Jeff Pain (CP)

Skeleton Athletes Win Gold, Silver and Bronze at World Cup.
(CODA Release)

St. Moritz, SUI-In a thrilling battle of headfirst human torpedoes, Canada's Jeff Pain executed a dominating display to edge out the home country favourite and capture his second gold medal of the season in World Cup men's skeleton action Thursday in St. Moritz, Switzerland. "It's just an honour to race in St. Moritz, the birthplace of skeleton," said Pain. "By winning here, I feel like I've earned my own little piece of history."

"It's always tough to beat that guy," said Pain of silver medal winner Gregor Staehli of Germany. "The key today was putting two really good runs together; and those runs are counting more and more now that we're reaching the end of the season."

In other Canadian results, Calgary's Paul Boehm fell just short of a top-10 finish after he tied Austria's Markus Penz for 12th place overall. Another Calgary slider, Kelly Forbes, failed to qualify for the second heat after placing 29th.

On Friday, the Canadian women's skeleton squad served further notice of its dominance heading into the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, with Mellisa Hollingsworth-Richards and Lindsay Alcock finishing two and three. "I'm not getting tired of the podium, that's for sure - this is fun," said an ecstatic Hollingsworth-Richards, who is now six-for-six in World Cup races this season, earning two gold medals, three silvers and one bronze. "It was great to have two Canadians on the podium, especially with Lindsay, and that's the way it should be. Hopefully it will be a preview of Torino."

It was a sentiment echoed by a triumphant Alcock, the 2004 overall World Cup champion, who hurtled headlong into her first medal finish of the 2005-06 World Cup campaign. "It was such a sweet feeling today to be on the podium with Mellisa," said the ecstatic 27-year-old Calgary native, who placed sixth, Canada's best Olympic skeleton result to date, at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. "Seeing both flags up there was symbolic of our friendship. In 2001, when I won bronze here, it was the same time I knew I was going to the Games and Mel wasn't, so to stand there today with her and know we're both going to be at the Games together was an amazing feeling that I will never forget."

Switzerland's Maya Pedersen was the only racer to best the Canadian speed queens. In other Canadian results, 2002 Olympian Michelle Kelly also enjoyed a strong outing, with the native of Fort St. John, B.C. sliding into a seventh-place finish. Carla Pavan, of Lethbridge, Alta., slid into the 16th position.

Beckie Scott (CP)

BECKIE SCOTT WINS GOLD AGAIN IN WORLD CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING PURSUIT.
(CODA Release)

Oberstdorf, GER-Beckie Scott completed the hat trick, winning her third World Cup gold medal of the season, and her career, in the women's 15 kilometre pursuit race in Oberstdorf, Germany on Saturday.

The first World Cup victory on European snow for the Vermilion, Alta. native, Scott led for most of the race and skied away from the pack in the pursuit to solidified her position back on top of the podium. The pursuit race combines 7.5 kilometres of skate skiing with an additional 7.5 kilometres of classic technique. Athletes enter a transition area mid-way through the race to change equipment.

"I really thought it could go either way today because I was pretty tired and drained out still getting over the jet lag, and wasn't sure what I was capable of doing," said Scott, who was fourth in the pursuit at the World Championships on the Oberstdorf track. "I was really looking forward to this race and I really like this course. I knew I had great skis and when I hit the start line I just told myself to go for it."

Scott, who finished 6.7 seconds ahead of Germany's Claudia Kuenzel admitted it was important to get a good race under her belt in Europe. "I think everything in Canada was rolling for us so well that we almost couldn't fail," said Scott, who fell from first to fifth position in the race after a poor transition zone on Saturday. "It is a different scene in Europe and there were many of the top women in this race that didn't compete in Canada so it was good to get a race against many of the women that I haven't seen this year."

"It would be nice to just keep on winning heading towards the Games," laughed Scott. "I'm looking forward to the sprint races on Sunday, and then we get into a week of some pretty high intensity training before the Olympics. We are feeling good and looking forward to the final few weeks."

The victory brings Scott's medal total to six in as many events on this season's World Cup schedule. The Canadian skied her way onto the podium five times during World Cup stops in Canada, including two gold and three silver medal finishes. Saturday's victory brings her career World Cup medal total to 11.

