Yesterday was a GREAT  photoshoot day.  I was honored to be asked to photograph (4) Olympic 2010 hopefuls, (and their parents) for a great new campaign for McDonalds Restaurants.  This program supports 26 amateur athletes who are training intensively in their respective winter sports to realize their Olympic dream at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

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Meet Alexandre, Denny, Alexa and Cindy

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Alexandre Despatie, three-time world champion and Olympic medallist in diving, and the long track speed skater Cindy Klassen, Canada’s all-time most decorated Olympian, are the program’s ambassadors.  Alexandre and Cindy have been McDonald’s ambassadors for many years, and will provide moral support to the athletes as they work towards achieving their dream over the next years.

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Denny Morrison was named Fort St. John Skater of the Year for 7 consecutive years before moving to Calgary in 2003 to join the National team. During the 2006-07 season, Denny won three medals at the World Single Distances Championships, silver in the 500 m and 1,500 m at the World Allround Championships and was ranked 1st in Canada in the 1,000 m and 1,500 m and 3rd in the 500 m.  In 2006, he won his first Olympic medal at the Torino Games by finishing 2nd in men’s team pursuit, in addition being ranked 2nd on 1,500 m in World Cup Standings. Thanks to his good results, Denny was named Male Skater of the Year – Long Track by Speed Skating Canada in 2006 and 2007.

 

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Hailing from Richmond –  Alexa Loo , has been a member of the Canadian snowboarding/alpine team for nine years, in addition to being the only chartered accountant in the team. During the last seasons, she got many good results, including gold medals at the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Nor-Am Cups.

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All the best, and I look forward to seeing you win big in Whistler in 2010! 🙂