News & Media Releases
PrintOwn the Podium Names Anne Merklinger New Chief Executive Officer
OTTAWA—Anne Merklinger, whose impressive career in high-performance sport spans more than four decades as an athlete and leader, has been named to a key leadership position for high-performance sport in Canada as the chief executive officer of Own the Podium, chairman John Furlong announced Thursday on behalf of the organization’s Board of Directors.
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Merklinger, who has been Own the Podium’s director of summer sport since October of 2009, has been immersed in Canada’s summer high-performance culture while working closely with Own the Podium’s sport advisors, technical specialists along with the national sport organizations, the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Sport Canada and the private sector
“Anne is an extraordinary Canadian talent whose athletic background, business acumen and leadership skills bring immense value to our organization. She was a natural choice to lead us to the next level” ”,” said John Furlong, chair, Own the Podium. “Anne has played a critical role in positioning Canadian athletes for London as OTP’s director of summer sport, and I have no doubt she will continue to focus her leadership on helping ensure Canada’s high-performance sport culture remains focused on excellence and Olympic success well into the future.”
“I would like to extend my congratulations to Anne Merklinger on being named chief executive officer of Own the Podium,” said the Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport). “With Anne at the helm, I am confident about the future of high-performance sport in Canada, and I look forward to working alongside her.”
In addition to her work with Own the Podium, Merklinger brings 20 years of executive management experience with national sport organizations including CanoeKayak Canada, the Commission for Inclusion of Athletes with a Disability and the Canadian Federation of Sport Organizations for the Disabled. Merklinger is also on the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Canada.
An athlete for most of her life, Merklinger was a member of Canada’s national swim team from 1977-81 where she earned a silver medal at the 1979 World University Games in the 200-metre breaststroke. Following her stint in the pool, Merklinger focused her athletic career on the curling rink where she consistently ranked as one of Canada’s most distinguished women’s curlers. Merklinger led her team to two Scott Tournament of Hearts finals.
“ I will be a tireless advocate for excellence in working with the professionals at Own the Podium and sport leaders across the country who possess invaluable experience in sport,” said Merklinger, chief executive officer, Own the Podium. “While our mission remains the same we have significant challenges ahead of us to achieve and sustain our goal of being a world-leading nation in Olympic and Paralympic sport.”
Merklinger replaces Alex Baumann who announced in September he was stepping down as chief executive officer to relocate his family to New Zealand where he will begin his new position as chief executive officer for High-Performance Sport New Zealand on January 31.
Own the Podium will immediately launch a national search to fill the director of summer sport position left vacant with Merklinger’s promotion. A transition plan will be implemented that provides priority focus and support during the final preparation phase for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Additional Quotes from Canadian Sport Partners
Canadian Olympic Committee – Marcel Aubut, President
"Anne Merklinger is a true leader and utmost expert of Canadian sport. She has followed up a distinguished athletic career with an equally impressive resume as a national sports executive. She is a solid choice to lead the Own The Podium program into the future. The Canadian Olympic Committee looks forward to working with Anne and her colleagues at OTP in order to continue supporting the best our country has to offer, our Canadian athletes."
Canadian Paralympic Committee - Henry Storgaard, President
“On behalf of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, we’d like to warmly welcome Anne to her new role and celebrate her appointment today,” said Henry Storgaard, chief executive officer, Canadian Paralympic Committee. “Anne’s exceptional expertise will no doubt help us continue to nurture and grow the Paralympic movement in Canada, as we work towards the goal of becoming the world’s leading Paralympic nation.”
B2ten – JD Miller
Anne has doggedly pursued the participation of the private sector as another leg on which to build Canadian sport excellence” said B2ten’s JD Miller. “In these times of economic uncertainty, Anne’s purposeful approach to high performance is well suited to underpin success.”
About Own the Podium
Own the Podium is a national sport technical initiative that was created in 2005 to help Canada become the number one nation (total medal count) at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and to place in the top-three nations (gold medal count) at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. While Canada’s winter-sport athletes remain committed to finishing number one overall at the Olympic Winter Games, the initiative has also set a goal for Canadian athletes to have a top-12 placing at the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games and to be in the top-eight nations in gold-medal count at the 2012 Paralympic Summer Games. Both of these initiatives reflect what Canadians want from Canada’s high-performance athletes and helps advance the “excellence” goal of the Canadian Sport Policy. Own the Podium’s largest contributor of funding is the Government of Canada with additional funding provided by the corporate community and the Canadian Olympic Committee through its Canadian Olympic Foundation.
