Right before the holiday season, a national sports organization has placed a rather large item on its Christmas wish list.
Facing a funding crunch, Alpine Canada needs to raise $400,000 by April 30, 2016 to properly support its athletes as they push for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
In a letter from veteran skier Manuel Osborne-Paradis, Alpine Canada called for public and private donors to help the team raise funds, which will help support the core athletic program.
“In order to continue our pursuit, we must raise $400,000 over the next few months to ensure that our athletic programs are properly funded, as we prepare for next year’s world championship and the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea,” Osborne-Paradis wrote.
Alpine Canada CEO Mark Rubinstein said many assume government funding covers costs, but in reality corporate and private donations make up a large portion of their operational funding. The organization did see a drop in its Own the Podium funding this year, as it received $1.35 million for high performance sport. That’s down from $2.67 million in 2014-15.
Rubinstein doesn’t see this as an alarm, but as another method to reach out to potential donors.
“We’re starting with the proposition that most Olympic national sport federations increasingly have to rely on the support of corporate partners and individual donors. Sometimes people erroneously believe the government funds the entire Alpine Canada program,” he said. “That’s not the case. Alpine Canada has always relied on the generosity of the public to support its programs.”
The organization has seen changes to its sponsors this season, as well, but Rubinstein says that’s simply the nature of the beast.
“There are always changes for our corporate sponsorship. Sysco gold mining was sold last year and new owners made the decision not to carry forward their funding. At the same time, we picked up new partners like Mackenzie Investments and CIBC. There are always ups and downs,” Rubinstein said.
The money in question isn’t for frivoulous bells and whistles for the team. Rubinstein said it will go to the core of the program.
“It goes to support the core of the athletic program. In the budget, it will help support primary expenses such as coaching, training, medical support, physiotherapy and accommodations. The majority of our races take place in Europe, and this $400,000 fills out the balance of our funding,” Rubinstein said.
Alpine Canada supports 56 athletes altogether, but currently only has one woman on the downhill speed team. World cup athletes cost about $240,000 a year to support, due to the amount of training, coaching and travel they must complete.
The team has several successful athletes, such as Banff’s own Olympic medallist Jan Hudec, Canadian world cup record holder Erik Guay and ski cross champions such as Brady Leman and Marielle Thompson.
Rubinstein said Alpine Canada can’t simply wait around for federal and provincial governments to write them more cheques – that simply won’t happen.
“A very significant amount of our funding has come from the private sector. I don’t believe high performance sport government funding has increased in many years. It will be a challenge to see that grow significantly. The only choice we have is to reach out and say why this is needed. This money is directed to the athletes,” Rubinstein said.
By asking Osborne-Paradis to write the letter, Rubinstein said the organization wanted to show the direct connection funds have on athletes who are affected greatly by funding shifts. The veteran skier received $18,000 a year from Sport Canada as long as he is a carded athlete.
“It’s important to demonstrate the connection to where the money goes. At the end of the day, the donations and funding we receive – goes to fund ski teams. Sometimes that is lost. Important to remember for potential donors, this is about the athlete,” Rubinstein said.
Alpine Canada doesn’t want to cut training camps or impose team fees on its athletes to make up the required funds, but will instead find new partners.
“I don’t think that’s the way our organization is going to go. We’re not going to cut our way to a profitable future,” Rubinstein said. “With team fees, we could never increase to the level we need, and putting the burden on the athletes hardly seems fair.”
The organization will host a National Ski Day on Jan. 9, 2016 at select ski hills to raise funds, while several fundraising events are planned across the country. Those who want to support the program can make a donation at hhtp://alpinecanada.org/donate.
