The Honourable Lisa Dempster, Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development, has announced the provincial leaders in athlete and sport development who will form the province’s first Sport Excellence Committee.
The committee will be co-chaired by Frank Humber, a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Baseball Hall of Fame, and Michelle Healey, Director of Healthy Living, Sport and Recreation with the Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development, who also has a long history of involvement in the province’s sport community.
Joining them on the committee are:
- Rod Snow, Executive Director of the NL Sports Centre, former professional rugby player and member of Rugby Canada’s Hall of Fame,
- Troy Croft, Executive Director of Sport NL,
- Raeleen Baggs, Member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association Hall of Fame and Assistant Coach for Team NL’s Wheelchair Basketball team at the 2019 Canada Games,
- Todd Winters, Executive Director of the Aboriginal Sport and Recreation Circle of Newfoundland and Labrador; and
- Brenda Congram, a Canada Games Bronze medallist in Target Shooting and member of the Mission Team for Team NL at the 2019 Canada Games.
Biographies for these committee members are provided in the backgrounder below.
The Sport Excellence Committee will report directly to the Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development and is tasked with advising the Minister on how to enhance Team NL’s performance at the 2025 Canada Summer Games. This includes advising on investments required for athlete and sport development in preparation for the Games. To date, $850,000 has been earmarked for this aspect of Games preparation.
The Sport Excellence Committee is preparing to hold their first official meeting, during which they will finalize the terms of reference under which they will operate.
Quote
“These experts have been chosen because of their depth of experience in the sporting community, and the leadership they have shown in supporting athlete development. I have great confidence in their ability to advise on the best ways to enhance our province’s performance as we host the 2025 Canada Summer Games.”
Honourable Lisa Dempster
Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development
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Premier Ball Joins the Canada Games Council to Launch Bid Process for 2025 Canada Summer Games
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Gina MacArthur
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ginamacarthur@gov.nl.ca
BACKGROUNDER
Biographies of Members of the Sport Excellence Committee
Frank Humber
Frank Humber is a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Baseball Hall of Fame. He represented Canada at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1989. Frank served as the Assistant Chef de Mission for Team NL at the Canada Games in 2015, 2017, and 2019 and is currently the Principal of Sacred Heart Elementary School in Corner Brook.
Michelle Healey
Michelle Healey is the Director of Healthy Living, Sport and Recreation with the Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development. Michelle was an elite university athlete in basketball and served as Director of Athletics at Memorial University. She served as Chef de Mission for Team NL for two Canada Games, is active as a basketball coach and has broad sport leadership experience.
Rod Snow
Rod Snow is a member of the Sport NL Hall of Fame and the Rugby Canada Hall of Fame and played for Canada in four Rugby World Cups (1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007). He has served as Assistant Chef for Team NL at the 2011 and 2013 Canada Games and as Chef de Mission for Team NL at the 2015 and 2017 Canada Games. Rod is currently the Executive Director of the NL Sports Centre.
Troy Croft
Troy Croft was a member of Team Canada when they won the 1991 World Junior Baseball Championships and represented Team NL in baseball at the 1993 Canada Games. He served as Assistant Coach (Baseball) for Team NL at the 1997 and 2001 Canada Games, and as Head Coach for Team NL at the 2005 Canada Games. Troy is currently the Executive Director of Sport Newfoundland and Labrador.
Raeleen Baggs
Raeleen Baggs is a member of the Sport NL Hall of Fame who competed in squash as a member of Team NL at the Canada Games in 1991 and soccer in1993. She was the Assistant Coach for Team NL’s Wheelchair Basketball team at the 2019 Canada Games and was named U Sports Female Player of the Year in Soccer. Raeleen was also named the 1990’s Player of the Decade by the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association. She is currently a physiotherapist at Paradise Physio.
Todd Winters
Todd Winters has been the Executive Director for the Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Circle NL since 2007 and has been involved in the Labrador Winter Games since its inception in 1983. He is also President of the Lake Melville Minor Ball League, former Regional Director for Labrador with Recreation NL and a member of the Eat Great and Participate stakeholders committee. Todd has also been assistant Chef de Mission of Team Indigenous NL, which participated in the 2008, 2014 and 2017 North American Indigenous Games and lead coordinator for Team Indigenous at the NL Games in 2016 and 2018.
Brenda Congram
Brenda Congram competed in the 2003 and 2007 Canada Games in target shooting, winning a Bronze medal in 2003. She served as Assistant Coach (Target Shooting) at 2015 Canada Games and is a former member of Canada’s National Target Shooting Team. Brenda recently served as a member of the Mission Team for Team NL at the 2019 Canada Games and as Committee Chair for biathlon and duathlon at the 2019 Labrador Winter Games.