The Town of Sundre's new community services manager competed in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics.
Ian James, originally from Ontario, had also pre-qualified for the1996 Games but an injury he sustained to his Achilles tendon cut his athletic career short. His first major competition was in track and field during the World Championships in 1983.
He also participated in the 1994 Commonwealth Games, when he earned a bronze medal, was a Canadian champion 11 times, and was the first Canadian to break the eight-metre barrier in long jumping.
“It was excellent for me,” James said about his athletics career. Even after tearing his Achilles tendon, he remained very active and got involved in coaching basketball, which his children played.
Back during his days in high school, he filled out a survey in Grade 11 that helped students determine what potential career paths might be best suited for them so they could consider what kind of education to pursue in post-secondary.
Topping his list was sports recreation, with sales coming up second.
“I thought there's no way I'm going door to door selling stuff,” he said with a chuckle.
This led to his decision to get into sports recreation, and James went on to earn a diploma in recreation facilities management as well as a degree in recreation and parks administration.
“So the natural progression would be moving from facilities management into a wider area such as community services,” he told the Round Up.
“And I'm typically from a small town — that small-town environment was attractive to me.”
He grew up in Milton, Ont. and moved to Brighton, Ont. where he lived many years before finding new opportunity in Sundre. With more than 25 years of work in recreation management, mainly in dealing with facilities, he brings with him a wealth of experience.
With his three children, Felicia, 27, Tiffany, 25, and Aaron, 22, grown up, the decision to make such a move was that much easier, he said. His wife, Dawn Foster-James, will be joining him in the new year, and has been on the lookout for job opportunities in the region.
The couple previously operated a health and wellness expo, and were engaged in their community, which also facilitated the decision to move, said James, adding he and his wife enjoy community engagement activities.
He started his new position on Oct. 15, and said everything is coming along well so far.
“There's a learning curve no matter where you start. It's going well though. I have quite a bit to learn, but I also have quite a bit to offer.”
With his background as a high performance athlete and the health and wellness expo he ran with his wife, James said he would like to see the community get as active as possible. Sundre has some great trails that could in turn provide opportunities for some health and fitness activities.
Among his goals is to make sure health and wellness are high priorities. Sundre has plenty of potential for growth, and James hopes to weave the health and wellness component into the community as it grows.
“The first thing for me is to assess our facilities, our assets, and determine the condition of them — where we are — to fully understand the town's priorities as to the direction we're going.”
He also plans to look at existing programs that are being offered and proceed from there.
When asked his thoughts on his new hometown, James said his first impression was that “everybody is very friendly” as well as “committed and passionate about the town in terms of contributing and being involved.”
If residents aren't engaged, that can make his line of work more difficult, so James is encouraged to see the level of community engagement in Sundre.
“That should make my job exciting.”
On his spare time, James has taken up coaching basketball. Although his sport was track and field, his children chose basketball. So he went on to pass a national coaching certification program and has coached at a provincial and regional level. It's a resource that he wanted to share by volunteering.
“It's also a good way for me to get engaged in the community and the schools, and another opportunity to get more feedback from the community.”
