Wegadesk Gorup-Paul

Last updated

Wegadesk Gorup-Paul, whose name means "Northern Lights" in the indigenous Mik'maq language of Nova Scotia, was a former Native-Canadian international level diver. [1] Wegadesk retired from his career as a diver in 2007 at the age of 19 after taking up diving in 1998 as an eleven year old. Initially hesitant about the sport, Wegadesk excelled on both the national and international level of competition as a medalist at National Championships and World Junior Championships. In the year leading up to and after his retirement, Wegadesk was the recipient of several awards in community involvement, primarily with youth.

Contents

Recently Wegadesk has taken to art and performing ... both of which can be viewed on his website www.wegadesk.com

Early life

Wegadesk Gorup-Paul, a native Mik'maq originally hailing from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, took up diving at the age of eleven after his mother noticed him doing flips on the family trampoline. [1] Raised by a single mother of four, Wegadesk notes that money was always tight as a child, but the family was always able to get the funds together to travel to competition. [2] Originally hesitant about taking up the sport at a competitive level because of the regulation "Speedo" the athletes wear in competition, Wegadesk eventually warmed up to the uniform as he quickly transformed into a highly talented diver.

Competitive career

Training under coach Trevor Palmatier at the Saanich Commonwealth Place in Victoria, BC, for the Boardworks Diving program, Wegadesk began to quickly find success on both the national and international levels. [2] Wegadesk focused primarily on platform diving and synchronized events at large competitions. With his eyes originally on competing at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, Wegadesk had many strong results for his country and many top 10 finishes at international events. At the time of his retirement from competitive diving in 2007, Wegadesk was ranked at number three in the world for platform diving. [3]

Results [4]

CompetitionEventResultYear
Canada Jr. NationalsPlatform3rd2003
Canadian Olympic TrialsPlatform6th2004
Canadian Jr. Nationals3M1st2004
World Jr. ChampionshipsPlatform5th2004
Canada CupPlatform10th2005
World Championships3M17th2005
Commonwealth GamesPlatform Synchro4th2006
World CupPlatform11th2006
Winter Senior NationalsPlatform5th2007
Speedo StingPlatform2nd2007

Awards

In 2005 Wegadesk was awarded the Roland Michener Award by the Canada Games Council. This award is given out every two years to athletes who exemplify strong leadership skills both on and off the playing field, combined with an ongoing commitment to athletic excellence. [5] Wegadesk was given this award for his work with the First Nations Education Society as a role model to help keep First Nations youth in school. Additionally, Wegadesk received an Indspire Award in 2007 for aboriginal excellence in the community. [3]

Life outside of sport

As a diver at the youth level, during his time at Boardworks Diving, Wegadesk was the subject of sexual abuse at the hands of his coach. [6] His coach, Trevor Palmatier, [7] was arrested in 2013 on sex-related charges after one of his athletes came forward. It is alleged by Saanich police that sexual contact happened between the years 2004-06. Throughout his time as a competitive diver, he dealt with other personal issues that eventually lead to his retirement from the sport before his goal of the Beijing Olympics. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diving (sport)</span> Sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard

Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, usually while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Louganis</span> American Olympic platform diver

Gregory EfthimiosLouganis is an American Olympic diver who won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics on the springboard and platform. He is the only man and the second diver in Olympic history to sweep the diving events in consecutive Olympic Games. He has been called both "the greatest American diver" and "probably the greatest diver in history".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tania Cagnotto</span> Italian diver

Tania Cagnotto is an Italian diver. She is the first female Italian diver to win a medal in a World Championship. A five-time Olympian, she won medals in both individual and synchronized springboard diving in her final appearance at the Olympics in 2016. She is also a 20-time champion at the European level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon Taylor</span> British diver

Leon Taylor is a former British competitive diver. During his diving career he won medals at all major international events including a silver at the Athens Olympics. Following his retirement from competition, Taylor transitioned to a portfolio of projects. He now speaks about mental wellness, supports the SportsAid charity, teaches yoga and mental wellness, works for an executive performance business and commentates for the BBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergei Chalibashvili</span> Soviet diver

Sergei Chalibashvili was a Georgian competitive diver from the Soviet Union. He earned a silver medal at the European Youth Championship in 1978 in Florence, diving from the 10-meter diving platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Ski & Snowboard</span>

U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS), formerly known as the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, is the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding. Founded in 1905, the organization provides leadership and direction for skiers and snowboarders from over 400 member clubs. The association is headquartered in Park City, Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Daley</span> British Olympic diver

