March 13, 2007 Dear Association members; I am writing to ... - Cogeco

March 13, 2007Dear Association members;I am writing to bring a number of matters of importance to your attention.The first item is the recent accomplishments of two very different groups of athletes, coaches andmanagers. First, a large and very enthusiastic group of young athletes recently represented Ontarioand our Association in Whitehorse at the Canada Winter Games. This group competed from Feb,24 th to March 1 st and returned to Ontario with 6 Gold Medals, 5 Silver Medals and 4 Bronze Medals.In addition there were a number of personal bests and many top ten finishes. These are tremendousresults and I encourage every member to visit the OSSA website to fully appreciate these greatresults. Our Association’s congratulations and thanks go to all these young athletes for representingtheir clubs and our Association in such a tremendous way. Our particular thanks and recognitiongoes to the four individuals who really made these great results possible - David Morrison, PaulaMcConvey, Marg Oliveira and Todd Landon. These dedicated individuals formed the coaching andmanaging team for our CWG Team and did an amazing job. They deserve a special thank you fromall of us.A second special athletic accomplishment was achieved by a very different group of 18 athletes fromOntario. On Feb 22 – 25 the Olympic Oval in Calgary hosted the 16th Masters International SpeedSkating Games involving 328 participants from 13 different countries. The competitors names andindividual results are posted on the OSSA website and I want to congratulate this group for theirathletic accomplishments and for the time and effort they took to prepare for this competition.Both groups of athletes are a tremendous inspiration for all our members. Young skaters can look tothe skaters from the CWG team and understand the skill and dedication required to be a member ofthis team in four years time. All of us ‘more mature skaters’ can also look to the skaters whoparticipated in the Calgary and recognize that athletic dedication and accomplishment is neverlimited by age. On behalf of our Association and all our members I salute and thank all of theseathletes, as well as the coaches, clubs and families whose support is so essential.I am also writing to ask members and clubs to remember that we have a number of importantorganizational responsibilities to consider. Our Association AGM will be held on the last weekendof May. Each club would have received a questionnaire that will be used by the OSSA to determinethe final organization of that event. I urge each club to send in this questionnaire and ask you tocontact me, or the OSSA office, if you need a questionnaire.

Finally I would like to draw your attention to the need for volunteers at the provincial level. OurAssociation is looking for members who will volunteer their time as a member of the OSSA Boardor as a member of one our Association’s committees. Interested members are asked to contact theOSSA office for nomination forms which must be completed and returned to the office by April 27 th ,2007.Thank youGraham WilkinsPresidentOntario Speed Skating Association