Cheryl Pounder (CP)

Canada captures silver medal at Women's World Championships - Loses to the USA in shootout.
(Hockey Canada)

LINKOPING, SWEDEN – Canada’s National Women’s Team captured the silver medal at the IIHF World Women’s Championship losing to the US 1-0 (3-1) in a shootout. Canada’s goaltender Kim St.-Pierre, who was perfect through regulation and overtime, was Canada’s player of the game while goaltender Chanda Gunn was named USA’s player of the game backstopping her team to the gold medal.

Canada did not allow a goal against throughout the entire tournament in regulation and overtime and it took a shootout loss for them to register their lone goal against for the Championship.

Canada had won gold at all previous eight World Women’s Hockey Championships, beating the USA each time, but bring home the silver medal at the 2005 Championship stopping their winning streak at eight straight world championships.

After a scoreless game in regulation and overtime, the game went to a shootout. Natalie Darwitz, Angela Ruggiero and Krissy Wendell scored for the USA in the shootout. Canada’s Sarah Vaillancourt was Canada’s lone goal scorer in the shootout.

The 2005 IIHF World Women’s Hockey Championship gold medal game marks the first time in its history that a game has been decided by a shootout.

Canada will be returning home on Sunday, April 10th, arriving at Toronto Pearson International airport at 3:30pm ET (Lufthansa flight # 470). Players and staff will board connecting flights to their final destinations after arriving into Toronto on Sunday. Canada’s returning flight schedule is available online at Hockey Canada’s Official website www.hockeycanada.ca

IIHF Directorate Awards
Top Goaltender: Chanda Gunn (USA)

Top Defenceman:
Angela Ruggiero (USA)

Top Forward:
Jayna Hefford (CAN)

TOURNAMENT ALL-STAR TEAM (as voted on by members of the media):

Goaltender: Natalya Turnova (KAZ)

Forwards:
Cheryl Pounder (CAN)
Hayley Wickeneiser (CAN)
Krissy Wendell (USA)

Defencemen:
Angela Ruggerio (USA)
Cheryl Pounder (CAN)

Final Standings:
1. USA, WWC Gold Medal
2. Canada, WWC Silver Medal
3. Sweden, WWC Bronze Medal
4. Finland
5. Germany
6. China
7. Kazakhstan
8. Russia

Canada pounds Scotland to win world curling crown.
(CBC Sports)

Randy Ferbey and his Team Canada rink captured the 2005 men's world curling championship with a whopping 11-4 victory over Scotland's David Murdoch Sunday in Victoria. "Not bad for a bunch of four burnt-out curlers, hey?" Ferbey told the CBC after the game. "It's unbelievable, it's the pinnacle of what we play for."

It's the third world championship in four years for Ferbey, third Dave Nedohin, second Scott Pfeifer and lead Marcel Rocque. They also won in 2002 and 2003.
Ferbey joins the legendary Saskatchewan family of Ernie Richardson, Arnold Richardson and Sam Richardson with four world titles. Ferbey won a world crown in 1989 playing third with Pat Ryan.

It's also Canada's 22nd world curling championship since 1968. No one expected a blowout between Scotland, the founding nation of curling, and Canada, which some call the "new home" of curling.

It was a long and arduous week for the Ferbey foursome, which came into the tournament as the favourites. But instead of dominating the field from the outset, the four-time Canadian champions were uncharacteristically erratic, dropping their opening draw 10-5 to Germany's Andy Kapp and having to come from behind in several other games.

To get to the final, the Canadians had to win three straight playoff games – a tiebreaker over Finland's Markku Uusipaavalniemi, a quarter-final over Norway's Pal Trulsen and a semifinal over Kapp.

In those three games, Canada came out with the victory when the other skips missed crucial shots late in the match. But in Sunday's final, Ferbey, Nedohin, Pfeifer and Rocque were in complete control from start to finish.

By defeating Scotland, Canada became the first team to win four straight playoff games to win a world title. "It's just so satisfying to come through the long road like that, and have to beat some of the very best teams in the world for the last four or five days and to stand on top of the podium," Nedohin said.

