Multiple Medals for Canadian Cyclists at Pan Ams.

May 15, 2010 - The final day of competition at the 2010 Pan Am Cycling Championships was a successful one for the Canadian Cycling team. Travis Smith, who had the fastest time in qualifying, was victorious in the match sprint claiming the gold medal and Pan Am Champion jersey with a two rides to none victory over Njisane Philly of Trinidad and Tobago.

Monique Sullivan won the first round of the Keirin and continued on to a strong 5th place finish. Laura Brown competed in the very active and exciting Points Race. She gained a lap early and finished in 5th place overall.

On Saturday Sullivan had moved through to the semi finals in the sprint winning all of her rounds to get there. She lost to the Cuban rider Lisandra Guerra in the semis and faced off against the Venezuelan Daniela Larreal for the Bronze medal but finished in fourth.

Earlier in the competition Travis Smith and Stephane Cossette rode in the kilo final and both raced to personal bests and moved up one spot from last year. Stephane finished in 6th place and 1.18 seconds faster than last year in a time of 1:02.671 and Travis bested his Canadian Record to win Silver in a time of 1:01.429. Travis and Stephane will race again tomorrow in the Sprints and are feeling confident heading in to the race.

Monique Sullivan, who had set a personal best in the 500 meters at the World Championships in March bested her time by 0.6 seconds to finish with a time of 34.76 seconds in second place. Monique’s silver medal is the first for the team on the track at these championships. “I am really happy with my 500 result. I didn't have any expectations coming into this race but it is a fast track and I am glad that I was able to maximize my effort and beat my personal best by over half a second. Lori-Ann Muenzer's Canadian record is my next goal and I am getting close!”

Top

Calgary beckons for Canadian skiers.

By Vicki Hall, Calgary Herald CALGARY — They’re not about to change the name to the Calgary Cowboys, but the Canadian men’s alpine ski team has certainly found a home in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. Just three months removed from his World Cup overall win in super-G, Eric Guay is the latest Canadian Cowboy to settle in the Stampede City. At the end of the month, he’s moving with his young family to Calgary from Mont Tremblant, Que.
“It will be my little girl, my wife and myself,” Guay said Thursday before taking to the mat for mixed martial arts training in a Northeast Calgary gym. “My wife is actually from Alberta, so it will be good for her to be back home.”

The move is also designed to help Guay, 28, build on an incredible finish to the season that saw him hit the podium in three consecutive races. He won two of them. “Alpine Canada is based here,” Guay said. “So we’re already here a lot in Calgary. This way, I can see my family a lot more during the summer instead of going back and forth. “The team is based out here so we have so much more support with trainers, physiotherapists, eye doctors, medical doctors, dentists. Everything is based out of here, so it’s easy access.”

And that access promises to get even better. "They’re building that new training centre out at Canada Olympic Park,” he said. “It’s not ready yet, but I want to take advantage of that. “And the taxes are lower in Alberta.” Guay is the seventh member of the Canadian men’s national team to call Calgary home. John Kucera, the downhill world champion, Trevor White, and Brad Spence were all born in Calgary.

B.C.-born Manuel Osborne-Paradis and Robbie Dixon share a house in Calgary. Banff native Jan Hudec, the man of many knee surgeries, also lives nearby.
“A lot of the guys are starting to move to Calgary,” White said. “With the 1988 Olympics, we have just so many resources. We have the Canadian Sport Centre at the Oval, the Bob Niven Training Centre. Physios. Trainers. “In terms of training, this is the place to be. There’s just such a well-structured system for athletes.”

As part of that system, Alpine Canada is offering a training camp this week for national team members with a different twist. Canadian Ultimate fighter Nick “The Promise” Ring is forcing the skiers to cowboy up with mixed martial arts training not for the faint of heart. “Skiing is actually much worse than martial arts,” said Ring, who is battling back from knee surgery. “The forces they put on their legs at one time is just incredible.”

The good-natured rivalry between the skiers is evident from watching them on the mat. “They’re kicking each other in the elbows,” Ring said. “They’re all men, right? Any time there’s testosterone in the equation, things get out of hand. Always.”

Working his way back from a fractured tibia and fibula in his left leg, Kucera is thrilled to learn a new set of survival skills that might help him somewhere down the road. “They keep us under control,” he said. “As an injured person, I can’t go out there and start roundhouse kicking people with my bad leg. “It’s just a good workout and a good way to get extra rehab and extra work in a fun environment.”

