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Todd Nicholson’s passion for supporting Canadian athletes was written all over his face Tuesday.
After Nicholson was officially announced as Canada’s chef de mission for the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, he choked up several times while talking about the support he received during his career with Canada’s sledge hockey squad.
Nicholson, a native of Dunrobin, played in five Paralympics, beginning in 1994 and ending in 2010, winning gold, silver and bronze medals along the way.
“I’ve been around for just a couple of years,” he said, drawing laughs from many of the family, friends, co-workers and former teammates who came out for the announcement at Ottawa’s Jim Durrell Arena. “I haven’t done it alone. I’ve had extreme support from my family, friends, my wife Emily Glossop (a former member of Canada’s Para-alpine ski team) and my kids (seven year old twins, Gwen and Tate). They have provided me the opportunity to do what I want to do. And that is to be able to give back.”
Nicholson, 49, brings a wealth of experience to the chef de mission role.
After becoming a paraplegic in a car accident while returning home from his high school prom, he learned about Paralympic sports at the Royal Ottawa Rehabilitation Centre.
Back row from left, Aurélie Rivard, Canadian Paralympic swimmer, Todd Nicholson, Team Canada Chef de Mission for the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in 2018 and Karen O’Neill, CEO of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, pose with members of the men’s national para ice hockey team during a press conference at Jim Durrell Recreation Centre Tuesday, January 24, 2017.
He first turned his attention to wheelchair basketball, but then discovered sledge hockey, eventually spending 15 years as Canada’s captain.
After retiring as a Paralympian following the Vancouver Games, he has remained active as a volunteer.
He serves as chairman of the International Paralympic Committee and acts as the IPC representative to the International Olympic Committee, giving him an understanding of the challenges that athletes, coaches and administrators face.
During the past 20 years, he has seen a tremendous growth in the media attention and corporate awareness for athletes with disabilities.
He says the dramatic improvement in the equipment and technology of the various sports has allowed Paralympians to showcase increased speed and agility.
In his new position, he aims to continue that momentum — “we’re not asking for pity, we’re asking for support,” he said — so that it’s not just the relatively well off athletes who can afford to compete on the world stage.
Back in 1994, he says it cost him $20,000 out of his own pocket to travel to Norway for the Paralympics.
“I’m hoping no athlete ever has to do that again,” he said. “I will be knocking on your door asking for help, so, please, answer your door.”
In a broad sense, he wants all potential athletes to dream big, to be given the chance to pursue every opportunity.
From a Paralympic point of view, Nicholson wants to help Canada’s medal hopefuls through any challenges they could face along the way to the top.
“I want Canada to be successful,” he said. “What can we achieve (in certain sports)? Can we achieve podium potential? Is there something you’re missing as an athlete, a coach, an official, that maybe we can help facilitate in some shape or form?
“Are there maybe some of those things we can bring in to be able to get you from third to first or even from eighth to third?”
Tyler Henry, 23, and a member of Canada’s current national sledge hockey team, says Nicholson’s background makes him a perfect choice to lead the country’s Paralympians into South Korea next year.
“It’s awesome because he has put so much into the sport, so much into Paralympic movement,” said Henry, who, like Nicholson, turned to sledge hockey after a car accident of his own when he was 16. “Helping the athletes, lending his experience with what he’s done is great for everyone.”
Henry, who played traditional hockey before his accident, says his goals aren’t all that different from what they used to be.
“I want to win some gold medals and represent my country.”
NICHOLSON CONFIDENT HOSTS CITY CAN OVERCOME PROBLEMS
Rio offered its share of financial challenges for Paralympians last year. Three weeks before the Games were set to begin, only 12% of tickets were sold. The situation was ultimately saved by Brazilians buying up discounted tickets in the final hour.
Yet incoming Canadian chef de mission Todd Nicholson is confident that any and all potential problems with the PyeongChang Games will be overcome.
“We were able to accomplish a lot of great things in Rio, in the background,” he said. “We were aware of the obstacles we needed to face, but in terms of the athletes, what they experienced was very different. The majority of athletes experienced the Games the way they should have experienced them. It was very professional.”
Nicholson says there were also similar concerns with Sochi in 2014, but the Paralympics overcame them.
“Are we going to have those challenges in South Korea? In some respects, we may.”
Canada’s chef de mission has travelled to PyeongChang several times and is comfortable with the progress of building facilities. He’s not just looking short term, however.
“One of the things I’m looking at now is what is your legacy? What is this infrastructure going to be used for following the games? Is it going to be used to make sure we have athletes that continue to grow and is it also going to be used for grassroots programs so we can encourage more athletes to get involved in sports?”
kwarren@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren
查看原文...
