Discover Canada's Paralympic "Super Athletes"

Canadian Paralympic Committee launches bold marketing campaign promoting Paralympic athletes and sports

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OTTAWA, Jan. 23, 2012 /CNW/ - They are the fighters. The odds-defiers. The never-say-nevers. Through an unshakable determination, fierce passion and sheer willpower, they have accomplished what many athletes dream of doing, but few actually can: to go beyond the norm and achieve what many thought impossible.

• Meet cross-country skier Brian McKeever, a seven-time Paralympic gold medallist known as "The Professor."
• Wheelchair curler Sonja Gaudet, a Paralympic gold medallist from Vancouver 2010, is "The Brain."
• Sledge hockey national team player and Afghanistan veteran Dominic Larocque is dubbed "The Warrior."
• And alpine skier Viviane Forest, winner of five medals at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games, is nicknamed "The Falcon."

They're the first four in a new series of distinctive, gutsy 45-second athlete vignettes now launched at facebook.com/CDNParalympics and online at Paralympic.ca/superathletes.

"The minute you get complacent in training is the minute you get left behind," warns McKeever, whose vignette explains how, having only peripheral vision, he memorizes every bump and turn in the race course. "It's a desire to better ourselves. It's an honor and a privilege to be able to compete at this level."

McKeever (Canmore, AB), Gaudet (Vernon, BC), Larocque (Quebec, QC) and Forest (Edmonton, AB) represent Paralympic winter sports.

In April 2012, the Canadian Paralympic Committee will unveil its summer sport vignettes, featuring 15 athletes who will compete at the London 2012 Paralympic Summer Games.

The Super Athlete vignettes are designed to generate awareness and interest in Paralympic sport, to promote Paralympic athletes and illustrate the highly competitive nature of the Paralympic Games.

In the vignettes, every athlete is given a nickname that resonates with attitude and is based on their specific competitive profile and character.

"The vignettes grab viewers' attention by showing them a side of these Paralympic athletes they've never seen before," says Henry Storgaard, CEO of the Canadian Paralympic Committee. "The imagery is full of attitude and pride and it generates an inspirational, formidable, empowering feeling. What a privilege it is to work with the Executive Producer of the Olympic Broadcast Consortium, Don Young."

A second "behind the scenes" video profile (two minutes each) for every Super Athlete explores how the athlete became involved in parasport and what it means to them to represent their country, with the goal of inviting viewers to get involved.

Vignettes were produced by Liz Dussault of FamilyStyle, in collaboration with CTV, Canada's Olympic Broadcast Consortium.

"We're trying to change the way that people look at athletes who have disabilities and I'd love for this campaign to inspire people to step up their game in any aspect of their lives," says Dussault. "These are athletes fighting for their country and there's no sympathy needed from anyone. It's just true, bold inspiration."

In addition to the vignettes, facebook.com/CDNParalympics and Paralympic.ca/superathletes provide the following information on every Super Athlete: Quick Facts, How He/She Does It, Training Regime, Sponsor Support, What Keeps Him/Her Going, and Getting Involved in Parasport.

PHOTOGRAPHY AVAILABLE.

About the Canadian Paralympic Committee

The Canadian Paralympic Committee is a non-profit, private organization with 46 member sports organizations dedicated to strengthening the Paralympic movement. The Canadian Paralympic Committee's vision is to be the world's leading Paralympic nation. Its mission is to lead the development of a sustainable Paralympic sport system in Canada to enable athletes to reach the podium at the Paralympic Games. By supporting Canadian Paralympic athletes and promoting their success, the Canadian Paralympic Committee inspires all Canadians with a disability to get involved in sport through programs delivered by its member organizations. For more information, visit www.paralympic.ca.

Image with caption: "Sonja Gaudet, one of the "Super Athletes" featured in the Canadian Paralympic Committee's bold new marketing campaign promoting Paralympic athletes and sports. (CNW Group/CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE (CPC))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120123_C5937_PHOTO_EN_9079.jpg

Image with caption: "Viviane Forest, one of the "Super Athletes" featured in the Canadian Paralympic Committee's bold new marketing campaign promoting Paralympic athletes and sports. (CNW Group/CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE (CPC))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120123_C5937_PHOTO_EN_9077.jpg

Image with caption: "Brian McKeever, one of the "Super Athletes" featured in the Canadian Paralympic Committee's bold new marketing campaign promoting Paralympic athletes and sports. (CNW Group/CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE (CPC))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120123_C5937_PHOTO_EN_9075.jpg

Image with caption: "Dominic Larocque, one of the "Super Athletes" featured in the Canadian Paralympic Committee's bold new marketing campaign promoting Paralympic athletes and sports. (CNW Group/CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE (CPC))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120123_C5937_PHOTO_EN_9081.jpg

or to schedule an athlete interview, please contact:

Mark Dottori
Director, Marketing and Communications
Canadian Paralympic Committee
Tel: [phone] ext. 242
Cell: 613-294-5961
[email protected]

Alison Korn
Manager, Media Relations
Canadian Paralympic Committee
Tel: [phone] ext. 243
Cell: 613-298-4927
[email protected]

Web: Paralympic.ca

Facebook: Facebook.com/CDNParalympics 
Twitter: @CDNParalympics [#superathletes]
YouTube: YouTube.com/CDNParalympics