The Latest HKIN Students & Alumni Making the News

Sport Leader and Three-Time Olympian Dr. Roger Jackson to head Own The Podium - 2010 Project
Vancouver 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Games
December 8, 2005

Jack Taunton Named Chief Medical Officer for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Vancouver 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Games
December 9, 2005

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) today announced the appointment of Dr. Jack Taunton as its Chief Medical Officer. Taunton is responsible for overseeing the medical services program, which includes the development of a basic and emergency health care delivery program and doping control program for the 2010 Games and all pre-Games events. Taunton brings a strong depth of knowledge in the field of sports medicine, with over 25 years of experience providing medical support for Canadian national sports teams. Based at the University of British Columbia, he is the co-founder and Director of the university's expanded and world renowned Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre. Taunton has operated as a Medical Officer for the Canadian Olympic team at four previous Olympic Games: Los Angeles (1984), Seoul (1988) and Barcelona (1992). Taunton was the Chief Medical Officer for the Canadian Olympic team at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Taunton's appointment is effective immediately coinciding with the IOC Medical Commission's first visit to Vancouver on December 11-13. "Dr. Taunton was chosen from a group of highly skilled and experienced applicants, and it was the combination of his broad experience and the compatibility between his personal values and those of our organization that resulted in his appointment," said Cathy Priestner Allinger, Senior Vice President, Sport, Paralympics and Venue Management. "I am confident that Jack, in collaboration with all our medical partners, will lead a tremendous medical program in 2010." The Chief Medical Officer position is one of the select few Organizing Committee roles that become a member ex-officio of the IOC Medical Commission for the period leading up to and during an Olympic Games. As Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Taunton immediately becomes a member of the IOC Medical Commission and will take part in the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as an active member of the Commission. "Being selected CMO for VANOC is a tremendous honour, and for a sports physician it is a dream come true," said Taunton, who will assume his new role immediately. "I am very excited to join the excellent team at VANOC and know the sport medical and paramedical expertise in BC and Canada will allow for excellent health services and a gold medal medical team for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games." VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010.

Biography of Jack Taunton - Chief Medical Officer, VANOC Jack Taunton participates in many community activities related to his profession of sports medicine including health promotion (TV and radio) and medical support for national and professional sports teams. In addition to his role as Director of UBC's Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre, Taunton is the co-founder of the Vancouver Sun Run, and has acted as Dedicated Team Physician at multi-sport games, including Olympic Games, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games. In 2000, Taunton was elected the Canadian Sports Physician of the Year. As a member of the first graduating class of Kinesiology at Simon Fraser University in 1969, Taunton gained an appreciation for the role of exercise, rehabilitation and preventative medicine both in his life and in his career. He recommends that graduates follow their dream and "let your hobby become your vocation." Taunton has competed at the provincial and national levels as a marathon runner, and is a keen cross-country skier.

Trainer Profile ~ The Evolution of Human Motion ~ An Early Change in Career pays off for this High Performance Coach
Rachel Debling
Fitness Business Canada Magazine
November 2005

