Huge congratulations to Sylvie Bernier who will lead Canada’s best athletes as the Chef de Mission at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing China! Copied from the COC press release "As an Olympic gold medalist, an Olympic broadcaster, an Assistant Chef de Mission and a Canadian icon, Sylvie Bernier is the perfect choice to lead Canada in 2008," said COC Vice President Jean Dupré. At the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Sylvie demonstrated that she has a unique ability to relate to Canada's athletes, coaches and team members. She truly has a passion for high-performance sport in Canada and the value of her knowledge and expertise will be immeasurable as we continue to build a culture of summer Olympic excellence en route to Beijing." Enjoy the next two years, Sylvie! We will be watching your preparation and travels to Beijing with great pride!

And sadly, as life goes in highs and lows, I am sorry to inform you of the death of Maureen McCashin, in late April. Bernie McCashin was President of Diving Plongeon Canada in 1996 – 1998. For years Bernie and Maureen were great supporters of Diving both nationally and in Alberta, and our sincere condolences go out to Bernie and Patrick, a former diver with Rocky Mountain Diving Club, and their entire family.

Some tidbits and congratulations from Alberta (thank you Eryn!):

• Barb Gorst is getting married to Chris Renaud, former world champion and two times Olympian swimmer, in Banff this July.
• Chris Le Poole has been hired as a First Officer (pilot) with West Jet
• Jeff Liberty and his wife Nicole had a little girl, Carys, in October
• Jack Tinney, former Regina coach, and his wife Tanya, had a little girl in mid-December, Katherine Naomi
• Cindy Aiello, former Dive Calgary member, had a little girl in the fall, Taiya. She and husband Kirk also have a 2-1/2 year old little boy Markus

I was delighted to hear from Adrian David just before I was preparing to mail this off to everyone. Adrian is currently living in Lincoln, Nebraska USA. She went to the States in 1996 on a diving scholarship to the University of Arizona, where her coach was Michele Mitchell. She dove from 1996-2001. In the fall of 2002 she began Law School in Lincoln Nebraska at the University of Nebraska, graduating in May of 2005, and took and passed the bar in Washington State. Adrian just got married on May 5 (congratulations Adrian!) and she and her hubby are moving up to Seattle at the beginning of August to be closer to her sister and father who are in Vancouver. Sadly, her mother Pauline, a lovely lady and a great volunteer for BC Diving, passed away in the spring of 2005 from cancer. Daniel David graduated last May with a nursing degree and works in a hospital in Vancouver.

Further congratulations to ….. Tim Jones and his wife on the birth of their son Darren James Ford Jones who arrived a little earlier than expected, approximately 6.5 weeks premature. He is doing well, and Tim and his family are moving to St. Johns NL this summer where Tim will teach at Memorial University ….. Tony Revitt who successfully passed his Canadian physiotherapy exams and is now working in a clinic in Ottawa ….. Anne Montminy who has been elected Vice-Chair of the COC Athletes Committee and will join Gord Peterson on the Executive Committee of the COC ….. Larry Flewwelling and his wife on the birth of their 2nd baby (boy) on March 18, 2006. Brandon weighed in at 8lbs 10oz. and was tipping the scales at 14lbs after just 6 weeks!! ….. and finally, to Don Adams who has resigned from Equine Canada. After 9 years as their Executive Director, and 25 years within Amateur sport, Don has decided to take a mini-break from the workforce to relax and re-charge. He has no immediate plans for the future other than accomplishing some personal goals over the summer, including a few extra rounds of golf and spending time at the cottage. Don will pursue new opportunities in the sport or not for profit community in the fall or winter. A well deserved holiday, Don!

That’s it for now! My hubby, Herman, is retiring this week, and on the weekend we are heading off on a cross-country camping trip to Calgary, with the dog riding shotgun! The black flies, the price of gas, and our sciatica will determine the extent of our travels! I’ll be in touch in the fall looking for more news!

Enjoy your summer! Bev