Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Winter 2010/2011 | Page 36

FEATURE
WHERE ARTISTIC AND
ATHLETIC ENDEAVOURS
COMBINE
Sports is top-of-mind for the 2,700
athletes set to descend on Halifax for
the 2011 Canada Games. But another
39 “artistic athletes,“ three from each
province and territory, plan to bring their
best game as they participate in the
National Artist Program, a key cultural
element of the Games.
The philosophy of the National Artist
Program is to bring together bright and
talented young artists and challenge
them to use the games as inspiration for
their art. In Halifax, participants between
the ages of 16 and 22, representing
dance, music, theatre arts, or visual arts,
will be featured during the two weeks
of the Games. Much like their athlete
counterparts, these artists will participate
individually and as a team. Many will
provide performances and exhibitions
to athletes and spectators, showing their
artistic chops to the largest audience of
their life.
waiting area for the Subaru-sponsored
shuttle bus. “Given the climate in
Whitehorse, this nice warm spot
was crucial,” added Morrissey, “even
bringing Prime Minister Stephen Harper
in from the cold.”
In Halifax, Subaru will throw its
support behind the Games as not
only the official vehicle sponsor, but
also the proud official sponsor of two
events: downhill skiing and short-track
speed skating. It is a perfect fit for the
company’s sponsorship mandate, which
is to support pursuits, especially athletic
ones, which encourage people to strive
for their absolute best.
FUTURE STARS
Absolute best is what these Games
are all about. The Canada Games have
played a key role in the devel opment of
Canada’s athletic stars. This is the

place where Sidney Crosby was first
noticed by the masses. Other names
you might recognize, such as Toller
Cranston, Bob Gainey, Catriona Le
May Doan, Hayley Wickenheiser, Steve
Nash and Adam Van Koeverden have
leapt to the forefront of national and
international sports recognition at the
Canada Games. At the 2010 Vancouver
Olympics, 34 of the 79 Canada Games
alumni returned with one or more
medals around their necks. One of them,
François-Louis Tremblay, who competed
in the 1999 Canada Games and went on
to win medals in the three consecutive
Winter Olympics, believes the Canada
Games are an important precursor for
future Olympic athletes. “When I was
in the Olympics, I was much better
prepared than I would otherwise have
been, thanks to the experience I gained
at the Canada Games.”