Emily Brydon (CP)

Emily Brydon wins World Cup Bronze on 2006 Olympic Course in Italy.

(CBC Sports Online) Emily Brydon stepped onto her first World Cup podium in four years Sunday by capturing a bronze medal at a women's World Cup combined event in San Sicario, Italy.

Brydon of Fernie, B.C., finished third behind winner Janica Kostelic of Croatia and silver medallist Anja Paerson of Sweden on the course that will be used at next year's 2006 Torino Olympics. "I won't be standing in the start gates at the Olympics wondering if I can do well," Brydon said. "I'll be standing in the start gates knowing I can do well. I think that's the difference."

Sunday's result ended a lengthy medal drought for Brydon in World Cup competition. The former junior star's only other top-three showing on the tour was a downhill bronze in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on Dec. 16, 2000. "I really needed this and it's given me a little bit more fire to continue on and to keep going," Brydon said.

"I know there's a lot of potential and I've had some really good sections this year, I just wasn't able to ever put it in a race. So it was really nice to be able to step it up on race day."
Sunday's combined event featured one downhill and one slalom run.

Kostelic, the reigning Olympic and two-time world combined champion, recorded the fastest downhill leg and placed sixth in the slalom for a two-run time of two minutes 19.35 seconds.
Paerson capped a career weekend with a combined bronze to add to her first career World Cup triumphs in super-G and downhill. The Swedish star finished 0.43 seconds behind Kostelic on Sunday.

"I think the downhill was the key. Since Anja won yesterday, I knew I really had to push much harder to beat her and I had a much better run than yesterday," said Kostelic, who finished second in Saturday's downhill behind Paerson.

Brydon, 24, placed third in the downhill and 10th in the slalom, but her combined time was strong enough to hang on to a podium spot. She finished a combined 1.32 seconds behind Kostelic.

Brigitte Acton of Mont Tremblant, Que., was 10th in 2:22.47. Other Canadians included Britt Janyk of Whistler, B.C., in 19th (2:25.02) and Calgary's Sherry Lawrence in 26th (2:27.75).
Kostelic's victory allowed the Croatian to hack into Paerson's lead atop the overall World Cup standings. Paerson tops the leaderboard with 1,241 points, while Kostelic is second at 1,178.
The title won't be decided until the World Cup finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, next month.
With files from Canadian Press.

Pierre Lueders and team. (CP)

Pierre Lueders piloted his Canada 1 four-man sled to a bronze medal Sunday at the world bobsleigh championships in Calgary.

(CBC Sports Online) Germany's Andre Lange won all four heats and broke two track records to become the first athlete ever to win three straight four-man world titles. Reigning World Cup champion Alexander Zoubkov of Russia grabbed the silver medal just ahead of Lueders.

Canada 1 entered the day in second place after Saturday's opening two of four runs, but lost ground to Zoubkov in Sunday's final two heats. Lange finished with a four-run time of three minutes 34.53 seconds. Zoubkov posted a combined time of 3:34.83, while Lueders finished at 3:34.86, only three-hundredths of a second behind the Russians.

Lueders simply couldn't catch Lange, who was flawless throughout the four heats and was knocked out of the silver position on Zoubkov's final run. "If you're going to get beat you may as well be beaten by these two guys," said the Edmonton pilot, adding he was proud of his young team: Ken Kotyk of Rama, Sask., Lascelles Brown and Morgan Alexander of Calgary.

Lueders will need to make improvements for the start of next year's World Cup season as his sled hit the wall at the top of the track and his push bar scraped the wall on Saturday's final run. "We had the goofy things and we're still on the podium," said Lueders. "They obviously have a little more experience than we do in the four-man. It'll come."

However, Lueders said his crew earned respect over the weekend from the better teams. "There were some teams that didn't think we were legitimate and I'm sure they're thinking differently now," he said. "We're a legitimate threat in the four-man and I'm looking forward to next year."

