Speed skater Cindy Klassen to highlight Spirit&Sport
Canada’s sweetheart of long track speed skating, Olympic medalist and four-time world champion, Cindy Klassen will be the special guest at the 10th annual Spirit and Sport Christian Celebrity Dinner in Hamilton on Thursday, September 23.
At the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy, Cindy became the first Canadian to ever win five medals at a single Winter Olympics, as she won Gold in the 1500m, Silver in the 1000m and Team Pursuit, and Bronze in the 5000m and 3000m. She also captured an Olympic Bronze medal in 2002, and along with cyclist/skater Clara Hughes is the most decorated Canadian Olympic athlete in history, with a total of six Olympic medals.
In addition to success on the skating oval, Cindy has also faced hardships. In 2003 she collided with another skater during training, and his skate blade cut through numerous tendons in her right arm, leaving Cindy unable to compete for two years. While training for the 2008 speed skating season, Cindy returned to her hometown of Winnipeg to be with her sister Lisa, who was seriously injured in an auto accident. Cindy also underwent surgery on both knees, which were injured from years of intense competition.
In 2006, Cindy was honoured with the Lou Marsh Award as Canadian Athlete of the Year, and earlier this year the Royal Canadian Mint issued 22 million ‘Cindy Klassen quarters’ as part of the Olympic Moments coin series.
Before Cindy was hooked by speed skating, she showed promise in a number of other sports. She competed in In-line Skating at the 1999 PanAm Games and before that was a member of Canada’s National Junior Women’s Hockey Team in 1996. When she wasn’t selected to the women’s hockey team for the 1998 Winter Olympics, she switched to speed skating and soon proved to be a natural talent.
The Spirit and Sport Christian Celebrity Dinner is held each year by The Carpenteros and Friends, a Hamilton-area group involved in community development work in Honduras through the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee. Cindy Klassen’s attendance has been arranged through CBM Canada (Christian Blind Mission), which works in a number of developing countries, including Honduras.
Over the past 10 years, the Carpenteros have provided funding and training for micro-finance cooperatives in more than 60 Honduran communities, have assisted students in four remote communities to obtain a high school education, and have provided clean water, latrines and medical equipment. They are currently working with a group of coffee growers to bring Honduran ‘direct trade’ coffee to Canada.
The Spirit and Sport Dinner will also feature an extensive silent auction, a live auction conducted by professional auctioneer Jim McCartney, and the opportunity for guests to meet and chat with current and past professional athletes.
The event takes place at Carmen’s Banquet Centre, 1520 Stonechurch Road E., with a social reception from 6-7, and dinner at 7. Tickets are $75 each, and can be obtained by sending email to
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, or by calling 905-689-5491. ■
The 2010 Spirit and Sport Christian Celebrity Dinner will mark the 10th anniversary of this event in support of the work being done in Honduras through the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee and the Carpenteros and Friends.