For a full summary of Own the Podium initiatives and programs, including breakdown of support and services by sport, please visit us at www.ownthepodium.org on the Internet.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan
Own the Podium
T: 281-703-4394
E-mail: chris.dornan@ownthepodium.org
Own the Podium Executes Plan in Search of New Chief Executive Officer
OTTAWA— The Board Committee comprised of John Furlong, Tricia Smith and Ian Bird met on 11 October to lay out the search plan for the new Chief Executive Officer for Own the Podium. The search committee is supported by Odgers Berndtson an executive search firm that has agreed to donate their time to support Own the Podium in this initiative.
The initial phase of the search is to formulate a candidate profile for the role. The consultants will be drawing on perspectives from members of the Board, staff as well as key stakeholders including the summer and winter caucus representatives to support the search committee in developing the candidate profile. The goal will be to garner perspectives relating to:
- key strategic issues facing Own the Podium that the new CEO will need to focus on addressing in the next 3-5 years
- the most important characteristics - experiential, knowledge and expertise, and personal attributes that should be sought in candidates for this role.
Phase two is targeted at candidate identification and is anticipated to take place November / December with the final interviews occurring in January.
Community members are welcomed to send perspectives to members of the Odgers Berndtson team at:
Kyle Mitchell, kyle.mitchell@odgersberndtson.ca
Michelle Richards, michelle.richard@odgersberndtson.ca
About Own the Podium
Own the Podium is a national sport technical initiative that was created in 2005 to help Canada become the number one nation (total medal count) at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and to place in the top-three nations (gold medal count) at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. The initiative has also set a goal for Canadian athletes to have a top-12 placing at the London 2012 Olympic Games and to be in the top-eight nations in gold-medal count at the 2012 Paralympic Games. Both of these initiatives reflect what Canadians want from Canada’s high-performance athletes and helps advance the “excellence” goal of the Canadian Sport Policy. Own the Podium’s largest contributor of funding is the Government of Canada with additional funding provided by the corporate community and the Canadian Olympic Committee through its Canadian Olympic Foundation.
For a full summary of Own the Podium initiatives and programs, including breakdown of support and services by sport, please visit us at www.ownthepodium.org on the Internet.
Own the Podium Launches Global Search for new Chief Executive Officer
—Anne Merklinger, Joanne Mortimore, Ken Read to share interim leadership duties—
OTTAWA—Own the Podium has launched a global search for a new chief executive officer to replace Alex Baumann, the organization’s Board of Directors announced on Wednesday.
A Board committee will work with renown ExecutiveSearch Consultants Odgers Berndtson, who are graciously donating their time, to find a new Chief Executive Officer to lead Own the Podium while ensuring that Canada’s athletes, coaches, national sport organizations and sport partners achieve their Olympic and Paralympic goals in 2012, 2014 and beyond.
The Board appointed three members of its current management team to share interim OTP leadership responsibilities. Anne Merklinger, director of summer sport, Ken Read, director of winter sport, and Joanne Mortimore, director of planning and operations, will work together to ensure a smooth transition is achieved, and that current plans continue to evolve properly.
“Alex did a great job in building a talented and dedicated team of colleagues in both our Ottawa andCalgary offices – all of whom play a critical role in driving our operations for Canada’s summer and winter sports, ” said John Furlong, Chair, Board of Directors. “Together we have a strong plan, a clear vision, a dynamic Board of Directors, and great people who are fully committed to ensuring we meet our goals during this time of transition. We are going to lean on the entire team to drive ahead and we look forward to working with Odgers Berndtson to find the next leader for Own the Podium.”
Alex Baumann announced in September he’d be leaving his position, October 1, to relocate his family to New Zealand for family reasons.
About Own the Podium
Own the Podium is a national sport technical initiative that was created in 2005 to help Canadabecome the number one nation (total medal count) at the 2010 Olympic WinterGames and to place in the top-three nations (gold medal count) at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. The initiative has also set a goal for Canadian athletes to have a top-12 placing at the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games and to be in the top-eight nations in gold-medal count at the 2012 Paralympic Summer Games. Both of these initiatives reflect what Canadians want from Canada’s high-performance athletes and helps advance the “excellence” goal of the Canadian Sport Policy. Own the Podium’s largest contributor of funding is the Government of Canada with additional funding provided by the corporate community and the Canadian Olympic Committee through its Canadian Olympic Foundation.