Lueders, who won the two-man world title with brakeman Brown last weekend, was seeking his first career four-man world championship. Lange finished second to Lueders and Brown in the two-man competition and was gearing toward this moment after the conclusion of the World Cup season, which consisted of injuries to his brakemen and technical problems to his sled. "The entire team was hungry after a World Cup season where [we] were struggling," he said, adding his historic accomplishment hadn't really registered. "When it does, we'll celebrate."

Lange also scoffed at suggestions that Lueders, a bobsled legend in the two-man event, had anything to prove in the four-man competition. "For a long time, Pierre has proven otherwise," said Lange, hoisting a large silver trophy. "Pierre is a great champion."

Lueders earned his second medal at the world championship in the four-man event. In 1999, he won bronze in Cortina, Italy. His great career includes 63 World Cup medals, consecutive world championships in the two-man competition and an Olympic gold in Nagano in 1998.

Vic Emery was the last Canadian to win two bobsled medals at the world championships when he won gold in the four-man and bronze in the two-man. Despite going through some problems this weekend, Lueders said his team is ready for the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy. "It's been a great year," he said. "When we were on the podium I told them you have to fight for four heats. And when you get to the Olympics hopefully the same things don't happen."

Canada's other team placed 16th in the competition. Jayson Krause of Okotoks, Alta., Ottawa's Bret Bresciani, Nathan Cunningham and Mark LeBlanc of Calgary had a combined time of 3:38.16.

Canada's Lesa-Mayes Stringer slid her way into 11th spot on an incredibly fast Calgary track, while teammate, Helen Upperton, followed quickly behind in 12th place on Saturday.

Mayes-Stringer, of North Battleford, Sask., who had been searching for a podium finish on her home track this weekend, finished just out of the top-10 in an extremely tight race after a clocking a four-run combined time of three minutes 45 seconds. "I had problems with my speed in my first run which made it quite hard to come back today," said Mayes-Stringer, who finished ninth in the overall World Cup standings this season. "I put quite a bit of pressure on myself, and I let the nerves rattle me. But my runs today were consistent with the top-eight so I am right up there with the best in the world."

The 36-year-old veteran on the women's team waged a successful campaign on the World Cup circuit with five top-10 finishes, and is ready to get things rolling in her final preparations for the Olympic Winter Games. "I know what I have to do to prepare for next year, and being here under enormous pressure will get me prepped for what I will experience in Torino," said Mayes-Stringer.

Germany's Sandra Kiriasis dominated the Calgary track, grabbing the title of world champion with brakeman, Anja Schneiderheinze. Nicola Minichiello and Great Britain 1 excited the crowd after sliding her way into a surprising silver medal position.

Calgary's Helen Upperton teamed up with Jill Salus of Crowsnest Pass, Alta. to cap off her season with a 12th-place finish at home, posting a time of 3:45.13. "I'm happy with today's runs. I was consistent throughout the weekend and that was one of my goals going into World Championships," said Upperton, who finished the World Cup season in 11th spot on the international rankings. "I know there are 15 sleds that could finish anywhere on any given day, and the competition keeps getting better and better. I am closing the gap on the leaders, and I am now looking ahead to 2006."

Suzanne Gavine-Hlady of Barrie, Ont. rounded out the Canadian sleds with brakeman Nadine Walker of Calgary in 17th (3:46.17).

Jenn Heil (CP)

Heil finishes fourth in final World Cup.

(Freestlye Skiing Release) -- VOSS, Norway - Jennifer Heil of Spruce Grove, Alta., wrapped up her second straight freestyle ski season as World Cup women's moguls champion, but not the way she wanted to.

Heil, 21, finished fourth, only 4/100ths of a point back of bronze medallist Nikola Sudova of the Czech Republic in a tight four-way battle for the medals Saturday. However, she had already clinched first overall before this last moguls weekend of the World Cup season. "I definitely wouldn't be a two-time Crystal Globe winner without a great support group," said Heil, who's still competing with a taped right thumb, which she broke earlier this season. In fact, the trophy was so heavy, she couldn't hoist it with her right hand.

"It's definitely a different experience. Last year, coming back after a year off, I wasn't sure what I was capable of," said Heil. "But this time I trained even harder in the gym and on the water ramp, and wanted to take it one step beyond, and I feel I did that."

