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Originally Posted by FFR
Totally agree. I was an elite level athlete for a number of years and had to work a full time job to support my morning and evening training.
That's why I want to see a culture shift in Canada towards expecting winning. If we, as a nation, expect winning - it will demand more from our government and sport programs in terms of funding. Athletes in Canada are woefully underfunded and it impacts their ability to train to be the best in the world. I think that lack of funding stems from the general opinion that just getting to the Olympics and having a personal best is satisfactory. Why put more money and effort into sport (as a government) when we are happy with Canadian records and personal bests? It's a really attainable goal that will continue to be achieved. We need higher goals to effect change in Canada's amateur sport scene.
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I think we need more venues too. Recreational venues serve a greater purpose than people think. If there was a moguls hill 30 minutes from me, it would be a lot easier for me to have interest in the sport than half way across the country. More speed-skating ovals (or ice-rinks that can double as speed-skating ovals on weekends, etc), a couple ski jumps. It is true though, we underfund athletes and we need greater overall exposure of these sports. Everyone likes to play hockey, but hockey is a much more expensive game to get your kids into than having them try out some of these sports.