For a full summary of Own the Podium initiatives and programs, including breakdown of support and services by sport, please visit us at www.ownthepodium.org on the Internet.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan
Own the Podium
T: 281-703-4394
Alex Baumann StepsDown as Chief Executive Officer of Own the Podium
— Baumann moves closer to family, pursues new opportunity—
OTTAWA—Alex Baumann will cap off an emotional year by relinquishing his duties as chief executive officer of Own the Podium.
Baumann made the difficult decision with his family on Wednesday following his second bout with cancer, which forced him to undergo surgery of the prostate in late April.
“There is a saying that when a person gets cancer, the whole family gets cancer,” said Baumann. “I watched over the months the impact this diagnosis had on my wife and children. The waiting, the worrying and the uncertainty probably put more stress on them than me. It is times such as these we realize the importance of family and time together.”
The Baumann family will be relocating to New Zealand in January. The move will allow Baumann, along with his Australian-born wife, Tracy, and their two children to also be closer to extended family.
“What most people don’t know is that I have no relatives in Canada at all, and Tracy’s family are all in Australia,” said Baumann, who originally moved Down Under in 1991 for family reasons. “It is in these moments of life’s greatest challenges that we turn to our families for the love and support only they can provide. We missed having that support, and the tyranny of distance began to take its toll, which sparked our thinking it was time to consider leaving Canada earlier than planned.”
The stars aligned for the Baumann household. While considering the risks of leaving Canada without a job, Baumann was recruited to the position of chief executive officer for High-Performance Sport New Zealand. He will begin his new role January 31, 2012.
“This is definitely an exciting opportunity for me, but there is a reason I have a maple leaf tattooed over my heart – I love Canada,” added Baumann. “I hope people can appreciate this was not an easy decision, but I have to do what I believe to be best for my family.”
A fierce competitor, both in the boardroom and in the pool where he became one of Canada’s greatest swimmers after standing on top of the podium twice at the Olympics, Baumann returned to Canada in 2006 following 15 years of building medal-winning programs in Australia in roles such as the executive director for the Queensland Academy of Sport and chief executive officer of Queensland Swimming.
Baumann’s five-year stint with Own the Podium began as executive director of the organization’s summer-focused initiative, Road to Excellence, which eventually united under the name Own the Podium in 2009. Baumann succeeded Roger Jackson in the role of chief executive officer in April 2010.
After taking over the reigns of Own the Podium, Baumann continued the organization’s clear mission for medals while leading high-performance sport in Canada. He developed a business plan that has secured increased funding from the Government of Canada, and has provided access to the sport services and resources athletes require to be fully prepared to win.
“Our goal has always been to create a system that rivals any sport system in the world. We have made great strides in a shorttime to establish Canada as a world-leader in high-performance sport,” said Baumann. “I am proud of our ability to build a talented and dedicated team of colleagues in both our Ottawa and Calgary offices, all of whom played a critical role in streamlining our operations for Canada’s summer and winter sports with the same objective in mind – to own the podium.”
But it is his passionate and tireless efforts to raise the bar on results, with the goal of propelling more Canadian athletes onto the international podium, that Baumann will be most remembered for at OTP.
During his tenure, Canada’s winter-sport athletes have remained committed to finishing number one overall at the Olympic Winter Games while holding their place as a winter-sport powerhouse after finishing second in the number of World Championship medals won in 2011. Canada’s summer-sport athletes have also made steady improvements under Baumann’s leadership since the 2004 Olympic Summer Games, moving from 19th to 15th place in total medal count at the Olympics in Beijing. Canada’s summer athletes share a collective goal of finishing in the top-12 at the 2012 Olympics, and achieving a top-eight result in the gold medal count at the Paralympic Games
“Alex is an extraordinary leader, who has done an exceptional job of ensuring Canada’s high-performance sport culture remains focused on excellence,” said John Furlong, chair, Own the Podium. “Alex has played a pivotal role in Own the Podium’s evolution and positioning Canadian athletes for a record performance in London next summer. His uncompromisingattitude to succeed at the highest level is a huge reason why support for Canada’s athletes, coaches and national sport organizations has never been stronger. The sport community owes him a big thank you. We will miss him atOTP, but health and family are most important. We wish Alex and his family the very best of luck.”
Own the Podium will immediately begin its national search for a new chief executive officer.
Baumann’s last day with Own the Podium will be on October 1, 2011. His family will use the next three months to relocate to New Zealand.