The results left Heil the runaway leader of the overall title with 780 points, while compiling five wins, one second and two fourths in 11 starts. Kari Traa of Norway was a distant second in 571. Victory in the season-ending World Cup went to Aiko Uemura of Japan with her first medal of the season, after nailing a spectacular D spin move that requires two off-axis spins. "It's one of the most difficult tricks," said Heil. "She's been doing it all year, but today she landed it and she was rewarded."

Margarita Marbler of Austria picked up the silver medal with 24.81 points, compared to Uemura's winning 25.15. Sylvia Kerfoot of Vancouver was eighth in 22.33, with her second best placing this season, while Audrey Robichaud of Val Belair, Que, was 14th. Stéphanie St-Pierre of Victoriaville, Que., finished 17th, Jackie Brown of Cambridge, Ont., 23rd and Elisa Kurylowicz of Manotick, Ont., 25th.

It was the same situation among the men, as Jeremy Bloom of the United States won the overall title with 820 points. But his win streak of six World Cups ended Saturday, when he finished second in the moguls final to Mikko Ronkainen of Finland. It was Ronkainen's first victory of the season, as he outscored Bloom 25.87 and 25.39. The bronze medal went to Fredrik Fortkord of Sweden.

Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau of Drummondville, Que., was ninth in the men's final with a score of 22.83, while Marc-André Moreau was 16th to finish the season as the top Canadian overall. He was ninth in the final men's standings and Rousseau 11th. Dale Begg-Smith, an Australian who used to train out of Whistler, B.C., was second overall with the help of three podium appearances.

Other Canadian placings Saturday were Jean-Francois Therrien of Laval, Que., in 17th, Garrett Simm of Prince George, B.C., 21st, Warren Tanner of Grimsby, Ont., 23rd, Vincent Marquis of St. Foy, Que., 25th and Stéphane Agnard of Quebec City 30th.

With the completion of the World cup mogul tour, the Canadian mogul team will now set their sights on the 2005 FIS World Freestyle Ski Championships in Ruka, Finland, March 16-20th.

Crispin Lipsomb(CP)

Three medals for Canadian snowboarders at World Cup.

Montreal, February 26, 2005 (Sportcom) – Crispin Lipscomb and Mercedes Nicoll from Whistler, B.C. cashed in three medals today in a series of half-pipe events at the Sungwoo Resort World Cup competition in South Korea. Lipscomb placed second in the men’s event while Nicoll placed third in both women events.

“I’m not surprised,” says Canadian coach Tom Hutchinson on Nicoll. “She’s a great athlete. Yesterday she was sick in her stomach with food poisoning but she still placed first of the qualifying run. When she has something in mind, she goes all the way.”

Dominique Vallee, from Beaconsfield, Quebec placed 10th while Maelle Ricker from Whistler and Anne-Marie Gauthier from Trois-Rivieres-Ouest, Quebec came in 19th and 20th in the first event. In the second event, Vallee moved up to seventh place while Gauthier climbed to the 15th position and Ricker dropped to finish 20th.

Manuela Laura Pesko from Switzerland and Mero Narita from Japan respectively won the first and the second event.

In the men’s event, Lipscomb captured his first medal of the season on the World Cup circuit.“He did great. It wasn’t his best ride but he broke his board in training,” analysed Hutchinson on Lipscomb. “Since he’s been on the road for a while, he could not get a new one so he had to ride with a broken board. The conditions are often icy just to complicate the situation for equipment.”

Hugo Lemay, from Quebec City placed 15th, Brad Martin from Ancaster, Ontario followed one spot behind. Justin Lamoureux and Dan Raymond from Whistler placed 22nd and 23rd. In the previous event, Martin placed fourth, Lemay seventh, Lipscomb came in 10th, Raymond 17th and Lamoureux 23rd. Mathieu Crepel from France dominated both events.

“Lemay made three big consecutive moves. He worked hard on this and once he’ll master them, he will be hard to stop,” concluded Hutchinson. “We will be out there again in Lake Placid next week."

