Rocky Mountaineer, owner and operator of the world-acclaimed Rocky Mountaineer train is pleased to announce its sponsorship of Kamloops, BC Speed Skater, Victoria Spence through a continued partnership with BC’s Growing Champions. With a strong commitment to sustainable development and supporting the communities through which the train operates, it was a natural choice for Rocky Mountaineer to foster the ambitions of an athlete from Kamloops, one of the overnight stops along the two-day rail journey. The sponsorship will help Victoria pursue her goal to qualify for the national team and represent Canada in the 2014 and 2018 Winter Games.

“With the excitement of the 2010 Games, we’re reminded of the enormous commitment it takes to succeed as a competitive athlete,” said Hubert Wat, VP, Marketing of Rocky Mountaineer. “We hope our support will help Victoria realize her dream to become a world-class athlete and represent Canada at the highest level.”

Rocky Mountaineer is committed to its sustainable development mandate to contribute to the economic and social wellbeing of the regions along its rail routes. Rocky Mountaineer has invested $15,000 to Growing Champions over a three year period. The funding will help offset Victoria’s expenses for frequent travel and the cost of high-performance equipment and training facilities’ fees.

“The funding from Rocky Mountaineer will enable me to keep growing as an athlete and assist me in achieving my ultimate sporting goals,” said Victoria Spence. “This investment will help me gain the experience, training and coaching required to qualify for the 2010 and 2011 Junior World Championships and I could not be more thrilled.”

Recent first-place finishes have been exciting for 17 year-old Victoria, who has spent the last six years competing in both Short-Track and Long-Track Speed Skating. She finished first in the 2009 North American Speed Skating Championships (3,000m category) in Calgary and first in the 2009 BC Long Track Championships in Richmond. Victoria’s short term goal is to make the Long Track Junior Worlds Team for the 3,000m distance in the next two years. Then, she would love to qualify for the national team and represent Canada in the 2014 and 2018 Winter Games.

Growing Champions is a financial assistance program, which connects businesses and individuals in British Columbia with local high-performance athletes in their journey to the top of the podium. Growing Champions athletes compete at national and international levels, but have not yet qualified for Canada’s national teams. They have limited access to funding and benefit greatly from the financial assistance through this program. Each Growing Champions athlete has been identified by provincial sports organizations as a member of the next generation of high performance athletes that deserve extra support. Growing Champions is a partnership between 2010 Legacies Now, Canadian Sport Centre Pacific, BC Athlete Voice and the Province of BC. To learn more about Growing Champions please go to: www.growingchampions.ca.



Rocky Mountaineer offers unique Canadian vacation packages and four spectacular rail routes through British Columbia and Alberta. Best known for the internationally-acclaimed Rocky Mountaineer train, a two-day, all daylight rail journey through Canada’s West and the Canadian Rockies, the company also offers a three-hour experience between North Vancouver and Whistler, BC. Since its inception in 1990, Rocky Mountaineer has grown to become the largest privately owned passenger rail service in North America and welcomed its one millionth guest in 2008. Rocky Mountaineer has been honoured with four World Travel Awards as “World’s Leading Travel Experience by Train” and was recently named by National Geographic as one of the “World’s Greatest Trips.”