About Own the Podium
Own the Podium is a national sport technical initiative that was created in 2005 to help Canadabecome the number one nation (total medal count) at the 2010 Olympic WinterGames and to place in the top-three nations (gold medal count) at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
The initiative has also set a goal for Canadian athletes to have a top-12 placing at the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games and to be in the top-eight nations in gold-medal count at the 2012 Paralympic Summer Games. Both of these initiatives reflect what Canadians want from Canada’s high-performance athletes and helps advance the “excellence” goal of the Canadian Sport Policy. Own the Podium’s largest contributor of funding is the Government of Canada with additional funding provided by the corporate community and the Canadian Olympic Committee through its Canadian Olympic Foundation.
For a full summary of Own the Podium initiatives and programs, including breakdown of support and services by sport, please visit us at www.ownthepodium.org on the Internet.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan
Own the Podium
T: 281-703-4394
Own the Podium Welcomes Kelly McKean to its Research, Technology and Innovation Team
OTTAWA—Former Nike sports biomechanist, Kelly McKean, has been hired as Own the Podium’s senior performance analyst.
In an effort to provide Canada’s athletes access to leading-edge resources and knowledge in performance analysis, including biomechanics, to achieve their full podium potential, McKean brings nearly a decade of intelligence in the field gained while working with amateur and professional athletes at the Nike Research Lab in Beaverton, Oregon. McKean has been part of an elite team tasked with developing innovative technologies to enhance athlete performance at Nike.
"Kelly brings extensive expertise in software and hardware technologies for analyzing sports performance which is critical for podium success,” said Alex Baumann, chief executive officer, Own the Podium, who added McKean has a proven track record of successfully being able to develop innovative solutions to evaluate sport specific movements in varying environments.
"Fractions of a second make the difference between finishing on or off the podium, and therefore it is vital that our coaches and support staff utilize the latest technologies in training and competition to continue moving ahead," said Baumann. "Kelly will be a key addition to our Research, Innovation and Technology Team that will continue to develop innovative training techniques that will play a core role in helping Canada’s athletes and coaches achieve podium results.”
In her new role McKean will be responsible for providing mentoring support to Canada's targeted summer sports as part of their preparations for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. McKean will be working under the leadership of Dr. Jon Kolb, Director of Sport Science, Medicine and Innovation, assisting in building capacity among Canada's national sport organizations (NSOs) and Canadian Sport Centres (CSCs) in the areas of applied performance analysis and advanced video systems.
McKean brings more than 10 years of performance driven sport science and technology experience to her new position. While at the Nike Research Lab, McKean worked extensively with biomechanical tools, and provided extensive council to Nike colleagues and collaborated with worldwide research partners on motion analysis, Novel, Kistler mounted and portable force platforms, high-speed video, visual 3-D, Dartfish, programming and statistical software. McKean also has experience working within an Integrated Support Team. Prior to joining Nike, McKean worked as a project coordinator for an Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Clinic immediately after achieving her Masters of Science Biomedical Engineering at Dalhousie University in Halifax, where she coordinated research and testing, and collaborated with sports medical staff and industry representatives.
McKean will start her new role on September 6, 2011, and will be based out of the Ottawa office.
About Own the Podium
Own the Podium is a national sport technical initiative that was created in 2005 to help Canada become the number one nation (total medal count) at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and to place in the top-three nations (gold medal count) at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. The initiative has also set a goal for Canadian athletes to have a top-12 placing at the London 2012 Olympic Games and to be in the top-eight nations in gold-medal count at the 2012 Paralympic Games. Both of these initiatives reflect what Canadians want from Canada’s high-performance athletes and helps advance the “excellence” goal of the Canadian Sport Policy. Own the Podium’s largest contributor of funding is the Government of Canada with additional funding provided by the corporate community and the Canadian Olympic Committee through its Canadian Olympic Foundation.
For a full summary of Own the Podium initiatives and programs, including breakdown of support and services by sport, please visit us at www.ownthepodium.org on the Internet.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan
Own the Podium
T: 281-703-4394
Own the Podium Hires New Team Sport High-Performance Advisor
OTTAWA—Jean-Philippe Lavoie will help propel Canada’s team sports to the international podium as Own the Podium added the experienced leader and coach to its staff as a team sport high-performance advisor, the national body announced.
As high-performance advisor, Lavoie will help national summer team sport organizations create the training and competitive environment that will give their athletes and coaches the greatest opportunity to win medals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Lavoie joins OTP from the Coaching Association of Canada where he held the position of high- performance consultant. Lavoie’s extensive experience in summer team sports, both as a senior technical leader and manager, will be a significant asset to OTP’s summer-focused team. He also held positions of director of Rugby Quebec, Rugby Canada Coaching Development Officer, educator with International Rugby Board and a learning facilitator with Rugby Canada's Competition – introduction context of the NCCP.