Beckie Scott (CP)

CANADA'S BECKIE SCOTT BATTLES DIFFICULT GERMAN TRACK TO FINISH SIXTEENTH AT NORDIC WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS.

(CODA Release) Oberstdorf, GER-Beckie Scott led the Canadian charge finishing 16th in the women's 30-kilometre classic cross-country skiing event at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany on Saturday.

The Olympic gold medallist from Vermilion, Alta. completed the unrelenting five-kilometre loop loaded with long, steep uphill climbs six times in a time of one hour 29 minutes 24.1 seconds. "It was definitely a tough day, but it was a medium performance considering this isn't my favourite event," said Scott, who will now shift her focus to the final World Cup stops of the season. "I was able to ski with the leaders in a pack of 10 for most of the race, but I gradually fell back. I would have been happier with some better results at World Championships, but there is still time to turn things around."

The highlight of Scott's World Championship week was a fourth-place finish in the women's pursuit. Meanwhile, it was the legendary Marit Bjoergen of Norway who won her fifth medal of the World Championships after taking gold in the 30 kilometre mass start. The 24-year-old narrowed out Finland's Virpi Kuitunen, who settled for the silver medal while Russia's Natalia Baranova-Masolkina finished 10.3 seconds off the pace in third.

Three other Canadian women joined Beckie Scott on the start line Saturday; however, two-time Olymipan Milaine Theriault of St. Quentin, N.B., was the only other Canuck to finish the race after crossing the line in 38th spot. World Cup rookies, Chandra Crawford of Canmore, Alta. and Tara Whitten of Edmonton were removed from the race after getting lapped.

Canada made its second trip to the medal ceremony after World Cup rookies, Devon Kershaw and George Grey, teamed up to finish sixth in the star-studded sprint relay competition. It was the best relay result ever in the history of the men's program.

The Canadian duo, who were not expected to contend for a medal in the event, moved into the relay finals with the top-10 teams after qualifying in their semi final heat of 12 teams in third spot. The young Canucks completed the six leg skate skiing final with a time of 14 minutes 29.4 seconds. Each athlete skied three legs of the 1.2 kilometre track. "This was an absolutely amazing day and we are so excited," said 22-year-old Devon Kershaw of Sudbury, Ont., who got his first taste of World Cup action last season, and joined the elite international circuit again this year after Christmas. "It's unbelievable for me. I am racing against guys that I have so much respect for, and I have watched them on television, and now I really feel like we are contending for a medal against them."

With Kershaw skiing the opening leg and Grey the anchor, the two Canadians skied in second and third spot throughout most of the day including the final until the dash to the wire. "We weren't skiing with the world today, they were skiing with us," said George Grey, 25, of Rossland, B.C. "We would have been ecstatic with a top-10 result, but we were hunting down number one all day and it was just a solid performance by both of us."

The Canadian women's team of Olympic gold medallist, Beckie Scott of Vermilion, Alta. and Sara Renner of Canmore, Alta., who won the nation's first ever world championship medal on Tuesday, were unable to mount an attack in the women's 6 x 0.9 kilometre sprint relay. The Canadian speed queens advanced to the final round of 10, but couldn't move any further up the standings after finishing with a time of 12:52.1.

Canada's four-man squad finished a disappointing 13th in the men's relay on Thursday. The young Canadian team, which consisted of 22-year-old Devon Kershaw of Sudbury, Ont., 25-year-old George Grey of Rossland, B.C., and 27-year-olds Dan Roycroft of Port Sydney, Ont. and Chris Jeffries of Chelsea, Que., combined to ski the 4 x 10 kilometre track in a time of one hour 45 minutes 03.3 seconds.

Emily Brydon (CP)

Athlete Perspective: On top of the world: Canucks flying high after successful Worlds in Italy. By Emily Brydon

(The Free Press - Fernie) Greetings from Santa Caterina and Bormio, Italy, where the 2005 World Championships have taken place over the past two weeks. It has been an interesting and exciting series of races where many dreams have come true and defeats have been taken in stride. We are in the heart of Alta Vataltellina in northern Italy. Fans came from around the world to fill the stands for each event. There was even a little Canadian contingent that represented the country well; although they were small, they made up for it in noise and outfits!

