Mayor's Breakfast

Honouring Sport

Gord Smith is the Chair of the Calgary Sport Council Board of Directors and brings to the Board a wealth of experience in community leadership, coaching and volunteerism.   As General Manager of the Varsity Community Association, Gord has been instrumental in enhancing the quality of Community for Varsity since 1997.  He has contributed to the positive development of children and youth through delivery of indoor and outdoor sports programs and is a dedicated advocate for all community sport.  Gord was a professional badminton coach for 14 years in both Calgary and Toronto and is an honorary lifetime member of Badminton Alberta.  He was also a touring Canadian Team Coach for 4 years and a Technical Director for a national amateur sport organization in Ottawa for 6 years. He is an accomplished lecturer, having presented at both national and international coaching conferences, and has also published academic papers and manuals on coach education.  Gord has extensive experience in the volunteer sector as former Vice President and Treasurer of the Calgary Boys and Girls Clubs and as a former Charter Executive Member of the Calgary Rotary Club.   He also sits on the Charity Review Committee and the Appeals Committee of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Alberta.  Gord is a devoted father to his three adult children and proud grandfather of three.    

Dale Henwood has been the President of the Canadian Sport Centre Calgary since its establishment in April 1994.  He received both a Bachelor of Physical Education degree and a Masters degree from the University Alberta as well as an MBA from the University of Calgary.  Over the past 25 years, he has been a hockey coach at the college, university and national team level and a senior sport administrator in the provincial and Canadian sport system.  He has been involved in sport at all levels, as a participant, as a community volunteer, as a coach and as a sport administrator.  He has extensive volunteer leadership experiences at the municipal, provincial and national level and within his church and at the school, and community.

Sue Cunningham was born and raised in Calgary and began her sport endeavors as alpine ski racer for the Skimeisters of Calgary. She spent 12 years racing including 2 years on the Alberta Ski Team as well as racing for the University of Calgary. Sue holds a Bachelor of Physical Education from the University of Calgary and has been actively involved in sport and recreation in Alberta. She was the Recreation Director for the Town of Innisfail before joining the City of Calgary as a Recreation Coordinator. Sue was also the Outdoor Pursuits Coordinator for Leisure Learning Services as well as coordinating the Mayor’s Day Challenge. Her current position is Sport Development Coordinator. Much of her passion for sports has been as a result of her four children participating in a variety of sports. She loves watching hockey, football, basketball, and baseball and has been coach, manager and chauffeur. Since 2002, you could find Sue at the top of the Bobsleigh track at COP. Sue had the opportunity to experience first hand the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino to cheer on her son Nathan as a member of the Olympic team.   

Stu Holtan has Bachelor degrees in Physical Education and Education and a Graduate Diploma in Human Resources from the University of Calgary. Stuart recently retired from the Calgary Board of Education after 31 years as a teacher and Curriculum Leader for Athletics. As the representative on the Calgary Sport Council for the Calgary Senior High School Athletic Association he brings with him a wealth of knowledge regarding the needs and diversity of high school athletics. Stuart served as the Chairman for Track and Field for the Calgary High school sports for 21 years and was actively involved provincially as the Commissioner for Track and Field for the Alberta Schools Athletic Association for 6 years.  He is a fully accredited NCCP Level 3 Jumps coach and a Level 1 course conductor for Track and Field. Stuart served as event coach for the Canadian Legion summers camps in track and field and participated in the Legion National Championships as an assistant and head coach for a number of years.  In 2001 he was the Team Manager for Team Alberta Athletics at the Canada Summer games. He coached volleyball for 31 years, 25 of which were at the high school level, and also assistant coached the U of C Men’s Dino’s. Stuart has been involved with the sport of bobsleigh since 1986; for the past 10 years, he has been the President of Foothills Bobsleigh, Calgary’s inaugural bobsleigh club. In 2000, he competed as a bobsleigh pilot and placed 6^th in the Canadian Championships in the 2 man. He continues to support high school sports and is very active in his retired life.

