Page 48 - MENU May June 2017

FRESH
TRAVIS GERRITS
LIZ BATES
Host an Olympian at your
restaurant!
A GOLD MEDAL OPPORTUNITY FOR RESTAURANTS TO GIVE BACK
activities, with breaks to recover and eat. Imagine taking a high-intensity indoor cy- cling class, but do it six times in the same day. Then I’d like you to do it six days a week. Add a job, maybe two, and juggle homework while you’re at it. It’s a 70- to 80-hour work week, and despite the assumption that Canadian athletes are well-funded like our American counter- parts, Canadian athletes receive very little in the way of nancial support. At costs averaging $80,000 per year, it’s common for athletes to have full-time jobs, as
well as relying on family and community support to fund our dreams. The joke was always that “I had a full-time job to pay for my full-time job.” It’s a comical state- ment, but the reality is a lot less funny.
RESTAURANTS, BARS AND HOSPITALITY ESTABLISHMENTS ARE GREAT SUPPORTERS OF CANADIAN ATHLETES, IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
While at university in Halifax I worked a few part-time jobs, one of which was at a local bar downtown until 3 am most Fridays. I’d grab something to eat, take a quick two-hour nap, and then head to practice for 7 am, 20 minutes away on Lake Banook. I was a full-time student and a full-time athlete with three part- time jobs to pay for training camps, equipment, school and international competitions. It’s not just getting there.
“From helping to off-set training and competition costs to helping athletes pay their monthly bills, the help these grants provide to Canadian athletes can make all the difference.”
“Mom, I’ve got $50 dollars in my bank account, I don’t know how I’m going to buy groceries this week.” It’s a call I’ve made home from training camp on more than one occasion, from more than one country. In Canada, representing your country on the international stage comes with enormous costs. I was lucky I came from a family who helped step in when I came up short. While the athletes wear the maple leaf, the real heroes are the Canadian moms and dads who remortgage houses, take out loans and support us while we chase our dreams.
The average elite level athlete trains four to six hours per day at high-intensity
BY LIZ BATES
48 MENU
MAY / JUNE 2017
Photo by Brent Snowden Photo by Tyler Gerrits