It was a long two weeks of competition for both the men and women, with 11 events in total being held. Events such as the World Championships are not only physically demanding but also mentally; there are always added pressures and expectations. I competed in the Super-G, Downhill, combined and the team event over the two-week span. Usually the men and women compete at the same hill but on different tracks during the World Championships, but this year we were in different villages. It was too bad that we weren't able to compete together because it seems to add a little more excitement and atmosphere when men and women are competing in the same place.

Throughout the year, the men's and women's circuits are very different and we rarely get to see the men race, so I look forward to watching them at the big events. The Women's events were held in a town called Santa Caterina which is about 15 minutes outside Bormio, and the men competed on the notorious Bormio piste. One of the nice things about long competitions is that you can really settle into a place and make it feel like home. I spend so much of the year living out of my suitcase and going from hotel to hotel that it was great to unpack and make my room homey.

Although some people might say that, for Canada, the World Championships were a bit of a disappointment, coming away with no medals, I feel that once again we made an important mark against the rest of the world. We had a strong team and a lot of strong performances from the youngsters. Thomas Grandi led the Canadians with a fifth- and a sixth-place finish in the Giant Slalom and Slalom respectfully. I find that at big events it is not always the "dominating" athletes that walk away with the medals, but the underdogs who have nothing to lose. There is a lot of pressure put on the top athletes to perform and it usually amounts to little mistakes and no podiums. This year, the Austrian team was taken out of their dominating position with many of the podiums going to other nations.

For myself, I have to admit this Championship was full of various emotions. I felt that I didn't perform to my potential or to my expectations but I did have some good runs and sections of courses from which I can work from. The opening race for me was the Super-G, which was held at the end of January (that feels like eons ago!). I felt that I was really mentally prepared for all my World Championship races and I was really excited to get the racing underway.

My Super-G run was bittersweet; I had the second and third fastest intervals on the upper part of the course but unfortunately a little piece of Santa Caterina got the better of me and I hit a rock halfway down the course. It dulled about two feet of my edge on my inside ski. I found it quite difficult to arc my turns the rest of the way down the course, needless to say, and I dropped to 20th place once I crossed the finish line. While I was skiing down, I was wondering what was wrong with me and why couldn't I arc a turn, so it was a bit refreshing to know that it wasn't my skiing that was the problem but a lack of edge instead. I was so bummed and upset about my luck because I felt that I had prepared to well for this race. I guess that it just shows you how much luck is really involved in the sport of skiing.

Canada, in general had a tough day on the slopes for the Super-G with me leading the way. After the Super-G, I had almost a week before my next competition, the combined. The combined competition consists of one downhill and two slalom runs, and it takes place in one day. I think that it is a great event and adds a new challenge to ski racing. Three separate races and almost eight hours later, I finished in 13th place. Brigitte Acton finished 12th and Anna Goodman finished 16th. It was a solid finish for the Canadian girls and definitely a solid base to work from.

Two days later was the big event of the series for me, the downhill. The course was in perfect condition and it was a great day for racing. I executed an average run and crossed the finish line in 11th place. Although I was hoping for better, I'll take 11th in the world. With each big event that I compete in, I learn more about how to deal with pressures and expectations. I will take this race as a learning experience and use it to help me prepare for the Olympics next year.

I didn't compete in either the Giant Slalom or Slalom events but the Canadian girls did quite well in both events. In the GS, Gen Simard, Alli Forsyth, and Brigitte Acton were all sitting in the top 13 after first run, but unfortunately Alli and Brigitte fell in the second run and Gen made a costly mistake which bumped her down to eighth place, which was still a very impressive result.

The highlight of the World Championships for me was the team event on the last day. It was a new format of racing that was being tried out to help bring something new to the sport of ski racing and the fans. It was quite a complicated process but in the end it worked quite smoothly and it was very exciting. I think that I was more nervous for that event than I was for my own; maybe I should take note of that for the future!