Fate can sometimes lead us down the most unlikely of paths. Take Carmen Bott, for example, owner of Human Motion Strength and Conditioning, an athletic conditioning and personal training company based in Vancouver. Ten years ago, Carmen was studying forensics at Simon Fraser University and on her way to becoming a successful post-mortem scientist. But one simple choice soon changed that. "The course was nicknamed `running for credit,"' she recalls with a laugh. "It was an introduction to physical education for forensics students." While the transition from medical matters of the deceased to those of world-class athletes seemed improbable, Carmen knew it was the right move. As a child, she had enjoyed all types of sports from soccer and fastball to basketball and track, so the shift to the exercise sciences seemed logical. "In the exercise science field, the impact you can have on people is very positive," says Carmen. "Forensics is very challenging and intriguing, but I felt I could do more as a trainer."
IN THE BEGINNING
Back in March of 2004, Human Motion was born through an idea of Carmen's colleague James Wendlend. He was familiar with Carmen's work in the NHL community which included off-season training with Trevor Linden and Dan Cloutier. When he landed a contract with a large hockey school he approached her with an idea: Why not establish a company to use hicle to formalize the agreement? Carmen agreed, and Human Motion was born. While James has now moved on to other business opportunities, Carmen keeps Human Motion going strong. As the operator and sole trainer at Human Motion, she is busy training more than 100 clients, half of whom are focused on athletic conditioning and half on personal training. Her athletes are of all calibers from high school hopefuls to world-class competitors. She even mentors athletes from across the border via e-mail.
EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME
Her years of hard work and her high profile clientele have earned her a stellar reputation in the fitness community. Her resume includes some hefty challenges, including traveling to Malaysia for six months to help their national team pre-pare for the summer Olympics and the South East Asian Games – a task Carmen admits to be her most daunting to date."The coaches were all foreign," she reveals. "I had to learn the local language and Mandarin to communicate efficiently." She still remains in touch with people she worked with there and had the pleasure of catching up with some of them at an N.S.C.A. conference this year. "In athletic conditioning, the number one goal is performance, followed by injury prevention," says Carmen. The athlete training aspect of her business is strongly supported by her relationship with U.B.C. She receives referrals from the sports sciences unit at the Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre and in turn sends clients to their team of experts. She finds that the athletes she trains are generally very self-motivated. "They just need direction. "Carmen also works with many sports teams during the off-season to help prepare them for the strenuous year ahead. She is also involved with several U.B.C. teams, working side-by-side with the team coaches to perfect their play. While she has a passion for athletic training, she also finds the one on one personal training aspect of her work fulfilling. She praises her current group of clients as "hardworking and professional women in the field, one that is often dominated by men. As the sole woman on a variety of boards, she knows the challenges that female elite trainers can face. "As a woman in the high performance training field, it can be a challenge to be taken seriously," she explains, "but if you take yourself seriously, others will too."
KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS
Above all, says Carmen, don't compromise on safety or quality."If you are in the business of dealing with people's bodies, there is no room for mistakes," she maintains. "For professional athletes, their bodies are their bread and butter. You can injury someone if you don't know what you are doing.""I have clients who come to me and say they want to enter a fitness modeling competition, and I haven't the first clue how to train these girls," she notes. "I don't know what kind of program they should do, and I don't know anything about the diet." She instead refers them to one of her many allies in the industry. "After all," she rationalizes, "in the long run, the client's best interest is what is most Important.
Owner of Human Motion Strength and Conditioning, Vancouver, B.C.. 604-908-1321; carmenbott@shaw.ca, www.humanmotion.ca.
Qualifications: M.Sc. exercise physiology (currently pursuing), B.H.K., Health and Fitness Studies certificate; C.S.C.S. Years in the industry: 10
Favourite resources: www.girlscanjump.com; www.nsca-lift.org (National Strength and Conditioning Association); www.ajsm.org (American Journal of Sports Medicine); texts by Gary Gray and Stuart McGill.

KINeSYS Suncreen Review ~ All sunscreens are not the same
Transition Times.com Endurance Sports Magazine

New Faces for HKIN Faculty - Welcome to Recent Arrivals

Mark Carpenter
B.Sc. Honours (Kinesiology), University of Waterloo, 1996; M.Sc. (Kinesiology), University of Waterloo, 1998; Ph.D. (Kinesiology), University of Waterloo, 2001; NSERC Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, 2004 Specialization: Neural Control of Movement, Postural Control, Fear of Falling, Balance Disorders

Shannon Bredin
University of Alberta, B.P.E. 1996; University of Alberta, B.Ed. (Major: Physical Education/Minor: Biological Sciences) 1996; University of Alberta, M.Sc. (Motor Behaviour) 1998; University of British Columbia, Ph.D. (Motor Behaviour) 2004 Specialization: Human motor learning (skill acquisition), motor expertise, motor development, physical education, teacher preparation, analysis of teaching effectiveness

Tania Lam
Queen's University, BSc(PT) 1997, University of Alberta, PhD (Neuroscience) 2002, CIHR Post-doctoral Fellowship, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, 2003-2005 Specialization: Neural control of mammalian locomotion, Adaptability of human walking, Gait rehabilitation following neurological injury

Nicola Hodges
B.Sc. (Hons) Psychology, University of Hertfordshire (UK), M.Sc. Human Biodynamics, McMaster University, Ph.D. Human Kinetics, University of British Columbia Specialization: Human motor control and learning across the life-span. Motor expertise. Learning and coordination. Instructions, feedback and observational learning.

Jim Rupert
University of Guelph B.Sc. (Genetics) 1984, University of Toronto M.Sc. (Medical Genetics) 1988, University of British Columbia Ph.D. (Zoology) 2000, Post-doctoral Fellow U.B.C, Dept Pathology and Laboratory Medicine 2000-2003, Post-doctoral Fellow Terry Fox Laboratory, B.C. Cancer Agency 2003-2004 Specialization: Genetics and genomics of exercise and altitude adaptation. Genetic approaches to “doping” control.

