During the Olympics, we had the privilege of seeing Canada win more gold medals than any country ever has in the history of the Winter Games. The thrills, chills and spills were continuous, day after day, as were the human dramas of loss and triumph.

Were you inspired by the Olympics or Paralympics? Did one or more athletes (or teams) amaze you with their drive, enthusiasm or excellence?

Perhaps the athletes have helped motivate you to “get off the couch” and try a new sport, such as curling, hockey, cross-country skiing, or figure skating? Or, if you are already active in a sport, perhaps the athletes have inspired you to “kick it up a notch”?

Let’s hope so. After all, winter sports are not just good for your health. They’re also fun and allow you to meet new people. So take your own “Olympic/Paralympic” challenge and get active in the sport or sports you like best!

Skiing
Cross-country skier Blake Edwards, senior programs coordinator for Scouts Canada in the Bragg Creek area, spends a lot of time outdoors and in wilderness areas because he says he gets bored “at home in front of the TV.”

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Originally from Nova Scotia, Edwards likes dog sledding, snowshoeing and winter camping, as well as cross-country skiing. As a newer Albertan, he is facing a few challenges in dealing with the different snow conditions in Alberta, but is thrilled with all the great trails available in the Kananaskis and foothills areas.

Edwards is also impressed that Calgary-area residents can so easily access these outdoor playgrounds, which are practically in their backyard. “I encourage others to try it,” he says. “Go out for the day and bring a lunch. You might even see a moose, and you will get good exercise at minimal expense.”

Jared Carbert, an 18-year-old ski racer from Edmonton, also enjoys skiing and the outdoors, but he has definitely chosen to take the competitive route. “I haven’t won any medals yet but am hoping to,” says this young man who was born with cerebral palsy.

Carbert has been racing for four years at the provincial level with CADS Alberta (Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing). He goes to the Nakiska ski facility in Kananaskis every weekend to join his team members, who are mostly based in Calgary. He also practices at Rabbit Hill ski area near Edmonton every Wednesday.

He has been injured three times while skiing, but says that is “a risk that has to be taken.” Although Carbert’s main focus is on achieving his personal best, he also talks enthusiastically about simply enjoying the sport and the good times he shares with his friends in the rugged and beautiful Alberta Rockies.

Ben Biermann is a sit skier with CADS, as well as a sledge hockey player. This Bev Facey High School student, from Strathcona County has spina bifida, but that never stops him from being active. He has been training for four years and has competed in the K2 national ski races and the national finals at Mount Washington on Vancouver Island. Biermann has played sledge hockey for the past 13 years, starting at the age of six. He says he does these things because he likes to challenge himself, and because it is “a whole lot of fun.”

Hockey
Leah Hunter, a 24-year-old nursing student at the University of Alberta, has been playing hockey since age 11. She first got hooked on hockey when watching her brother play, but then launched herself into playing minor hockey for many years.

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Now, Hunter is skilled enough to play with the Edmonton Storm, a Tier 2 team in the Northern Alberta Hockey Association. She also plays on a recreational men’s hockey team, along with two other female players, at the University of Alberta.

Hunter says playing hockey these days helps her to achieve a balance in her life and to deal with stress. “It helps me to stop thinking about school for a bit. For me, hockey is not like forced exercise. I have always loved skating and I love the game.”

Edmontonian Brian McPherson is a retired wheelchair basketball player who was named to the Alberta Sport Hall of Fame in 2006. He now participates in downhill skiing and plays sledge hockey, a sport he took up a year ago and has fallen in love with.

McPherson fell just short of being named to the 2010 Paralympics sledge hockey team and reports that he was “glued” to the Olympics and Paralympics coverage on TV.

Sports have been important for McPherson since he became disabled at age 17 and had to accommodate many changes in his life. He suggests sport is the “best therapy” and that “it’s good to be [involved in sports] with others who use [wheel] chairs.”

McPherson is a gifted and motivated athlete, with dreams of winning a gold medal some day. As he describes it, he “likes to be the best.”

Hayden Fairley, 16, plays sledge hockey. He took up the sport in 2003 in Toronto and soon found himself competing at the intermediate level. He is now active in the Edmonton Paralympic Sports Association, practicing Tuesdays and Saturdays, September to April.

Fairley likes the friends he makes, and the regular workouts. He also likes to “learn new things.” He acknowledges that many of his colleagues are there for the fun and just to get out, but he is participating largely because he likes the competition. He has played with Team Alberta and is aiming for Team Canada.

Figure Skating
Figure skating is Corinna Diamond’s passion. She competed in Fort McMurray from age 4 to 18. When she enrolled in physical education and recreation at the University of Alberta, she found that her previous high level of commitment to skating no longer fit into her busy schedule.

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Still, Diamond simply could not stay away. As an adult, she has now returned to her sport. About ten years ago she started competing with Skate Canada and the International Skating Union. In 2005 and again in 2007, she took part in the Adult World Figure Skating competitions. She won medals at the Nationals and the Worlds.

Diamond has passed a number of the tests and is completing the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), Level 1. “I might be changing my focus a bit. Competition used to be quite important, but now I see skating as part of a healthy lifestyle and as something that contributes to my mental health. I am joyful, at peace and contented when I am out on the rink.”

Curling
Doug Wong, an engineer employed at Alberta Environment, has been enjoying a good game of curling on a regular basis for more than 30 years. He started playing with teachers and classmates when he was in high school. Currently, he plays four times a week as well as in bonspiels on weekends, and he has practice sessions “on top of that.”

Wong plays skip on a team in the Big Rock Edmonton Super League, which is based at the Saville Sports Centre. Wong suggests the league is “the most competitive in the city.”

Wong is inspired by curling in part because he feels that Alberta has the best curlers in the world, citing Olympic Gold Medalist Kevin Martin and his team as an example.

Wong is also happy to have “something to do in the winter, as that season can be pretty long in this province.”

As well, he enjoys the social aspects of the game, and the good health he has as a result of staying fit. Wong says curling is suitable for all ages and all abilities. “A curler can be 9 or 10 years old, or in their eighties. And it’s not expensive. You can play 20 games a season for about $10 a game.”

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Go for Gold!
Few people can ever achieve the skill levels of an Olympic or Paralympic athlete. However, several of the Albertans described in this article have become very proficient at their sports. Others are simply enjoying their favourite winter sports and making great friends along the way.

All of them recognize the benefits they receive from being active, including improved physical and mental health. Whatever activities you choose to do, your “gold medal” will be feeling good about being more active!

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Learn More

Canada Olympic Park
A “legacy” multi-sport facility in Calgary that offers programs and services to all Albertans.

Provincial Sport and Recreation Associations
Check out this listing of 77 Provincial Sport Associations and 27 Provincial Recreation Associations.

Canadian Paralympic Committee
A non-profit, private organization with a mission to support the paralympic movement. Includes 43 member sports organizations. Works to inspire all Canadians with a disability to get involved in sport. Supported 55 Canadian Paralympic athletes at the Vancouver Paralympics.

Canadian Olympic Committee
A national, private, not-for-profit organization committed to sport excellence. Responsible for all aspects of Canada's involvement in the Olympic movement, as well as programs that promote the Olympic movement in Canada through cultural and educational means. Provides financial support, services and leadership to the Canadian amateur high performance sport community.