"Jean-Philippe is an exceptional talent who knows what it takes to develop successful high-performance sport teams and programs in Canada,” said Anne Merklinger, director, summer sport, Own the Podium. “Jean-Philippe’s extensive experience, working in all facets of team and individual sports, will make him a valuable addition to our team on the final road to 2012 and in building for 2016.”
Jean-Philippe has also held numerous coaching positions within rugby including head coach of the Montreal Barbarians women’s team, coach of McGill University’s varsity men’s team, assistant coach for the University of Ottawa Women’s Varsity Rugby Team, director of rugby at Rugby Quebec and manager and assistant coach of Canada’s U-17 national men’s team. Prior to his involvement with rugby, Lavoie was very involved in alpine skiing – both as a coach and trainer.
Lavoie will be counted on to help counsel the high-performance staff in developing and delivering a strategic plan of a world-leading program. Lavoie will identify the resources that athletes and coaches require to achieve excellence whileworking with the technical staff of the various team sport national sport organizations including: women’s basketball; field hockey; rugby 7’s; men’s volleyball and sitting volleyball.
In addition to monitoring the progress of the sports on an ongoing basis, Lavoie will provide support and counsel to high-performance directors and coaches, and provide solutions to gaps in organizational operations.
Lavoie will begin his new role with Own the Podium on September 12, and will work out of the Ottawa office.
About Own the Podium
Own the Podium is a national sport technical initiative that was created in 2005 to help Canada become the number one nation (total medal count) at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and to place in the top-three nations (gold medal count) at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. The initiative has also set a goal for Canadian athletes to have a top-12 placing at the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games and to be in the top-eight nations in gold-medal count at the 2012 Paralympic Summer Games. Both of these initiatives reflect what Canadians want from Canada’s high-performance athletes and helps advance the “excellence” goal of the Canadian Sport Policy. Own the Podium’s largest contributor of funding is the Government of Canada with additional funding provided by the corporate community and the Canadian Olympic Committee through its Canadian Olympic Foundation.
For a full summary of Own the Podium initiatives and programs, including breakdown of support and services by sport, please visit us at www.ownthepodium.org on the Internet.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan
Own the Podium
T: 281-703-4394
Own the Podium Adds Lucinda Jagger to Team of Winter Sport High Performance Advisors
CALGARY— Lucinda Jagger will join Own the Podium’s team of high-performance advisors focused on helping Canada’s winter-sport athletes’ quest for the podium, the national sport body announced on Tuesday.
As a winter-sport high-performance advisor, Jagger will help create the training and competition environment that will give athletes and coaches in speed skating, figure skating and the sliding sports of bobsleigh, skeleton and luge the greatest opportunity to win international medals. Jagger will also lead Own the Podium’s Whistler Consortium project.
Jagger, who has multi-sport coaching certification in both winter and summer, brings more than 20 years of experience working in a variety of leadership positions within Canada’s high-performance sport community. After breaking into Canada’s sport system as alpine race coach for the Whistler Mountain Ski Club in 1992, Jagger has helped create four Olympic and dozens of World Cup medal winners for Canada as a strength and conditioning coach for national team athletes in snowboarding, freestyle skiing and high-performance athletes training on the West Coast at the Canadian Sport Centre Pacific (CSC Pacific).
"Lucinda is an exceptional talent who knows what it takes to develop successful high-performance winter sport programs in Canada,” said Ken Read, director, winter sport, Own the Podium. “Lucinda’s experience working directly with athletes as a coach on the field of plan, and developing strategic plans for a number of our nation’s best athletes makes her a valuable addition to our team.”
In addition to being a strength and conditioning coach at CSC Pacific, Jagger’s roles have also included performance planner, manager, PacificSport Performance Centre, and director of winter sport development since joining the Whistler-based operation in 2006. Jagger also worked as a coaching and training consultant with the Chinese Winter Sports Association in Beijing from 2004 to 2006.
Jagger will be counted on to identify the resources that athletes and coaches require to achieve excellence while working with the technical staff of the various national sport organizations. In addition to monitoring the progress of the sports on an ongoing basis, Jagger will provide support and counsel to high-performance directors and coaches, and provide solutions to gaps in organizational operations.
