RICHMOND, BC, November 7, 2019 – More than 500 delegates have converged in Richmond, British Columbia, for the 2019 Petro-Canada™ Sport Leadership sportif conference (#SLS19), Canada’s annual conference for coaches, researchers, sport executives, and administrators.
The conference is organized by the Coaching Association of Canada™ (CAC) and runs from November 7-9, 2019 at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel.
Gathered under the theme of Mission: Resilience, delegates will discover new skills and strategies that will help their organizations respond effectively to new challenges such as concussion awareness, the need for greater diversity and inclusion, and the responsibility to protect their athletes and participants from abuse, harassment, and discrimination.
Delegates will exchange hard-won lessons in achieving growth through adversity and make valuable professional connections that will take them and their respective organizations forward with confidence. In doing so, they will collectively reaffirm their commitment to their athletes, to their coaches, and to their organizations.
“The performance that our athletes achieve in competition speaks to the level of perseverance and reilience supported by expert coaching,” says Lorraine Lafrenière, Chief Executive Officer of the CAC. “Athletes and coaches must continually adapt. In turn, we need to adopt new organizational strategies to increase our own resilience to support them.”
Keynote speakers presenting at this year's conference come from varied backgrounds and experiences. They include:
- Dr. James Makokis, Proud two-spirit Cree from Saddle Lake First Nation with a focus on Transgender people and underrepresented communities, and winner (with husband Anthony Johnson) of The Amazing Race Canada (Season 7)
- Pamela Jeffery, National Lead, KPMG Inclusion & Diversity Strategy Group
- Henry Burris, three-time Grey Cup Champion and two-time Grey Cup MVP
- Dr. Andy Van Neutegem, Director, Sport Science, Medicine and Innovation, Own The Podium
- Norm O’Reilly, PhD, Assistant Dean and Professor of Executive Programs, University of Guelph
- Bruno Guevremont, Canadian Armed Forces Veteran, Bell Let’s Talk Ambassador
Other highlights include presentations from Natalie Abele and Shawna Lawson of viaSport British Columbia, members of the West Vancouver Sport Alliance, and Shelley Fried, of the University of Manitoba.
The conference will be co-emceed by Manon Landry Ouellette, Executive Director of Coach New Brunswick, and Ian Mortimer, Director of Development at Canoe Kayak Canada. Both are highly experienced athletes, coaches, and sport administrators.
More than 80 of Canada’s top coaches will also be celebrated at the Petro-Canada Sport Leadership Awards Gala on Friday, Nov. 8, in the Britannia Ballroom of the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel.
#SLS19 is presented in partnership with Petro-Canada, a Suncor business, which has been supporting Canadian athletes, coaches, and their families for more than 30 years.
"We are a committed champion of sport in Canada and very honoured to be a longstanding supporter of the Sport Leadership sportif conference,” says Kristina Schaefer, director of Petro-Canada Brand Loyalty, Suncor. "Every day coaches motivate our athletes to strive for ever-greater heights of performance while demonstrating the highest ethical standards – we are inspired by this spirit and strive ourselves as the Petro-Canada brand to do the same."
For more information about the conference, including a detailed schedule and full list of speakers, visit www.coach.ca/sportleadership.
About the Coaching Association of Canada
The Coaching Association of Canada unites stakeholders and partners in its commitment to raising the skills and stature of coaches, and ultimately expanding their reach and influence. Through its programs, the CAC empowers coaches with knowledge and skills, promotes ethics, fosters positive attitudes, builds competence, and increases the credibility and recognition of coaches.
About Suncor
Suncor Energy 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 1,500 retail stations and 300 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 30 years. For more information, visit www.petro-canada.ca.
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For more information, contact:
Manager, Marketing and Communications
Coaching Association of Canada
O: 613.235.5000 x 2353
M: 613.292.7651