Grant Golding (Grace Chiu)

Calgary’s Grant Golding and Toronto’s Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs fourth at gymnastics World Cup.
(Canadian Sport News)

SAO PAULO, Brazil- Grant Golding of Calgary and Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs of Toronto posted Canada’s best results this weekend at a gymnastics World Cup competition each placing fourth in event finals.

There was a judging controversy for the women’s beam event which involved Hopfner-Hibbs who placed fourth in the event with an 8.875 score. Lili Wang of China led China to a 1-2 finish with a 9.450 and Pang Panpan was second at 9.250. Patricia Moreno of Spain was third at 9.050.

After her routine, Hopfner-Hibbs initially received a 9.075 score from the judges. But with two gymnasts to go, the 15-year-old’s score was changed to an 8.875. The decision to change the score wasn’t made by the judges but by Nelly Kim, the former Soviet star gymnast, now president of the international federation’s women’s technical committee. Kim said a skill wasn’t scored properly.

“We are very disappointed about what happened to Elyse’s score,” said Carol-Angela Orchard, Hopfner-Hibb’s coach at Sport Seneca. “She had received what we thought initially was a very fair score and was deserving of the bronze medal. This was a very experienced judging panel which had judged all three days of this competition.”

Kylie Stone of the Stampede City Club in Calgary was eighth on beam at 8.100.

On floor, Daiane Dos Santos of Brazil was the winner at 9.500 with Moreno second at 9.125 and Xia Lin of China third at 9.075. Hopfner-Hibb, who made all four finals this weekend, was eighth at 7.700.

In the men’s finals, Mitia Petrovsek of Slovenia took the gold on parallel bars at 9.525 with Dong Zhendong of China second at 9.425 and Manuel Carballo of Spain third at 9.200. Golding scored a 9.075 and Nathan Gafuik of Calgary was fifth at 9.025.

“It was good, I just need to work on my dismounts more,” said Golding, a member of Canada’s 11th place team at the Olympics. “I was particularly pleased with some of my handstand moves and how I competed overall under some intense situations.”

On men’s high bar, Carballo was first at 9.475 with Mosiah Rodrigues of Brazil second at 9.400 and Robert Juckel of Germany third at 9.275. Gafuik was completing a strong routine but fell on his second release.

“I was having one of my better high bar routines,” said Gafuik, a reserve on the 2004 Olympic team. “My elements were better and I achieved good height on my releases. Despite the fall, it was still a highlight for me this weekend.”

Jonathon Power (CP)

Jonathon Power wins final at Virtual Spectator Bermuda Masters 2005.
(Canadian Sport News)

HAMILTON, Bermuda- Jonathon Power of Montreal won this year’s richest tournament in professional squash this weekend trouncing world number-two Lee Beachill of England 11-7, 11-4, 11-2 at the $120,000 (U.S.) Virtual Spectator Bermuda Masters tournament.

Power, 30, pockets $18, 000 for the win his second this year on the pro circuit. This week he beat the top-two players in the world – Beachill and world number-one Thierry Lincou of France, as well as John White of Scotland, number-one at this time last year.

“This was one of my best tournaments in a long time,” said Power, seeded sixth. “I was really up for the final and I wanted to make sure that all my hard work this week didn’t go to waste.”

Power was coming off two gruelling five game victories heading into the final.

“I was surprised it went three straight,” said Power. “I was feeling pretty sore and he had pretty much breezed through. But I made him work hard and I played very aggressively. My game plan was to wear him out and not go for the shots.”

Beachill conceded he was outplayed.

“Jonathon didn’t allow me to play my game,” Beachill told squashtalk.com. “I wanted to get him under pressure but he got me under pressure. He was quick, scrapped for every point and didn’t do anything wrong. He didn’t allow me any rhythm. He was too good.”

Calgarians dominate at Pan American Badminton Championships.

Several Calgary athletes traveled to compete in the Pan American Badminton Championships in Barbados last week. Canada won the gold in the team event beating USA in a close match 3-2.

In the individual tournament Helen Nichol and Charmaine Reid won the gold in women's doubles, while Charmaine also won the gold in women's singles. Will Milroy took the silver in men's doubles and in mixed doubles Jody Patrick won the gold and Helen Nichol won the silver.

Dale Henwood (CP)

The Big Picture with Dale Henwood: Targeted Support

Internationally Canada is known for good all round sport programming. It appears we are good at everything but not good enough at any thing. We are great at planning but not very good at implementing the plans. We have a clear plan for getting everything that does not get results.

In the world of high performance sport, we need to sharpen our focus and elevate our commitment to excellence or we will continue our downward slide. We need to reallocate our resources and ensure they are deployed in the priority areas. At the governmental level, we have declared targets and implementation strategies for social policy objectives but no such declaration has been made regarding the achievement of high performance results in the international sports arena.

The Olympics have come to represent the epitome of sport. They are hugely important to Canadians. Canadians care about our athletes and their performances. In the same way the profit and loss statement is the best indicator of business success, the Olympic medal count is the ultimate measure of the health of a nation’s sport system. It is the most accurate benchmark of our high performance system’s capacity to produce top level athletes and a clear reflection of the sport system that services millions of Canadians. With a focus on results, we need to be tough on performance and tender on people.

Building a winning system is not about chasing after medals. To create a system that produces consistent results requires a long term development process, from talent identification to junior development to senior preparation. We can’t afford to do that for everyone, so, yes, we should target certain sports or events. If we are completely realistic, even the Own The Podium program will need to target its resources in selected winter sports so we can secure the highest number of medals in 2010.

Canada needs to be smart and strategic in its investment if we want to see our athletes consistently on the international podiums. We need to invest in those sports that are important to Canadians and that provide the opportunity for excellence at all levels.

Targeting our limited resources will help place Canada consistently in the first quartile in a race that has no finish.

Dale Henwood
President
Canadian Sport Centre Calgary

Giulio Zardo and Peirre Lueders (CP)

Giulio Zardo quits bobsleigh team.
(CBC Sports)

Saying he can't work with Pierre Lueders, Guilio Zardo is quitting Canada's world-champion bobsleigh team.

Zardo, considered one of the sport's best brakemen, is leaving the team to escape what he's calling a poisonous atmosphere. In an interview with the Toronto Star, Zardo claimed it was impossible to enjoy competing, even when the team was winning, because of what he called Lueders' cantankerous nature.

Zardo and Lueders won the two-man title at the world championships two seasons ago. Last season, Zardo only competed for a couple months. The Montreal native was suspended by Canadian bobsled officials in December after a scuffle with head coach Gerd Grimme.

Zardo's replacement – Lascelles Brown – clicked with Lueders. Brown and Lueders went on to win the 2005 world title.

Shane Pearsall, managing director of Bobsleigh Canada, says Brown could eventually take over Zardo's role permanently on the World Cup circuit. Brown, however, won't be able to compete for Canada at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.

Brown is Jamaican and doesn't have Canadian citizenship, so he would be unable to compete for Canada at the Olympics. Eligibility rules are different on the World Cup circuit than for Olympics.

Lueders said it was too early to say if Zardo's decision would impact Olympic preparations. "I think we're getting ahead of ourselves here," said Lueders. "There's an entire World Cup season, first of all, that we have to worry about."

Lueders was stunned and angered by Zardo's decision to leave the team. "It's very sad that an athlete would have a chance to go to the Olympic Games and throw it away," said Lueders, adding he would not comment on Zardo's allegations because they were "very inappropriate."

Zardo says he intends to sign a contract with the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos.
with files from Canadian Press

Sean Ireland

Ireland receives Alberta Coaching Recognition Award.

CALGARY – National Speed Skating Coach Sean Ireland received an Alberta Coaching Recognition Award for his outstanding coaching contribution.

As the sprint national coach for eight years, Ireland has trained athletes such as Jeremy Wotherspoon and Catriona Le May Doan in their pursuit of Olympic, World Cup and World Championship gold.

“The Province of Alberta presents these awards in recognition of the contributions made over a coach’s career and the success of the athletes they train,” said Orest Korbutt, chairman, Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks & Wildlife Foundation. “Ireland’s efforts have been instrumental in Canada’s success in the speed skating world.”

Based at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Ireland is a National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Level 4 Coach. He is also a graduate of the National Coaches Institute (NCI). The mission of the NCI is to develop world class coaches who are capable of preparing athletes for podium performances in sport, and for life outside of sport. A National Team member for seven years, Ireland represented Canada at the 1992 and 1994 Olympics.

"Sean is one of the most accomplished and senior members of our coaching team and will be a cornerstone as we prepare for the Torino Olympic Games,” said Mark Greenwald, Director of Sport at the Olympic Oval. “He is a valued asset to our coaching staff and the athletes he trains and is very deserving of this recognition."

Ireland was one of four coaches to be recognized for their contribution. The Alberta Coaching Recognition Awards are presented every two years as part of the Alberta Sport and Recreation Leadership Summit. This year’s awards were presented on April 1.

Whistler’s Ross Rebagliati will be inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame later this month, but he’s not resting on his laurels. Rather, the 1998 Olympic snowboarding gold medalist is planning a comeback in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Rebagliati’s plans include another Olympic medal in the men’s snowboard giant slalom, the same event he won at the Olympics in Nagano, Japan. “I’ve actually had 75 days this year on Blackcomb,” Rebagliati said this week. “I am back on my race board and I am gearing up for a comeback at the 2010 Olympics.”

Snowboarding made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano and Rebagliati came home with the men’s giant slalom gold medal. Despite a controversy surrounding a positive drug test for trace amounts of marijuana in his system, Rebagliati was allowed to retain his medal. As a result, Rebagliati became one of Canada’s most recognized athletes.

He turned professional in 1991 and took a five-year break from snowboarding to build a house. Rebagliati said that after Vancouver-Whistler was announced as host for the 2010 Games, a comeback was the only option. He will be 38 in 2010 but said he expects to be strong both mentally and physically. “I plan on taking a different approach this time and do more training and less traveling for racing,” Rebagliati said.

In 1998, Rebagliati said athletes had to chase points and win the overall title for glory. Now the focus has changed and titles are won with the Olympics in mind. The result is a lot of traveling and postseason burnout, which Rebagliati wants to avoid. “I want to maximize my time at races and concentrate on the World Cup tour. It is just a matter of making the business of it work in terms of sponsorship,” Rebagliati said. “Basically I am doing this because I love racing.”

In fact, Rebagliati admits that racing is in his blood. During his hiatus, Rebagliati raced stock cars on a dirt track in Lillooet. He said it is only natural that snowboarding would lure him back to the slopes because his snowboarding experience and a love for speed is the perfect combination for an explosive comeback. “I am not 19 any more and I have a home and the whole nine yards, so I will need to prepare,” Rebagliati said. “I do have some great sponsors who have been very supportive.” Rebagliati’s high profile has kept big-name sponsors such as Roots, Bell Mobility and Arnett Goggles interested. He is also working with Sea to Sky Ford in Squamish and looking for other ways to boost his profile.

His place in the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame should further lift his profile. Rebagliati will join other athletes whose achievements and contributions to British Columbia sport are valued. Rebagliati will be the first snowboarder to be named to the B.C. Hall of Fame at the 37th Annual Banquet of Champions, April 28 in Vancouver. “It is nice to be recognized as the first guy inducted from my sport,” Rebagliati said. “There are a lot of guys who chose more successful paths than me, but it is nice to be considered a pioneer of sorts.”

Rebagliati was snowboarding on Blackcomb Mountain before riders were allowed on the chairlifts. He was also among the first to receive a special snowboard pass. Rebagliati said his first snowboard had three fins on the bottom and looked more like a surfboard. “I was in love with snowboarding from the beginning and I liked skateboarding and surfing,” Rebagliati said. “I think the best days of my life were learning how to snowboard on Blackcomb Mountain.”

Without the assistance of snowboard schools or shops, Rebagliati and his pals developed a passion for snowboarding. In hindsight, Rebagliati said he is not surprised the sport exploded because culture was hungry for an extreme sport. Snowboarding fit the bill. “I believe snowboarding revived the ski industry, so it made sense to make it an Olympic sport in 1998. It was the fastest-growing sport in the 10 years leading up to the Olympics, so the IOC had a guaranteed hit,” Rebagliati said.

Rebagliati is not ready to give up the sport, or the lifestyle. With five years of hard work ahead, Rebagliati insists he is ready for the challenge. In 1998, Rebagliati said he only had five years or hard training under his belt, a feat he hopes to repeat with success. “I have a double career opportunity. I thought I was at my pinnacle in 1998 but I think it was just the beginning,” Rebagliati said.

TORONTO (CP) - Canadian athletes will get early access to venues prior to the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing as part of an agreement between the Canadian and Chinese Olympic committees.

The deal was done as part of the COC's first site visit to the Chinese capital this week. The Chinese will get similar privileges before the 2010 Winter Games in British Columbia.

''Canada is a strong winter sport nation and China excels in summer sports so there are mutually beneficial opportunities to better prepare our respective teams for the upcoming Games,'' said Chris Rudge, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, who participated in a signing ceremony with Gu Yaoming, secretary general of the Chinese Olympic Committee.

The Canadian delegation identified that the key to performance in 2008 was to have Canadian athletes benefit from training, coaching and competition opportunities in China leading up to the 2008 Olympics, while the Chinese indicated interest in learning from Canada's highly-regarded canoe-kayak and rowing programs, as well as a number of winter sport programs to prepare for the 2010 Games.

In addition to athlete exchange programs, the agreement supports the exchange of officials, trainers, judges, experts and scientists for participation in seminars, courses, conferences and meetings.

''Being in China and seeing some of the training schools and facilities is certainly an eye-opener,'' said Mark Lowry, the COC's executive director of sport. ''China is preparing extremely well for these Games and the Games venues, many of which are already complete, are of a very high calibre.

''Our co-operation with the Chinese Olympic Committee will certainly help in preparing Canadian athletes to achieve improved results in 2008.''

Spirit Of Partnership Starts To Deliver For Sport In Vancouver.
(INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PRESS RELEASE)

Following two days of positive meetings and visits to Olympic Games sites, the IOC’s Coordination Commission successfully concluded its second visit to the host city of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. In addition to reviewing the progress made by the Organising Committee for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), the Coordination Commission made it a priority to meet with all Games stakeholders, including city, provincial and federal governments, and the First Nations.

“Preparing for the Olympic Games is a team effort. The IOC is delighted to see all the partners here in Vancouver on the same side, working towards a common goal of serving sport and the athletes,” said IOC Coordination Commission Chairman René Fasel. “Games preparations in and around Vancouver are in the foundation phase. It is good to see a solid foundation of trust and expertise being built here.”

“VANOC successfully made the transition from bid to organising committee, with the help of its partners,” said Fasel. “VANOC is now delivering winning results: attracting high-quality, experienced staff, attracting impressive sponsors and preparing thoughtful plans.”

Meetings between the IOC, VANOC and partners involved in preparing the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games covered areas including sport, venue planning, accommodation, transport and security.

“The IOC Coordination Commission’s job is to observe, advise and encourage Games organisers,” said Fasel. “The IOC has been helping VANOC learn the lessons of past Games, emphasising best practice, legacy and sustainability. It has been satisfying to see that VANOC has taken those lessons to heart. In recent years, the IOC has made significant efforts to improve Olympic Games preparations, working hard to transfer knowledge, improve planning and manage risk. The IOC’s fruitful partnership with VANOC shows how the Olympic Games are set to reap the rewards of that hard work.”

VANOC Chief Executive Officer John Furlong said: “We’re proud to report to the IOC Coordination Commission a highly successful first year. Our executive leadership team is in place and planning is advancing in all areas. Our sponsorship program is off to an excellent start and, after months of work, we are ready to unveil our Games emblem later this month. Our venue development programme is on track, with construction of new venues starting this summer.”

“Our vision is clear – to touch the soul of the nation and inspire the world by delivering an extraordinary Games experience in 2010, with lasting legacies,” said Furlong. “We’ll achieve that vision by working as one team with our partners and with the IOC’s valuable guidance every step of the way.”

Project reviews involving the IOC Coordination Commission executives will continue to take place in Vancouver during the coming months. The full Coordination Commission will meet again in Vancouver following the Turin 2006 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.