JASON PARKER

When 11-year-old Jason Parker decided to volunteer at the 1986 Saskatchewan Winter Games in Yorkton he had no idea the experience would change his life and one day he would become a world-class speed skater and Olympic silver medalist. It all started in Yorkton when the 1986 Games prompted the local community to establish a speed skating club. This move inspired Jason to hang up his hockey skates and try his hand at something new. “Because of the ‘86 Games in Yorkton, they would have never formed a speed skating club, I would have never started speed skating. I ended up having a 20-year career and it has formed my entire life,” Jason said. He trained meticulously, competing on the National team for 12 years and over time gathered 99 top 20 results at 75 international competitions - including 65 World Cups and 10 World Championships. Further, in 2006 he competed triumphantly at the Olympics in Turin, Italy and took home the silver medal in the Mens’ Team Pursuit. Although Jason never competed at the Saskatchewan Games, he explains - based on his first-hand experience - that the Games' legacy lies in the way they inspire people to get involved with sport and train to their highest potential.