After Nicholson was officially announced as Canada’s chef de mission for the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, he choked up several times while talking about the support he received during his career with Canada’s sledge hockey squad.
Nicholson, a native of Dunrobin, played in five Paralympics, beginning in 1994 and ending in 2010, winning gold, silver and bronze medals along the way.
“I’ve been around for just a couple of years,” he said, drawing laughs from many of the family, friends, co-workers and former teammates who came out for the announcement at Ottawa’s Jim Durrell Arena. “I haven’t done it alone. I’ve had extreme support from my family, friends, my wife Emily Glossop (a former member of Canada’s Para-alpine ski team) and my kids (seven year old twins, Gwen and Tate). They have provided me the opportunity to do what I want to do. And that is to be able to give back.”
Nicholson, 49, brings a wealth of experience to the chef de mission role.
After becoming a paraplegic in a car accident while returning home from his high school prom, he learned about Paralympic sports at the Royal Ottawa Rehabilitation Centre.
Back row from left, Aurélie Rivard, Canadian Paralympic swimmer, Todd Nicholson, Team Canada Chef de Mission for the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in 2018 and Karen O’Neill, CEO of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, pose with members of the men’s national para ice hockey team during a press conference at Jim Durrell Recreation Centre Tuesday, January 24, 2017.
He first turned his attention to wheelchair basketball, but then discovered sledge hockey, eventually spending 15 years as Canada’s captain.
After retiring as a Paralympian following the Vancouver Games, he has remained active as a volunteer.
He serves as chairman of the International Paralympic Committee and acts as the IPC representative to the International Olympic Committee, giving him an understanding of the challenges that athletes, coaches and administrators face.
During the past 20 years, he has seen a tremendous growth in the media attention and corporate awareness for athletes with disabilities.
He says the dramatic improvement in the equipment and technology of the various sports has allowed Paralympians to showcase increased speed and agility.
In his new position, he aims to continue that momentum — “we’re not asking for pity, we’re asking for support,” he said — so that it’s not just the relatively well off athletes who can afford to compete on the world stage.
Back in 1994, he says it cost him $20,000 out of his own pocket to travel to Norway for the Paralympics.
“I’m hoping no athlete ever has to do that again,” he said. “I will be knocking on your door asking for help, so, please, answer your door.”
In a broad sense, he wants all potential athletes to dream big, to be given the chance to pursue every opportunity.
From a Paralympic point of view, Nicholson wants to help Canada’s medal hopefuls through any challenges they could face along the way to the top.
“I want Canada to be successful,” he said. “What can we achieve (in certain sports)? Can we achieve podium potential? Is there something you’re missing as an athlete, a coach, an official, that maybe we can help facilitate in some shape or form?
“Are there maybe some of those things we can bring in to be able to get you from third to first or even from eighth to third?”
Tyler Henry, 23, and a member of Canada’s current national sledge hockey team, says Nicholson’s background makes him a perfect choice to lead the country’s Paralympians into South Korea next year.
“It’s awesome because he has put so much into the sport, so much into Paralympic movement,” said Henry, who, like Nicholson, turned to sledge hockey after a car accident of his own when he was 16. “Helping the athletes, lending his experience with what he’s done is great for everyone.”
Henry, who played traditional hockey before his accident, says his goals aren’t all that different from what they used to be.
“I want to win some gold medals and represent my country.”
NICHOLSON CONFIDENT HOSTS CITY CAN OVERCOME PROBLEMS
Rio offered its share of financial challenges for Paralympians last year. Three weeks before the Games were set to begin, only 12% of tickets were sold. The situation was ultimately saved by Brazilians buying up discounted tickets in the final hour.
Yet incoming Canadian chef de mission Todd Nicholson is confident that any and all potential problems with the PyeongChang Games will be overcome.
“We were able to accomplish a lot of great things in Rio, in the background,” he said. “We were aware of the obstacles we needed to face, but in terms of the athletes, what they experienced was very different. The majority of athletes experienced the Games the way they should have experienced them. It was very professional.”
Nicholson says there were also similar concerns with Sochi in 2014, but the Paralympics overcame them.
“Are we going to have those challenges in South Korea? In some respects, we may.”
Canada’s chef de mission has travelled to PyeongChang several times and is comfortable with the progress of building facilities. He’s not just looking short term, however.
“One of the things I’m looking at now is what is your legacy? What is this infrastructure going to be used for following the games? Is it going to be used to make sure we have athletes that continue to grow and is it also going to be used for grassroots programs so we can encourage more athletes to get involved in sports?”
kwarren@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/Citizenkwarren
查看原文...
