CIS 50th Anniversary Success Stories (Week 2): Doug Spooner

As part of its 50th Anniversary Celebration, Canadian Interuniversity Sport presents the CIS 50th Anniversary Success Stories series. Each Thursday throughout the 2011-12 season, we will profile two alumni from CIS member institutions who have made outstanding contributions in areas such as sports, business, politics or in the community. Today we are profiling the University of Waterloo’s Kim Rau and Doug Spooner.

Opening a gateway to a future career

Waterloo grad Doug Spooner took part in an OUA program that landed him on the team organizing the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games

Former standout player of the Waterloo men’s hockey program Doug Spooner has found his calling as part of the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games (TO2015) team. 

The TO2015 team has partnered with Ontario University Athletics (OUA) to launch a Gateway Grad Program focused on providing jobs and opportunities for recent graduating athletes or students of sport-related programs.

Spooner succeeded in the competitive evaluation process and was granted a two-year, full-time entry-level employment contract to help plan, organize and deliver Canada’s largest games. Each Gateway Grad is teamed with an executive or managerial mentor, and is committed to providing professional development opportunities. Spooner has since accepted a position as an Associate with the Human Resources department for the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games

Following the completion of a Masters Political Science Degree at the University of Waterloo in 2009, Spooner continued multi-sport games research leading him to the TO2015 team.

While playing for the Warrior men’s hockey team, Spooner was captain, a top all-time scorer and CIS Academic-All Canadian.  He was rewarded for a stellar rookie campaign in 2004-05 being named to the OUA West all-rookie team. 

With a master’s paper exploring spectator experience and security at the Olympics from Munich to Vancouver, Spooner has the academic and sport experience to help deliver a successful Games for Toronto.

Also active as a Co-Chair of the Youth Engagement Committee in the Kingston-Galloway-Orton Park neighbourhood, Spooner dedicates his free time to improving his neighbourhood at a grassroots level. The skills Spooner developed in his various sport, community and student government roles will now aid TO2015’s Human Resources department.

“The Gateway Grad program has provided me the opportunity to use sport as the vehicle for transitioning from academia to business,” said Spooner. “The guidance I receive on a daily basis goes hand in hand with the joy of working at Toronto 2015.”
“The Gateway Grad program is a fantastic way to keep student-athletes involved in sport past their post-secondary education,” said Gord Grace, President, Ontario University Athletics. “It echoes our Champions for Life campaign where student-athletes continue their success from the field and the class room into life after university.”
 
Note: Doug isn’t the only successful Spooner in the family as sister Natalie Spooner plays for the Canadian National women’s hockey team and Ohio State Buckeyes of the NCAA. 

About the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games:
The Pan American Games is one of the world's largest international multi-sport events, held every four years for athletes of the 42 member nations of the Pan American Sport Organization (PASO). The Games comprise a mix of Summer Olympic Games sports, as well as traditional Pan American sports. The Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games will draw more than 10,000 athletes and officials and feature 48 sports in 17 municipalities across the Greater Golden Horseshoe area. The Toronto 2015 Pan American Games will take place July 10-26 and the Parapan American Games August 7-14.