Nine hundred members of the Canadian sports community invaded Vancouver last week for the Petro-Canada Sport Leadership Conference, put on by the Coaching Association of Canada.

The purpose of the conference is to support the development of Canada as a leading sports nation. It is a collaboration of the major sports organizations in this country and supported by blue chip sponsors. The conference was sold right out; a credit to the event quality the CAC has produced the past few years, buffeted by the energy of 2010.

There is a ton of energy in the Canadian sports community right now. The Olympics. The Pan Am win in Southern Ontario. A new MLS franchise in Vancouver.

Life should be good for sport. But there are some storm clouds in the air.

Sport participation has been on the decline in this country for a decade.

Teenagers in Toronto are less and less interested in our national pastime of hockey.

Next summer will mark yet another FIFA World Cup that will not see the Maple Leaf represented.

And my Ottawa Rough Riders are still dormant.

But I think in many respects we are in a better position than ever to deal with these issues. The Olympics in this country has created an entire generation of more sophisticated sports marketers, sponsors, activators, programmers, event stagers, venue managers, promoters, ambushers, government officials, volunteers, coaches, technical managers, development staff, broadcasters, digital producers, and sports savvy consumers. In a few short months, when their accomplishments in British Columbia have been completed, counted, and celebrated, Canada needs to keep them engaged.

Don’t let them leave our continent for London, Sochii or Rio. Don’t let them leave sport for corporations or academia. Don’t let the activities that funded their existence dry up.

No, Canada needs to ensure they have dynamic roles to tackle. Building the 2015 Pan Am Games. Ensuring we win a women’s soccer medal in London. Fielding the next JC Watts or Conredge Holloway. Driving up participation in sports, fitness, and active living.

The talent that is being developed represents an unprecedented pool of human capital this country hasn’t seen in twenty years. Olympics are like a positive twist to wartime innovation. What we are collectively learning as a nation is on an accelerated pace, accompanied with a passion that is only realized once a generation.

Our sports community has an opportunity to do more than just help us be a leading sports nation. It can help us become a leading nation.