February 28/03 7:25 am - Palmer-Komar Honoured, Hamilton 2003 Announces Staff Hirings

Posted by Editoress on 02/28/03
 

Sue Palmer-Komar 2002 Golden Horseshoe Athlete of the Year
Courtesy Hamilton 2003

(Thursday February 27th) - Cyclist Sue Palmer-Komar was honoured tonight as the 2002 Golden Horseshoe Athlete of the Year. The award, sponsored by The Hamilton Spectator, was presented at the 17th Annual CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) Sports Celebrity Dinner. The other candidates for the award were fencer Josh McGuire, ranked as the No. 1 junior in the world, and rower Joe Stankevicius, a member of Canada's world champion heavy eights crew.

Palmer-Komar won a silver medal in the road race at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England. She finished in 10th place in the road race at the 2000 Atlanta Olympics. Palmer-Komar is a member of the Genesis Scuba/FFCC Cycling team and is preparing to compete against the world on her home turf.

A Hamilton native, she is no doubt looking forward to the Road World Championships in her hometown, October 6 to 12, and was quoted in an interview with Jeff Dickins of the Hamilton Spectator on February 25 saying, "I think it will be a real treat for fans to see that level of competition live - to get to share in the excitement. Hopefully, there will be something to home field advantage."

The Hamilton 2003 Cycling Championships Organizing Committee would like to congratulate Sue on being named Golden Horseshoe Athlete of the Year.


Hamilton 2003 Announces Four Staff Hirings
Courtesy Hamilton 2003

Neil Lumsden, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer for the Hamilton 2003 Cycling Championships today confirmed the appointment of four new staff members to the Organizing Committee. The four individuals are:

• Natalie Agro, Community Relations Coordinator
• Mike McKenna, Corporate Sales Manager
• Norm Miller, Communications Manager
• Michele Walter, Community Relations Manager

Walter is spearheading all Hamilton 2003 Community Relations initiatives. In this role, she is liaising with community stakeholders that are directly affected by the race route and road closures. Michele is responsible for conducting meetings with major stakeholder organizations, publications for communicating information to residents and businesses and is working to establish an in-school education program for local schools. Michele brings to the position a diverse background with over 15 years of experience in journalism, primarily in the hospitality industry, and most recently was a corporate conference planner; she resides in Ancaster.

Agro will assist Walter in coordinating communications with stakeholders in the community. In addition, she will develop and implement a Community Outreach Program. Natalie served as Communications and Events Manager with the 2002 Vanier Cup and is a resident of Burlington.

Miller is managing all aspects of external communications for Hamilton 2003. His duties include the official web site, media relations (media releases, media conferences and liaison with media) for the Tim Hortons Road Nationals and the Road Worlds, event publications and promotions. Norm has over 13 years in communications with the Canadian Football League, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and True Gravity Sports and Entertainment. He lives in Waterdown.

McKenna will work with Giuseppe Ferrara to coordinate all Corporate Sales efforts for Hamilton 2003. He joins the Organizing Committee from True Gravity where he has been since January 2001 managing the Vanier Cup and performing corporate sales. Prior to joining True Gravity he was Event Manager for the 1999 Vanier Cup and spent a year in marketing with Ajax Amsterdam, in Holland.

The Road World Cycling Championships will be staged in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada from October 6 to 12, 2003. Over 800 athletes from over 50 different countries will compete in ten different races. There are two disciplines - the individual time trial and the road race with five different classifications, elite men and women, junior men and women, as well as Under 23 men. It will be only the sixth time the Road World Championships have been held outside Europe and the second time in Canada, the first occasion was 1974 in Montreal. Preceding the Road World Championships will be the Tim Hortons Road National Championships from June 27 to 29, 2003. For more information, visit the official website, www.hamilton2003.com.