Tonya Verbeek (CP)

Canada wins 3 medals at Women's Wrestling World Championships.

BUDAPEST- Martine Dugrenier of Montreal won the silver medal on Friday in the women’s 67 kilos at the 2005 World Wrestling Championships.

It was Canada’s third medal of the competition. On Thursday Tonya Verbeek of Beamsville, Ont., won bronze in women’s 55 kilos and on Wednesday Carol Huynh of Vancouver also took bronze in women’s 48 kilos.

Friday’s competition concluded the women’s portion of the championship. Japan continued to dominate with gold in four of the seven weight classes and the team title. China was in second in the team race followed by the U.S., which collected a gold and two bronze medals. Canada finished the competition in fourth position.

Canadian national women’s coach Leigh Vierling of Calgary was delighted with his team’s performance. “It’s always a long and emotional road to the world championships and it’s great when the road ends with three medals for Canada,” he said. “Our coaching staff is extremely proud of the effort, commitment and heart our team displayed here.”

Dugrenier, in her world championship debut, lost a hotly contested match to Lili Meng of China in the final. This was not Dugrenier’s first international success. She won the gold medal at the 2003 World University Wrestling Championships.

For Verbeek it was déjà vu as she lost to Saori Yoshida of Japan in the 55 kilos semifinal but came back to win the bronze medal match over Ludmila Cristea of Moldova. Verbeek lost to Yoshida in the gold medal final at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Huynh lost a semifinal match to 2004 Olympic champion Irini Merleni of the Ukraine then won her bronze medal match versus Caripa Mayelis of Venezuela.

The remainder of Canada’s women’s team all finished in the top eight of their respective weight classes with Erica Sharp of Calgary placing fifth (out of 24) in 51 kilos, Ohenewa Akuffo of Brampton, Ont., seventh (out of 20) in 72 kilos, Tara Hedican of Guelph, Ont., eighth (out of 24) at 63kilos and Emily Richardson of Vancouver eighth (out of 24) at 59 kilos.

Vierling noted there is room for improvement. “Looking at the weight classes objectively I know we are capable of better performances – every athlete on this team has the potential to be on the podium,” he said. “Obviously we are looking for better things in the years leading to Beijing 2008. The continued success of our senior women’s national team will motivate all of the other athletes in the country.”

Cindy Klassen (CP)

Books bring balance to life: Olympian Cindy Klassen recalls hanging with the 'Boys'.
(T he Calgary Herald)

Olympic medallist Cindy Klassen has fond memories of spending her summer afternoons, feet dangling off a dock, with a Hardy Boys novel in hand. "I just devoured Hardy Boys books," says Klassen, who became Canada's first all-around world speed skating champion in 27 years in 2003. "I remember, too, that when I was in elementary school, I couldn't wait to get home so I could read," adds the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics bronze medallist.

Klassen -- the face of this year's CanWest Global Raise a Reader campaign -- says reading has always been the perfect balance to an arduous training schedule. "It's always such a nice break, to come home after training, eat what I need to eat, and then curl up with a book," Klassen says. "It's so relaxing. It's the perfect hobby for me, really."

It was also a comforting pursuit two years ago when she was seriously injured in a skating accident. She fell during a training session on the ice, crashing into another skater whose blade sliced Klassen's forearm down to the bone.

After surgery to repair the damage, she had to stop skating for four months. "I got gift certificates for Chapters from a lot of people," Klassen says. "They all knew that was a great gift to give me -- either a book or a gift certificate to go get a book."

She immersed herself in good fiction during what turned out to be a restful time.
"It was scary at first, but it ended up giving me a lot of perspective," Klassen says. "I came away from it knowing what was important, and knowing that speed skating is a sport -- not my life."

Klassen's university studies are on hold this year as she prepares for the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy, although she continues to read voraciously. A trip to a training camp in California that wrapped up earlier this week was well complemented by the title she's currently enjoying. "I'm reading Big Sur, by Jack Kerouac, which was good timing," Klassen says.

Her choice in reading material is eclectic, making it hard to choose a single favourite, but she says Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Grey and The Importance of Being Earnest are both high on her list. "I really like Oscar Wilde's style of writing," Klassen says.