Nicky Brown - Secretary
Nicky Brown was born in the UK, approximately 30 miles North of London and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sport & Exercise & Marketing Management from the University of Gloucestershire.  Prior to coming to Canada, Nicky worked for the University Sports Office as a Sports Administrator in the UK and spent some time traveling in Australia.  She came to Canada in 2002 for a summer and then moved here in March 2003. Currently, Nicky is the Sport & Wellness Team Leader at Cardel Place where she oversees Group Fitness Drop In Classes, Registered Sport & Wellness Programs and Personal Training.  Prior to joining the team at Cardel Place, Nicky worked for the Calgary Rugby Union for 2 years, first as the Sports Administrator and then as the Rugby Director where she was the Organizing Committee Chair for the Churchill Cup Rugby Tournament which was held here in Calgary.  Nicky trained in Martial Arts for 10 years before she found rugby. She played rugby for 12 years for various clubs in the UK and also traveled and played in Australia. Nicky has played for and coached the Hornets Rugby senior women’s team in Calgary for last 4 years.

Justin Higa
Justin Higa was elected to the Calgary Sport Council Board of Directors in October 2006.  Justin has both professional and educational experience in sport administration and coaching, and is a passionate participant in sport himself.  Justin is currently the Climbing and Fitness Centre Team Leader at Cardel Place and is an instructor of both indoor wall climbing and learn to skate programs.  Formerly, he was an Athletic Development Program Coordinator at Talisman Centre and a Fitness Consultant at World Health Club.  Justin has a Physical Activity and Sport Administration Diploma from Mt. Royal College and holds numerous certifications.  He is an NCCP Certified Power Skating and Hockey Coach and is certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides as a Climbing Gym Instructor.  He is also a Certified Open Water Diver.  A sport enthusiast himself, Justin plays in the Western Recreational Adult Hockey League and the Calgary Flag Football League and is an avid snowboarder and rock climber.

Charlotte MacNaughton - Vice Chairperson
Charlotte MacNaughton has been a Director on the Calgary Sport Council Board since 2004 and is currently Vice Chairperson.  A committed athlete and advocate for sport, Charlotte has a masters degree in sport sociology with a research background examining the educational aspects of sport.  Charlotte is passionate about the sport of orienteering as both a competitor and an administrator.  She is a member of the Canadian national orienteering team and has competed numerous times at the World Orienteering Championships. She currently President and Interim Executive Director of the Canadian Orienteering Federation.  She has worked in for various provincial and national sport organizations including the Canadian Olympic Committee. She was a volunteer member of the Canadian mission staff at the Sydney and Torino Olympic Games and is currently Chair of the Alberta Youth Olympic Symposium, a leadership development program for high school students in Alberta built on the Olympic Movement and its values.  As a life-long Calgarian and avid runner, Charlotte is a devoted user of Calgary’s great parks and pathways.

Scott F. Hayes - Past Chair
Scott Hayes is a founding Member of the Calgary Sport Council and provided strong leadership as President from 2000-2007.  He continues to make a valuable contribution to the Calgary Sport Council as Past Chair, bringing to the Board a lifelong passion and unmatched enthusiasm for sport.  Scott has been with the Alberta Gymnastics Federation since 1997 and currently holds the position of President and CEO.  He has extensive experience in the Provincial and National sport systems as an athlete, coach, judge and administrator.  Having worked with amateur athletes of all ages and abilities, from grassroots to elite, Scott has developed widespread knowledge of the sport delivery system and is committed to enhancing it for all participants.  As a volunteer, Scott has successfully established and managed not for profit amateur sport organizations and he is currently the Vice President of Sport Alberta, a position he has held since 2004.  Scott is a third generation Calgarian who, not surprisingly, enjoys the mountains in the winter, and is an avid golfer and softball player in the summer.

Pearl Doupe
Pearl Doupe holds a Bachelor of Physical Education Degree from the University of Alberta and has a wide range of experience in sport and recreation in Alberta.  Pearl is currently the Executive Director of the Calgary United Soccer Association, playing host to over 1,700 games and 4,500 active players per season.  Formerly, Pearl was a Recreation Manager for the City of Wetaskiwin, the Assistant Manager of the 1993 Alberta Summer Games and a Recreation Development Officer in the Inuvik Region.  In addition to being a former basketball and fastball player herself, Pearl has coached squirt, pee wee and bantam girl’s fastball as well as Sr. & Jr. High School and Bantam girl’s basketball.  She is also a former Zone 4 Quarterly Grant Committee member and former member of Central Alberta Recreation Association.