Petro-Canada has named Team Canada’s Étienne Papineau and Robert Ratcliffe among the 2015 recipients of the Fuelling Athletes and Coaches (FACE) program. The pair is one of 50 sets of athletes and coaches to receive funding in pursuit of continued excellence in their sports.
The 2015 FACE recipients from across Canada represent both summer and winter sports, with each athlete and coach pairing receiving $10,000. Since 1988, Petro-Canada has contributed almost $9.4 million to over 2,700 athlete-coach pairings.
“We are extremely grateful to receive this generous offering from the Fuelling Athletes and Coaches program,” said Ratcliffe, Team Canada’s Lead Development Squad Coach. “This program credits the importance of athlete-coach relationships while understanding the costs associated with advanced training. This will go a long way for myself and Étienne as we continue to excel and improve.”
Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., is coming off his second season representing Canada. The 19-year-old claimed victories at the Alexander of Tunis, the Québec Men’s Amateur Championship and the Graham Cooke Junior Invitational.
Ratcliffe, a native of Comox, B.C., is entering his tenth season at the helm of the Development Squad. He is a class “A” member with the PGA of Canada.
Developed by Petro-Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), and facilitated by their National Sport partners, the FACE program provides developing, pre-carded Canadian athlete and coach pairings with funding to help fuel their dreams. Coaches are selected along with the athletes they directly coach as they often incur additional costs on the road to developing the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic stars of tomorrow.
Click here for the full list of 2015 FACE recipients.