Guay is sold on the idea of mixing things up
“The older I get, the more tired I am of just being in the gym and doing the rudimentary squats and lifts,” he said. “They’re the same every day, and we’ve been doing them for years. “This is a great way to do a different kind of workout that works a lot of different body parts.”

Back at home in Quebec, Guay’s Crystal Globe is hidden away in a cupboard before eventual transport to Calgary. To many skiers, the Crystal Globe actually ranks higher in prestige than an Olympic gold medal. Olympic gold is won in a day. The Crystal Globe is captured through excellence all season long. Which one means more to Guay? “I’ve been asked that question so many times, ”said Guay, who placed fifth in two speed events at the Vancouver Games. “Typically, I would probably take a Crystal Globe. But because the Olympics were at home in Canada — that’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. You would be royalty, right? “No one would every forget your name if you won a gold medal in Canada.’’

You can bet Guay’s new neighbours won’t forget his name once they realize who the guy is moving in next door.

Top

4 In a Row, Charmaine Reid & Nicole Grether win the Canadian International.

Nicole and I had a great weekend in Montreal at the Canadian International. In the quarter finals we were up against the 2010 Canadian National Champions, Melody Liang and Xuelian Jiang, Xuelian was a former Chinese National Team member, (8 years on the Chinese national team) and had won medals at World Championships, we were well prepared for a hard match, focusing on every rally, playing a good attacking solid game and won in two games straight 21-18, 21-18.

In the semi finals we had a marathon doubles match against Japan, Kana Ito and Hitomi Oka. After exciting and amazing long rallies over and over again, with hardly any unforced errors by both teams, Nicole and I were able to win the first game 21-18 in the second game they had a lead of 17-13, we came back to tie it up at 19 all, wanting to win in 2 games but they kept fighting and took the second game 21-19. 2 minutes of needed break between the 2nd and 3rd game and we were back battling on court. We lead 11-4 midway but still long rallies of drop, clear and smash and after 94 minutes we won the match 21-14.

Into the finals, we were well prepared the next day and looking forward to play. Unfortunately our opponents, Huang Ruilin and Lim Yee Theng had to withdraw due to an ankle injury that Huang sustained in the semi finals. The Canadian International title became our 4th title in a row. (New York Open, Peru International, LABC Open and Canadian International)

In the singles action my first round was against a Malaysian player Lim Yee Theng, Lim won the first game 16-21, in the second game I started to move the shuttle around the court well and made her run the 4 corners setting up my smash and drop and I was able to win the next 2 games 21-11, 21-10. The quarter finals I was up against my long time rival Denyse Julien of Canada, I knew going into the match it was going to be mentally tough and Deynse would try and win quick points. The last time I think we played head to head was at the 2007 at National Championships in Alberta where we played in the finals and I was able to win the title.

3 years later and numerous times of playing we both knew what shots were going to be played before the shuttle was struck. Denyse with her good net shots and smart thinking made the 2 games close but I was able to win in 2 straight games 21-18 21-19.

In the semi finals I was up against Hitomi Oka of Japan, the first game I knew I needed to attack as much as possible as she runs everything down, the first game she won 21-15, in the second I made more mistakes going for too many winners giving her the game 21-6, Oka went on to win the singles title at the Canadian International.

Next stop Boston Open, Nicole and I just left Montreal after the Canadian International and taking the Greyhound bus for 8 hours to Boston for our next tournament.

Live your dreams,
Charmaine

Top

Medal bonanza for Canadian junior divers at Dutch Open.

AMSTERDAM – Canadian junior divers earned victories in five on seven finals on Saturday including medal sweeps in two events at the Dutch Open. Hailey Casper of Calgary earned two gold leading Canada to a medal sweep in the women’s three-metre open with Jo-Annie Dubois of Gatineau, Que., second and Morgan Weller of Vancouver third. Michelle Piper-Kulak of Edmonton was fifth and Myriam Selmani of Laval, Que., sixth.

In the women’s 16-18 age group, Casper prevailed again with Dubois fourth, Weller eighth, Laurence Vallée of Longueuil, Que., 12th and Selmani 14th.

Sam Valentine of Saskatoon led Canada to another medal sweep in the boys 14-15 platform event. Dylan Grisell of Toronto was second and Vincent Riendeau of Pointe-Claire, Que., third.