Thomas Robert Daley is a British diver and television personality. Specialising in multiple events, he is an Olympic gold medallist in the men's synchronised 10-metre platform event at the 2020 Olympics and double world champion in the FINA 10-metre platform event, winning in 2009 at the age of fifteen, and again in 2017. He is an Olympic bronze medallist in the 2012 platform event, the 2016 synchronised event, and the 2020 platform event, making him the first British diver to win four Olympic medals. Daley also competes in team events, winning the inaugural mixed team World title in 2015. He is a one-time Olympic champion, 3-time World Champion, a 2-time junior World Champion, a 5-time European champion and 4-time Commonwealth champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Robertson (diver)</span> Australian diver

Scott Robertson is a former Australian Springboard and Platform diver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Mitcham</span> Australian diver and trampoline gymnast

Matthew John Mitcham OAM is an Australian retired diver and trampolinist. As a diver, he was the 2008 Olympic champion in the 10m platform, and he is the 2nd highest single-dive score in Olympic history. This made him the first openly gay athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. He is also the first Australian male to win an Olympic gold medal in diving since Dick Eve at the 1924 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chen Ruolin</span> Chinese diver

Chen Ruolin is a Chinese diver. Her most recent competition saw her win the synchronized 10 metre platform diving event with her partner Liu Huixia at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guo Jingjing</span> Chinese diver

Guo Jingjing is a retired Chinese female diver, and multi-time Olympic gold medalist and world champion. Guo is tied with her partner Wu Minxia for winning the most Olympic medals (6) of any female diver and she won the 3m springboard event at five consecutive World Championships. She announced her retirement in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pandelela Rinong</span> Malaysian diver

Dato Pandelela Rinong Pamg, is a Malaysian diver. She has won two Olympic medals and seven World Championships medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Laugher</span> British diver

Jack David Laugher is a British diver competing for Great Britain and England. A specialist on springboard, he competes in individual springboard events, and in synchronised events with Chris Mears, Daniel Goodfellow and Anthony Harding. Laugher and Mears became Britain's first diving Olympic champions by winning a gold medal in the men's synchronised 3m springboard event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, an achievement many had expected double world 10m champion Tom Daley would achieve first. A week later, Laugher won a silver in the men's individual 3m springboard at the same Games, becoming the first British diver to win multiple Olympic diving medals at the same Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Shatto</span> Canadian diver

Cynthia "Cindy" Shatto was a Canadian diver. She won a gold medal in the 1974 British Commonwealth Games 3 metre springboard event and competed in the women's 10 metre platform event at the 1976 Summer Olympics, where she finished fifth following controversy over the judges' scoring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Mears (diver)</span> British diver

Christopher James Mears is a British diver and DJ/Producer from Burghfield Common, near Reading, Berkshire. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the synchronised 3m springboard event with Jack Laugher and won gold, the first Olympic gold medal for Britain in diving.

The Underwater Society of America (USOA) is the peak body for underwater sport and recreational diving in the United States.

Richard "Bear" Peter is a Canadian First Nations wheelchair basketball player. Peter was born in Duncan, British Columbia, and currently resides in Vancouver. When Richard was four years old, he was injured in a bus accident, leaving him in a wheelchair ever since. He began playing wheelchair basketball at the age of 15 when he was inspired by a team that came to his school and introduced him to wheelchair sports. Since then, Peter has competed in the 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games, winning the gold metal for wheelchair basketball for three of those years.

Kenneth Grove is a former Australian competitive diver. In 1970 and 1971, he broke world records on the springboard, performing 100 and 143 different dives in each year respectively. He competed in two events at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Grove had become disillusioned by sport in Australia, citing lack of financial support and facilities compared to what other countries offered their athletes. Following an injury sustained during the trials for the 1974 British Commonwealth Games and subsequently being overlooked for the team, he left Australia at the end of 1973 and moved to Austria with his fiancee, securing a scholarship at the Vienna Sports College with a $136 monthly allowance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quan Hongchan</span> Chinese diver

Quan Hongchan is a Chinese diver, national champion, and Olympic champion. She won the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the individual 10-metre platform event.

Molly Carlson is a Canadian high diver. She is a member of Canada's senior national high diving team and placed second at the 2022 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. Carlson uploads videos of herself diving on TikTok.

References

  1. 1 2 "Diver from other Victoria finds motivation". The Age. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Active Spirit Active History" (PDF).
  3. 1 2 "Indspire | Wegadesk Gorup-Paul". indspire.ca. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  4. "Rezman". www.rezman.net. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  5. "Prestigious Award for Wegadesk Gorup-Paul, a Mi'kmaq diver". www.turtleisland.org. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Man Arrested Tuesday For Trafficking Cannabis on Vancouver Island Speaks Out - Cannabis Life Network". Cannabis Life Network. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  7. Migdal, Alex (5 September 2013). "Olympic Coach Accused Of Sexually Exploiting Boy". The Huffington Post. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 30 March 2017.