Get Up and Go
Warren Henderson
Kelowna Capital News

These remarkable athletes have taken life’s hard knocks and turned them into opportunities. When a drunk driver slammed into her family’s car on May 22, 1977, Diane Rakiecki’s life was changed forever. Her father, Stefan, was killed in the accident on Highway 97 north of Kelowna while Diane suffered a spinal cord injury, rendering her paralyzed from the hips down. Her mom, Bernice, and her sister, Wendy were also injured in the mishap, though not as seriously as Diane. Only 15 years old at the time, Diane was faced with the reality of a future without her father as well as the physical and psychological challenges of coping without the use of her legs. “It was a tremendously difficult time in my life,” says Rakiecki, now 41. “My father was dead. I didn’t know what to do.” But after four months in hospital and another six months of rehabilitation at G.F. Strong in Vancouver, Rakiecki began to take an interest in sports and the variety of opportunities available to physically disabled people. With Penticton paraplegic athlete Snooky Seeley serving as her role model, Rakiecki would take up wheelchair racing and, by 1979, she was competing at the B.C. Disability Games. Rakiecki had discovered what would become a lifelong passion. “When you hit a crisis, you make choices that you hope will work out,” says Rakiecki, a teacher at Kelowna’s Springvalley middle school. “Other than not being able to walk, I didn’t really have any barriers. I decided to get into sports and it turned my life around. I quickly realized there was nothing I couldn’t do.” While earning her degree in physical education from the University of British Columbia in the early 1980s, Rakiecki would soon become one of the province’s most renowned physically disabled athletes. In 1983, she became the first female athlete in Canada to compete in a marathon in a wheelchair when she finished the Vancouver Marathon in a time of three hours, eight minutes. In 1984, Rakiecki took her talents to the world stage where she would win two medals on the track at the Paralympic Games in England—a gold in the four by 100 relay, and a silver in the individual 800 metres. Three years later, she did one better in the 800 metres at the World Championships in Rome winning the gold medal. And Rakiecki didn’t limit her athletic talents to the track either, competing for Canada in wheelchair basketball in 1992 at the Paralympics in Barcelona, Spain, and in tennis at the World Cup in the Netherlands in 1995. She has also competed in eight marathons, including twice in Honolulu and twice in New York. It was at the New York City Marathon in 2000 that Rakiecki, using her hand cycle, would finish 10th out of 150 people in the wheelchair division, second among all women. Still, for all Rakiecki has accomplished as a disabled athlete, winning isn’t the biggest thrill she derives from competing. “I tell everyone, even if they’re not disabled, that the sky’s the limit,” says Rakiecki, who has lived in Kelowna since 1992. “Physically and mentally, sports is such a positive influence. It doesn’t matter if you’re competitive or just out there for fun.” While Rakiecki’s success story may not be typical of physically disabled people, it serves as a vivid example of how sports and recreation can make a significant difference in a person’s life. It’s a view commonly shared by the dozens of groups and individuals in the Okanagan now devoted to offering recreational options to disabled people. ..... People can do what they want to do. I always have.” And it’s that same kind of freedom, power, and independence Diane Rakiecki puts to good use in her everyday life, whether it’s teaching her Grade 7 students, or taking her hand cycle out for a brisk workout. Rakiecki hopes to compete in the Honolulu Marathon this December, and a little further down the line would like to add the Boston Marathon to her list of life experiences. “I feel there’s a reason I’m in this situation,” she says. “I like to think I’m a positive role model for other people. The only difference between me and anyone else is that I’m in a sitting position. I know that if you can imagine it, you can achieve it. Anything’s possible.”
whenderson@kelownacapnews.com

Giving Student a Sporting Chance - Kids Won't be Used as Pawns
Howard Tsumura
The Province
September 26, 2005
Page A38

National Women's Team Guard Sheila Townsend Signs to Play for Czech Team
UBC Athletics & Canadian Press
September 24, 2005

