By Dori Modney - Lethbridge News Now

Alberta’s sport promotion and development agency to be chaired by NHL player

Feb 9, 2017 | 1:27 PM

CALGARY –  Edmonton Oilers defenceman Andrew Ference has been named chairman of Alberta Sport Connection.  In Calgary on Thursday, Premier Rachel Notley announced a new board of directors for the agency

Ference joins ten others named to the provincial agency to help promote sport development from the grassroots to the elite level, covering everything from multi-sport games to high-performance sporting event, as well as national and international championships. More than 80 provincial sport organizations are support by government funding.

The 10 board members are appointed to serve at least three years, with four members serving until 2021. For eight members, including Ference, 2017 will be their rookie year with the Alberta Sport Connection.

In a news release, Premier Notley referenced the diversity on the Board.

“We have heard loud and clear from Albertans that they want their agencies, boards and commissions to better reflect our growing and diverse province. So, that’s exactly what we are doing, because when boards are reflective of the communities they serve, they serve those communities better.”

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Ference has not played for the NHL Oilers this season due to a hip injury and has said he expects his pro career is finished. However, he has been professional hockey player for 17 years and has been involved in a number of grassroots fitness programs in Boston, and Edmonton. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Green Sports Alliance.

Others appointed to the Alberta Sport Connection Board include the following: 

Vice Chair – Kelly Blackshaw (Calgary) – Blackshaw is a current member of the ASC Board. She chaired the 2013 Alberta 55+ Games in Calgary and was a co-founder of KidSport in Calgary. Blackshaw was inducted into the Alberta Sport Hall of Fame in 2006.

Taryn Barry (Calgary) – Barry has worked with multiple sport associations at the national and international level. She completed a Master’s Degree in Physical Education and Recreation and is involved in numerous international development organizations, including founding the Etisah Foundation which supports orphaned children in Cameroon.

Jesse Bondi (Edmonton) – Bondi has extensive managerial experience in the public sector and a record of success in getting initiatives off the ground and flourishing. He has also served as the Director of the Highland Primary Care Network. 

Antonio (Tony) Flores (Edmonton) – Flores has extensive experience with the International Paralympic Committee, having been the Director General for the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award for eight different Paralympic Games. He has also been involved in many different para sports in Alberta.

Cameron W.T. Hodgson (Calgary) (term ending May 31, 2017) – A former student-athlete, Hodgson was named to the All-Canadian Football team and was a two-time Western Conference Football All-Star while attending the University of Calgary. Currently the CEO of the Edge School for Athletes, he has also been a sessional instructor at the University of Calgary.

Wade Kolmel (Fort McMurray) – Kolmel is a current member of the Alberta Sport Connection board. He was active in the sport and physical activity community in Fort McMurray prior to taking a job the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.

Ann MacTaggart (Sherwood Park) – MacTaggart brings experience through involvement with Ringette Alberta and values athlete-centered decisions. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Accountant and also has an extensive leadership and training background.

Kody Taylor (Edmonton) – Taylor has experience working with Indigenous organizations and also with the Manitoba Badminton Association. She was a part of the team that developed a plan for an adult badminton league in the City of Winnipeg.

Helen Upperton (Calgary) – Upperton is a former Olympic bobsleigh athlete and current member of the Canadian Olympic Committee. Together with teammate Shelley-Ann Brown, Upperton won a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver in the two-women bobsleigh competition. She continues to be connected through her involvement with the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Erica Wiebe (Calgary) – Wiebe is the reigning Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling. She has two degrees through the University of Calgary – a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (Honours) and a Bachelor of Kinesiology.