‘’It was a quite an experience to accomplish this in front of all these countries,’’ said Valentine, 15. ‘’I was happy with my performance and the judging was hard. I was most happy with my three and half pike. It was giving me trouble in practice all week but I was able to lay it down today.’’

Shane Miszkiel of Victoria added a victory in the men’s 16-18 one-metre with Cole Miller of Regina fourth. Miszkiel was also third in the open men’s one-metre. Canada’s fifth gold on the day was earned by Vallée in the women’s 16-18 platform with Carey Chen of Vancouver adding a bronze. Piper-Kulak was third in girls 14-15 one-metre with Courtney Hattie of Victoria seventh and Monica Gavaris of Montreal 12th.

Top

Baby, Olympic dreams keep Zelinka on the run.

By Vicki Hall, Calgary Herald May 15, 2010 - At a casual glance, the life of Canadian Olympian Jessica Zelinka seems awfully similar to that of any new mom. She changes diapers. Does endless rounds of laundry. Breaks up wrestling matches between the baby and the attention-starved feline of the family.
"She pins him down and rolls on him," says Zelinka, pointing at her black cat named Nietzsche (after the German philosopher.) "Anika just never stops moving. She's so quick at picking things up and putting them in her mouth. "I'm lucky to have good reflexes."

Good reflexes? Try outstanding. Less than a year after giving birth, Zelinka is flexible, fluid and fast.
And today, the University of Calgary grad is set to compete for the first time since the Beijing Olympics. "I want her to regain the competitive desire that made her so good," says coach Les Gramantik. "The numbers don't matter to me at this point."

Her standards are awfully high. After all, the London, Ont., native placed fifth at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. Her goal for the 2012 Olympics in London? To hit the podium and win a medal, preferably gold. Today, she'll settle simply for surviving the competition at the Calgary Spring Challenge at Glenmore Athletic Park. "I just want to go out there and feel good again," she says in a quiet chat at her southwest Calgary home after Anika has gone to bed for the night. "I keep telling myself this is a transitional year."

There's no manual on how to transition from childbirth to Olympic athlete -- especially in a discipline that includes hurdles, shot put, high jump, long jump, javelin and running. "In May 2009, her tummy looked like a medicine ball," Gramantik says. "I don't think many coaches have experienced the process of returning a world-class athlete to training after pregnancy. "Four decades of coaching and this is the first time it ever happened to me."

For Zelinka, 28, and husband Nathaniel Miller, the original game plan didn't exactly call for childbirth in the prime of their athletic careers. But life rarely follows a script of any kind. So Zelinka and Miller, captain of the Canadian water polo team, chose to improvise. To Zelinka, every mother deserves a medal for surviving the agony of childbirth. "Being pregnant was crazy," she says. "It gives you a total new appreciation for the human body. Your body is so smart. In labour, it takes over. "The contractions were overlapping, one after the other. It was all very intense. Not comparable to anything I've ever endured in my life."

Her coach is known as a taskmaster. But after giving birth, Zelinka figures she can withstand anything Gramantik throws at her. "While I was in labour, I kept thinking, 'how can I describe this pain?" She never came up with the suitable adjective. But that pain led to the most overwhelming blessing of her life. Anika is a busy, busy, baby. "She's already bored of her toys," Zelinka says. "She just wants to go and explore the world."

With Olympians for parents, she'll get the opportunity to do just that -- provided her mom and dad can juggle the demands of athletics and child rearing. The early signs are encouraging, Gramantik says. Technically speaking, Zelinka is showing the best form of her career. "I'm surprised how well she is doing athletically," Gramantik says. "The challenge for the female to get back into shape after pregnancy is something that no male will probably ever fully understand."

But Gramantik has researched the issue, and he realizes Zelinka needs time to regain the muscle mass lost. "The challenge is a hormonal issues," he says. "Testosterone is beaten up by pregnancy. "It might take six months. It might take a year. Maybe two years. We don't know."

Zelinka realizes the secret to success -- in sport and motherhood -- lies in her ability to be present in each moment. In other words, she leaves the track at the track and the baby stuff at home. "I find joy in coming back and taking care of her," she says. "It used to be that after track, I would come home and think about what didn't go right and what I had to do the next day. "I can't do that anymore."

