University of Calgary

Experts

 

Going beyond human boundaries

Gregor Wolbring, Faculty of Medicine, is a featured speaker in the Globe and Mail's series of podcasts, Intellectual Muscle, University Dialogues for Vancouver 2010. In his talk, Wolbring discusses advances in science and technology, body assistive devices and the future of sports. | Read the transcript.

Professor chosen for his “intellectual muscle”

Haskayne tourism marketing expert Simon Hudson will be part of the 2010 Olympic Games’ Intellectual Muscle lecture series.

Portrait of a Three-time Olympian: Danielle Goyette, Women’s Hockey

When you’re an athletic kid growing up in a town of only 800 people, you play on pretty much every sports team there is. That was the case for Danielle Goyette as she spent her childhood and youth in St-Nazaire, Quebec, a village three hours north of Quebec City.

 

No Crystal Ball

Experience has taught Dinos Women’s Hockey Head Coach, Danielle Goyette one thing—never make a prediction on who will win gold at the Olympics.

24 seconds

Canada’s freestyle skiers get one shot at Olympic glory.  Kinesiology’s sport psychologist, Dave Paskevich, helps them to be ready.

The Ice Man

Olympic Oval’s Mark Messer is the man the world comes to for perfect ice, every time.

Experts

Making the world’s fastest ice

Two Olympic Oval staff have been contracted to coordinate the ice making, resurfacing and upkeep during the 2010 Olympics for long track speed skating. Facility specialist Mark Messer and ice tech Terry Masikewicz have been asked to help train the staff at the Richmond Oval how to flood the ice properly, fix the ice after competitions, etc. Messer has been consulting on the project since the building plans were drawn up. He is likely the top speed skating oval ice maker in the world, and has worked at the Olympic Oval since the 1988 Olympics and consulted on the Salt Lake and Torino Olympics’ ovals. He put the gold maple leaf in the Torino Oval ice.
Mark Messer
Phone: 403-220-7889
Email: mmesser@ucalgary.ca
Terry Masikewicz
Phone: (403) 220-7905

The science of the crash-pad

U of C mechanical engineer Cliff Johston and Olympic Oval research director Sean Maw have developed a new short track pad system that VANOC have bought and implemented in the Pacific Coliseum for the short track events at the 2010 Olympics. Their pads have also been bought by Salt Lake’s short track facility (Kearns Oval) and the Calgary Oval is also hoping to buy new pads to replace our system – which is 10 years old now.
Dr. Clifton Johnston
Phone: (403) 220-6116
Email: clifton.johnston@ucalgary.ca
Sean Maw
Phone: 403.210.9480
Email: smaw@ucalgary.ca

Veteran volunteers

Several volunteers that help the Olympic Oval run competitions and practice races every Saturday morning have been hired or accepted as volunteers by VANOC (Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee). Many of these volunteers have been helping the Oval since the 1988 Olympics and are integral in making sure the events run well. They do a tonne of things including: helping set up, run the timing system, post the results, referee, count laps and start the races.
To get in touch with members of the Olympic Oval volunteers contact Don McSwiney
Phone: (403) 220-7652
Email: don.mcswiney@ucalgary.ca

Mind-games

Sports psychologist Dave Paskevich works with several of the Canadian national teams including the Free-Style Ski team. He has a fascinating perspective on preparation, peak performance and techniques that he teaches for individuals not to get "psyched" out during competition.
Dave Paskevich
Phone:403-220-3434
Email: dpaskevi@ucalgary.ca

Careful what you eat

Kelly Anne Erdmann is a dietitian with the Sport Medicine Centre and an expert in the field of high performance nutrition. Many of her clients are high performance athletes, and she is a great source for foods that could lead to a test for drugs etc.
Kelly Anne Erdmann
Phone:(403) 220-8232
Email: kannecar@telus.net

Rewind that

Larry Katz is an expert in the field of technology and video analysis. Katz has been working with high performance athletes and teams to use video feedback for everything from bio-mechanical analysis to team play analysis (hockey etc.) Larry has also done some work with virtual reality environments. Larry Katz
Phone: 403-220-3418
Email: katz@ucalgary.ca

Olympic history

Faculty of Kinisiology professor Doug Brown is an expert in sports history and Olympic history in particular. Brown has a love/hate relationship with the Olympic Games—particularly with the International Olympic Committee and the exploitative game he believes they play with the athletes.
Doug Brown
Phone: (403) 220-7955
Email: dbrow@ucalgary.ca

All things training

Dave Smith is the lead scientist with Winsport and Own The Podium. Smith is one of Canada's premiere exercise physiologists and an absolute authority in all things training relate.
Dave Smith
Phone: (403) 220-3440
e-mail: djsmith@kin.ucalgary.ca

Gold medalist speaks to Olympic hockey

Danielle Goyette is former multiple gold medalist in Women's hockey and a former flag bearer for the Canadian Olympic team in Torino. She is currently the coach of the Dinos women's hockey team.
Danielle Goyette
Phone: (403) 220-8807
Email: danielle.goyette@ucalgary.ca