skiing | Smoky Lake, AB | Bjorn Taylor |
For more information on the FACE program, visit: https://www.facebook.com/petrocanadafuelsathletes
Suncor
Suncor is Canada’s leading integrated energy company. Suncor’s operations include oil sands development and upgrading, conventional and offshore oil and gas production, petroleum refining, and product marketing under the Petro-Canada brand. A member of Dow Jones Sustainability indexes, FTSE4Good and CDP, Suncor is working to responsibly develop petroleum resources while also growing a renewable energy portfolio. Suncor is listed on the UN Global Compact 100 stock index and the Corporate Knights’ Global 100. Suncor’s common shares (symbol: SU) are listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges.
Petro-Canada, a Suncor business, operates more than 1,450 retail stations and 250 Petro-Pass wholesale locations nationwide. Petro-Canada’s retail loyalty program, Petro-Points™, provides Canadians with the opportunity to earn and redeem rewards. Petro-Canada is proud to be a National Partner of the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committees, supporting Canadian athletes, coaches and their families for more than 25 years. For more information, visit petro-canada.ca.
Canadian Olympic Committee
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) leads the achievement of the Canadian Olympic Team’s podium success and advances Olympic values in Canada. Independent and predominantly privately funded, the COC delivers resources that Canada’s elite athletes need to perform at their best and give their everything every day. The backbone of Canada’s Olympic movement, the COC works with National Sport Federations to prepare the Team for the Olympic, Youth Olympic and Pan American Games. By sharing our athletes’ stories, we inspire all Canadians through the power of sport: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Canadian Paralympic Committee
The Canadian Paralympic Committee is a non-profit, private organization with 25 member sports organizations dedicated to strengthening the Paralympic Movement. The Canadian Paralympic Committee’s vision is to be the world’s leading Paralympic nation. Its mission is to lead the development of a sustainable Paralympic sport system in Canada to enable athletes to reach the podium at the Paralympic Games. By supporting Canadian high performance athletes with a disability and promoting their success, the Canadian Paralympic Committee inspires all Canadians with a disability to get involved in sport through programs delivered by its member organizations. For more information, visit paralympic.ca
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