As a role model, she encourages young people to find their own favourites. "Reading is so important, and so much fun to do," she says. "It's great for relaxation, and it's great for helping kids in their education as well, when they are comfortable with reading. "It'll take you far."

The Calgary Herald's Raise a Reader campaign kicks off today, raising funds for local literacy programs by offering this special edition of the paper in exchange for donations.

Team Canada

Canada wins two relay bronze at short track speed skating World Cup.
(Speed Skating Canada)

HANGZHOU, China -- Canada won bronze medals in the men’s and women’s relays on Sunday to conclude the first stop on the short track speed skating World Cup circuit.

The Canadians, icing the Olympic team for this winter’s Games in Turin, finished the opening event on the circuit with three bronze medals this weekend. The team is in the midst of some heavy training as it looks to peak for the two November World Cups in Europe at which the eight countries that compete at the Games will be determined.

In the women’s 3,000 relay, China won the gold medal in 4:14.931 with South Korea second in 4:17.292 and the Canadians third in 4:17.697. The Canadian racers were Amanda Overland of Kitchener, Ont., Tania Vicent of Vercheres, Que., Kalyna Roberge of Ste-Etienne-de-Lauzon, Que., and Alanna Kraus of Abbotsford, B.C.

Overland paid tribute to the strong performance by 19-year Roberge who anchored the race ‘’Kalyna skated so strong at the end,’’ said Overland, a member of last year’s world champion squad. ‘’She’s improved incredibly so much over the last year. But we’re all getting better and smarter out there. We never miss exchanges, we’re really on it. Today we stayed close to the lead almost the entire race. A great way to start the season.’’

In the men’s 5,000 relay, South Korea was the winner in 6:52.067, China second in 6:52.511 and Canada, which held the lead with five laps to go, third in 7:01.705. The Canadian racers were Jonathan Guilmette of Montreal, François-Louis Tremblay of Montreal, Mathieu Turcotte of Sherbrooke, Que., and Charles Hamelin of Ste-Julie, Que.

‘’Our goal initially was to not get the lead to early but we quickly realized the other teams had the same strategy,’’ said Hamelin. ‘’So we were in the lead which made it tough because we are not at peak condition and we tried not to go too fast. Most of the race went well but we had trouble on a couple of exchanges at the end and we got passed.’’

In the men’s 1,000, Turcotte reached the final and was fourth while Tremblay and Eric Bedard of Ste-Thecle, Que., were eliminated in the quarterfinals for 15th and 16th respectively. Turcotte was also fifth in the men’s 3,000 and the top Canadian overall in sixth.

In the women’s 1,000, Overland and Vicent were eliminated in the quarterfinals for 10th and 11th while Kraus was ousted in the heats for 20th.

Francois-Louis Tremblay of Montreal earned Canada's first medal on Saturday, finishing third in a men's 500-metre race.

The second stop on the World Cup is next Friday to Sunday in Seoul.

CANUCK GOOD AS GOLD IN RING.
(The Ottawa Sun)

Canadian Mary Spencer turned a dream into reality yesterday. The 20-year-old native of Windsor captured a gold medal at the world women's boxing championship, defeating Russian Irina Sinezkaya 28-21 to capture the 66-kilogram title. And just for good measure, Spencer was also named the tournament's top boxer.

"It's a great feeling to finally be a world champion," Spencer said in an e-mail following her bout. "I've dreamed about this for as long as I've been boxing.
"I came into this tournament knowing that I gave my all in training and if someone was going to beat me, they would have to just be a lot better than me. They wouldn't win because they were in better shape or because they trained harder."

SILVER LINING

Ariane Fortin of Quebec City had to settle for a silver medal in the 57-kilogram final. She lost 37-22 to Russian Olga Slavinskaya. Canada finished the tournament with a gold, silver and two bronze medals. Spencer became the third Canadian female to win a world gold, joining Jennifer Ogg of London and Crystelle Sampson of Quebec City.

Joining such select company wasn't easy, though. Sinezkaya was a two-time world gold medallist. With a world championship under her belt, a pro career would seem to be a logical next step for the six-foot Spencer, but she wants to represent Canada at the Olympics. There's a chance women's boxing could be added to the program at the 2008 Games in Beijing.