It was a competition against other nations. Brigitte Acton, Erik Guay, Francois Bourque, Thomas Grandi, Pat Biggs and I were on the team for Canada. It consists of two events, Super-G and slalom, and in each event there are two girls and two guys competing for their nation. After the Super-G, we were sitting in third, but unfortunately we had a couple problems in the slalom section and dropped to 5th place. It was a lot of fun though and I look forward to competing in it again. It was a great way to end the Championships and bring all the stars together and end on a happy relaxed note. I feel that sometimes racing and competing becomes too serious and you loose the fun of it; I felt the excitement and anticipation come back to me after a long and draining two weeks.

The season is not over yet, though, and I am excited that there's still lots of racing to be done. I am heading up to Are, Sweden, for two races this weekend and then back to Italy to compete on the Olympic hill. My European circuit will come to a close in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, at beginning of March at the World Cup finals. I feel motivated and excited about the upcoming races and hopefully I can achieve the goals I set out for myself. I hope that all is well back home. Thanks for all your support. The Fernie fan club represented well!

SPORT WELCOMES MORE STABLE FUNDING.


(OTTAWA – February 23, 2005) The Sport Matters Group (SMG) welcomes the Federal Budget’s measures to increase and stabilize funding of amateur sport. The Federal Government announced today that Sport Canada’s budget will permanently increase to $140 million per year, up from last year’s budget of $120 million.

“This responds to our call for more stable, predictable sport funding which is essential for planning and development at all levels of sport, from community to competitive levels” says Victor Lachance, Senior Leader for the SMG.

“Kudos to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet for supporting Minister Owen on the sport file” says Lachance. “Some key elements of the Federal Government’s plan for sport have been addressed in this budget, such as preparation for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games and better support for athlete development”.

“It’s a shot in the arm for Canada’s preparation for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games” says Brian MacPherson, CEO of the Canadian Paralympic Committee. “ It certainly gets us closer to having Canada on the same competitive footing as other countries.”

“We are happy with the direction the Federal Government is taking as it reflects their growing commitment to the importance and values that our Canadian sporting heroes add to Canadian society” says Mike Smith, President of Athletes CAN. “We can now look at ways of improving the Federal Athlete Assistance Program and other athlete support structures on which so many of our athletes depend on for their basic living and training needs”.

“Today’s budget demonstrates the government’s recognition of sport’s value to Canadians and their commitment to Canadian athletes, and we applaud the Prime Minister and Sport Minister Owen”, says Thomas Jones, CEO of Commonwealth Games Canada. “This announcement helps bring stability to the sport system, and with three major Games in the next fiscal year, we encourage the Minister to take a balanced approach by investing in both summer and winter sport going forward to 2010”.

While the budget falls short of the sport community’s recommended Sport Canada budget of $180M, the SMG considers these investments to be timely and a positive step forward. “There is still some work to do on other important issues, such as specific plans for summer sport similar to the Own the Podium program for winter sports and implementing the Canadian Sport Policy” says Tim Page of the SMG, and Executive Director of Diving Canada.

“The Sport Minister has indicated that he intends to bring forward another Memorandum to Cabinet in order to implement the Canadian Sport Policy, and we look forward to working with Sport Canada and the Minister on this next step” says Page.

The Canadian Sport Policy calls on all governments to work together on national goals for sport and physical activity in Canada. “We hope that other jurisdictions will appreciate the Federal Government’s actions and recognize the value of investing in sport and physical activity” says Lachance.

The SMG also notes that new money was announced for Canada’s healthy living strategy, which includes goals on physical activity. “There’s no question we need significant action to address physical inactivity, obesity and childhood diabetes in Canada” says Lachance.

The Sport Matters Group is composed of over 90 national and provincial sport organizations and leaders who collaborate on public policy issues concerning sport and physical activity in Canada.

The Big Picture with Dale Henwood: Happiness in Sport.

I am a big believer in planning, in trying to chart a new course, trying to anticipate future conditions and trying to take advantage of emerging trends and opportunities. We need to do this and we need to do this well. And, to do the implementation well, long term resource commitments are essential. It is essential to have a clear view of where we are headed, a goal or target and a methodology or road map on how we intend to get there.