She also can't waste time at the gym. Half-hearted training sessions are a thing of the past. "I think motherhood brings resiliency," says Gramantik. "Jessica is a calmer person. On the track, we have no blow-ups. No arguments. No negotiations. She's far more determined. "Far more focused." Her immediate focus is on the Calgary Spring Challenge. Then, she's off to the annual Hypo-Meet at Goetzis, Austria. In October, she hopes to hit the podium at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

Unfortunately, the Hypo-Meet conflicts with Anika's first birthday. So the celebration will take place a week early. On the big day itself, Anika is scheduled to be in Montreal with her dad and grandmother.
At the tender age of 11 months, Anika is already flirting with frequent-flyer status. "And she hates flying," Zelinka says. "She has to move around all the time. When she has to sit still, she screams."
Such is life for the child of two Canadian Olympians shooting for glory at the 2012 Summer Games in London.

"Actually, this is a very special time for us," Zelinka says. "We have two-and-a half more years. Athletes have a very limited time compete. "One day, we'll look back and say, 'those were the good old days."
And they'll marvel over how they ever found the time.

Top

Own the Podium Welcomes John Furlong and New Advisory Board.

OTTAWA—Own the Podium applauds the Harper Government for its on-going commitment to creating Canadian sport excellence following the federal announcement that John Furlong will lead the organization’s Advisory Board. As chief executive officer of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Furlong was the leader behind the team that delivered one of the most successful Games ever – a Games which saw record-setting performances by Canadian athletes.

“John Furlong is seen in Canada, and around the world, as the face of Vancouver 2010, and his name has become synonymous with all of the successes surrounding the Bid and those Games,” said Alex Baumann, chief executive officer, Own the Podium. “Those successes did not come without numerous challenges which were overcome due in large part to John’s perseverance, leadership and passion for sport and all athletes. His position as chair of Own the Podium’s Advisory Board will ensure Canada’s dedication to excellence in sport will continue well into the future.”

In his new role with Own the Podium, Furlong will lead a dynamic, high-profiled Advisory Board including: Keith Pelley (CTV); Julie Payette (Canadian Space Agency); Dr Mike Wilkinson (Sports Medicine Professional); Dr. Guy Larose (National Research Council); Cathy Priestner-Allinger (formerly VANOC); and Lane MacAdam (Sport Canada).

Three additional members representing a joint position shared by the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee, along with one person from each of the winter and summer-sport caucus will also be named to the Board at a later date.

“A new culture for winning was instilled in all Canadians during the 2010 Games,” said Baumann. “Own the Podium’s Advisory Board brings the best skills and knowledge from a variety of areas in, and outside, of sport as part of the organization’s continued focus to fuel the nation’s best athletes’ drive to the Olympic, Paralympic and international podiums.”

Earlier this spring, the Harper Government reconfirmed its commitment to supporting Canada’s high-performance athletes beyond 2010 by announcing it will provide and additional $11 million a year into the Own the Podium winter-sport program. As a founding partner of Own the Podium, the Government of Canada played a critical role in helping Canadian athletes win a record 14 gold medals at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and finish in the top-three nations at the Paralympic Winter Games.

The federal government’s commitment to Own the Podium now totals $69 million annually, which includes a base level of funding of $22 million per year that will be directed to winter sport. For summer sport, the Government of Canada’s support is set at $36 million a year, which will be invested to athletes preparing for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games in London. The remaining $11 million will go towards creating programs targeted to further developing winter and summer athletes, along with targeted investments into Canadian Sport Centres.

Top

Chevrolet Announces 2010 High Performance and Community Club Coach Grant Recipients.

Today, ten Canadian high performance coaches and their Olympic hopeful athletes were each awarded a $10,000 grant for coach development through Chevrolet's Making Dreams Possible Program. In addition, 51 community clubs from across Canada each received a grant of $2,000 for coach training and development activities. Today's announcement is the fourth year of Chevrolet's commitment to provide a competitive edge for Canadian athletes through coaching excellence. Chevrolet's direct support of coach education and development through this program has impacted more than 27,000 coaches and approximately 250,000 athletes in 183 communities across the country.