''I'm not overly anxious about jumping into a pro career,'' she said. ''I'm 20 years old and have a lot of time for all that. Right now I want to get as many fights as I can and represent my country."

Atsuko Tanaka and Katie Willis (CP)

CANADA'S ATSUKO TANAKA WINS GOLD MEDAL AT WOMEN'S SKI JUMPING EVENT.
(CODA RElease)

Park City, Utah-Canada's Atsuko Tanaka followed her teammate Katie Willis' path to the top step of the podium by winning a gold medal at an international ski jumping event. The 13-year-old Calgarian finished on top against the best women ski jumping athletes at a summer Continental Cup event in Park City, Utah on Sunday evening.

In August, Tanaka's teammate, 14-year-old Katie Willis, landed in the history books as not only the youngest athlete, but also the first Canadian woman to win a gold medal in international ski jumping. Tanaka finished fourth in that event. Both athletes are competing against women nearly twice their age.

"I am just shocked and so excited," said Tanaka immediately following the medal presentation. "This is so good for our sport. We have been training really hard and it is such a great feeling to see our team stand on top of the podium."

The Calgary native, who has been competing internationally since the first Continental Cup event for women took off in 2004, scored a total of 233.5 points to knock off the world's best, as 25 athletes from nine different countries suited up.

Tanaka was sandwiched on the podium between two American athletes. Jessica Jerome finished second with a total of 231.5 points, while her teammate, Lindsey-M Van, landed in the bronze-medal position with a total of 230 points.

"This has been a tremendous summer for our national program," said Brent Morrice, president, Ski Jumping Canada. "Our young athletes are landing the best results we've had in years. Our men's team have all met the Olympic qualification criteria, and it is clear that year's of hard work are really starting to pay off. We are going to continue to pursue excellence, with the ultimate goal of having a Canadian ski jumping athlete standing on the Olympic podium by 2010."

Women's ski jumping has been recognized by FIS for more than 10 years. Canada is in the forefront of the drive to have women's ski jumping sanctioned for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Women have been jumping for nearly a 100 years, and are steadily increasing the distances jumped. In 1911 a daring Austrian, Countess Paula Lamberg jumped a record 22 metres. To illustrate the progress the sport has made, girls as young as eight now jump this distance routinely at Canada Olympic Park.

Top-Five Results:
1. Atsuko Tanaka, CAN, 233.5; 2. Jessica Jerome, USA, 231.5; 3. Lindsey-M Van, USA, 230.0; 4. Anette Sagen, NOR, 226.0; 5. Ulrike Graessler, GER, 220.5

Lindsay Alcock (CP)

(Canadian Olympic Committee)

Lindsay Alcock

Sport: Skeleton
Events: Women's Individual

Birthdate: October 6, 1977
Birthplace: Calgary, AB
Hometown: Calgary, AB
Residence: Calgary, AB
Trains In: Calgary, AB
Height: 5'7"

Weight: 150 lbs.
Coaches: Kim Cousins, Teresa Schlachter & Willi Schneider
Club: Alberta Skeleton Association

2006 Olympic Qualification Standards:

Canada is eligible to send two female athletes to compete in skeleton at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Members of the women's skeleton team will be considered for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games provided they meet the criteria of a combined four top six World Cup results in 2004-05 and 2005-06 with at least one attained in the current season or a top seven result at the 2005 World Championship and at least one top six result in a 2005-06 World Cup. In the event that more than two Canadian athletes meet the Olympic qualification standards, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton will select the top two athletes, based on overall results, to represent Canada. The women's skeleton team is set to be finalized on January 20, 2006.

Biography & 2006 Olympic Winter Games Outlook:

Entering the 2005-06 international season, Lindsay Alcock remains one of Canada's best bets to capture our nation's first ever Olympic medal in skeleton.

Born and raised in the Calgary area, the 27-year-old is coming off another exceptional World Cup season where she captured a bronze medal at an event in Altenberg, Germany, finished fourth overall in the 2004-05 World Cup standings, and recorded a sixth-place result at the 2005 Skeleton World Championship. This past season, Alcock also recorded the most top-five finishes on the World Cup circuit with six.