Sara Renner, of Canmore, Alta., was the only other Canadian woman in the field. The 29-year-old Canuck, who is also having a breakthrough season on the World Cup, finished in 16th spot. Canada's Chris Jeffries had a breakthrough performance of his own in the men's 30 kilometre pursuit race. Struggling with injuries and time off from the World Cup, the Chelsea, Que. native battled his way to the finish line for his best result in his World Cup career with a 24th-place finish.

Helen Upperton and Heather Moyse (CP)

CANADA'S HELEN UPPERTON MAKES HISTORY WITH FIRST CAREER GOLD MEDAL.
(CODA Release)

St. Moritz, SUI - The storybook journey of Helen Upperton to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games took on a glittering new chapter Friday, with the 26-year-old Canadian pilot capturing her first ever career gold medal in women's World Cup bobsleigh action in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

"I don't think this has sunken in properly just yet," said the beaming Calgarian. "I think a big difference for me this season is how I'm approaching the races. I'm happy that I always seem able to find a way to perform under different situations and in different circumstances. "The last time I raced here (in 2004-05), I crashed in the second run so this is a significant improvement," she added with a chuckle.

The triumph also represented Upperton's fourth medal of the season and the third she's won with brakeman Heather Moyse.  "The more we work together, the more cohesion we have. The two of us just seem to be getting faster and faster," said Upperton.

Being last out the start gates for the second heat was a new experience for Upperton, and one she said proved a bit nerve-racking. "I got to the bottom after the first run and I was actually kind of frustrated; I'd had a couple of little hits on the way down and skidded a bit out of the first corner," she said. "Then I looked up at the clock and I was amazed. It was a new situation for me, and I was so nervous going into that second run. The one thing that's good is I know I can always count on a rocket-fast start."

Friday's victory was the pinnacle so far of what's been a magical season on the fast track ever since Upperton and Moyse teamed up last November in Calgary to win the first career World Cup medal for either of them - in Moyse's first ever race to boot. The 27-year-old Summerside, P.E.I. native was recruited last year from the Canadian rugby team and has emerged as one of the sport's elite female brakemen since her quick, and highly successful, introduction to bobsleigh.

Ryan Blais with Sport Psychologist Penny Werthner (CP)

Blais golden, Alberta skier wins World Cup freestyle event but will miss Turin Olympics.
(The Edmonton Journal)

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- Ryan Blais of Grande Prairie won the gold but Jeff Bean of Ottawa got the Olympic spot in a 1-2 Canadian finish in men's aerials at a freestyle skiing World Cup meet Sunday.

The victory wasn't enough for Blais to go to the Olympics, as Bean stayed close to edge him for the fourth and last available spot for Canada in men's aerials. Kyle Nissen and Warren Shouldice, both of Calgary, and Steve Omischl of North Bay, Ont., are the other Canadian Olympic competitors in the event. "You have no idea how much pressure there was (Sunday)," said Bean, who won his second World Cup medal of the season. I just feel like I can breathe now."

"Ryan went before me and put down one of the best jumps you can do. So I knew his score and what I had to do, and I did an absolutely great jump. For us to come 1-2 under the highest pressure situation is unbelievable."

Blais, vying for his first Olympic berth, was in tears. "I'm heartbroken," said Blais, 26, with his second career World Cup win. "What can I say? "I'm really happy with how I jumped, it was the best I've ever done. In reality, Jeff and I knew we'd be in a fight until the end and I knew all I could do was focus on my performance. The rest was out of my control. I certainly have no plans to retire. I want to go to the Olympics so bad and I'm jumping better than ever."

Shouldice was fourth and Nissen seventh on Sunday.

In women's moguls, Heil didn't waste any time getting back on the podium after a ninth-place finish on Friday. "I'm really excited because I'm feeling really strong and skiing really fast," said Heil, who has won five medals in six World Cup moguls events this season. "That's giving me a lot of confidence.

Stephanie St-Pierre of Victoriaville, Que., second on Friday, was fifth and Audrey Robichaud of Val-Belair, Que., was 12th. In men's moguls, f ive Canadians were in the final: Marc-Andre Moreau of Chambly, Que., was fifth; Chris Wong of Prince George, B.C., ninth; Jean-Francois Therrien of Laval, Que., 12th; Alexandre Bilodeau of Rosemere, Que., 14th; and Warren Tanner of Grimsby, Ont., 15th.

