Cirque Du Soleil Poster

Feb 22nd, 2012

A few weeks ago I completed a project for my Digital Master class that centered around Cirque Du Soleil.

The intent of the project was to design a poster for a Cirque show that we would invent; the topic being of our own choosing. I decided that I would combine Pinocchio and The Ring to create a dark twist on the classic story of a wooden boy.

I wanted to make few additional changes so I used a female model and clothed her in moss. I named the show Nodo; it translates from Italian to mean Knot (the wooden type).

You can see the full images by following the link.

If you want to see the process that I took to create the poster you can skip over to the EXTRA section of the site.

Cirque Du Soleil Nodo Poster

Design, Selected Work Leave a comment

How Hard Is It Really?

Feb 15th, 2012

Over the last few weeks I’ve been trying to work with other board members Shift Racing in order to get things set for the club to start in the spring. It’s been difficult to be able to communicate with everyone when we’re only using email; I’m not yet in Mississauga.

The biggest saving grace has been Skype. It’s allowed me to have a few key conversations which have really helped to get some complicated/confusing thoughts across. Unforunately, we really need to have our first official board meeting and we’re going to have to wait a while.

I’ve been running a team for six years and it’s been pretty easy to deal with. We didn’t have to worry about permits, registration fees, insurance, catering to large groups of people or any of the other logistical problems that creep up with running a club. In essence, the team was run the way we felt was best without worrying about catering to any exterior rules or expectations. That isolation is going to be harder, if impossible, to maintain going forward.

At this point last year I was concerned about what races my team would attend, what sponsorship I could arrange and how to distribute it and solidifying my roster.

This year, along with the items mentioned above, I am also building a club website, designing club skinsuits, building a 3 tier training program (kids to elite), arranging training locations, and finding ways to think of problems before they arrive. It’s more work, sure, but I’m loving it too. I think that once a lot of the grunt work is done that we can sail through the season and start to plan for 2013.

Running a club requires a lot more effort than just a team, but I think that the overall impact is also much greater. Here’s to getting work done and a successful 2012!

Roller Speed Skating Leave a comment

Shift Racing

Feb 3rd, 2012

Over the last five to six years, I have had the privilege to act as a coach and team manager for Schankel Canada. I’ve been able to give back to the community that helped me grow up as a child and, I hope, help my friends achieve something together that they couldn’t have done as individuals.

I’ve always had the dream of having own skating club and today that dream has been realized. With the help of my friends and teammates we have formed and registered our new club, Shift Racing, with Roller Sports Canada.

What About The Team?

In a way, nothing is going to change; at least in the short term. The Schankel team have all agreed to continue with Shift Racing and we will continue to represent our sponsors and each other at all of the usual races. Our strong focus on supporting local, Canadian, events has now become a part of the club’s mandate.

In the medium to long term, we will search out younger skaters and hopefully build a club that focuses on youth development and family oriented fun. Our goal is to have a healthy, family friendly, club structure that will allow for the natural development and progression of Junior skaters so that they can eventually join the sponsored racing team.

What About The Sponsors?

Since the teams inception, sponsors have helped to shape the direction and dynamic of the team. They gave the athletes a sense of responsibility and helped to strengthen the bonds between teammates. This importance has not been forgotten and going forward Shift Racing will continue to work together with sponsors to continue the growth of this club.

2012 will mark a huge change in sponsorship for the club on a number of levels.

The first being that the club has a name which is independent of sponsors. Shift Racing’s name will allow for the stable development of a club without the confusion that is inherent with repetitive and constant sponsor/product team changes.

The second is our sponsors themselves. 2011 was a very strong year for us in that we received many new sponsors and were able to bring a level of professionalism to the team that hadn’t existed before. This year, while having fewer sponsors, I believe that we have made even stronger relationships with our sponsors that have bought in to our goals for the club and team.

So, Who Are They?

I would like to start off by saying thank you to the sponsors and partners that we have worked with over the years and welcome those who are new.

Returning in 2012:

ahegarty Graphic Design
Little M Design

New in 2012:

Bont
Bont is one of the worlds premier skating brands and now Shift Racings principal sponsor. Bont needed a stronger presence in Canada, especially southern Ontario, and after some discussion we determined that Shift Racing was in a unique position to help.

Roller Sports Canada
Roller Sports Canada supports the clubs under its banner and continues to improve the sport of roller speed skating in Canada. To show our support, we will proudly display the RSC logo on our team uniforms.

24hr Roller Montreal
As Canadas premier skating event, Shift Racing can find no better event to support and encourage the participation in than the 24hr Roller Montreal. We will work throughout the year to ensure that as many people as possible attend this fantastic event.

Speed Skate World
Canada and the Worlds most comprehensive, one stop, source for all things skating. We believe in SSWs passion for and dedication to the sport we all love.

Phantom Race
Phantom Race is a new and different way to race your friends throughout the year. We think that it’ll be a lot of fun and hope you enjoy it as well!

New Bont Sales Representative

Anyone who is interested in purchasing equipment from Bont can now approach myself or any member of Shift Racing for information or help.

What’s The New Look?

Anyone know who’s me or our history knows that I love to design new racing suits every year. For 2012 Shift Racing will have new team uniforms, a new logo and a new website. New designs will come shortly but for now here is the link to the new website.

Shift Racing Website

To The Future

I wanted to finally say thank you to everyone who has made this possible and I hope this is the beginning of something great!

Photos & Video, Roller Speed Skating Leave a comment