ALPINA WATCHES IS THE OFFICIAL WATCH OF THE 2016 SPORT CHEK CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Alpine Canada – Calgary, Alta. (April 26, 2016) – The 2016 Sport Chek Canadian Championships marked another year of World Cup success and national pride as Canada’s most talented alpine and para alpine athletes took to Whistler, B.C. for a series of races. With Alpina Watches named as the official watch of the 2016 Sport Chek Canadian Championships, the athletes were racing for more than just another medal; they were racing for a luxury timepiece. In a sport where hundredths of a second can make the difference between a win and missing the podium, timing precision is paramount. With Alpina Watches exemplifying the gold standard in timing luxury, this partnership provided ACA with an exciting and authentic relationship.
As part of the Alpina Watches partnership, high-end watches were donated to ACA for prizing and fundraising efforts. In exchange, ACA delivered strategic visibility for Alpina Watches throughout the multi-day event through on-hill banner and brand visibility placements, ACA social channel posts and via athlete testimonials. Below is a brief description of how ACA brought the Alpina Watch partnership to life at the 2016 Sport Chek Canadian Championships.
ATHLETE PRIZING
ACA brought to life the 2016 Canadian Ski Racing Awards this year to celebrate achievements of ACA athletes, exceptional coaching at all levels in Canada and volunteers that consistently go above and beyond for our sport. One male and one female athlete from each ACA team (alpine, para alpine and ski cross) was selected as ‘Athlete of the Year’. Larisa Yurkiw (Team Larisa) and Trevor Philp were selected as the Canadian Alpine Ski Team athletes of the year, Alana Ramsay and Mac and BJ Marcoux were the Canadian Para Alpine Ski Team winners and Marielle Thompson and Brady Leman were the Canada Ski Cross recipients. Along with national recognition, all six athletes received a coveted Alpina Watch to celebrate their success throughout the season.
Alpina Watches were also up for grabs for the winners of the men’s and ladies’ super G race, as well as for the winners of the coveted and exciting Team Event.
Canadian Cowboy and three-time Olympian, Manuel Osborne-Paradis, captured the men’s super G Canadian Champion title and Marie-Michèle Gagnon, who hit the World Cup podium twice this season, was the ladies’ super G champion. Both Osborne-Paradis and Gagnon walked away with some wrist-candy courtesy of Alpina Watches.
“It was awesome to win the Canadian Championship super G title and sweetening the deal with an Alpina Watch was even better,” said Osborne-Paradis. “They’re awesome timepieces and we are so grateful to have them on board for this event.”
In a Team Event race, in which each team was comprised of national team athletes (alpine and para alpine) and provincial athletes, the teams raced heat after heat in a dual slalom that finished at the base of the Whistler Mountain village. National team athletes Marie-Michèle Gagnon and Mac and BJ Marcoux, development team athlete, Brodie Seger and provincial team athletes, Heidi Roussin, Emma Woodhouse and Jeffrey Read, captured the top spot. All athletes on the team received an Alpina Watch.
STRATEGIC BRAND VISIBILITY AND PLACEMENT
With fans, athletes, coaches, parents, volunteers and skiers alike constantly buzzing around the race hill, strategic on-hill banner and brand placement was a key priority for ACA partners to maximize brand visibility. The Alpina Watches logo covered the race start house garnering significant impressions by being one of the most prominent and featured spots in ACA photography. This photography and content was then leveraged across ACA social channels. From top to bottom, Alpina Watches was represented on the race hill with multiple banner and branding locations.
ACA SOCIAL CHANNELS & UNIQUE CONTENT
ACA leveraged the 2016 Sport Chek Canadian Championships as an opportunity to generate unique, exciting and lasting content that was distributed throughout the days of competition and will continue to make appearances on our channels for the following few months. From slow-motion videos to on-hill interviews, sizzle reels and release photos, the Alpina Watches logo was prominently featured in a variety of content. Photos and videos were distributed across the ACA Instagram account (+10K followers), ACA Twitter handle (+12K followers), ACA Facebook page (+12K likes) and on the ACA website. The ski racing community is an engaged social group that shares, likes and consumes content generated by the organization.
FUNDRAISING VISIBILITY
During the 2016 Canadian Ski Racing Awards ceremony, ACA held a silent auction to bolster fundraising efforts for the national teams and organization. As part of the Alpina Watch partnership, a luxury timepiece was generously donated to the ACA silent auction. Athletes, parents, coaches, staff and ski racing fans were part of the event and among the auction bidders.
ACA looks forward to the continued relationship with Alpina Watches and is grateful for the support at one of Canada’s most coveted ski racing events.
For further information or press inquiries, please contact Ashley Shantz at ashantz@alpinecanada.org or call 587.226.3007.
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