Canadians are forged from ice and snow, hard-edged and cool even in sweaty, tropical or desert climes like Qatar and Brazil.
鈥淚ce in Our Veins鈥� is the message of the latest marketing campaign by the Canadian Olympic Committee, and Kitsilano鈥檚 Liz Gleadle 鈥� who is featured in the commercials throwing a javelin on a massive ice floe 鈥� says the country鈥檚 climate undoubtedly tested and shaped her.
鈥淚 stand outside in 麻豆传媒映画in next-to-freezing-cold rain to the point I can鈥檛 feel my hands or feet or face. I鈥檝e had my hair frozen to my head,鈥� said Gleadle, 27, the Canadian record holder in the javelin throw and Toronto Pan Am gold medallist.
Featuring 12 summer-sport athletes, the campaign builds on the 鈥淲e Are Winter鈥� slogan used for the 2012 Sochi Winter Games.
Without irony and using real flames in the foreground, the COC promotes, 鈥渉ow Canada鈥檚 icy landscape helps create fierce athletes with iron will and determination.鈥�
Gleadle took issue with a Toronto Star article that featured her photo though she wasn鈥檛 contacted for comment. The article begins by labelling the advertisement 鈥渞idiculous鈥� as long as the ice-in-their-veins mantra is literally applied to summer athletes, some who train in warm climates not beside caribou, but then adds the voices of several marketing experts who unpack the power of the message. A University of Ottawa professor called it 鈥渉ighly figurative.鈥�
Michael Mulvey , 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very elusive (and) very metaphoric. It鈥檚 really symbolically infused, and if you allow yourself to kind of play in that world it鈥檚 a really fun campaign.鈥�
Gleadle, a Kitsilano secondary graduate and former UBC Thunderbird, has trained in miserable, wet and cold conditions, gripping and throwing the steel javelin despite frosty fingers in sub-zero temperatures.
Her clips in the campaign were filmed in January, in Northern Ontario on Georgian Bay. The commercial features icebergs, a landscape of snowy tundra, and glacial waters. She is standing on a massive piece of ice, wearing her typical competition clothing and track spikes for leverage and safety as she launches her javelin for the camera.
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She called the steely look of her shots 鈥渃old, blue cold,鈥� which is what the wind-chill felt like. Being one of the public faces used to promote the Canadian team at the Summer Olympic Games is an honour that will motivate her to perform, she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing. It was pretty epic just being at the shooting scene, and I can see why they chose it. It was really cold and windy, and I felt very Canadian striding out through the ice-cold water to stand on a floating piece of ice to throw a javelin.鈥�
She said she didn鈥檛 need to take any risks and that the shoot was safe but she still put a strong effort into her throw.
鈥淚 threw with clean technique, so I wasn鈥檛 worried about hurting myself that way. I thought it was an amazing opportunity, and I gave it my best shot,鈥� said the fifth-ranked female javelin thrower in the world, according to a head-to-head performance ranking.
Many Canadian summer sport athletes are still exposed to frosty winters and many endure harsh outdoor conditions, though perhaps they don't walk barefoot on snow and dive into frigid water off 15-metre icebergs as portrayed in the COC commercial.听
The message of ingrained resilence, a grit forged through sleet and wind and freezing temperatures rings true for Gleadle. 鈥淚 train in Lethbridge, with 60-kilometre winds. I don鈥檛 care if it鈥檚 freezing cold, if it鈥檚 snowing of if I鈥檓 in Doha 鈥� we still have that same kind of toughness,鈥� she said.
In fact, Gleadle was on the phone from Doha, Qatar where she was preparing for her season debut at the first Diamond League meet of the international track and field series. 听
She is one of the few javelin throwers who takes nine training throws each week. Many coaches and athletes have long held the belief that fewer throws per week is better since the explosive act risks minor and catastrophic injury. Javelin has a high rate of injury because of the twisting and torque placed on the body, including the feet and knees, through the hips and back, and up to the shoulders and neck. Like major league pitchers, these hurlers can require Tommy John surgery.
Gleadle said she and her coach Larry Steinke take laborious, meticulous caution to perfect her mechanics in order to avoid injury. 鈥淜nock on wood,鈥� she added.
鈥淲e are militant about being precise about those movements that could be disastrous. If you look at my stats, you鈥檒l see I鈥檓 really consistent in the throws I produce. I鈥檓 always between 61 and 64 metres,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e opted for consistent throws but haven鈥檛 had that big one throw. That is hopefully this year where I will make that big jump. Now I can handle more power and more speed to my runway.鈥�
A throw longer than her national women鈥檚 record of 64.83 metres could come this summer. A finalist at the London Summer Games in 2012, Gleadle is an outside contender for an Olympic medal in Rio.
After a prolonged recovery from hip alignment issues, Gleadle said she is injury free and in her best shape ever.
The COC commercial also features are tennis player Milos Raonic, boxer Mandy Bujold, cyclist Catherine Pendrel, canoer Mark de Jong, and wearing nothing more than their swimsuits, swimmer Ryan Cochrane and diver Jennifer Abel.
Gleadle will travel directly from Doha to Tokyo for her next meet and will compete at Burnaby鈥檚 Swangard Stadium for the Harry Jerome Classic on June 19.
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