Yukon's athletes get new funding boost amid 'dried up' sponsorship climate
Yukon's athletes have a new source of funding to pursue their careers to the next level.
A new Northern Exploration and Sport Development Fund, established by RyanWood Exploration of Dawson City, Yukon, will help athletes compete for their dreams to make it to the Olympics.
The fund's first recipients are cross-country skiers Knute Johnsgaard, Emily Nishikawa and Dahria Beatty, as they compete to make it to the next Olympics. Altogether, the athletes will receive $70,000 this year.
"It's unbelievable, that sigh of relief that we all have right now looking forward. It'll take a lot of that load off our backs," said Johnsgaard.
"Sports — and youth sports in particular — is very dear to my heart," said Cathy Wood, who's sponsoring the fund along with her partner Shawn Ryan.
It was having her own children, born and raised in Dawson City, Yukon, that made Wood realize how difficult it is for youth who are serious about sports.
"They often need to go outside [of their cities] after a certain point, in order to have advanced coaching or competition," she said.
'Bare bones minimum' of $50K per year
The "bare bones minimum" budget for an athlete would be over $50,000, according to Grant Abbott, a board member of Cross Country Yukon. He's also been acting as a bridge between the recipients and the sponsors of the new fund.
Abbott said Wood and Ryan's contributions are one of the largest single contributions he knows of, to athletes in the Yukon.
"In most people's minds, even in the sporting community, people that see athletes competing in the top of their sports… assume that their funding is covered," said Abbott. "But it's not really true, especially in the last few years."
Abbott said many funding sources for cross-country skiers in Canada have "dried up," and the maximum amount of funding an athlete can expect from territorial and federal agencies is just half of what they need.
"Potential contributors are asked for donations from a huge number of people, and are all stretched thin."
That's why athletes often have to raise their own money — which could hinder their training.
"Training is a full-time job," said Abbott. "[Athletes] have to go to training camps. On most days they're training at least once, usually twice a day. There's just no room to fit in a job."
Open to all Yukon athletes
This year, the recipients are all cross-country skiers. But Wood says that the fund will be open to all athletes in the Yukon.
"We've got amazing talent here, whether it is in cross-country skiing, snow boarding, swimming," she said.
Wood says the selection criteria is still being worked out. Athletes will be asked to provide a budget for their year, particularly in their quest for the Olympics, said Wood.
"We each submitted our budget, and I honestly wasn't expecting [Wood and Ryan] to fill the deficit. It's absolutely amazing," said Beatty.
As a part of the fund, athletes are asked to make a commitment to give back mentorship hours to the community.
"[It's] an important thing for young kids to learn, to find some inspiration wherever it may be," said Nishikawa.
Wood said she's "tapping the shoulders" of other exploration companies to contribute in future years.
