Why every Olympian needs a hometown cheering section

Haillie Clarke, member of Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton Team. Sports columnist George Le Gresley will be watching her progression throughout her Olympic run. What Olympian are you watching closely?

George Le Gresley

Sports Columnist

Last week, we introduced you to some Olympians, and one theme discussed was how athletes are financially supported to train and compete on an international stage.

Athletes who compete at an international level dedicate a lot of time to training, deferring their education and delaying any career path they might have to earn an income. Their costs for equipment, training, and diets to perform at a high level are constantly increasing. According to the CanFund program, three out of five athletes carry annual debt to compete, as illustrated in the chart.

When an athlete starts a sport, parents bear the cost of registering their child with a club. Clubs sometimes use those fees for coaches, staff, insurance, and renting facilities, such as a building for a gymnastics club or a public facility whose fees increase annually. Any additional costs for uniforms, travel, and extra coaching are the family’s expense. We as parents do this because we love our kids. During income tax season, parents may be eligible for a deduction on either their provincial or federal tax returns. There are programs such as Canadian Tire’s JumpStart program, where parents can apply to fund a child’s registration fee, and some organizations may waive fees based on a parent's financial need. 

Young athletes also compete at the elementary and secondary school level and funding school physical education programs may always be a target for budget cuts. Make sure that school officials and trustees know how important these programs are and that indoor and outdoor facilities are available for student and community use.

For athletes pursuing high-level excellence at the international level, there is the “Athletic Assistance Program” (AAP) through Sports Canada. To be eligible, the athlete must be nominated by their National Sports Organization, and this income is provided to non-disabled and Paralympic athletes who compete at the World or International level. 

For athletes who excel at the Olympics, the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Athlete Excellence Fund offers performance rewards to those who place in the top five at Olympic or World Championships. A Gold medal can earn an athlete $20,000, $15,000 for Silver and $10,000 for Bronze.

There are also funding opportunities through provincial programs for National carded athletes.

Athletes can also apply to the CanFund program, which can supplement an athlete’s income up to $16,000 a year. Note that the poverty line in Ontario is a touch over $27,000 a year. For most of our Canadian athletes, the funding doesn’t cover the costs they incur. Examples given by CanFund state that a competitive figure skater may have coaching fees up to $22,000, a Para Ice Hockey player spends $5,283, and a calorie-burning rower spends over $ 7,100 on average per year for nutrition!

So, what can we do to help out our athletes? 

Here are a few ideas… make a tax-deductible donation to CanFund if you can. 

Our towns seem to like twinning with other international cities. Why don’t we start twinning with athletes and do a little fundraising for them? Imagine if towns and cities across our country did this, how much fun it would be to follow an athlete as they progress. Maybe Brant County and its communities could have a friendly competition!

Spend some time watching the Olympics. Find an athlete to support and send them encouragement by email. This would be a great project for elementary students as well.

Here’s my pick: Haillie Clarke from Brighton Ontario, a town primarily known for being in the proximity of the wonderful beaches of Presqu’ile Provincial Park. Why did I pick Ms. Clarke, you ask? She is a Skeleton racer, and anyone who comes from flat terrain and wants to slide down an ice-tube ride headfirst on their stomach fascinates me. When you read her biography, you see that this girl gives her time to children's groups. I’ll make a point to watch her between February 12 and 14.

My challenge to you is to get into the Olympic spirit and find an athlete… follow them on social media and send them a message to let them know you're cheering them on. Have some fun with this, and if you do decide to do this, let the Independent in on why you’re cheering your athlete. Remember the Olympics begin in 10 days!