Culinary Queen Lesley Stowe announces title sponsorship of the Canadian Ski Jumping team

Providing much-needed funding and a few lessons in the kitchen, local foodie icon supports Canada’s high-flying athletes

March 24, 2009 - Vancouver – Captivated by the beauty of the sport and the talent of its athletes, Lesley Stowe – Canadian chef, entrepreneur and creator of the original Raincoast Crisps – is thrilled to announce her official sponsorship of the Canadian Ski Jumping team. With essential funding needed to strengthen and advance the sport, Stowe’s generous sponsorship is helping to secure a future for ski jumping in Canada.

Beyond financial support, Stowe is sharing her passion for the culinary arts with Canada’s premier athletes offering tips for easy, healthy and delicious meals that will keep them fit and flying high off the ramps.

“I have always been a skiing enthusiast, but never knew the talent, drive and courage it demands until seeing these young athletes. From the first competition I attended, I was amazed at the grace and artistry of the sport and knew I wanted to help Canada’s teams go the distance,” said Stowe. “A healthy diet is an integral part of improving athletic performance and I am excited to share the tasty and nutritious meals I’ve created just for these athletes to help keep them in top training condition. I look forward to seeing if they are as smooth in the kitchen as they are on the hills!

”With Ski Jumping Canada severely underfunded, Stowe’s sponsorship will support everything from coaching expenses and travel to training equipment and team clothing. With hopes of becoming medal contenders at the Olympic Winter Games, Stowe’s support brings Canada’s team one step closer to the podium and a place amongst fellow world-class ski jumpers.

“Without the support from Lesley Stowe, we could not continue the high-level training and coaching required to remain competitive in this sport,” said Brent Morrice, chairman of Ski Jumping Canada. “This sponsorship presents an incredible opportunity for these elite athletes to reach new heights after so much hard work and dedication to their sport. We are proud to be named Lesley Stowe Fine Foods’ Canadian Ski Jumping Team and can’t wait to see what new milestones we can achieve.”

About Lesley Stowe

Lesley Stowe is a Parisian-trained chef who began her catering company more than 20 years ago in Vancouver. A culinary pioneer, Lesley helped to develop and refine the palettes of Vancouverites with her specialty fine foods store. The store’s success, combined with Lesley’s ability to predict and capitalize on food trends resulted in the creation of Raincoast Crisps – a revolutionary snack food beyond compare. Also the author of her own cookbook, the Lesley Stowe Fine Foods Cookbook, Lesley is a regular contributor to other popular cookbooks including The Girls Who Dish series.

About Ski Jumping Canada

Based in Calgary, Alta., Ski Jumping Canada (SJC) is the national sport governing body for ski jumping in Canada. SJC works closely with the Calgary Olympic Development Committee (CODA) to ensure the best possible high performance program for ski jumpers in Canada and equal access by all athletes to the training centre programs available at the National Training Centre. Committed to working with all partners to provide an effective and supportive program of training, coaching, travel and competitions, the various functions of SJC include:

 Promoting ski jumping Canada
 Governing the conduct of ski jumping competitions in Canada
 Selecting and training members to the ski jumping national teams
 Developing programs to train athletes, coaches, judges, and officials
 Representing ski jumping in the Canadian Ski and Snowboarding Association
 Representing ski jumping in the Canadian Olympic Committee
 Representing ski jumping in Canada to Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS)
 Ensuring proper entry of ski jumpers to FIS level competitions

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For more information, or to schedule an interview with Lesley Stowe and a member of the Canadian Ski Jumping team, please contact:

Lynsey Brothers
Wilcox Group
lbrothers@wilcoxgroup.com
www.wilcoxgroup.com
604-488-1100 / 416-203-6666