Paddye Magill

Paddye Magill can't picture her life without sport. When a recent bout of the flu forced her to miss a basketball game in the women's league she plays with in Ottawa, she was itching to get back on the court. "Not only is physical activity a huge stress reliever, it gives me a sense of well-being," says the 23-year-old Ottawa native. "I want other people to experience that. That's why I'm so passionate about sport." Magill is one of six Canadian interns chosen to go to Africa as part of Commonwealth Games Canada's groundbreaking Capacity Support Program (CSP). The CSP is co-funded by the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Canada. It is designed to support Commonwealth Games Associations in developing countries and help them maximize their organizational performance as they prepare for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi this October and for future Games. The CSP interns will assist countries with sport administration activities ranging from programming, fundraising and communications to the implementation of the games management software program Zeus. After completing a Bachelor's degree in Sport Management at Brock University, Magill landed a job as Front Office Administrator at the Ottawa Gymnastics Centre. She also serves as an Event Coordinator for the Ottawa Sports and Social Club and, having played basketball herself since she was nine, now coaches 12- to 13-year-old girls in basketball with the Ottawa Shooting Stars. "To see them grow and become better players is a big accomplishment for me," Magill says. Magill was also involved in an array of volunteer activities during university, including a four-month internship with Justplay Sport Services, a Burlington, Ont.-based organization that aims to address issues of violence and harassment in organized sport among youth. In March 2009, she travelled to Las Vegas to assist the Associate Commissioner of Communications during the Mountain West Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, with responsibility for game-day statistics. With her substantial experience in sport administration, Magill is well positioned to assist The Seychelles National Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (SOCGA) with its data collection and data management needs, as well as volunteer training. "Over the next year, we hope to provide the public and the sports community with easy access to information on Seychelles sport and its sports history," says Alain Alcindor, SOCGA's Secretary General. "We look forward to having Paddye's help in gathering that data." "Commonwealth Games Canada's International Development through Sport unit is pleased to offer unique and professional international work opportunities for young graduates," says Carla Thachuk, Commonwealth Games Canada's Manager of International Programs. "Particularly in difficult economic times, these internships will help the participants apply their educational experiences to a challenging work environment as they set out to develop their own careers." Magill calls the CSP internship "the opportunity of a lifetime," and is looking forward to the new challenge. "To be immersed in a new culture, a new country while working in sport, that, to me, is the perfect combination."