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Nicholson named chef de mission BY BRIER DODGE brier.dodge@metroland.com
Todd Nicholson has taken on almost every role he possibly could in the sledge hockey world. Olympian, gold medalist, team captain, public speaker, advocate, Paralympic committee athlete’s council chair, flag bearer, Own the Podium representative. And now he has one more to add: chef de mission. Dunrobin’s Nicholson will officially serve as Canada’s chef de mission for the 2018 Paralymic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The chef de mission job is to provide overall leadership to the team, and serve as a mentor to athletes. “When I applied for the position, it was like I felt like I was already doing it. I didn’t need a title for anything,” Nicholson said. “But to have the opportunity to officially be able to do this, it’s a great honour and it’s definitely a highlight of my career.” Paralympic gold medal swimmer Aurélie Rivard, who acted as MC at the Jan. 24 announcement at the Jim Durrell Recreation Complex, said in the past, the chef de mission has been her rock and person to lean on who she knew had experienced the pressures of a Paralympic games. “The chef de mission role is very important for the team,” Rivard said. “It’s the person that will be there to inspire us, to guide us, to mentor us, to encourage us on our way to success.” Nicholson is certainly experienced
Brier Dodge/Metroland
After Todd Nicholson (second from right) was named as the chef de mission for the 2018 Paralympic Games, he joined his wife Emily Glossop (far left), west Ottawa’s Ben Delaney (second from left) and Stittsville native Tyrone Henry (right) on the ice. Both Delaney and Henry are members of the national sledge hockey team and hope to compete in the 2018 Games. Glossop, not normally a sledge hockey player, joined her husband on the ice at the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre. on the international stage as an athlete and an advocate for Paralympic athletes. He competed at five Paralympic Games, from his first Games in 1994 where he said it was up to him and the West Carleton community to
raise funds for him to go and compete, until 2010, when he no longer had to explain what sledge hockey was at every one of his speeches. He was team captain for 15 of those years – preparing him for the chef de mission role.
“It means a lot to me,” he said, of being selected. “As somebody who represented Canada on the international stage for as many years as I did, I know what it takes in order to get to that level. I remember my first Games in ’94. I remember those Games like they were yesterday. It’s one of those things you will never forget.” Nicholson said he wouldn’t have been able to take on the position, as well as past and current positions he’s held – such as International Paralympic Committee athlete representative to the International Olympic Committee – without the support from his family, but also his co-workers at Canada Border Services Agency who have been flexible with him. Several of his co-workers, as well as his family, attended the announcement. “If you look around the international boards, there are a lot of Canadians who are giving back to sport in some way, shape, or form,” he said. “And for me, this is another way to do that.” He said Canada’s performance goals for Pyeongchang haven’t been set out yet, but they plan to send a full team in all five sports in the Winter Paralympic Games: wheelchair curling, para ice hockey, para alpine skiing, para snowboarding, and para Nordic skiing. Now his job is to rally support for the Paralympic athletes in the year leading up to the games. “We’re not asking for your pity,” said Nicholson, who was paralyzed in a car accident. “We’re asking for your support.”
Councillor Eli El-Chantiry Ward 5, West Carleton-March 5670 Carp Rd., Kinburn 613-580-2424 ext 32246 eli.el-chantiry@ottawa.ca www.eliel-chantiry.ca
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