A former Canada Olympic Park summer tour guide, Alcock's interest in the sport began in 1998 after tourists repeatedly asked her why she didn't participate in any of the sports she was introducing to thousands of visitors from around the world. It was the result of those inquiries that persuaded her to give skeleton a try.

Now entering her fifth professional campaign, Alcock has carved out an impressive resume that includes capturing the 2003-04 overall World Cup title, winning a silver medal at the 2004 Skeleton World Championship, and finishing as the top Canadian athlete in her event at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, placing sixth. To date, Alcock has accumulated a total of 13 World Cup medals and achieved several international push and track records.

She is also a graduate of the University of Calgary and holds a degree in Kinesiology. In addition to her full-time training and competition schedule, Alcock is currently working as a public relations representative for ARC Resources Ltd., an energy trust company in Calgary. Despite her promising off-track career, she has no plans to retire from the sport anytime soon and has set a long-term goal of competing for Canada at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

David Ford (Getty)

Canada off the podium at World Slalom Canoe Championships.
(SPORTSNET)

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - The Czech Republic beat Britain for gold Monday in the women's K1 event on the closing day of the world slalom canoe championships at Penrith Whitewater Stadium.

Under the team format, all three kayaks from each team are on the course at the same time, with the clock rolling when the first one crosses the start line and stopping when the third reaches the finish line.

It was Britain's first silver medal at a world slalom canoe championship. Austria took the bronze. France won two team gold medals Monday: the men's C1 and K1 events. "It was difficult to tell what was going to happen," said French C1 team member Pierre Labarelle. "We had a hard course and difficult wind so you never know how things will work out."

France's K1 team of Julien Billaut, Fabien Lefevre and Benoit Peschier finished first in a time of 218.49 seconds, with Italy second and Slovenia third.Canada's entry of Nathan Davis, David Ford and Mike Holroyd was 17th. Earlier, Germany won its third championship gold medal when its men's C2 team finished first in a withdrawal-plagued event.

Only three teams contested the C2 after defending champion Slovakian team withdrew before the competition began because Michal Martikan had to return home because his wife is due to give birth. Olympic champion Peter Hochschorner had already withdrawn from the Slovakian team due to an injury.
France might have set a record for the worst total ever for a bronze medal team. The French team collected 656 penalty points when two of the French canoes collided, snapping one of the paddles on the boat of Philippe Quemerais and Yann Lepennec.

Said French team member Remy Alonso: "It's very hard to paddle a C2 with only one paddle." The canoe glided listlessly through the course, missing 13 gates - but still ended up on the podium with the bronze.

Germany and the Czech Republic were left to race for the gold, with Germany having a faster, cleaner run and taking the title. Germany led the medal count with three golds, two silver and a bronze. France was second with two of each medal, while Slovakia had a gold, silver and two bronze. Canada did not reach the podium.

The CSCC welcomes two new hires in Human Performance Laboratory.

The CSCC is one of the top Olympic sport training environments in the world and a proud member of a network of eight centres across Canada. The CSCC strives to develop a positive and comprehensive environment focused on excellence by providing athletes with leading experts in the fields of exercise physiology, sport medicine, strength and conditioning, nutrition, mental training and coaching.

Mike Patton
Exercise Physiology Technician

Calgary is my hometown and I did my undergraduate degree here at U of C in exercise physiology. During the past few years I have been a fairly regular subject for many of the grad students, so I have gotten to know the human performance lab very well. I have been working in the fitness industry as a personal trainer for over 5 years now, so the opportunity to work with such high-calibre athletes is an exciting experience. Personally, track cycling is my sport of choice, but I basically enjoy almost any sport.


Erica Enevold
Exercise Physiology Technician

Erica earned a Kinesiology degree from the University of Calgary, and has pursued numerous fitness and lifestyle certifications to complement her degree. Since graduation, she has enjoyed much success in the training and physiological assessment of athlete, clinical, youth, police and firefighting populations. She is focused on the application of current exercise science to give our elite athletes a competitive edge. Erica grew up in Bragg Creek AB, where she developed her enduring passion for outdoor sports.

Welcome Mike and Erica!