Amber Peterson of Thunder Bay, Ont., won her first career freestyle skiing World Cup medal on Saturday placing second in women’s aerials. “It feels really good to get the medal; it takes a lot of stress off my shoulders,” said Peterson, 23, who increased her chances to make the Olympic team with her performance. “I didn’t approach the prelims like it could be my last jump of the day despite the weather. But it turned out to be one of my best-ever performances. The conditions here were difficult so everyone’s happy there was at least one jump.’’

Pierre Lueders and Lascelles Brown(CP)

LUEDERS FINDS SILVER LINING; BOBSLED TEAM STARTING TO HEAT UP.
(The Calgary Sun)

Edmonton's Pierre Lueders piloted Canada to a silver medal yesterday in a four-man bobsled World Cup event.

Sitting third after their opening run, Lueders, Ken Kotyk of Rama, Sask., Florian Linder of Morrin, Alta., and brakeman Lascelles Brown of Calgary, who just received his Canadian citizenship Friday, set a new track record that left them just 0.04 seconds back of American Todd Hays.

"Things have really come together for us in the four-man," said Lueders. "We made some adjustments, which I'll keep to myself, but it is starting to pay off. "I said earlier this week my goal this year was to get Lascelles his citizenship. Anything on top of that is a bonus and that is a scary thing for the rest of the world."

Serge Despres of Cocagne, N.B., and his crew of Nathan Cunningham and Chris Le Bihan, both of Calgary, and David Bisset of Edmonton, did not qualify in the top 20 for the second run and settled for 25th spot.

The Canadian bobsled team next travels to Altenberg, Germany for the final World Cup event before the Olympics. "I'm really happy we are now consistently in the hunt for a podium spot," said Lueders. "We only have a couple of races before the Olympics so it is time to get things in gear."

Jeremy Wotherspoon (CP)

Jeremy Wotherspoon wins gold at long track speed skating world sprint championships.

HEERENVEEN, the Netherlands- Jeremy Wotherspoon of Red Deer, Alta., raced in the second pair of the day in the men’s 1,000 metres then watched 46 racers fail to match his time for the gold medal Sunday at the long track speed skating world sprint championships.

‘’On the first and second turn I made some mistakes but other than that I skated really smooth and at the end I maintained my speed pretty well,’’ said Wotherspoon.  ‘’ I was a little surprised to win though because I did a similar time to yesterday’s and that put me in fifth.  A lot of people were tired in that last race.  Certainly I've never had to wait that long to find out I won a race because I’m never that early in the pairs.’’

Sunday’s victory was also Wotherspoon’s last race before the Olympic Games next month where he’ll be one of Canada’s top medal hopes. ‘’It’s a big confidence boost to get the win,’’ he said.  ‘’And it’s good to know I still could have done a few things that would have made it an even better time.’’

Joey Cheek of the U.S., won Sunday’s 500 and took first place overall with 139.990 points over four races.  The competitors also raced a 500 and 1,000-metre on Saturday and the combined times from the four races determined the final overall standings.  Medals are also awarded to the top-three in each individual race.

Miron was 15th overall, Bélanger 33rd while Wotherspoon botched his 500 race on Saturday to knock himself out of the running in the overall standings.   Wotherspoon was also seventh in Sunday’s 500.  It’s the first time in eight world sprint championships that Wotherspoon hasn’t cracked the top-three overall. He’s a four-time world sprint overall champion.

On the women’s side, Shannon Rempel of Winnipeg cracked the top-10 overall for the first time in her four career appearances at the world sprints, placing ninth. ‘’My 1,000 went pretty well,’’ said Rempel.  ‘’I had a good lap and the opener was faster than on Saturday.  Technically I feel really good on the ice.  Getting into the top-10 overall is very satisfying considering I was standing 15th heading into today’s 1,000.  I feel confident my Olympic preparation is right on target.’’

