GMVS Alumni Headed to 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver

February,  2010- In a couple of weeks Vancouver will be opening its doors to welcome the world for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Among the thousands of expected visitors to the city, many will travel the 120 kilometers north through the coastal mountain range to Whistler, where the Alpine events are being hosted. At least four GMVS alumni will be there to participate.

 Erica MacConnell '96, Marketing Director with J. Kenneth Sowles, P.C., an athlete management and sports promotion company, will be traveling between Whistler Creekside and Cypress Mountain to watch her athletes compete in both alpine events and moguls. Erica has spectated and worked many World Cup events, but this will be her first Olympic experience. “I’m excited about being a part of the biggest sporting event in the world, where athletes will be performing at the top of their game. I look forward to seeing the athletes that I know and have worked with compete at this level.”  

Carelle Raymond '08 joins the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as a member of the highly regarded volunteer Slip Crew for the Men’s Alpine Events. This will be Carelle’s first Olympic experience. When asked about her interest in the Vancouver 2010 games, she answered “First, I always dreamed of being part of the Olympic Games; since I can't do them myself, I think that it is a great opportunity to be there as a volunteer, and of course because it is in Canada, it is something I have to do once in my lifetime. I can't wait to live this great experience, and meet extraordinary people.”  

JP Daigneault '92, PG '93 will join VANOC as a specialized volunteer filling the role of French Announcer for Alpine Events. JP works full time at GMVS as a ski coach and IT specialist. “As I said to the person who hired me, "I have zero experience but I've lived ski racing my whole life and I work year-round at one of the world's top ski-racing academies. And I speak French." That was enough to get him invited to try out for the role. He joined the VANOC sport production team as a French Announcer for the Paralympic Biathlon Test event that took place at the Whistler Olympic Park in the Callahan Valley in February of 2009. With no previous announcing experience, Paralympic or Nordic experience, JP managed to pass the test and was invited to join the announcing team. JP is looking forward to being a part of the big show and helping Canada play host. Sitting next to him in the booth will be veteran Doug Lewis '82. Doug will take on the role of English Announcer for Alpine Events. Doug has a lot of experience with Olympic Games as an athlete and worker. He competed in both the 1984 Sarajevo and 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic Games, was part of the film crew in Albertville in 1992 and was the English Announcer in Salt Lake in 2002. “There is nothing more exciting and unbelievable than walking in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. It was everything that I had dreamed of times 10!!! I know that experience colors everything I do now covering the Olympics.” Doug looks forward to running into other GMVS friends like Chelsea Marshall on the race hill and everyone else who will come to watch.