COACH ATHLETE SPORT

Allison McNeill - Chelsea Aubry Basketball

Randy Bennett - Ryan Cochrane Swimming

Claude St. Jean - Audrey Lacroix Swimming

Victor Zilberman - Martine Dugrenier Wrestling

Anthony McCleary - Priscilla Lopes-Schliep Athletics

Eric Van Den Eynde - Tara Whitten Cycling

Steve Tseng Sarah Hunter - Wheelchair Tennis

Louis Bouchard Alex Harvey - Cross Country Skiing

Kelly Forbes - Mellisa Hollingsworth Skeleton

Brianne Law - Viviane Forest Para-Alpine Skiing

Top

The Olympics in One Word

(www.wordle.net) What one word best describes Vancouver's Olympic Games? We asked, and over 100 of you responded.  Check out the Word Cloud we created out of the responses we received:

Top

Two-time Olympic champion Alex Baumann is hoping to add some lustre to Canada's national sports teams.

May 6, 2010 Randy Starkman - Imagine showing up at a masters swim meet, looking in the next lane and seeing Canadian legend Alex Baumann warming up. It could happen. Baumann still uses the pool to stay fit more than 25 years after he starred at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics with two gold medals, both in world record time. He’s had a lot less time for it, though, since taking over from Roger Jackson as the head of Own The Podium last month.

Baumann’s been busy trying to help lay the groundwork to keep Canada as a Winter Olympic powerhouse while bringing the level of the summer athletes higher than it has ever been before. While the program’s name came under a lot of criticism and was considered “un-Canadian” in some quarters, Baumann makes no apologies. “So what, it’s un-Canadian,” he said. “I don’t mind that at all. For me, it was never meant to be a firm commitment, although it appeared that way for Vancouver because we were going for the No. 1 spot. For me, it’s more an aspiration. “Let’s face it, in 2012 (at the London Summer Games) we won’t be trying to Own The Podium, we’re trying to be a top-12 nation. That goal will still be difficult, but I think it’s achievable.”

Baumann is enjoying his new post and is clearly happy he made the choice to return to Canada just over three years ago from Australia, where he was working as executive director of the Queensland Academy of Sport. One of the things that brought him back was the recognition there’d been a cultural shift in the Canadian sports system towards trying to be the best in the world. Now, he believes Canadians are solidly behind them in that goal.

“The Olympics were a defining moment where the public wanted our athletes to be on that podium,” said Baumann. “Winning wasn’t a dirty word.”

What keeps Baumann busy these days is overseeing a review process for all the winter sports. Own The Podium will determine funding for the next Olympic cycle based on the high performance plans submitted by the national sports organizations. He is also preparing to hire a new leader for OTP’s winter side.

There will be a change in philosophy on the winter side as OTP looks to fund more development.
“For 2010, we had to focus on purely the medallists,” he said. “We’re preparing ourselves for 2014 but also ensuring for 2018 there’s some long-term prospects as well. It’s always a delicate balance.”

One of the things OTP would like to pursue is the development of high performance sport institutes along the lines of the Australian system. Baumann said the Australians pump about $95 million a year into their institutes, while Canada currently spends about $12 million annually on its sports centres. “It would help raise the bar and also help get more fulltime coaches into the system,” he said.

Baumann is hoping that OTP will be established as an independent entity with a highly credible board of directors — Vancouver Olympic boss John Furlong is expected to be named as chairman. The Canadian Olympic Committee’s attempt to bring it in-house was rejected in a recent government study. “If you put it under the COC, you cannot have that objectivity to make at times some very difficult decisions,” said Baumann. “We need to target and prioritize. Some sports may not get funding. . . . We’re starting to make some hard decisions and the results are coming.”

Top

Canadian Sport Centre Calgary announces Inspiration Nation on June 11th, 2010.

You, your friends and your family are invited to our Inspiration Nation Gala at the Hyatt. With over 30 Olympians sharing their stories and experiences, this unique event is sure to uplift and inspire everyone to achieve excellence in all aspects of life.

Join us for this inspiring fundraising evening with our Olympians and many of our 2010 medalists. At Inspiration Nation, you will have the opportunity to mix and mingle with Canada’s elite athletes and enjoy an evening of fine dining and entertainment of Olympic standards.

All of the proceeds will go directly to the Canadian Sport Centre Calgary (CSCC) to provide athletes with world leading support staff in the fields of:

EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY
SPORT MEDICINE
STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
BIOMECHANICS
NUTRITION
MENTAL TRAINING
COACH EDUCATION
LIFE SERVICES

The CSCC currently provides programs and services to over 500 athletes and coaches in the Calgary area.

For more information on sponsorship and table sales read the Sponsorship Package (pdf)

Top