One of the problems with planning is that we picture and idealize the future. This often causes us to be indifferent and resentful toward the present. When we picture the perfect the present can not compete since we do not often picture the stresses, failures and challenges when we idealize the future state.

If we reflect on our current status, there are many good things happening in Canadian sport today.
-The ongoing achievements of Canadian athletes and their coaches.
-The daily profile and attention on sport, due primarily, to the Games in 2010.
-The cooperative approach to advocacy and a unified sport lobby effort.
-The significant new investment from both the corporate sector and governments
-The work of the Canadian Sport Review Panel.
-The attitudinal shift from the major funding partners where evaluation, planning and investment are now done in a collaborative manner with decisions based on past performance and demonstrated future potential
-The implementation of the Own the Podium program.
-The persistent efforts of groups such as Sport Matters and Sport Alberta.

The temptation is to postpone our happiness. If we worry too much about the future we miss today. There is danger in attaching happiness to some future event or condition, so let’s focus on and celebrate today!

(Ken Fidlin - Slam Sports) Canadian athletes, aided and abetted by a compliant media, have been crying poor for a generation, with good reason. Financial and technical support routinely provided for athletes of other nations has been just as routinely denied in Canada.

Most of the time, the government didn't even bother to listen. The cynical observation was that the people at the trough in Ottawa saw no political advantage to be gained by spending more on athletes who performed in the spotlight for two weeks out of every four years. Their performances made us feel warm and toasty for a nano-second or two but the moment was always lost.

That attitude has been changing over the course of the past few years and, now that we have the Vancouver Winter Olympics just five years away, the cashbox is open.

Wednesday's federal budget speech included an additional $20 million to bring the Government of Canada's annual contribution to a record-setting $140 million, money that's locked in until 2010. The $140-million figure is double what it was in 2001.

Part of the reason the feds are more sport-friendly these days is obviously the fact that nobody wants us to look like fools in Vancouver, or, more to the point, to be the culprit who made us look like fools. Canada has played host to two previous Olympic Games (Montreal in '76, Calgary in '88) with the unenviable record of failing to win a gold medal at either.

Another, perhaps more important reason is that this time, the athletes didn't just stick their collective hand out and demand cash. They delivered a strong, thoughtful business plan combined with an ambitious goal: To be the best in the world at the 2010 Olympics.

Whether or not "Own The Podium" can deliver what it promises -- at least 35 medals at the Vancouver Games -- it already has been the most successful argument ever made for financial support of Canadian athletes.

For once, all the major players on the winter sports scene came together with one voice with a vision and a strategy that captivated the government and is probably going to captivate a lot of new corporate support as well.

With the NHL on sabbatical until at least October and quite likely even well beyond that, there is a window of opportunity just now when some major corporate sponsors might be discouraged enough with hockey to find another niche for that sponsorship money that's burning a hole in their pockets.

Indeed, there is already a sense in some parts of the corporate world that the Olympic train is leaving the station and "we'd better be on it."

Bell Canada Enterprises is already on board for $200 million. RBC is in for $110 million. CIBC has a big financial commitment to Alpine Canada. In the coming months and years, there will be dozens more. You can bet on that.

Suddenly well-financed, the onus is now on the athletic community to deliver on the "Own The Podium" report prepared by Cathy Priestner Allinger and Todd Allinger. It is an impressively detailed document, mostly scientific in nature but with more than enough smoke and mirrors thrown in.

They have based their 35 medal prediction on historical mathematical formulas involving the expansion of the pool of what they call "potential medallists" combined with better technical and coaching support that will help improve our poor Olympic game-day record.

Nobody knows if it is a valid way to predict and secure medals but one thing is certain -- it is a document that magically separates governments and corporate sponsors from their money.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

This kind of financial support is exactly what the athletes and their support groups have been calling for as long as I can remember. Now they have to demonstrate they know what to do with it to make us the No. 1 Winter Olympics nation in the world.

It's a scary prospect that might fall into the category of "Be careful what you wish for."

We prefer to look at it as an incredible opportunity to prove they were right all along.