VANCOUVER (CP) - Sheila Townsend of Pitt Meadows, B.C., a guard with the Canadian women's basketball team, has signed a professional contract with a team in Brno, Czech Republic. Townsend, a UBC graduate who one week ago helped Canada qualify for the world championship for the first time since 1994, departs Saturday for Europe. "I had a few offers but the Czech league was the best option based on what I was told about the level of play and the situation," said Townsend. Townsend acknowledges that there will be an initial adjustment period but feels certain that she'll be able to fit it. "I'm expecting it to be a challenge for the first little while, especially with the language barrier and being on my own, but I'm going in mentally prepared for that and I'm excited to try and establish myself," she said. "I think this summer has given me an idea of what to expect skill-wise, so I'm confident that I'll be able to compete." © The Canadian Press 2005
VANCOUVER – Graduated UBC Thunderbirds point guard Sheila Townsend of Pitt Meadows, B.C., has signed a professional contract to play for Valosun of the Czech Republic’s 1 Liga. The team is located in Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic, which is approximately an hour-and-a-half outside of Prague. Townsend, a member of the Canadian senior national team that became the first since 1994 to qualify for the world championships with a third-place finish at the FIBA Americas a week ago, departs Saturday for Europe and will begin training with her new club right away. “I had a few offers but the Czech league was the best option based on what I was told about the level of play and the situation,” said Townsend. “You never really know for sure until you get there, but the city seems nice and there’s very good local competition.” Brno, the other 1 Liga squad in the city, is a perennial power on the 10-team Czech circuit and routinely represents the country in the Euroleague. Townsend acknowledges that there will be an initial adjustment period but feels certain that she’ll be able to fit it. “I’m expecting it to be a challenge for the first little while, especially with the language barrier and being on my own, but I’m going in mentally prepared for that and I’m excited to try and establish myself. I think this summer has given me an idea of what to expect skill wise, so I’m confident that I’ll be able to compete.” The all-Canadian guard, who graduated from UBC with a degree in human kinetics, is the second ever UBC women’s basketball player to play professionally. The first was national champion and Team Canada member Liz Silcott, an all-star with the St. Louis Streak of the Women’s Basketball League in 1979-80. “For five years at UBC, Sheila was a tenacious, committed student-athlete who aspired to become a member of the national team and a professional athlete,” said UBC head coach Deb Huband. She’s beginning to live that dream and realize her goals through perseverance and I’m extremely proud of her accomplishments.”

'Coach U' Returns to His Delta Roots
By Howard Tsumura
The Vancouver Province
September 20, 2005

Terry Fox's Hometown of PoCo Sees 13,000 Take Part in Run - HKIN Alumnus Rick Hansen joined Terry's parents Betty and Rolly, along with BC Premier Gordon Campbell and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin
By Ethan Baron
Vancouver Province
September 19, 2005

Some 13,000 people followed in the footsteps of Terry Fox in his hometown of Port Coquitlam yesterday. "In our footsteps -- in Port Coquitlam and in so many cities and towns -- you can hear the echo of Terry's eternal message: The impossible is nothing," Prime Minister Paul Martin said at the 25th-anniversary Terry Fox Run. "Today, as for the past 25 years, and until the day that cancer is beaten, we will gather in the cause of seeking a cure, and in the memory of a young man who inspired a nation, dared to dream, who overcame so much, to give so much, a Canadian truly worthy of being called a hero." Fox died in June 1981 at age 22, from the bone cancer that had cost him his right leg. On April 12, 1980, he left the Atlantic Ocean in Newfoundland on his cross-Canada Marathon of Hope to raise money for cancer research. Fox ran 5,373 kilometres in 143 days, stopping on Sept. 1, 1980, because the cancer had spread to his lungs. Vancouver, along with other communities across Canada, also staged runs yesterday to honour Fox's marathon. In Calgary, a record 3,125 people hit the downtown trail along the Bow River to raise a city record of $195,624. A spokeswoman for the run across the Confederation Bridge between P.E.I. and New Brunswick said 13,000 people ran or walked across the bridge from either side. Premier Gordon Campbell noted the large number of children in the PoCo crowd and said: "What we have is a whole new generation of people who are being touched by Terry's dream of finding a cure for cancer. "Terry should know his living legacy is [that] none of us will quit, until we get to the finish and we find a cure for cancer." Fox's mother Betty announced that the federal government presented a $10-million cheque to the Terry Fox Foundation. More than $360 million has been raised in Fox's name for cancer research. "All this money is being raised for every one of us who may have cancer in the future [or] who are now fighting cancer," she said. She applauded the three million Canadian kids who participated in their schools' Terry Fox Runs on Friday. "They're being able to get some of the values that . . . our son had, believing in himself, always giving 100 per cent or more . . . setting your goals, having your dreams, being honest." Man In Motion Rick Hansen said Fox's dream remains alive because he inspires Canadians. "All of us have obstacles in our lives," said the spinal-cord injury activist. "And it is our attitude about how we view those obstacles that makes the difference." The event had deep personal meaning for Port Coquitlam's Angie Mackie, 21. "All four of my grandparents have passed away from cancer," she said. "I'm afraid my parents are going to get it. So I hope for the cure, definitely." A pair of demonstrators criticized Martin, a former tobacco-company executive, for slashing tobacco taxes as finance minister in 1993 and killing a tobacco-sponsorship ban in 1998. Errol Povah, 52, donned a Grim Reaper outfit and carried a sign saying on one side, "Terry Fox died trying to find a cure for cancer," and on the other side, "Paul Martin continues to promote cancer." In the media frenzy around Martin two cameramen tripped and hit the pavement, and a police officer prevented a scrap between a reporter and a cameraman. Clare Adams of the Terry Fox Foundation said the turnout in the B.C. and Yukon Division's runs was twice as big as in previous years and about $1 million was raised. "I am absolutely blown away," said Adams, who attended the PoCo run. "I was brought to tears by the crowd there . . . and the overwhelming passion for the cause." Preliminary results indicate the run this year could raise double the $22 million raised around the world last year. ebaron@png.canwest.com © The Vancouver Province 2005