About Own the Podium
Own the Podium is a national sport technical initiative that was created in 2005 to help Canada become the number one nation (total medal count) at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and to place in the top-three nations (gold medal count) at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. The initiative has also set a goal for Canadian athletes to have a top-12 placing at the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games and to be in the top-eight nations in gold-medal count at the 2012 Paralympic Summer Games. Both of these initiatives reflect what Canadians want from Canada’s high-performance athletes and helps advance the “excellence” goal of the Canadian Sport Policy. Own the Podium’s largest contributor of funding is the Government of Canada with additional funding provided by the corporate community and the Canadian Olympic Committee through its Canadian Olympic Foundation.
For a full summary of Own the Podium initiatives and programs, including breakdown of support and services by sport, please visit us at www.ownthepodium.orgon the Internet.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan
Own the Podium
T: 281-703-4394
Own the Podium Names Johnny Misley Director of Technical Leadership
OTTAWA—Own the Podium welcomed the addition of former Hockey Canada executive, Johnny Misley, to its high-powered executive leadership team that is focused on delivering more podium performances for Canada’s summer- and winter-sport athletes.
Misley, who spent 12 years leading to 2010 on Hockey Canada’s executive management team as its executive vice-president of hockey operations, has been hired to work with the national sport organization’s high-performance directors and coaches while filling the position of director of technical leadership.
Working in partnership with Own the Podium’s key stakeholders, the innovative sport visionary, Misley, will strive towards having the highest quality coaches, high-performance directors and other technical personnel required to consistently win medals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Coaching and technical expertise are core to Own the Podium’s goals of winning more medals for Canada,” said Alex Baumann, chief executive officer, Own the Podium. “Johnny is an extraordinary talent with a proven track record of winning. His leadership, passion for sport and commitment to excellence will add another dimension in our team’s goal of delivering the resources national sport organizations require to be successful.”
Misley will also work with national sport organizations to identify gaps in technical knowledge and leadership skills, and to develop professional development opportunities for national level coaches and high-performance directors. In addition to strengthening the development and implementation of national training programs at all levels of the high-performance sport system, Misley will work with national sport organizations and Canadian Sports Centres to not only develop and help recruit world-leading coaches, but also implement a strategy to retain Canada’s best coaches and high-performance directors.
Misley’s selection was made jointly by Own the Podium, the Coaching Association of Canada and Coaches of Canada.
“Johnny brings a wealth of experience to the position. With Hockey Canada, he directed the hockey program in the pressure-cooker of the Vancouver Olympics, and has a deep understanding of what it takes to excel in international sport,” said John Bales, chief executive officer, Coaching Association of Canada. “OTP has recognized that coaching and technical leadership is its highest strategic priority for Canada to reach its high-performance objectives. The Status of the High Performance Coachstudy showed that Canada needs to do more to attract, prepare and retain world class coaches, and Johnny is an excellent person to lead this area.”
Misley, who has been working with Own the Podium as a high-performance advisor with the summer team sports on a contract basis since October 2010, brings more than two decades of experience working in all aspects of hockey across the country – from a volunteer community and elite coach to technical director and scout to his most recent role of executive vice-president of hockey operations with Hockey Canada. Misley also authored or co-authored many hockey development technical programs and instructional manuals.
During his tenure with Hockey Canada’s management team, Misley was part of 14 gold medal-winning championship teams and six silver medal-winning teams with both the men’s and women’s programs at three Olympics, 12 World Championships, six international tournaments and one World Cup of Hockey. Misley also served as Team Canada’s General Manager at the Spengler and Deutschland Cup tournaments.
Based out of Own the Podium’s Calgary office at Canada Olympic Park, Misley will begin his new role on April 18. He will relocate to Own the Podium’s headquarters in Ottawa on September 1, reporting directly to chief executive officer, Alex Baumann.
About Own the Podium
Own the Podium is a national initiative that was created in 2005 to help Canada become the number one nation (total medal count) at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and to place in the top-three nations (gold medal count) at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. The initiative has also set a goal for Canadian athletes to have a top-12 placing at the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games and to be in the top-eight nations in gold-medal count at the 2012 Paralympic Summer Games. Both of these initiatives reflect what Canadians want from Canada’s high-performance athletes and helps advance the “excellence” goal of the Canadian Sport Policy. Own the Podium’s largest contributor of funding is the Government of Canada with additional funding provided by the corporate community and the Canadian Olympic Committee through its Canadian Olympic Foundation.
For a full summary of Own the Podium initiatives and programs, including breakdown of support and services by sport, please visit us at www.ownthepodium.org on the Internet.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan
Own the Podium
T:281-703-4394