Basketball coach named as RBC’s first British Columbia
Torchbearer
VANCOUVER, March 5, 2009 — Shelley Deacon, RBC's first British
Columbia Torchbearer, has pledged to create stronger communities
by coaching a basketball team at the school where she teaches.
"I think that all athletes are amazing. It is inspiring
to see how athletes push themselves to be the best they can
be. The Olympic Games embody this spirit and I'd like to thank
RBC for giving me the chance to be a part of the Vancouver
2010 Olympic Torch Relay," said Shelley Deacon. "I
really enjoy coaching, being a mentor to my students and I
am excited to share this experience with them."
Deacon is in her second year of teaching at an elementary
school in east Vancouver. She has become a committed basketball
coach to a group of grade seven girls and plans to continue
her responsibility while on maternity leave. By giving her
students the chance to play high quality, high level sports
and teaching them the skills and sportsmanship required in
competition, Deacon hopes that they will advance to high school
having a strong sense of self-worth.
"We are pleased to announce Shelley Deacon as our first
B.C. Torchbearer," said Graham MacLachlan, British Columbia
regional president, RBC. "Anyone can be part of the 2010
Olympic Torch Relay. We encourage British Columbians to share
in this thrill of a lifetime by entering our contest at rbc.com/carrythetorch
to be a torchbearer and win the ultimate Olympic experience."
RBC will award over 2,300 Olympic Torchbearer spots through
this contest which runs from November 21, 2008 to July 15,
2009. To enter, pledge to create a better Canada at rbc.com/carrythetorch.
The 2010 Olympic Torch Relay will begin its journey to Vancouver
on
October 30, 2009, when the flame arrives in Victoria, BC following
the traditional lighting ceremony in Olympia, Greece. The
Olympic Flame will then travel from coast to coast to coast
through every province and territory in Canada - spanning
45,000 kilometres, 1,000 communities, over 106 days. It will
end at the B.C. Place on February 12, 2010, with the lighting
of the Olympic Cauldron, signaling the start of the Vancouver
2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Approximately 12,000 Canadians will carry the flame across
the country at their own pace with millions more cheering
and supporting them. Applicants will be asked to select where
in Canada they want to carry the Olympic Flame. Torchbearer
applicants must be a resident of Canada, aged 13 or older.
Full contest rules and regulations are available on the website
at rbc.com/carrythetorch.
- 30 -
For more information, please contact:
Christie Smith, (604) 665-4031
|