Canadian Soccer Association to Honour Andrea Neil in Vancouver
By Bob Lenarduzzi
The Tri-City News
September 16, 2005

Women's soccer in Canada, and around the world, has come a long way in the last 15 years. And one person who's been there every step of the way, and doing more than her share to make it happen, is Vancouver's own Andrea Neil. Neil has played 108 games for Canada, most recently in the pair of exhibition matches against World Champions Germany in Vancouver and Edmonton. At halftime of the Vancouver game, Neil was honoured by Canadian Soccer Association President Andy Sharpe for becoming only the second ever Canadian player, male or female, to hit the 100-game plateau. She made her debut in 1991 as a teen, and has gone on to represent her country in three World Cups, including the 2003 edition, in which Canada reached the semifinals. For many of those appearances, Neil has worn the captain's armband, a duty she often shares with fellow National Team legend Charmaine Hooper, who is the only Canadian with more caps than Neil Of course Andrea is no stranger to wearing the armband here with the Whitecaps, as she's been Vancouver's team captain since day one. And a better choice could not have been made I knew of Neil from her earliest days with the national team, and had watched her play many times. But it wasn't until she became involved with the Whitecaps - or Breakers as the team was then called - that I really began to appreciate what she's all about. Her professionalism, discipline, preparation and passion for the game are second to none, and are exactly what any coach or manager is hoping to find in a player. Anyone wanting to play soccer at a high level, or any sport for that matter, would do well to emulate Neil. It's these qualities, combined with her experience, leadership, and understanding of the game, that also make her a natural for coaching. Neil is currently an assistant coach with the Whitecaps women, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. She's also the girls head coach of the entire Whitecaps youth system. That's not just a figurehead position, it's her full-time job, and one that she does very well. She's closely involved with both the Whitecaps Academy and our Super Y teams, and will be accompanying the Whitecaps U-13 and U-17 girls to Florida in November when they go to the Super Y League North American Finals With all she has to offer, I believe Neil has a very bright future in coaching ahead of her. But nobody is in a rush to see her hang up her boots just yet. She and I have chatted, and I've encouraged her to play for as long as she can. That's from personal experience, as having gone from player to coach to management, I know that nothing beats playing She would regret it if she quit too early Neil has already totalled more career minutes for the Whitecaps than any other player, and I expect that will remain true for quite some time. She was a big factor in our winning the championship in 2004, and in again reaching the final four this past season. She'll be back next year as a player, as well as assistant coach, and will continue to head up our girls programs, inspiring new generations of young players.

CSA PRESS RELEASE--Ottawa, Ontario - The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) will make a special presentation to Women’s World Cup Team player Andrea Neil at the international friendly against Germany presented by TELUS on Thursday, September 1st at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, British Columbia. Kickoff for the match is 7:00 p.m. On March 5, 2004, Neil earned her 100th cap against Costa Rica at the 2004 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament. In recognition of this remarkable achievement, CSA President Andy Sharpe along with CSA Vice President Victor Montagliani will make a special presentation to Neil during halftime of the Germany match in front of her family, friends and hometown fans in Vancouver. Neil will now join long-time teammate Charmaine Hooper in this exclusive club and is only the second Canadian player ever (male and female) to reach the century mark in international soccer appearances at the senior level. Neil has been a member of the Women’s World Cup Team since her debut against Jamaica on April 19, 1991. CIBC presents the second match of the two game series at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday, September 4th at 2:00 p.m. in Edmonton, Alberta.

"Father" Hanson Coaches On, and Off, Court
By Brenda Austin
UBC Reports
page 4