From gold medal performances to career bests, Whistler’s celebrating with Canadian athletes

“It’s super exciting to win in front of a Canadian crowd,” said Lauren Woolstencroft after earning a gold medal in Women’s Standing Super G. This is Woolstencroft’s fourth gold medal of the Games.

It’s also exciting for Canadian crowds to see a Canuck stand on top of the podium. There’s nothing like it. After all, these Paralympic Winter Games are about the athletes and Whistler is celebrating.

Congratulations to Sea to Sky athletes - Tyler Mosher for testing his limits in cross-country skiing. To Matt Hallat, Morgan Perrin, Sam Danniels and guide Lindsay Debou in alpine skiing. You make Whistler proud.

The momentum was strong with sold-out tickets, standing room only, and a Canadian medal rush - eclipsing the five gold won in 2006. So far, Canada has 14 medals (seven gold, four silver and three bronze) and the Games aren’t over yet.

Congratulations to gold medal winners who dazzled spectators at Whistler venues. Lauren Woolstencroft of North Vancouver, B.C., with four gold medals in the women’s standing category downhill, slalom, super giant slalom and giant slalom.

“Everybody is cheering for us because we’re Canadian and we compete for the national team. It’s great to come down and have your people at the bottom,” Woolstencroft told media after her sixth career Paralympic Gold.

Congratulations go to Viviane Forest of Edmonton and her ski guide Lindsay Debou a local Whistler girl for winning gold in downhill and silver in slalom. Congratulations to Brian McKeever who won gold in the 10-kilometre classic race and 20-kilometre race for the visually impaired.

“Friends and family are here,” McKeever said. “A home crowd supported us through this whole journey. That means a lot.”

Now retired, Lennea spends his time teaching others how to sit ski

Brad Lennea’s personal motto is “Don’t just sit there watching life go by, get out and ride,” which is exactly how Lennea lives his life.

Whether it’s teaching the sport he loves, as a coach for the Whistler Adaptive Sport Program (WASP), or drag racing, Lennea lives in the fast lane. He spent six years on the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team.

Some say sport can be bigger than life and that’s certainly been true in the case of Brad Lennea. Growing up in Mission, B.C., Lennea was an active athlete and avid skier.

In 1991, a motor vehicle accident left him a paraplegic. Three years after his accident some friends were working at our local ski hill and saw a group of sit-skiers; and with a lot of persuasion on their side Lennea decided to try the sport. It gave him a new lease on life.

Lennea moved to Whistler in 2001 and began skiing with the Whistler Adaptive Sport Program and the BC Disabled Ski Team. Shortly afterwards, Lennea was named Canada’s Para-Alpine World Cup team, and competed for Canada in the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Turin.

Throughout his career competing Brad trained, raced and coached with the WASP and will continue to do so now that he has retired from competitive sport. In the winter, Lennea can still be found on the slopes, coaching other young skiers with Paralympic dreams.

“I love going out and talking to kids, school groups and stuff like that; I love skiing with first-timers, who are just trying sit-skiing for the first time; I like skiing with people who have recreational experience by just want a taste of racing — giving back at any level,” Lennea said.

How to remember a moment

It was the scream heard around the world. When Sidney Crosby whipped an overtime wide angle shot past American netminder Ryan Miller to win Canada men’s hockey gold, a piece of history was made.

Turns out the most tangible piece of that history is not the gold around player’s necks, but six ounces of hard, black rubber. The puck Crosby pushed into the twine to seal the victory has become a celebrity unto itself.
The Finnish linesman working the game pocketed the puck for safekeeping and then turned it over to the International Ice Hockey Federation, the Olympic gold medal-winning puck is safely in the hands of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto ... and so begins the collections and paraphernalia of the 2010 Winter Games.

John Furlong, VANOC CEO said at the GM Place press conference the puck belongs to all of us. “It’s part of a larger story, and we need to have a big-picture view of it,” Furlong said. “Thirty-four million Canadians feel they helped score that goal. So the deal was, it had to go everywhere, to be experienced by all Canadians. It was a very easy decision, and there was no pressure or issues with anybody.”

Sounds good to us John - Whistler would like to have the golden puck visit Whistler soon, at least some time before the end of the summer.

As the 2010 Winter Games come to a close people will start to make their own scrapbooks; museums, Whistler’s included, will increase their archives with 2010 stuff - from banners to signs and start bids; and no matter how we remember we need to be sure that we do.

We need to remember the ups and downs, the wins, the losses and ultimately, what Whistler did. Together we accomplished something big - love it or hate it - we did it.

Coasters do more than hold your drink, they make you think

There is a different kind of coaster in Whistler these days, and it comes with a green message. The Whistler Centre for Sustainability has launched a new campaign with two goals: to create awareness about Whistler’s sustainability efforts and to encourage global travellers to tread lightly on the earth.

The “I’m a Whistler Coaster” has been distributed in the Village and its message is directed to travellers and how they can play a part in our sustainability journey. The coaster encourages people to share their photos and videos of sustainability in action in order to win a trip back to Whistler.

Submissions are encouraged by sending a tweet to @whistlercentre or an email to coaster@whistlercentre.ca. Full contest details can be found at whistlercentre.ca/coaster.

In addition to the coaster, have you noticed a discreet little green accordion-folded pamphlet floating around the Village?
Aptly titled Mountains of Difference, this little brochure is another way for Whistler to show the world what the community has done and welcome others to join in.

The cards contain six different sustainability tips for guests and several “Did you know?” facts about Whistler.

The coasters and cards are a part of the Whistler I CARE program, which stands for Citizens Acting Responsibly Everywhere. The Whistler Centre for Sustainability is launching the I CARE program during Games time to encourage people to share their sustainability stories here and abroad.

Help us spread the word by sharing your copy. If you would like one, come by the Whistler Centre for Sustainability office located in Municipal Hall, or the Tourism Whistler Info Centre or visit whistlercentre.ca.