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Tara Whitten 11508 35A Avenue Edmonton, AB, T6J 0B2 Edmonton City Council

2nd Floor, City Hall 1 Sir Winston Churchill Square Edmonton, AB, T5J 2R7 March 16, 2012

Dear members of the Edmonton City Council,

I am writing to you in support of the Indoor Velodrome Project in Edmonton. As an Edmontonian, a member of the Canadian National Track Cycling Team and a 3-time World Champion in track cycling, I have an incredible appreciation for the impact that an indoor velodrome in Edmonton would have on the City of Edmonton, the province of Alberta and indeed all of Canada. I could write volumes on the importance of access to sport facilities such as indoor velodromes for all levels of the population, from people just looking for an exciting and accessible form of exercise all the way to elite athletes representing Canada at international competitions. But Im sure others have already made these points. Instead, I will tell two personal anecdotes that I hope will convey what an indoor velodrome in Edmonton could do for our city and our country.

Just last month, while training in Carson, California, the training base for the Canadian track cycling team and site of the only world class indoor velodrome in North America, I was approached by a young cyclist who had recently returned from the World Junior Championships in Moscow with a gold medal. She rode up beside me on the infield of the velodrome and told me that watching me race there at the Home Depot Center in my World Champion stripes (the badge of honor worn by all current World Champions in cycling), had inspired her to really pursue her dreams, and that she felt that had been the beginning of her path to her own gold medal at the World Juniors. I was very touched. I have had so many of my own role models in sport through the years, and to know that I had inspired this young woman in any way felt like such an honour. But there was a slight tinge of sadness in hearing this too. As the Canadian cycling team forced to train in the United States due to the lack of facilities in Canada, we are inspiring the next generation of American cyclists instead of the youth in our own country! It would be so incredible to be able to train on our home turf, and to watch the next young CANADIAN cyclists growing up to follow in our footsteps.

My second story happened just last month as well. At the end of February, we competed at a World Cup in London, England. This is the brand new Olympic velodrome, with a seating capacity of 6,000 people, and the rumour was that the event was sold out in the first 11 minutes. When their British cycling star,

Sir Chris Hoy, was on the track, the roar of the crowd was deafening. I had never experienced that level of energy or noise. When I looked up in the crowd, what struck me most were the families with young children watching their home heroes compete. I feel certain that a future Olympic Champion or two were in that crowd. But I feel equally certain that for those in that crowd with no aspirations to be elite athletes, the impact of watching those four days of competition was equally great. Whether it inspired someone to make a change in their lives, to be more active, to try something new or to pursue a dream they thought was impossible, this is the power of sport in our communities. Without the facilities we are missing out on these opportunities to inspire our own citizens.

The velodromes I have travelled to around the world have been well used. I have seen recreational athletes. I have seen young kids barely tall enough to reach their pedals. I have seen 85-year-old men still fit and active. The elite athletes are usually only one component. I am so excited about the prospect of such a vibrant, active facility in my hometown. I wish Edmonton all the best in the process of finding a way to build such a facility. It will go a long way in supporting our rightful name as the City of Champions!

Thank-you,

Tara Whitten 3-time World Champion Track Cycling Edmontonian since 1982

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