Mike Brown (CP)

U of C training site goes down the drain: Calgary Academy for Swimming Excellence to be launched.
(The Calgary Herald)

Swim Canada has pulled the plug on its national training centre at the University of Calgary but don't expect a whole lot to change. While the centre no longer will be the official training site for Canada's elite swimmers, plans to launch the Calgary Academy for Swimming Excellence are in place. "This isn't a bad news day but a good news day," said U of C swim coach Mike Blondal. "The day the centre leaves is the day our new program starts. We've been waiting to hear from Swim Canada since the last Olympics to clear up this issue . . . quite frankly, we're quite happy to go this way."

Blondal also said national swim coach Jan Bidrman's services will hopefully be retained, although neither Bidrman nor Swim Alberta would confirm it. "We are working with our partners to ensure we provide a world class program in Alberta for athletes and coaches," said James Hood, executive director of Swim Alberta. "We're hoping it will provide a wider range of opportunities for athletes in Alberta and Canada who wish to come here. "We are currently in negotiations with Jan Bidrman. I can't say for certain he will be employed here, but it's certainly on the table and being worked on for him to have a position with Swim Alberta, based in Calgary."

The decision to turf the U of C site, the national training centre since 1993, came down Monday when Swim Canada elected to establish centres in Montreal and a yet-to-be-named site in B.C. "We hoped to be in the running, tried to be in the running, but it was ultimately decided it'd go to B.C.," said David De Vlieger, chairman of the U of C National Swimming Centre. "We don't know the precise reasons. We believed our results would have earned us the right to remain the centre, but Swim Canada obviously didn't base its decision on results."

Many accomplished swimmers have gone through the U of C training centre, perhaps most notably triple Olympic bronze-medallist Curtis Myden -- two bronze in 1996, one in 2000. There's also been World and Commonwealth Games medallists Joanne Malar, Morgan Knabe and Chris Renaud, along with Commonwealth Games medallists Rick Say, Lauren Van Oosten and John Cleveland and world championship medallists Mike Brown and and Shamek Pietucha.

It's been known for some time Swim Canada was going to go to two centres, so the locals, along with Swim Alberta, were able to develop a contingency plan in the form of the mostly privately funded Calgary Foundation for Swimming Excellence, which is planning to launch the Calgary Academy for Swimming Excellence. "It's a made in Calgary response," said De Vlieger. "We still intend to run a very good, high-performance program in Calgary."

If Bidrman's services are secured, many of the athletes will stay. Bidrman, who took over from charter coach Deryk Snelling in 1996, hopes to be a part of it. Being based in Calgary wouldn't affect his national team duties. "I've been part of Calgary swimming for nine years and have had great success," said Bidrman, "and I really don't want to move. I've personally been a part of Canadian swimming and its success for a long time, so I presume Swim Canada would want to keep me. "Hopefully, an environment can be created here where the athletes can get all the services and coaches to help them perform. The coaching will be here whether I stay or not."

Canadians get Political Action on Sport.

OTTAWA – January 19, 2005 … — “It’s clear that the real winner in the federal election campaign—at least when it comes to sport issues—is the Canadian public,” declared Ian Bird, Senior Leader of the Sport Matters Group. “The federal parties’ election commitments have acknowledged what Canadians know to be true: sport enriches our lives, improves our health, strengthens our communities, and showcases Canada at its best.”

Recent polling by The Strategic Counsel for the True Sport Foundation shows that the potential of sport to enhance our health and quality of life is not being realized because of significant barriers. Almost three-quarters of Canadians (71%) cite cost and close to half of Canadians (43%) cite the lack of accessible facilities as barriers that prevent more people from participating in sport.

The Sport Matters Group has called for a comprehensive package of investments in sport and physical activity to address these significant challenges:

• Annual funding for sport and physical activity of at least $300 million/year, which represents the equivalent of 1% of the federal health care budget
• Substantial long-term investments in sport and recreation facilities and infrastructure through partnerships with the provinces/territories and municipalities
• Innovative tax measures to encourage greater participation in sport and new sources of funding from the private sector and the public.

The federal parties have responded in various ways.

The Conservatives have committed to spending a minimum of 1% of total federal health funding on physical activity and sport (about $300 million/year). They have also promised to maintain both the Sport Canada budget for amateur sport of $140 million/year and commitments to the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics, including the Own the Podium strategy. As well, they have announced a tax credit on spending of up to $500/year on registration fees and memberships for programs promoting fitness in children under sixteen, estimated to cost $130 million/year. Lastly, the Tories have pledged $50 million/year for community-based programs targeting youth at risk, which includes sport.

