Cindy Klassen (CP)

Klassen, Hughes earn medals for Canada at speed skating worlds.
(Canadian Sport News)

MOSCOW- Cindy Klassen of Winnipeg nearly withdrew due to a nasty cold Sunday and finished second overall to highlight a gutsy performance by the Canadians at the long track speed skating all around world championships. She added a bronze in the 1,500 while Clara Hughes of Winnipeg took third spot in the 5,000.

Klassen finished the weekend with three medals. She was also second in the 500 Saturday. On Sunday she was feeling absolutely miserable with a bad cough, sore throat and other aches and pains. There was even talk of withdrawing.

‘’I’m really happy with how it turned out, I wasn’t feeling too good out there,’’ said a stuffed-up Klassen, who missed most of last season due to injury. ‘’I wasn’t even sure I would race today. Both races today were very hard for me. In the 5,000 right after the first lap, I was wondering whether I would finish.’’

Anni Friesinger of Germany earned her third career all around overall crown sweeping gold in all four races this weekend to tabulate 161.557 points. It’s the
sixth time the women’s all around winner took all four races. Klassen, the all around world champion in 2003, took second spot at 163.214 and Claudia Pechstein of Germany was third at 163.418. Kristina Groves of Ottawa was sixth and Hughes 12th.

In the 1,500 Friesinger took the gold in 1:57.35 with Ireen Wust of the Netherlands second in 1:58.17 and Klassen, the world record holder and the World Cup leader in the event this season with two victories, third at 1:58.23. Groves was sixth and Hughes 13th.

In the 5,000, Friesinger completed the sweep in 7:04.61 with Pechstein second in 7:05.08 and Hughes third in 7:05.69, to match last year’s result at this competition. Groves was fifth and Klassen eighth. Hughes and Groves both were stricken with the cold bug last weekend and didn’t race at the World Cup in Italy.

‘’This was the first race since the World Cups in November that I felt I had some rhythm in my skating,’’ said Hughes about her 5,000. ‘’I feel like I’ve turned a corner and I’m excited for the rest of the season. The whole team is pleased with how we fared under difficult circumstances.’’

In men’s competition, Americans Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick finished 1-2 overall. Davis finished with 150.777 points and defending champion Hedrick followed at 150.916. Sven Kramer of the Netherlands was third. The Americans swept the top-four spots in the men’s 1,500 with Davis clocking 1:46.60 for gold to beat Hedrick by 1.10 seconds. KC Boutiette was third in 1:48.79, finishing 0.19 seconds ahead of teammate Derek Parra.

Arne Dankers of Calgary placed 11th in the 1,500 for 17th overall and Philippe Marois of Ste-Foy, Que., was 20th in the 1,500 for 20th overall. Steven Elm of Red Deer, Alta., didn’t race Sunday due to a cold and receives no placement.

Emily Brydon (CP)

BRIGITTE ACTON 12TH AND EMILY BRYDON 13TH PLACE IN THE WOMEN’S COMBINED EVENT.

BORMIO (ITA), February 4, 2005 – To the great delight of the spectators and to the satisfaction of the dozens of Canadian fans,the sun shined all day and the winds escaped the valley, allowing canadian women to clinch three top 20 results.

Canadian women showed good form right from the start of the day with Emily Brydon skiing the 6th fastest downhill run, 1.09 seconds off the pace. Brydon, who was hoping to match her 7th place finish from the 2001 World Championships combined event, had two tough slalom runs, pushing her back to 13th place. "I’m half happy," said the Fernie (BC) resident. "This seas! on, I've focused on downhill and it is hard to compete in a combined if you don’t regularly race in slalom events."

"I can now turn the page and start planning for the downhill race," added Brydon. "I will focus on sticking to my game plan and doing my best. I can’t control the rest." "I also hope luck is on my side! I’ve had some bad luck on a few occasions so I hope that’s all behind me," she concluded.

