At 71, Carole Gair can look back on a stellar time in the race pool since she began to teach swimming at 16 years of age. In the ensuing 55 years, Gair estimates that she has taught more than 3,000 people to swim, including three who would claim Olympic medals in the race pool for Canada, Leslie Cliff, Bill Mahony and Bruce Robertson.
Cliff won silver in the 400 medley behind Australian Gail Neall at the 1972 Games in Munich, Robertson claimed silver behind Mark Spitz in the 100m buttefly and both he and Mahony claimed relay bronzes.
Gair is not done with her Olympic connections: she will carry the Olympic torch today in North Delta as the winter Games edge closer to launch in Vancouver on Friday. "It's quite humbling," Gair told the Vancouver Sun. "I really feel I'm carrying it for them."
Some of Canada's more recent Olympic swimmers and aspiring London 2012ers, including current crew Brent Hayden, Annamay Pierse of Edmonton, Scott Dickens, Rick Say, Benoit Huot and Richard Hortness will be among summer sport helping with a little Olympic spirit at their home winter Games. Alongside them will be Swimming Canada CEO and National Coach Pierre Lafontaine, who will be part of the winter Games as part of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) Coaching Mentorship Program.
Say, will be "servicing and mentoring" Whistler-based competitors. He said: “It’s very important that our Canadian athletes feel at ease with all the extras you get when you compete at an Olympic Games. The COC has put together a terrific group of experts to help facilitate our athletes’ stay in the village and I’m very happy to be part of contributing to their success.”
Lafontaine said: "My role with these young coaches will be to get them to experience all the little details you have to face when you’re at major multi-sport games. Whether it’s team logistics, transportation, accreditation, athlete villages, working with the media, taking part in these sessions will be a valuable opportunity for them to live it before they hit the ground in London 2012.”
Huot's role "will be to talk about sports to the general public. It’s great to be involved in the Vancouver games and talk to people on a something that I’m so passionate about,."
Swimming Canada noted that Vancouver-based Olympic swimmers Annamay Pierse, Brent Hayden and Scott Dickens will be returning home from warm weather winter training camps. Being in Vancouver during the Games was an important part of their preparation for this summer’s major events.
“It is always motivational to see fellow Canadians succeed, and I try as much as possible to use that as inspiration for my own swimming,” said Pierse. “Seeing how well Canadians do this winter is for sure going to help my swimming this summer, I want to carry on the success of our nation, and will be training extra hard to do so.”
Hayden says that having the Olympics hosted in Canada is a great motivator as he targets London 2012. “It'll help refocus my training on the Olympics again and will obviously motivate me for my competitions this summer."