The Liberals emphasize the need for additional facilities and infrastructure for sport and recreation, directing $350 million over 5 years to a new Community, Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund, with the intention of obtaining matching dollars from the provinces/territories and municipalities. In addition, the Liberal platform reaffirms existing funding of $140 million/year for amateur sport as well as commitments to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games including the Own the Podium strategy. Lastly, the Liberals have pledged to maintain the Healthy Living Strategy investments of $300 million over 5 years, which includes physical activity. In the Strategy’s first year, $3 million was dedicated to physical activity.

The Green Party takes a broad approach, promising a national standard for daily physical education in schools and implementation of the national goal of a 10% increase in physical activity by 2010, as adopted by all levels of government in 2002. The Party has committed to spend $100 million/year for 5 years to reduce inactivity and obesity, through federal initiatives, school-based physical education, and community programs and facilities. The Party also pledges support for high performance athletes, but has not put a dollar value to this component of their sport policy. To advance sustainable sport and recreation management practices, the Greens will promote the Olympic Movement’s “Agenda 21” initiative.

The New Democratic Party platform does not include any sport-specific initiatives. In a letter to the Sport Matters Group, Party leader Jack Layton specifies that sport and recreation facilities would be included in the NDP pledge to establish a new national public infrastructure agency with substantial federal funding. Likewise, the NDP commitment to increase funding for youth at risk programs by $100 million/year for 4 years includes sport and physical activity.

The platform of the Bloc Québécois reflects the cultural importance of sport in the province of Quebec. The Bloc is calling for separate national teams and the enhanced provision of services for athletes in French. The Bloc pledges increased support for elite athletes, as well as support for the World Anti-Doping Agency. The Bloc proposes to use athletes to promote the benefits of sport and physical activity and to include anti-doping programs in schools and recreation centres. The Bloc platform also emphasizes the need to invest in physical activity, through awareness campaigns and accessible sport facilities. It is important to note that none of these commitments has been costed out.

“What is most encouraging is that our federal parties have connected the dots between sport, physical activity, and health,” says Bird. “With a commitment from the parties to back up their promises with real resources, we can expect significant progress on the landmark federal-provincial/territorial Canadian Sport Policy, including contributions from municipalities across the country. For Canadians, this will mean positive change from playground to podium,” predicted Bird.
The Sport Matters Group is a voluntary group of roughly 90 national and provincial organizations and individuals who have come together to collaborate on issues that affect sport and physical activity in Canada. The Group has actively worked together on the Canadian Sport Policy, the Sport and Physical Activity Act, the Voluntary Sector Initiative, and on increasing the resources available for sport in Canada.

Jeremy Wotherspoon (CP)

Time for redemption; Athlete Profile on Jeremy Wotherspoon.
(Randy Starkman The Toronto Star)

If Jeremy Wotherspoon needed a morale boost, he was in the wrong place. Still reeling from a dramatic pratfall at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games - just steps into a 500-metre race he was favoured to win - the lanky speed skater sat down at a computer in the Olympic village and began surfing a special website where Canadians had sent emails of support to the country's athletes. There were messages waiting for Wotherspoon, but many were not exactly encouraging. Some of the printable ones went like this "I can't believe you screwed up. What were you thinking? What were you doing?'"

Four years later, Wotherspoon shrugs it off with a little laugh but the sting remains.
He notes how when an athlete is excelling, Canadians quickly identify with him, but when he fails ... "If one person does it, you think, 'Whatever. There's just one idiot out there,'" he says of the emails. "But there was enough of them to wonder what kind of people are watching the Olympics? "Is it affecting their life now or something? Did I do something to them?"

Indeed, many Canadians seemed to take Wotherspoon's failure personally, as they did two years later when world champion Perdita Felicien of Pickering crashed into the first hurdle of the Olympic final in Athens. As cruel as it is, they are, for many, the poster boy and girl for athletes who choke at the big event. The reputation has stuck with Wotherspoon, even though on the international scene his name is synonymous with champion. Consider Wotherspoon has more World Cup victories (57) than any speed skater in history. He came back the year following Salt Lake to win the world sprint title on home ice in Calgary.

