http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/They+athletes+pure+simple/6533417/stor
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They're athletes, pure and simple
 
 
 

Paralympians launch awareness campaign to sensitize public to their
achievements
 
 
 
By MATTHEW ROSS, The GazetteApril 28, 2012
 
 
 










 
 





The Canadian Paralympic Committee took centre stage at the Défi Sportif on
Friday with a bold and compelling message: Paralympic athletes are athletes
- period.
 
Designed as a showcase for the CPC's new and aggressive marketing campaign
featuring 18 "Super Athletes," the news conference attempted to put names,
faces and even nicknames to the 12 potential Paralympians in attendance.
 
Several dignitaries were also on hand at the Claude Robillard Sports
Complex, a major hub for this week's Défi Sportif, an international event
that gathers athletes of all levels and ages with disabilities. More than
4,000 athletes from about 15 countries are in Montreal, competing in several
disciplines.
 
The event, which started on Monday, wraps up Sunday.
 
Henry Storrgaard, CEO of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, introduced the
new Super Athletes campaign, complete with edgy video vignettes that
emphasize the competitiveness of these elite athletes. Storrgaard talked
about the need to create public awareness for the competitiveness and
achievements of Canadian Paralympians, who will compete at London's
Paralympic Games from Aug. 29 to Sept. 9. Canada won 10 gold medals at the
2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver.
 
Senator Larry Smith was one of the dignitaries present Friday. The former
Alouettes player and president addressed the many aspiring Paralympians and
local-area children in attendance.
 
"It's not just about participating," Smith said. "We have to believe that we
can win."
 
Two of the most decorated Canadian Paralympians were introduced among the 12
Super Athletes - wheelchair racer Diane Roy and swimmer Benoit Huot.
 
In her 20th year of competitive racing, Roy has been a runner-up in
wheelchair racing to legend Chantal Petitclerc more than once, but the
Sherbrooke native has enjoyed most of the national spotlight in her
discipline over the last few years. And Roy, 41, is as competitive as ever,
placing third in this year's Boston Marathon and winning a recent
10-kilometre race in Ottawa. Her strength is in the longer distances.
 
"Back when I started competing, it used to be that you'd train six months
for an event," she said. "Today, training is a full-time commitment. Time
standards are becoming more and more difficult."
 
Nicknamed "The War Horse" as part of the Super Athletes campaign, Roy does
not officially have a ticket punched to London yet. However, she is a heavy
favourite at her sport's Canadian trials, slated for June 27-30 in Calgary,
where she will attempt to qualify in five events en route to her fifth
Paralympic Games.
 
Despite her international success and longevity, Roy knows the importance of
doing all she can to create more awareness for disabled sports.
 
"Events like the Défi Sportif are incredibly important in creating
visibility and in encouraging more kids to participate in these sports," she
said. "Canada has high rate of participation (for disabled athletes), but
many countries around the world do not."
 
Despite her hectic racing schedule, Roy will compete in a Défi Sportif 10-km
race on Saturday.
 

Another of the athletes on hand Friday was swimmer Huot. Tabbed with "The
Shark" moniker as one of the Super Athletes, Huot has not let being born
with a club foot slow him down. The 28-yearold from St. Hubert has already
met the time standard for London, but awaits his official selection to the
team in June.
 
"I'm all for the shark nickname," he said. "If it makes my competitors
scared of me, then I'm all for it."
 
Huot holds or has held several world and Canadian records. He said that 31
swimmers have met the Canadian Paralympic time standard, and that 25 will be
selected to compete in London, where he hopes to swim in five events.
 
"The Défi Sportif is a great opportunity for the kids participating," he
said. "When I participated in the Défi, swimming was just a demonstration
sport. I would like to see it become a regular stop for swimmers and results
count toward the international rankings."
 
As ambassadors of their sports, Huot and Roy hope their achievements can
continue to inspire those who need inspiration the most.
 
They also know the future of the Canadian Paralympic team might just be on
display during competition this weekend at the Défi Sportif.
 
To view the Canadian Paralympic Committee's Super Athletes vignettes, go to
paralympic.ca/superathletes. For more on the Défi Sportif, go to
defisportif.com
 
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