HAY RIVER - Last winter, biathlete Brendan Green achieved the dream he shares with most amateur athletes - competing at the Olympics.

Olympian Brendan Green, left, receives the keys to a Ford Escape on Oct. 19 from Spencer King of Kingland Ford in Hay River. Kingland Ford is providing the vehicle to the biathlete under a special lease arrangement. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Although representing Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver was the pinnacle of his career thus far, it is not nearly the end of his athletic journey.

Now, the Hay River biathlete's goal is to qualify for the 2014 Olympic Games in Russia.

"Right now, I'm very motivated to continue on," said the 23-year-old during a visit this month to his hometown. "I haven't reached my potential yet in the sport for sure. I know there's a lot more that I can accomplish and I want to accomplish. I'm hungry for more. I'm hungry to keep going."

Green said he "absolutely" believes he can be a (Olympic) medalist in the sport someday.

"A medal would be the dream goal," he said. "To have that perfect race on that day, I have no doubt that it can happen."

Athletes need to have high expectations in order to improve, he said.

In Vancouver, he was part of a relay team that placed 10th - a very respectable finish for Canadian biathletes.

Green welcomes his status as a role model for young people since he made the Olympics.

"It's definitely not a burden," he said. "It's a great feeling. I'm proud to be able to set an example for the younger generation. I hope that I can make a difference in a few of those kids' lives."

Green got a sense of what his success means to younger people when he came home earlier this year to participate in the opening ceremonies of the NWT Track and Field Championships.

"I was carrying the torch in and the kids just went crazy," he recalled with a laugh. "I basically was swarmed. I didn't think I'd have that much of an effect on the younger population, but I did and it was pretty neat for me to experience that."

When he was growing up in the North, Green said he could see a lot of kids weren't very motivated or they didn't think they had the same opportunities as children in the south.

However, he says being from the North is an asset as an athlete. "There are endless opportunities if you take advantage of them and the support that can be generated in a small community is far greater than, say, if I came from Calgary or Edmonton or a bigger city like that."

For example, he said he was amazed by Go Green Day - people wearing green and rallying for him in the NWT on the day he raced at the Olympics.

"It made it a very special day for me knowing that I had basically the support of the whole North," he said.

Green was also back in Hay River to receive a vehicle from Kingland Ford under a special lease arrangement to help

support the amateur

athlete.

The four-year lease will provide him with a Ford Escape for the first two years and a different vehicle for the remaining two years.

In addition, Norland Agencies Ltd. - insurance agents and brokers in Hay River - is paying for the insurance and registration for four years.

Green said he absolutely appreciates the support from the two companies.

"It just helps me to focus more on my training and what I need to do to become the athlete that I want to be," he said. "I'm very grateful for their support."

The vehicle is a definite upgrade from the car Green has been driving.

"I'm driving a '91 Mazda 626," he said. "It still runs, but the bumper is literally tied on, and there's holes rusted through the trunk and mice getting in."

The car is only driven around Canmore, Alta., where Green trains with the national team, since he believes it would be unable to make the trip to Hay River.

The state of his car is just one example of the difficulties for amateur athletes surviving on government funding.

Unless you happen to be a gold medallist, funding is an issue, Green said. "I guess for us younger athletes who don't have the results yet, it's a huge issue for sure."

However, he said, he's not in it for the money.

"For me, this is my dream," he explained. "It's an amazing lifestyle. I spend my days outside training. I get to travel the world and experience a lot of different cultures. For me, this is the best job for sure."

Just before coming to Hay River, he spent three weeks altitude training on a glacier in Austria. After his biathlon career is over, Green plans on going to university.

"At the moment this is what I do," he said of being a biathlete. "This is my career."

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