麻豆社区

Former Whitehorse Glacier Bears swim coach Stephanie Dixon was added to CIBC's Team Next roster of mentors yesterday.

The banking giant announced Dixon, the country's most decorated Paralympic swimmer, and Olympic gold medalist Kyle Shewfelt as the newest mentors in their new $2 million investment initiative to support Canadian amateur athletes.

CIBC's Team Next was launched this summer to provide funding and mentoring to 67 Canadian amateur athletes preparing for the 2015 Pan Am Games, scheduled to take place in Toronto.

Each year for three years, these athletes will be given $5,000 to fund their training and development leading up to the Games.

Previously announced mentors include Simon Whitfield, Bruny Surin, and Kara Lang, among others.

Dixon, 29, left the Glacier Bears program this summer to take on an ambassador role with the Canadian Paralympic Committee.

She is also training hard in an attempt to return to the Paralympics as a cross-country skier.

In August, she joined Sportsnet in a host and pool-side reporter role at the IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal.

On Nov. 5, she will be inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame in Toronto alongside local polio activist Ramesh Ferris and four others.

Despite all of her recent accolades, Dixon said joining CIBC Team Next in a mentorship role is a great honour.

"This is a huge honour,鈥� she admitted yesterday. "It links together perfectly with my new job with the Canadian Paralympic Committee. It's one thing to give a financial donation to Olympics and Paralympics, but to actually make an amazing program ... It is fantastic that CIBC Team Next is doing that.

"We're a bandwagon country when it comes to the Olympics and Paralympics,鈥� Dixon explained. "We show up every four years and wonder where the gold medals are. It's not fair. We really need more attention throughout the training process.鈥�

The athletes selected to the CIBC Team Next roster will be announced next month.

Dixon will be paired up with a few of the young athletes to offer support, training and performance tips, or just a listening ear.

"It's going to be very personal, which is awesome,鈥� she said. "It was hard for me to leave the swim club and my coaching position here, which I loved. So this is kind of great because it combines my ambassador role as well as some coaching. So it's actually a pretty perfect position.鈥�

The swimmer said she has never seen a mentorship component from former Olympic and Paralympic stars added to a corporation's support.

"I've seen many amazing programs, but this one really stands out for me,鈥� she said. "I'm always honoured to be part of any kind of thing that supports sport in Canada, but especially this one because they're actually recognizing how important mentorship is. That's something new.鈥�

In a recent national survey of Canadian athletes, 75 per cent said having an athlete mentor is as important as having a great coach, and nearly half said good mentorship is as important as having the funding to compete.

CIBC's chief operating officer Richard Nesbitt said a "desire to create a lasting sport legacy in Canada鈥� was the reason the North American bank chose to become a lead partner in the 2015 Pan Am Games and Parapan Am Games.

"One of the ways to ensure that legacy is to provide our next generation of athletes with the kind of support they need to succeed,鈥� he said.

"Mentorship is absolutely critical for aspiring athletes and we are proud to welcome Stephanie and Kyle aboard to help guide, inspire and empower Canada's future stars.鈥