Olympian and former Arctic Winter Games participant Zach Bell will be the
Athlete Ambassador for the 2012 Arctic Winter Games.
Growing up in the Yukon, Zach developed a larger-than-life love for his surroundings
and spent his youth discovering outdoor sports under the beautiful
northern lights. Recruited by the University of Calgary as a wrestler, Zach turned
to cycling in the off-season, but after being injured a few too many times on the
mat, he decided to stick to the bike year-round. It was a tough decision but it
led him to the Olympics. Looking ahead to London 2012, Zach is now leading
a resurgence in Canadian track cycling and brings the confidence of a World
Championship silver medal to his Olympic ambitions.
A strong believer in the power of sport to motivate youth, Zach welcomes the
opportunity to get together with corporate and community audiences to share
the everyday challenges and successes of competing for Canada.
Olympian and former Arctic Winter Games participant Zach Bell will be the Athlete Ambassador for the 2012 Arctic Winter Games.
Growing up in the Yukon, Zach developed a larger-than-life love for his surroundings and spent his youth discovering outdoor sports under the beautiful northern lights. Recruited by the University of Calgary as a wrestler, Zach turned
to cycling in the off-season, but after being injured a few too many times on the mat, he decided to stick to the bike year-round. It was a tough decision but it led him to the Olympics. Looking ahead to London 2012, Zach is now leading a resurgence in Canadian track cycling and brings the confidence of a World Championship silver medal to his Olympic ambitions.
A strong believer in the power of sport to motivate youth, Zach welcomes the opportunity to get together with corporate and community audiences to share the everyday challenges and successes of competing for Canada.
"Olympians and Olympic Champions are not epic talents or superheroes. Each and every Olympian I know was a normal kid with a community that believed in the potential of what might be hidden in their young people.
The communities these Olympians grow up in never fully know what sort of result they are fostering with their support. They just know they are supporting something positive.
Here in the Yukon, one of those positive things is the opportunity for our young athletes to participate in the Arctic Winter Games, and in my experience, it was the single most important event for me growing up in this northern sporting community.
It will involve more kids than any other team assembled by Sport Yukon, it celebrates our northern culture, and it will surely play a major role in the lives of every potential northern Olympian growing up here right now."
~Zach Bell
Commonwealth Games Medalist and 2008 Olympian