Brigitte Acton, a young recruit on the World Cup downhill circuit and a slalom specialist, surprised everyone including herself by coming in 9th place after the downhill leg, 1.46 seconds behind Kostelic. Enjoying approximatly ten minutes in the leader box before her time was beat, Acton was anxious to put on her slalom skis to get closer to the leader.

"My downhill run was pretty solid," added the slalom and giant slalom specialist. "I was a bit nervous for the first slalom run and I could feel that it was harder to get into the short-turn rythm. But in the second run, I tried to relax and to focus on what I had to do."

"I came here for experience so I wasn’t really targeting a specific result. Ultimately, I hope this kind of experience will help me qualify for the Olympics," concluded Acton who’s mother represented Canada in alpine skiing at the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo (Japan)

Canadian men displayed group dominance in the downhill segment - placing four racers in the top 10 – and athletic versatility after the slalom runs – ending up with two racers in the top 10 overall.

In the morning downhill run, Erik Guay came in 6th place (1.78 out of Walchhofer’s time), Manuel Osborne-Paradis came in 7th place (1.80 out), François Bourque in 8th place (1.83 out), and John Kucera in 10th place (1.95 out).

Reluctantly exchanging their long boards for short slalom sk is, Canada’s downhill specialists were looking to ski iintellig ently in the slalom to ensure top 10 results in the men’s combined event.

John Kucera, a twenty year-old racer from Calgary (AB), who was 13th after the downhill leg and first slalom run, increased his small radius momentum in the second run to end up 9th overall. "This is awesome!" exclaimed Kucera who was selected as a member of Canada’s development team in 2004. "My goal was to be in the top 10 and I did it. I felt good after the downhill run and I knew I could win a few places in the slalom," added Kucera who was amongst the youngest racers in the competition.

"I’ve always enjoyed the contrast between downhill and slalom. For me, the combined event is fun and I think every downhiller should ski slalom. This race is excellent and it does encourage me for the downhill race," said Kucera who’s previous career best finished on the World Cup was a 12th place in the Wengen combined in mid January.

François Bourque from New Richmond (QC), was 14th following the downhill and first slalom run, and stepped it up a notch in the final slalom leg to end up 10th overall. "I’m very happy about this 10th place," said Bourque who is competing in his first World Championships along with teammates Kucera and Osborne-Paradis.

Dale Henwood

The Big Picture with Dale Henwood: University of Calgary Athletics Plebiscite

Like most universities in Canada, the University of Calgary Athletics program is considered ancillary, not part of the core or raison d’être, of the institution. Later this month the students will be asked in a plebiscite to increase their support to the athletics program. The Faculty of Kinesiology proposes to re-direct its existing contribution to Dinos Athletics funding toward Faculty research and teaching. Essentially, they are removing their commitment (or lack thereof) and financial contribution to the Dinos Athletics budget.

Just as the physical aspect is a critical component of total human development and of a holistic education, so to is an athletics program a vital, integral and successful part of the University's total academic program.

Much of the reputation and international profile of the University has been built on the back of sport – in particular, winter Olympic sport. For the past two decades, Calgary has enjoyed tremendous international recognition in the high performance sport world and numerous world-class athletes have lived and trained in Calgary as they pursued an education and international sporting excellence. Calgary has become a regular stop on the world-class sporting scene and is a recognized leader in developing winter sport excellence.

Part of the allure of Calgary is the opportunity for high performance athletes to have an integrated approach to excellence – sport and academic. The University, having received tremendous benefits due to its connection with Olympic and high performance sport, has a critical role to play in this regard.

There must be an institutional commitment to excellence; we cannot afford to leave this critical element to the whim of a faculty, Dean or individual staff member. This must become a strategic priority and a central part of the Universities’ preferred future, its corporate culture and identity. A critical component of the quality educational experience is a quality intercollegiate athletics program.

