Neil Harbun - First Coca-Cola Torchbearer, carrying the Olympic Torch in Victoria, B.C
On January 11, 1988, Harbun was born and just 50
hours after giving birth, his mother carried the Olympic Torch through
Wabigoon, Ont. Now 21 years later, Harbun will carry on his
family's tradition by being a Coca-Cola Torchbearer. His mother's
actions have always inspired Harbun to live an active life. He grew up
playing football, volleyball, track and field, wrestling and
basketball. His favourite sport is football and in 2008 he was National
Champion with the Vancouver Island Raiders. With
his teammates, Harbun reached out to youth in his community to
encourage active living - mainly through running camps for children. He
also volunteers with the Children's Wish Foundation and coaches the
junior varsity football team at River East Collegiate in Winnipeg,
Man. Currently, Harbun is studying sciences at the University of
Manitoba. With this degree he hopes to help and encourage others to
Live Olympic not only by his profession, but by example.
David Calder - carrying the Olympic Torch in Victoria, B.C.
When Calder is not competing at the Olympics he is helping
deliver them. As a B.C. public servant, Calder has been working on the
delivery of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Calder has
rowed for 17 years and has represented his community, his province and
his country with honour and pride. Before his silver-medal performance
in China (with partner Scott Frandsen),
Calder won 12 National Championship titles, 11 World Cup medals and
three World Championship titles. If Calder can find enough funding, he
plans on racing at the London Olympics in 2012
with one goal: a Gold Medal. Calder has been involved with a
community-based rowing program for at-risk youth since 2000 and is now
the national spokesperson for Dynamic Opportunities For Youth. Finally,
Calder has worked hard for the successful launch of an environmental
public engagement initiative called Project Blue Sky (www.projectbluesky.ca).
The initiative uses the 'star power' of Olympic, Paralympic and other
athletes to encourage everyone to reduce their personal carbon
footprint. Sharing stories, building communities and connecting with
your favourite athlete are ways that the project draws users.
Chris Kantowicz - carrying the Olympic Torch in Victoria, B.C.
Kantowicz's career has spanned various leadership roles in both
the arts and sustainability fields - always balancing economic concerns
with the equally valuable artistic, social and environmental ones. An
MBA from the Sauder School of Business at UBC supports this experience
with specializations in sustainability and strategic management.
Kantowicz currently is a project lead on Project Blue Sky, which
encourages everyone to join Canada's top athletes in an online
community taking positive steps to fight climate change - by tracking
your carbon reductions by logging the kilometres you walk, cycle or
ride public transit. (www.projectbluesky.ca)
Jason Mackay - carrying the Olympic Torch in Central Saanich, B.C.
Mackay's father was an electrician, so from an early age he was
taught the importance of being aware of his energy consumption. His
family made sure to switch off lights and turn off the television, so
they could conserve energy-and save money! Now Mackay works fulltime
for a power distributer in British Columbia to create awareness of the
importance of power conservation. In his personal life, Mackay and his
friends started a video production company, which creates films that
focus on the human element of energy conservation. In his work life,
Mackay developed a series of online videos that could educate the
public on how to be more energy efficient and sustainable. Through tips
like how to draft proof your home, use energy efficient lighting and
cut back on water usage, Mackay has proven to be an excellent steward
of energy conservation in British Columbia.
Kristy Aikman - carrying the Olympic Torch in Songhees, B.C.
Aikman, from Port Alberni, British Columbia has always had a
passion for active living. She uses physical activity to inspire others
and to raise money for a very important cause. Aikman, with two of her
friends, recently set out to raise $10,000 for the
Leukemia Ward at BC Children's Hospital. They organized a walk from
Port Alberni to Nanaimo and accomplished the strenuous 13.5 hour trek
while raising over $3,000. In April 2009, they raised another $1,000 when they collaborated with other volunteers to plan an event on the Simon Fraser
University campus that included dancing, singing and other fitness
activities. Aikman and her friends are using physical activity as a
vehicle for change.
Saturday, October 31st
Carolyn Murray - carrying the Olympic Torch in Cowichan Bay, B.C.
Murray recently experienced the magic of the Olympic Games as a competitor in the 2008 BeijingVancouverBeijing
was the closing ceremony where she could feel the true spirit of the
games. Having achieved her goals in sport, Murray has chosen to pass on
her experience and knowledge to the future Olympians in Triathlon. She
coaches the Junior and U23 Development athletes in Victoria and is
working to give them the tools they need to be successful athletes. She
hopes that one day she will see some of these athletes in future
Olympic Games. Although she is not competing anymore, the value of
being active in sport is still present in her everyday life. She works
to be a strong model for the younger athletes. Murray is excited to be
a Coca-Cola Torchbearer as it will allow her to once again feel the
Olympic magic.
Olympic Games. Since a young age, Murray has been involved in sports.
After many years of hard work, she qualified for the Olympic Games in
Triathlon. The experience was something Murray will never forget and
she can feel the same energy building as the 2010 Winter Olympics in approach.
Hailey Toriglia - carrying the Olympic Torch in Cedar, B.C.
Toriglia wanted to help save the planet, so the first thing she
did was challenge her family to recycle. She found that with very
little effort, her Blue Box was overflowing with recyclables - ones
that before would have been sent to a landfill. Toriglia's father, a
'pack-rat', taught her how to reuse all sorts of treasures that had
been sitting around their home. What they could not use in new and
interesting ways were donated to their local thrift shop. Soon after,
Toriglia wanted to decrease what went into their Blue Box by trying to
reduce some of the plastic containers they purchased. She also planted
a vegetable garden at her and her grandparent's home, so they could
enjoy local, fresh produce while reducing the amount of waste they
produced. Toriglia's entire family is making changes to their daily
routines (shorter showers, turning off the lights and putting on a
sweater instead of turning up the heat) all in an effort to reduce
their impact on the environment - they are even converting their
swimming pool heater from gas to solar. Toriglia also started walking
everywhere she can, which is great exercise and doesn't burn gas!
James Mather - carrying the Olympic Torch in Mill Bay, B.C.
Mather plays on his school rugby team and plays hockey in his
community. Mather has played school and community soccer, he swims and
he alpine races. At home, he prefers to do active, outdoor chores and
often rides his bike to get around. Mather goes to the gym every day
after school to enhance his performance in competitive sports and
enjoyment of recreational activities. His efforts towards leading a
healthy and active life have inspired his mother to go to the gym with
him. As a result, his mother has benefited from lowered cholesterol,
stronger muscles to support arthritic joints and greater enjoyment of
other activities. Mather, during a five-day school trip, camped on a
lake during the night and rock climbed throughout the day. Some of his
fellow classmates were too scared of heights to try rock climbing, so
Mather persuaded them to try it and overcome their fears. They ended up
loving the sport and had Mather to thank. Mather's leadership taught
him that the value of an active lifestyle goes beyond physical fitness
as it also provides a sense of accomplishment and achievement.
