UBC Reports | Vol. 47 | No. 06 | Mar. 22, 2001

Breakfast of champions raises funds for athletes

Money raised will help keep athletes at home

by Bruce Mason staff writer

The final results have been tallied. The 2001 Thunderbird Millennium Breakfast recently raised $256,000 for athletic scholarships.

The university matched funds to double the contributions of 1,600 supporters who attended the event held at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Vancouver lawyer Martin Zlotnik, organizer and long-time supporter of UBC Athletics, says, "I'm a believer and a product of the university and its varsity program. We met our goal in a poor economy and will continue to assist student athletes who devote a great deal of time to training and competition."

"Success in athletics works hand-in-hand with academic success to develop strong and well-rounded students and future community leaders," says UBC President Martha Piper. "UBC athletics scholarships deserve the greatest support since they play a key role in enabling our dedicated student athletes to excel."

"It's about more than money," says Athletics director Bob Philip. "Obviously many people strongly endorse the idea of providing a top education and the best coaching and opportunities for competition. The scholarships help UBC athletes focus on excellence in both their sport and studies."

Vancouver Mayor Philip Owen was the keynote speaker at the event which was first held last year.

Among the athletes who will benefit are members of the university swim teams, 10 of whom represented Canada at the Sydney Olympics.

UBC swimmers also provided the biggest athletic success of the varsity season so far, an unprecedented fourth consecutive national championships.

At the Canadian Inter-university Athletic Union (CIAU) competition the women's team won by a 54.5-point margin over the University of Calgary, while the men won by 131.5 points over Calgary. Toronto finished third on both sides.

UBC's three-day gold medal total at the competition was 12. Both the women's and men's medley relay teams set new national records, while highly touted UBC rookies Kelly Stephanyshyn and Brian Johns led the way individually. Johns earned five gold and one silver medal. Stephanyshyn took home three gold and three silver.