His form was so smooth and powerful even as a World Cup rookie that opposing coaches videotaped his every stride in search of clues for their skaters. He has a loyal following in the mecca of the sport, the Netherlands, where he was once paid about $200,000 per season to be part of a pro team. One of his more ardent Dutch admirers mailed him a pair of panties.

Yet in his home and native land, the image of Wotherspoon splayed on the ice is seared into the public consciousness. "That's not my image of myself and I think that's what's important, what you think about yourself and not what other people think about you," says Wotherspoon, who slipped yesterday at the start of a 500-metre race at the world sprint championships in the Netherlands and stands 49th and last overall heading into today's final two races despite a fifth in the 1,000 metres. "If you talk to any speed skaters about me, I'm sure they'll have a different opinion ... than people who mostly just see results of the Olympics. "Regardless of what happens in the rest of my career, I'll definitely look back and think it was a really successful career and I'm really happy with it."

There's no defiance in Wotherspoon's voice; he rarely departs from his low monotone. He has never been one for expressing much emotion. His stoic visage reveals little and his halting words sometimes even less. Although some reports paint the Turin Olympics as Wotherspoon's shot at redemption, he isn't buying it. "It's not like I'm trying to make up for lost ground or something," he says. "It's not really the way I see it. "The way I think is, I know what I'm capable of, I know what I should be able to do, what I can do to give myself the best chance of doing that on the day I want to."

To that end, Wotherspoon has looked strong this season in rebounding from what was a sub-par 2004-05 campaign, in which he still managed to win a 500-metre world championship bronze with a wonky back. He's been in contention in almost every race and, while not the dominant figure he was four years ago, will be among the favourites for the podium in the 500 metres and also a contender in the 1,000 metres. "I think I'm just as capable of winning as anyone else," he says. "It's just a matter of racing well on the day of the Olympics. "I think that none of my races so far this year have really felt on. They've felt like they've had a lot of room for improvement. I expect that at the Olympics if I do everything right, focus on the right things, I can go a lot faster than I have this year."

Wotherspoon is still at a loss to explain what happened in Salt Lake City. One theory is that he was just trying too hard, trying to put all of his training and preparation into those first few steps and that the extra emotion and energy threw his timing off. "It's hard to say why that happened. It's hard to understand. I still don't why," says Wotherspoon. "I had one slightly off-step on the start and it kind of had a domino effect on me. I wouldn't say that happened because of lack of preparation.

Wotherspoon is re-examining what happened in Salt Lake City while sipping a coffee in a Calgary Starbucks, his eyes hidden by a pair of wraparound sunglasses. After so many years at the top, he wonders aloud whether he is getting the kind of emotional and technical support he needs now that he's slipped a bit. But he feels things are starting to come together. It's clear he wants desperately to make sure he covers all the bases in preparing for Turin. "I don't want to look back and say, 'I could have done this and I didn't,'" he said.

He's still unsure of his post-athletic plans - the 29-year-old may still keep skating after Turin - but he has a passion for the biological sciences. But for now, the focus is on Turin. He's been working with the sports psychologists available at the Canadian Sport Centre in Calgary to deal with the memories of Salt Lake he expects to revisit him in Italy. "One thing I've always expected is at the Olympics I'm probably going to think about it once in a while," says Wotherspoon. "I couldn't imagine it not ever coming into my mind at the Olympics. It's hard to forget about things from the past and I don't think that's really the best thing to do, either. "I don't think it's best to block it out. Everyone has disappointing experiences in life. "The best way to deal with it I think is to accept you can't change it and try to figure out how to move on in a positive way and learn from it."

The pride of a nation: It's not fair to question the patriotism of athletes who pass up a chance to carry the flag so they can compete at their best.
(Mark Tewksbury for The Ottawa Citizen)

A minor media storm erupted this week over the news that some of our country's top athletes have declined the honour of carrying the Canadian flag at the upcoming Olympic opening ceremonies in Turin, Italy.

With controversy brewing, media commentator Don Cherry couldn't help throwing his comments into the ring, questioning the very patriotism of Canadian athletes in general. "Surely this would never happen in the United States," Mr. Cherry stated, leaving the impression that Canadian athletes should be ashamed of themselves for acting in such a selfish manner.

