If I could have chosen to dedicate myself to a single sport as a child, it likely would have been figure skating. Swimming would have been a close second. Looking back on my youth, should the circumstances had been different, I probably could have excelled at a sport if I had been able to dedicate myself fully to it. The problem wasn't any lack of motivation but rather the inevitable reality that both of my parents had to work long hours in order to provide for us, their children. As immigrants, all they really knew was the life of hard labour. Joining a sports team was never on their radar. Instead, they appreciated the value of a hard-earned dollar and preached how important it was to be debt-free. They did not have any insurance benefits and therefore had to pay for all of our dental, health and vision costs out of pocket. The idea of spending money on expensive sports equipment or costly recreational fees was unfathomable, let alone finding the time in their busy work schedules to taxi us around to practices or games.

Nevertheless, whenever it was time for the Olympic Games, our family could often be found sitting together in the living room marveling over the accomplishments of our nation's top athletes. It was a time for me to live vicariously through my figure skating idols, to dream about what it must feel like to land a perfect triple axel, to shed a tear of pride as they accepted their medals whilst the Canadian flag hung in the background.

There is no denying that sports play an important role in shaping a child’s life. However, the reality is that 1 in 3 Canadian families cannot afford to get their kids involved in sports and recreation. Jumpstart, a nationally registered charity, aims to help kids experience the joy of participating in sports and develop the life skills inherent in doing so. Kids aged 4-18 are given a sporting chance through Jumpstart, which covers costs associated with registration, equipment and/or transportation. Since 2005, Jumpstart has helped almost 700,000 kids (and counting) get in the game. And 100% of donations to Jumpstart go straight to achieve their vision of helping equip kids for life and directing them towards a better future. Together we can help all kids play!

This year, Canadian Tire Jumpstart is proud to have 10 Olympic Ambassadors attending the Winter Games in Sochi. To show their support, Canadian Tire and Sport Chek will be donating $5,000 to Jumpstart for every goal scored by one of the Jumpstart Olympic Ambassadors. These Ambassadors include Jonathan Toews, Sidney Crosby, Hayley Wickenheiser, Meaghan Mikkelson and Maëlle Ricker, who was named one of the top 10 most influential snowboarders of all time and brought home an Olympic Gold medal in 2010 and World Cup Gold in 2013. To learn more about the Ambassadors, visit the Ambassadors tab on Jumpstart’s Facebook page.

In honour of the Olympic Winter Games, Jumpstart has launched the Podium Predictor. Submit your total medal count prediction for the Canadian Olympic Team before February 20 to be entered to WIN 1 of 17 daily prizes or a Grand Prize of a $250 Canadian Tire shopping spree!

To help get you into the spirit of the Games, you could also win this Jumpstart prize pack valued at $110. It includes: