Sherraine McKay

Canadian women’s epee fencing team make history winning bronze in Cuba.
(Fencing Canada Release)

Havana, Cuba – By defeating Poland in the bronze medal match ay the Havana Grand Prix today the Canadian women’s epee team made history winning Canada’s first ever World Cup team medal.

Canada’s team of Sherraine MacKay from Brooks, Alta., Monique Kavelaars of Appin, Ont., Montreal’s Julie Leprohon and Catherine Dunnette of Calgary, Alta. started off with solid victories over Spain 45-33 and Greece 43-28. In the semi-finals they met Ukraine, who must have had revenge on their minds after Canada bested them in Spain 2 weeks ago. This time they downed the Canadians 45-38 setting up a date with France in the final.

Canada had little trouble with Poland winning the bronze medal 45-35 while Ukraine held off France to capture the gold by a score of 33-31.

“This year we’ve shown the fencing world that we are a force to be reckoned with and our eyes are set on gold for Worlds.”

The women are now ranked 4th overall heading into the 2005 World Championships in Leipzig, Germany, October 8-15.

In the Individual event on Saturday, Monique Kavelaars gave Canada best result finishing 30th. Kavelaars won her first match against Sonja Tol of the Netherlands 15-12 and then fell 1 point short in the second round in a heart-breaker 15-14 to Danuta Dmowska from Poland.

Sherraine MacKay finished 33rd suffering a first round loss to Cuba’s Yamilka Rodriguez Quesa. Julie Leprohon suffered a similar fate losing 11-10 to Sabine Meissner of France placing 35th. Magda Krol of Vancouver, BC., finished 47th while Ainsley Switzer and Leigh Voigt both from Toronto, Ont. were 56th and 64th.

France’s Laura Flessel-Colovic won gold defeating Cristiana Cascioli of Italy in the final while Anna Sivkova from Russian and Zuleidis Ortiz Fuente of Cuba shared bronze.

Vancouver will be hosting the Peter Bakonki International World Cup July 8-10 which is the last World Cup of the year before Worlds.

Brent Hayden (CP)

Brent Hayden breaks third record at Mel Zajac International swimming competition.
(Swimming Canada Release)

VANCOUVER- Brent Hayden of Vancouver lowered a third record in three days on Sunday at the Mel Zajac International swimming competition with a victory in the men’s 100-metre freestyle to conclude the three-day event.

Hayden beat his meet mark clocking 49.96 seconds which eclipsed the previous standard he set last year at 50.20. He also eclipsed the meet records in the 50 and 200 freestyles this weekend. Rick Say of Calgary was second in the race in 51.43 and Chad Hankewich of Saskatoon third in 52.03. “My stroke was working really well and I had a good underwater kick at the turns,” said Hayden. “This competition has gone a lot better than expected. I was coming off two bad weeks of training so to pull off such strong performances here is good for the confidence heading into the world championships.”

The entire 23-member Canadian national team that qualified last month for the 2005 World Aquatic Championships July 16-31 in Montreal is at this weekend’s competition.

Other Canadian winners in men’s competition were Morgan Knabe of Victoria and Riley Janes of Nanaimo, B.C., both with their second wins this weekend in the 50 breaststroke and 100 backstroke respectively.

On the women’s side, Brittany Reimer of Surrey, B.C., cruised to a third gold in the 800 freestyle, Erin Gammel of Calgary notched a second win in the 100 backstroke, as did Sophie Simard of Quebec City in the 100 freestyle while Audrey Lacroix of Montreal won the 100 butterfly.“I was just pleased that I felt good out there in the midst of the hard training were in now,” said Lacroix, who’ll swim the event at the worlds. “I could feel the fatigue but I fought through it especially in the last 50 metres.”

Vancouver’s UBC Dolphins won both the men’s and women’s 4X100 medley relays.

Pierre Lafontaine, Swimming\Natation Canada’s CEO, was impressed with the Canadian world team performances. “This is a meet that usually the swimmers are well rested for and still this year in the midst of training, including weight training, we still saw meet records being broken or approached,” said Lafontaine. “The swimmers are obviously preparing very well for the worlds, they are excited about the worlds and the team spirit is very good.”

Annie Martin (CP)

Martin, Pruneau ousted from beach volleyball worlds.
(CBC Sports)

Canadians Annie Martin and Marie-Christine Pruneau were eliminated from the beach volleyball world championships Tuesday in Berlin.

Martin, a native of Sherbrooke, Que., and Pruneau, from Windsor, Ont., lost 21-18, 21-14 to Natalie Cook and Summer Lochowicz of Australia in their opening contest, then fell 21-17, 21-13 to Shelda Bede and Adriana Bahar, the Brazilians which captured the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Two Canadian tandems remain in contention, however. Guylaine Dumont, of St-Antoine de Tilly, Que., and Caroline Fiset, from St-Charles-Borromee, Que., lost to Japan's Mika Saiki and Ryoko Tokuno 21-10, 21-16, but rebounded to rally past the Japanese duo of Chiaki Kusuhara and Satoko Urata 21-19, 21-18. "The first match, we will definitely erase from our minds, but we used the experience to come back with determination for the second match," Dumont explained. "We made some adjustments, sped up the game by lowering sets to Caroline, and it worked very well."

Montreal's Marie-Andree Lessard and Sarah Maxwell, from Truro, N.S., earned a 22-20, 18-21, 15-12 win over China's Xiaoyan Hu and Xi Zhang, lost 21-13, 21-19 to a second Chinese pairing, Jai Tian and Fei Wang, and prevailed 21-16, 20-22 over Spaniards Nadia Campisi and Clara Lozano. "It was a full day for us,playing three matches, and having to gut it out in all of them, (but) it was a great start to our first-ever world championships," Maxwell said.

with files from CP Online

Dave Johnson (CP Photo)

Former national coach Dave Johnson hired by Calgary swim club.
(CP Wire)

CALGARY (CP) _ Dave Johnson, the former head coach of Canada's national swim team, has landed a new job. Johnson was hired Tuesday as head coach for Cascade Swimming, a Calgary-based swim club.

Johnson was fired as national team coach last fall after Canada was shutout of the medals at the Athens Summer Games. He first took over as national team coach in 1993 and had coached at every Olympic Games since 1976. He also participated in numerous world championships, Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships. ``I'm very excited about getting back into swimming,'' Johnson said in a release. ``They are building a progressive program at Cascade that will allow me to focus on the technical side of the program which is where I want to direct all my energy. I'm looking forward to contributing not only at the club level but also to all of Canadian swimming.''

Chris Wilson, general manager of Cascade Swimming, said Johnson's experience will be beneficial for the program. ``Dave has the experience, knowledge and vision to have an impact on our entire program not just our best swimmers,'' Wilson said.

Pierre Lafontaine, Swimming Canada's chief executive officer, said he is pleased to see Johnson coaching again. ``It's great that Dave will continue coaching in Canada and will share his vast knowledge of the sport with other Canadian coaches,'' said Lafontaine. ``He is one of the best swimming coaches in Canada.'

Darcy Marquardt (CP Photo)

Top Women Shine at the National Rowing Trials' Finals.
(Rowing Canada Release)

Excellent conditions graced the final day of the Women's National Team Trials in London, Ontario, as a mix of new talent and National Team veterans raced for spots in the team’s training camp.

"We were thrilled with the competitiveness of all the divisions, and the progress made in the sculling events (singles)," said Alan Roaf, Rowing Canada's High Performance Director. "There's some great talent coming through the system and we feel that we have some excellent athletes to help build a successful program leading up to the 2008 Olympics."

In the first race of the day, 2004 Olympian Anna-Marie de Zwager, 28, of Victoria, B.C. won the heavyweight women's single in 7:42.10, followed by long-time London resident Jane Rumball, originally from Fredericton, N.B., in 7:43.40 and Rachelle de Jong of Regina, Sask. in 7:45.90. Rounding out the top six were Darcy Marquardt of Richmond, B.C. in fourth, followed by Romina Stefancic of Victoria, who was a Junior champion for Slovenia, and Kara Farquharson of Mississauga, Ont., a former Junior World bronze medallist in the single.

In the lightweight women's singles, Liz Urbach of Vancouver, B.C. convincingly won the final in this event in 7:47.40, with Tracy Cameron of Winnipeg, Man. (7:52.30) edging out Olympian Mara Jones, who was third in 7:53.40.

"It felt great out there today," said 28-year-old Urbach, who rows for UBC. "I was very pleased with my race, and we couldn't have asked for better conditions."

Sheryl Preston of White Rock, B.C., who rowed with Urbach in the lightweight quad that won a World silver last year, was fourth followed by Melanie Kok of St. Catharines, Ont. and Jennifer Neufeld of Winnipeg, Man.

The women in the Under-23 category rowed in pairs, and Melanie Abbott and Larissa Lagzdins - representing Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont. - took top spot in 7:39.90The following athletes have been invited to participate in further selection to be considered for senior World Cup, and senior and Under-23 World Championship crews.

Lightweights (senior and U23)

Liz Urbach, Tracy Cameron, Mara Jones, Sheryl Preston, Melanie Kok, Jen Neufeld, Amber Cuthbertson, Gwen McLennan, Catherine Gariepy, Jenny Hogsden

Heavyweights (senior and U23)

Anna-Marie de Zwager, Jane Rumball, Rachelle de Jong, Darcy Marquardt, Romina Stefancic, Kara Farquharson, Roslyn McLeod, Krista Stewart, Heather Mandoli, Melanie Abbott, Larissa Lagzdins, Courtney MacIntosh, Leah Stone, Jeanne Harfield, Lauren Wells, Stephanie Connolly, Stephanie Morrison, Kerry Maher, Kristin Tryon, Emma Darling, Katrina Wechselberger

Canadians complete winless first round in men’s World League water polo.
(Canadian Sport News)

PORTUGALETE, Spain- Canada’s men’s water polo team ran out of gas in the fourth quarter and lost 12-5 to Greece on Sunday to complete a winless first round in men’s World League water polo competition.

The rebuilding Canadian team, 14th at the last world championships in 2003, had a tough assignment this week facing four of the top-six teams at the 2004 Olympics. They’ll now head to second round play in Budapest next week with an 0-4 record.

Kevin Mitchell of Vancouver continued to sparkle offensively for Canada with three more goals to complete the first round with eight goals. Dan Stein of Vancouver and Noah Miller of Regina added singles. The score was 7-4 after three quarters against the Greeks, who were fourth at the Olympics.

“There were no surprises for us in the first round, it went as we expected,” said Canada’s head coach Dragan Jovanovic. “The other teams are better than we are and we need to find some consistency in our play. We’re always up and down as was the case again today. For some guys it was their first experience against these top teams. This whole experience is all very good for us.”

In Sunday’s other games, Spain upset Olympic bronze medallist Russia 9-6 and Australia defeated China 12-7.

After the first round, Spain and Russia are tied atop the A group standings at three wins and one loss for 10 points (three points for a win, one point for a loss, two points if win is earned in shootout). Hungary, the Olympic champions, are 3-0 for nine points, Greece (2-1) is fourth at seven points, Australia (1-2) is fifth at five points, Canada is 0-4 for four points and China 0-3 for three points.

The seven team B group also played this week in Serbia and Montenegro. Prior to Sunday’s games, Serbia Montenegro was first with nine points, followed by Croatia at six, Italy and Romania at five, the U.S., four, Germany three and Brazil two.

The A group second round takes place this Friday to Sunday in Budapest with Canada playing Saturday and Sunday against China and Australia while the B group play moves to Stuttgart, Germany.

Klassen, Wotherspoon, Overland, Hamelin highlight Speed Skating Canada’s awards night.

MONTREAL- Cindy Klassen of Winnipeg, Jeremy Wotherspoon of Red Deer, Alta., Amanda Overland of Kitchener, Ont., and Charles Hamelin of Ste-Julie, Que., were named Speed Skating Canada’s 2005 athletes of the year.

Klassen was named the female skater of the year – long track. She won two gold medals at the world single distance championships in Inzell, Germany with victories in the 1,500 metres and 3,000 metres. She also won the World Cup title in the 1,500 with three victories in five races and was second overall at the all around world championships. She also broke the world record in the 1,500 in January and set a points world record as well at the event. Klassen also helped Canada to two world records in the team pursuit.

Wotherspoon won the male skater of the year- long track. He took the 500-metre World Cup title for the fourth straight year with four wins in 10 races. He finished second overall at the world sprint championships and won the bronze medal in the 500-metres at the world single distance championships.

Hamelin was named the top male skater- short track. He notched three individual victories in his first full season on the World Cup circuit. He won the silver medal in the 500 metres at the world championships and helped Canada to gold and a world record in the relay at the worlds in addition to the world team crown. He also lowered two national records at the Canadian team trials in November.

Overland won the female skater of the year award- short track. She enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2004-2005 with her first two individual World Cup medals and earned her first career Canadian overall title.

Other award winners were:

Rising Star- short track was won by Kalyna Roberge of Levis, Que.,: Roberge won the 500 metres and placed third overall at the world junior championships in January

Rising Star – long track was won by Christine Nesbitt of London, Ont.,: Nesbitt earned spots on Canadian teams at World Cup events and at the world single distance championships. She also grabbed a silver in the 1,000 metre at the Canadian sprint championships.

Male Coach of the Year -Martin Gagné, Montreal: Gagné coached Canadian short track speed skaters to more than 30 medals on the World Cup circuit in addition to the gold medal and world record in the men’s relay at the world championships.

Female Coach of the Year – Xiuli Wang, Calgary: long track coach Wang guided Kristina Groves of Ottawa to her first career World Cup victory and a bronze at the world single distance championships in the 3,000 metres. She also coaches Clara Hughes of Winnipeg who notched a bronze at the single distance worlds and Arne Dankers of Calgary an impressive sixth in the 5,000 at the worlds.

Coaching Excellence Awards: recipients of this first-year award were Ron Cartier of Dawson Creek, B.C., Frédéric Déry of Laval, Que., and Barb Beck of Pitt Meadows, B.C.

Outstanding Administrator Award- Roger Buxton, Markham, Ont.: Buxton has been a driving force in helping the Markham Speed Skating Club prosper and grow since he became a club member in 1995 and joined the club’s executive five years ago.

Official of the Year Award- Jean Lemieux, Charlesbourg, Que: Lemieux officiated at all levels in short track speed skating this season including the Canadian age group championships in Surrey, B.C., and the Can-Am competition in Calgary.

Quebec earned the Pat Underhill Shield and Alberta the Doreen Ryan Shield as the top short track and long track provinces respectively at national events.

The recipients of the Peter Williamson Trust Fund, a bursary for promising skaters who best combine athletic and scholastic achievements, were short trackers Mathieu Giroux of Montreal and Anouk Leblanc-Boucher of Montreal in short track and Mark Jesney of Saskatoon and Shannon Sibold of Calgary in long track.

Speed Skating Canada’s Hall of Fame inducted Debbie Fisher of Calgary. Fisher has been involved with the sport of speed skating since 1969, as a skater, coach, administrator, and builder, from the club to national level.

In 1998, she became a member of the Olympic Oval staff at the University of Calgary. In her capacity as team leader of the developmental programming area, she has conducted camps and/or coaching clinics throughout Canada which has enabled her to share her coaching knowledge and experience with athletes and coaches throughout Canada.

The Hall also recognized seven athletic accomplishments. They are as follows
-The women's short track speed skating championship in March with members, Overland, Roberge, Tania Vicent of Laval, Que., Alanna Kraus of Abbotsford, BC and Chantale Sévigny of Montreal.
-The world record performance by the men’s relay in short track speed skating in March with members Hamelin, François-Louis Tremblay of Boucherville, Que., Steve Robillard of Montreal and Mathieu Turcotte of Sherbrooke, Que.
- the women’s long track team pursuit world record set this year by Klassen, Groves and Hughes.
- the men’s Olympic record time in the relay at the 2002 Games with Tremblay, Turcotte, Marc Gagnon and Jonathan Guilmette, both of Montreal.
- the 2002 women’s Olympic relay which won bronze comprised of Tania Vicent and Isabelle Charest, both of Montreal, Alanna Kraus of Abbotsford, B.C., and Amélie Goulet-Nadon of Laval, Que.
- The 1,000-metre bronze medal won by Turcotte at the 2002 Games.
- the gold and silver medals won by Marc Gagnon and Jonathan Guilmette respectively in the 500 metres at the 2002 Olympics

Emily Heymans (CP)

Celebrated local diver Emilie Heymans chosen as flag-bearer for World Aquatic Championships.
(The Gazette (Montreal)

Diver Emilie Heymans yesterday was named Canada's official flag-bearer at the July 16 opening ceremonies of the XI FINA World Aquatics Championships in Montreal.

Heymans, the defending world champion of the 10-metre tower event and one of Canada's most celebrated divers, said she was thrilled to be selected flag-bearer by her fellow athletes. "It's an immense honour," she said. "I think it's just going to be a great experience for me and I'm going to take this and have a lot of fun during the opening ceremonies," said Heymans, a resident of St. Lambert.

The selection process involved putting forth a nominee from each of the four aquatic disciplines that will be on display at Jean Drapeau Park from July 17-31: diving, swimming, water polo and synchronized swimming.

A committee of four athletes voted for the flag-bearer. The other nominees were swimmer Mike Mintenko of Vancouver, water-polo player Cora Campbell of Calgary and synchro swimmer Marie-Pierre Gagne of Montreal.

Heymans, 23, dismissed suggestions the largely symbolic role of flag-bearer is an added pressure for an athlete competing in her home town. "I think I already have a lot pressure, so I don't think it can put any more pressure on me," said Heymans, who is entered to compete in one event: the solo 10-metre platform.

She finished fourth on tower at last summer's Olympics in Athens, but came home from Greece with a bronze medal in the 10-metre synchro event, an accomplishment she shared with Blythe Hartley of Edmonton. It was Heyman's second Olympic medal in synchro. At the 2000 Sydney Games, she teamed up with Pointe Claire's Anne Montminy to win silver.

Heymans said she's looking forward to competing in front of family and friends next month. "It's amazing to have a competition here this summer," she said. "It gives us a lot of energy, because the people here are cheering a lot and really happy to see us compete. "It's going to happen only once in your life ... because you'll never have a big competition like this for another 20 or 40 years."

Heymans said she hopes the new aquatics facilities on Ile Ste. Helene remain functional long after the two-week-long competition ends. "Well, I hope we can still use them next summer so we can practise outside, because there are a lot of (international) competitions that are outside," she said. "We're not used to that."

Heymans said building a modern outdoor pool makes sense in a city with existing indoor facilities. "I think an outside pool is a great idea," she said. "It's going be helpful for young people."

Jenn Heil (CP)

Canadian Freestyle Ski team trains at the National Training Centre Yves Laroche.
(Freestyle Canada Release)

For the first time in many years, the entire Canadian Freestyle Ski team is water-ramp training together on Canadian soil at the Centre Acrobatx, the official training site for the Canadian Freestyle Ski team. Since the centre opened in Le Relais, Quebec in July 2004, Canadian team members have been looking forward to getting back to this top-rated facility for their summer water ramp training as they prepare for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino.

“We are very excited about the prospect of training back in Canada, particularly at the heart of where so many Freestyle legends originated,” said Peter Judge, CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association.

Aerials head-coach, Dennis Capicik arrived in Le Relais with the Canadian aerial team in May and plans to remain there until the team departs in September for the season opening World Cup Aerial event in Mt. Buller, Australia.

“This is a great facility,” said Capicik, on behalf of the World Cup Freestyle Aerial Ski team. “It definitely provides everything we need to insure that we’re getting the very best training we can throughout the summer months.”

The Canadian mogul team is also benefiting from this first-class facility, which is providing both the mogul skiers and aerialists a unique opportunity to be together in preparation for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games.

“This is the best facility I’ve ever seen,” said two-time World Cup Champion Jennifer Heil. “It’s world class. Now that flipping is such a critical component of mogul skiing, it’s more important to us than ever. The fact that we are all here training together is making for excellent spirit on the team, and that is especially important in an Olympic year.

Public Support for Sport is Needed - Take the Time!

As many of you may know, Paul DeVillers, M.P. for Simcoe North has been appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, to make structural recommendations for the areas of recreation, physical activity and sport that would lead to the increased health of all Canadians.

To encourage and assist Mr. DeVillers in proposing the need for separate Ministry to focus on sport, recreation and healthy living we need to send letters of support.

The more letters that Mr. DeVillers receives, the stronger his proposal to Privy Council. Public support is taken very seriously! It appears that there will be a Cabinet shuffle over the summer and if the report is approved, we could see the announcement of a full Ministry by August.

Letters need to be received in Mr. DeVillers office by June 25. They can be
mailed to his office;

Paul DeVillers,
M.P. Simcoe North,
Room 172,
Confederation Building
House of Commons,
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6
Or faxed to (613) 996-3128

Canadian Sport Centre Golf with an Olympian Charity Tournament a winning experience for all.

On Monday June 20th, The CSCC held its 4th annual Golf with an Olympian Tournament at the beautiful Bearspaw Golf Club. Sunny skies and warm temperatures made for an incredible day for some of Canada's top Olympians to play a round with members of corporate Calgary. All proceeds go directly towards providing athletes with access to world class coaching, physiological testing, strength and conditioning, medical care and sport psychology. Thank you to all who were involved, your support is very much appreciated! For more information please visit
http://www.canadiansportcentre.com/golf/index.htm

A big thank you to all the Olympians participating in the Tournament this year:

Lindsay Alcock - Skeleton
Donovan Bailey - Track and Field
Kelly Bechard - Women's Hockey
Mike Belenkie - Rowing
Emily Brydon - Alpine Skiing
Michelle Cameron - Synchro
Al Coulter - Volleyball
Malindi Elmore - Athletics
Kent Greves - Volleyball
Kristina Groves - Long Track Speed Skating
Mellisa Hollingsworth - Skeleton
Graham Hood - Athletics
Michelle Kelly - Skeleton
Regan Lauscher Luge
Catriona Le May Doan - Long Track Speed Skating
Kerrin Lee-Gartner - Alpine Skiing
Pierre Lueders - Bobsleigh
Joanne Malar - Swimming
Bryan Moody - Badminton
Christine Nordhagen - Wrestling
Brent Olynyk - Badminton
Jeff Pain - Skeleton
David Pelletier - Figure Skating
Jim Peplinski - Hockey
Charmaine Reid - Badminton
Jamie Sale Figure - Skating
Gord Sherven - Hockey
Michael Smith - Decathlon
Hayley Wickenheiser - Hockey
Jeremy Wotherspoon - Long Track Speed Skating