We need to use the presence of high performance sport to our advantage; we need to tell the world, to attract local students, those from across Alberta, across Canada and worldwide. Athletics programs are a vital connection to the community. The University has been very non-chalant in their approach to excellence in sport, yet the Olympic movement and sport have provided remarkable opportunities for the University. Sport has been, and can continue to be, used by the University as a differentiator.

Although the students will need to make a decision regarding their support of a strong inter-collegiate program, the University leaders and decision-makers must show the way by publicly committing to and supporting the role of athletics in a well rounded and holistic education and in the value of the pursuit of excellence in all endeavors.

Dale Henwood
President,
Canadian Sport Centre Calgary

Jenn Heil (CP)

Heil prevails on challenging World Cup course.

Inawashiro, Japan -- Jennifer Heil of Spruce Grove, AB, continues to reap rewards on this sharp, demanding moguls course. A disappointing sixth-place finish for her on Saturday in single moguls World Cup action, turned into a gold-medal showing Sunday.

Heil, who now trains out of Montreal, also won here in 2002, with the first World Cup win of her career. "It's really special because this is where I won my first World Cup medal and my first gold medal in singles," said Heil, 21. "I was also disappointed with how I skied in singles (Saturday), I wasn't aggressive enough. So I came out (Sunday) morning and took a good look at the course and decided it wasn't as steep as I thought."

For the second straight weekend, Heil had to knock off superstar Kari Traa of Norway to reach the final. After winning the qualification round, Heil won her duals against Azusa Ito of Japan, Sara Kjellin of Sweden, Traa and then 1998 Olympic champion Tae Satoya of Japan. And for the second straight week, Heil's toughest opponent was Traa, who had a faster time, but made more technical mistakes than Heil.

"My hardest run was definitely against Kari, but again in the finals I stuck to my game plan," said Heil, who attacked the approach to the first jump -- on one of the steepest sections of any World Cup moguls course in the world. The win increased Heil's lead as runaway leader in the women's overall moguls standings with her fourth win of the season, while five other Canadians also reached the final round of 16.

Stéphanie St-Pierre of Victoriaville, QC, was second in qualifications, but lost her opening dual and finished ninth and Elisa Kurylowicz of Manotick, ON, was 15th. World Cup rookie Audrey Robichaud of Val Belair QC, was 17th and Sylvia Kerfoot of Vancouver finished 20th.

In the men's dual moguls, Warren Tanner of Grimsby, ON, led the three Canadians reaching the final round of 16 with an eighth-place finish, for his best World Cup placing this season. "It's been a season of near misses. I've been making a lot of small mistakes," said Tanner, who for the second straight day reached the final round of 16. Tanner beat David Babic of the U.S. in his first afternoon dual, but then lost to eventual gold medallist Jeremy Bloom of the U.S.
"He kind of skied like a super hero," said Tanner, in reference to Bloom's fourth straight World Cup triumph.

"He's on another level for the moment, but I was pretty happy with the way I skied." Bloom easily won the gold-medal final, leaving teammate Travis-Antone Cabral with the silver medal. The bronze went to World Cup newcomer Hiroki Nonogaki of Japan. Other round-of-16 finalists were Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau of Drummondville, QC, who was 10th and Vincent Marquis of Ste-Foy, QC, in 13th.

Garrett Simm of Prince George, B.C., was 17th, Stéphane Agnard of Quebec City 21st, Marc-André Moreau of Chambly, QC, 22nd and Jean-Francois Therrien of Laval, QC, 23rd.

Correne Bredin (CP)

Edmonton Chimos battle with Oval X-Treme.

CALGARY – It was the Battle of Alberta Sunday afternoon at the Sarcee Seven Chiefs Sportplex as the Calgary Oval X-Treme seized a four to one victory over the Edmonton Chimos.

Game MVP went to Edmonton Chimos goalie Ali Houston who faced 42 shots on goal.

Tia Hanson opened the scoring for the X-Treme five minutes into the first period with a pass from teammate and German national Denise Soesilo. On a power play late in the first, Danielle Goyette scored with a pass from Cassie Campbell and Kelly Bechard.