Perhaps the real shame lies simply in the misunderstanding surrounding this issue. In talking about athletes and patriotism, it is important to remember that while a few Olympians heading to Italy enjoy name recognition across Canada, the vast majority of the Winter Games team is filled with young men and women who have been working day in and day out, pursuing their dreams in relative obscurity. They are motivated by a passion for their sport, the opportunity to be their absolute best, and a chance to represent their country on the international stage.

Yes, many of them are partly subsidized by Sport Canada for their efforts, but the level of support most athletes receive is hardly enviable. They collect enough to pay for basic training and living costs but not nearly enough to cover the escalating price of being competitive with the best athletes from around the world. To be world-class in sport in Canada means sacrifice and tradeoff. Athletes don't dream of Olympic glory because they are driven by money, they do it because they are driven by a sense of competitiveness, pride and idealism.

In essence, their values mirror ours, giving the average Canadian watching the Olympics from his or her television set at home a genuine sense of ownership and pride in the team. The Canadian athletes are representing themselves, sure, but they are representing all of us at the same time. And we want them to represent us well.

It is hard not to feel just a little more patriotic than usual with the flood of red and white of the Canadian team parading in front of us during the Olympics. We all get swept up to some degree in the excitement. Headlines in newspapers across the country following an Olympic medal don't always necessarily name the athlete who won, but rather Canada Wins Gold.

It is as if we all, collectively, travelled the long road to make this moment happen. We didn't. And if we had, we might not be so quick to make judgments about why or why not an athlete might choose to carry a flag in the final stages of their preparation.

To stand up on any day and attempt to be the very best in the world is no easy feat. To do it on one particular day that only comes along once every four years, with the added pressure of the world watching every move you make, makes a winning Olympic performance that much more impressive.

Given the enormous challenges athletes face in pulling together the performance of their lives in one moment in time, is it really fair to label a decision that might put their performance at risk as unpatriotic?

For many athletes one of the perceived highlights of competing in an Olympic Games is the thrill of marching in the Opening Ceremony. The parade of athletes, led by the flag bearer of each country, is one of the richest traditions of the Olympics.

But what most athletes don't realize is the enormous toll being part of the opening ceremony takes physically. Six hours before the ceremonies are scheduled to take place, the athletes of the world begin emptying the Olympic Village, loading onto one of the hundreds of buses designated to get them to the Olympic stadium. Once there, they are left to wait for many more hours in holding areas behind the scenes until finally it is their turn to be marshalled into the stadium and presented to the world. Another few hours are spent watching the ceremony itself, after which they are loaded back onto the buses to return to the Olympic Village.

The experience, while exciting, can last 10 to 12 hours, and leave athletes in the final stages of preparing themselves for their ultimate performance drained beyond recovery. To carry your country's flag adds even more challenges. At least as part of the Olympic team you are one of many; as flag bearer you are, for that day, the focus of the entire nation.

Media requests, strict protocol and even greater pressure to perform well come along with the honour. For these reasons, many athletes in recent years have chosen not to march in the opening ceremony and not to be considered to carry the flag.

Let us be clear. Nobody has actually said no this year to carrying the Canadian flag. What some of our top athletes have done is ask their national governing organizations not to put their names forward as candidates. On every team there are numerous athletes worthy of carrying the flag, based on various criteria that are ultimately decided by their peers. The fact that some of our best have declined might be seen not as a sign of selfishness but rather as one of recognition there are other athletes on the Canadian team worthy of the honour.

And in saving themselves for their best performance they are not being unpatriotic. They are readying themselves to be the pride of a nation.

Mark Tewksbury is a three-time Olympic medallist, co-president of the First World Outgames in Montreal this summer, and author of Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock, to be released this April.

Patrick Jarvis (CP)

Paralympian Patrick Jarvis steps down.
(CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE)

OTTAWA -- Paralympian Patrick Jarvis is stepping down as leader of the Canadian Paralympic Committee after seven years to pursue international Paralympic development duties. Current 1st vice-president Henry Wohler will assume the functions and duties of the president for the remainder of the current term.

Jarvis said his election to the International Paralympic Committee's board of directors on Nov. 21, coupled with his work as a Vancouver 2010 Games board member and IOC 2012 Games Coordination Commission member, will be demanding.