The 2012 Rotary Sportsmans Dinner packed the Athabasca Regional Multiplex last Friday as close to 500 people came to enjoy the evening with a pair of Canada ’s Olympic champions.
The 2012 Rotary Sportsmans Dinner packed the Athabasca Regional Multiplex last Friday as close to 500 people came to enjoy the evening with a pair of Canada ’s Olympic champions.
Olympic gold medalist Mark Tewksbury and world-class coach Debbie Muir were the special guests at the event, following in the footsteps of names like Gordie Howe, Kevin Lowe and Mike “Pinball ” Clemons before them.
The world knows Tewksbury as a champion swimmer who won the gold medal in the 100-metre backstroke at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He continues to be active in the world of athletics and will serve as the chef de mission for Team Canada at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Muir, meanwhile, has become known as the “coach of the coaches ”. She coached a number of athletes (including Tewksbury) to Olympic glory and has served as a mentor for other coaches. Now the pair speaks as a team, and they brought all of their expertise, enthusiasm and wit to their presentation in Athabasca.
That presentation, derived from their book “The Great Traits of Champions: Fundamentals for Achievers, Leaders and Legacy Leavers ” highlighted three traits that everyone can incorporate into their lives to have success; being aware, creating synergy and generating enthusiasm. Though they perfected their philosophies in the sporting world, they are applicable everywhere, and the guests were happy to see the lessons sink in.
“Everyone was so engaged and energetic, and it rippled out to Mark and I on the stage, ” said Muir. “I really hope they take away the mind-body connection and how they can use it to help themselves as individuals and to understand that ’s what our athletes do, and it ’s simple. That ’s what we can all do. ”
But beyond helping any one individual, the real message was to work as a team, whether in sports, business or community.
“Everyone is coming to the table with their own areas of expertise and collaborating and sharing, so that the result at the end of the day is really great, ” she said.
Tewksbury also enjoyed the evening and felt right at home among the hundreds of attendees.
“It was fantastic, ” he said. “It was a special night. There were so many different members of the community here, and even at our table, not everyone knew each other. We saw the magic that happens when people come together. ”
One example of that magic was the money raised by the event. Athabasca Rotary Club president Rob Balay estimated a tally between $80-90,000, though the exact total isn ’t yet known.
That would make it one of the most successful Sportsmans Dinners the club has ever hosted.
“We ’re very pleased with the attendance and the amount we were able to raise. It was a very successful evening for everyone involved, ” he said. “We want to thank all of our sponsors (and) everyone who attended and helped support the event. Without them, we couldn ’t do this. ”
Aside from listening to the guest speakers, the night included a sumptuous feast, the Lucky 13 raffle, a live and silent auction and lots of opportunities to mingle with members of the community.
“I think it will be the event of the year, ” said Balay.