Chimos’ Krysty Lorenz answered back with an assist from Carson Duggan and Tricia Guest, scoring in the final minute to leave it two to one after one period of play.

In the middle of the second period, Correne Bredin and Colleen Sostorics set Lori Dupuis up for a second X-Treme power play goal.

The final goal came in the third, shot in by Samantha Holmes and assisted by Tia Hanson and Navada Russell.

The Oval X-Treme is off to Minnesota to face the Whitecaps for their next WWHL games on February 25, 26 and 27. Minnesota, Edmonton and Calgary will meet again for the WWHL championships when Calgary hosts the playoffs on March 18, 19 and 20.

John Furlong and Jacques Rogge (CP)

Rogge praises Podium program: Cites Norway's '94 success: IOC president in Canada to see 2010 preparations.
(National Post)

MONTREAL - There is no reason Canada cannot lead the medal count when the Winter Olympics are held in Vancouver in 2010, Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, said yesterday. "There is still a lot of work to do, but the potential is there," he said in a speech to Montreal's business community. "You can do it just as the Norwegians have done it in 1994 in Lillehammer. If a country like Norway, with four million inhabitants, in a city like Lillehammer, with 12,000 inhabitants, can lead the medal tally with 28 medals at the Winter Olympic Games 10 years ago, Canada can do it in five years time."

Rogge, who competed for Belgium as a sailor in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, is visiting Canada to stress the message that host nations are expected to do better than Canada has managed in its first two attempts. Canadian athletes did not win gold in either Montreal or the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary.

In order to avoid another embarrassment, the Canadian Olympic Committee has drafted a plan called Own the Podium, with a target of 35 medals for 2010. That would more than double the 17 won at Salt Lake City in 2002.

To accomplish such a leap, Canadian sporting officials say they plan to invest $110-million in training, with half coming from government and the rest from the private sector.

After Canada's disappointing performance in last year's Summer Olympics in Athens, which yielded just 12 medals, Rogge decided a visit to Canada was needed to urge increased funding. "It would seem that government funding would be needed to help Canadian sport," he said at the time.

Rogge began his mission to loosen the purse strings yesterday, meeting privately with Stephen Owen, the federal Minister of State for Sport, and Jean Charest, the Quebec Premier. He emerged optimistic that the Canadian government will heed his advice.

"It is difficult for Mr. Owen or any other political official to give assurances before the budget of Canada is published, and it will not be published for several weeks," Rogge told reporters after his speech. "Let's say I have real hope that the federal government will support the sports cause and especially the very important Own the Podium project."

Later, he pitched members of the Montreal Board of Trade on the benefits of associating themselves with the Olympic movement, saying it was an opportunity to improve their visibility while doing something positive for Canadian society. He also spoke by phone with Paul Martin, the Prime Minister.

Rogge said he hopes companies across Canada will support the project to "give to Canada the place that it deserves, the No. 1 place."

Michael Chambers, president of the Canadian Olympic Committee, said Rogge's presence in Canada helps the committee make its case to the government and to business. "President Rogge is someone who the corporate community and government agencies listen to, and in that respect, being supportive of the programs we've suggested, yes, it will help to loosen up the doors we have to open," he said.

Rogge, who was elected president of the IOC in 2001, beating Canada's Richard Pound, continues his Canadian visit today in Vancouver and tomorrow in Whistler.

Canada's golden plan will work.
(CBC Sports Online)

It's bold. It's revolutionary. And it's very un-Canadian

The Canadian Olympic Committee wants its athletes to bring home 35 medals when Vancouver hosts the 2010 Winter Games. That's more than twice the medals they won in 2002 and should be enough hardware to finish first overall at the Olympics. It's a feat Canada has never achieved before.

Ultimately, the COC wants Canadians to expect as much from our downhill skiing, long-track speed skating and luge teams as they do of our hockey teams.

Sound a little boastful? Smell a little American? It should.

In its ambitious "Own The Podium" report released just over a week ago, COC chief executive officer Chris Rudge got the amateur sports community buzzing with a plan for $110 million in financing to help recruit and develop new talent, improve sport science and technology, and put more money in the pockets of athletes.

Canadians have weathered grand-scale plans before … the old, "if we tap our heels together three times and wish really hard, gold medals will appear out of thin air." Pffff!

After years of Olympic promise followed by disappointment – most recently the paltry 12-medal total from this summer's Athens Games – a certain degree of cynicism could be expected. This time around that skepticism is unwarranted.

The COC means business and their crazy, little goal of being No. 1 in the world might just work.

For the first time ever, Canada's sports organizations have got it together – literally.

The COC has joined forces with the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee (VANOC), the Canadian Paralympic Committee, the Calgary Olympic Development Association and the country's 13 winter sport federations to share resources, facilities and finances. It's a model the COC hopes will set a precedent.

For years, Canada has operated with a fragmented system. Facilities and sports centres are scattered across the second largest country on the planet. There aren't enough support staff (physiotherapists, nutritionists, sports psychologists) to go around. And sports federations and athletes have to go out on their own to find precious sponsorship dollars.

Not anymore, says this new "Own The Podium" program.

Cathy Priestner-Allinger, a former Canadian speed skater and Olympic silver medallist, is its author and a senior vice-president with VANOC. She consulted with the U.S. Olympic Committee for its highly-successful 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, which saw the Americans win a whopping 34 medals – almost double their previous record of 13 – and tie Germany for second-most medals at the Games.

Priestner-Allinger said a big reason the Americans were successful in Salt Lake was the strong partnerships between the organizing committee, the national Olympic committee and various sports federations. Co-operation between these entities was non-existent in Canada until now.

On top of that, Canada will concentrate on sports and athletes that have the best chance of winning medals and recruit more elite athletes. For example, top-level track and field athletes could be trained for sliding events like bobsleigh, skeleton and luge, while hockey players could be enlisted for short-track speed skating.

Priestner-Allinger said concentrating efforts on a few sports could ruffle some feathers, particularly from sports that will be left out of the spotlight, but she looks at it this way: "We have the courage to do this and pick successful areas. It's the model other successful countries use and have proven results."

Lofty goals like these will take money, and lots of it – another area where the COC has learned from past mistakes.

The $110 million this plan will cost over the next five years is double what the federal government already gives the 13 winter sports federations. The COC is hoping Ottawa will give them half of that money, while VANOC has already committed to finding the other half through sponsorship.

Unity and packaging is supposed to make the difference this time around.

"I think one of the challenges we've faced in the sports community historically is that we've gone hat-in-hand and said, 'please give us money.' I don't think you can do that," the COC's Rudge said. "I think the corporate community and government, to a large degree, expect you to make a case for investment – 'Here's what we want the money for, here's our plan, and here's the return to you.'

"… In the business world, they don't just give you money because you have a good business idea, you have to make a case for the money. We have to do the same thing in sport and we're doing that with this program."

So far the response has been positive from both the corporate community and government.

John Furlong, the chief operating officer of VANOC, said Canadian companies are making encouraging noises.

"Every Canadian company we have spoken to believes profoundly in [our goal for 2010]. Everyone wants to help. I think corporate Canada will rise to the occasion and make it possible to deliver this," Furlong said, adding at least 50 companies across the country have expressed interest.

Minister of State for Sport Stephen Owen also liked what he saw when he was given a draft of the report in November.

"I was very impressed in their having brought together the finest minds in sport from across the country," Owen told the Vancouver Sun in a January interview. "If the final report is anything like the draft report I saw, it will be very worthy of [financial] consideration."

So while it would be keeping with tradition to say the COC could be skating on thin ice with its medal plan, it has the virtue of being thorough, logical and organized.

"This program is a bit like how this team has come together," says Furlong. "Everyone has to do a little bit. If every agency, every entity in this country who could do something for this does a little, we'll pull this off."