Sport Performance Weekly

May 23rd, 2006

Clara Hughes (CP)

Hughes to see kids she's helping.
The Record (Sherbrooke)

Moments after winning Olympic gold, Clara Hughes gave $10,000 to needy kids in disadvantaged countries. Now she's getting a chance to see some of them.

Hughes, who lives in Glen Sutton, Quebec will be leaving today as part of a delegation to Ethiopia led by Right to Play, a Toronto-based organization that provides sports equipment and sports opportunities for children in poor and war-torn nations. "It's absolutely necessary to me to see these children I've been so inspired by," she told The Record. "I feel I want to get some hands-on experience with the kids and look in their eyes."

Hughes, 33, took the gold medal in the women's 5,000m long-track speed skating event and a silver in women's long-track team pursuit at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin in February. During a televised interview following the 5,000m race, she announced her donation and challenged Canadians to give to Right to Play.

So far, nearly $400,000 has been raised, including a check for $15,235 from supporters in the Sutton area that she received recently at a Sutton town council meeting. An overall goal of $500,000 has been set, and Hughes says she's ecstatic about the response thus far. "The amount of funds that have been raised has been amazing," she said.

Right to Play is taking along six other athletes on the Ethiopia trip, including another Canadian, recently retired cross-country skier Beckie Scott of Vermilion, Alta., who won Olympic gold and silver medals during her career.

Hughes is expecting a busy five-day visit in and around Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. "There's going to be an international athlete forum with two Canadian athletes, two Chinese athletes, one American, one Norwegian and a Dutch athlete," she explained. "We'll be discussing things we've done with Right to Play and things we could do better in terms of being athlete ambassadors. Then we'll be working with the coaches in some of the areas where they're working in Addis Ababa. And we'll be training and then we'll be able to work with the kids in the field a couple of days.

"That's what I'm most excited about, going and meeting the kids and just hearing the stories of the coaches and the volunteers who are living there and working there on a day to day basis with these children, getting to know them and their stories. I just can't wait to meet these people."

Right to Play aims to give kids who wouldn't otherwise have sporting opportunities the chance to play in an effort to help build their physical and emotional well-being as well as to help build safer and better communities. The organization has programs set up in 23 countries and reaches roughly 500,000 children and youth every week.

Hughes, who also owns a long-track speed skating gold medal from the 2002 Winter Olympics and two cycling bronze medals from the 1996 Summer Olympics, is one of Canada's most accomplished sports performers.

She is part of Right to Play's roster of athlete ambassadors that includes Scott, American speed skating gold medal winner Joey Cheek and hockey star Wayne Gretzky. They serve as spokespeople and as role models.

Martin Barnard, the organization's manager of athlete relations, says the Ethiopia trip has two main purposes. "The first is to increase the awareness of the athletes. It makes a big difference once they've visited one of our programs. So when they talk to the media they have a lot of concrete examples of what they saw," he said. "The second thing is to help the kids on the ground by bringing Olympic athletes there to inspire them. It makes the kids feel that they matter. These athletes have come a long way to see them."

Hughes was inspired to donate the $10,000 of her own money partly as a result of Cheek's donation of his $25,000 bonus money from the U.S. Olympic Committee earlier in the Olympics (Canada doesn't give its athletes bonuses for winning medals) and partly as a result of seeing a documentary about Right to Play the morning of her 5,000m race.

She says the joyful and sparkling eyes of the kids she saw on television made her feel she had to do something to help them. "I think for me one of the important things with Right to Play is that they're allowing kids this opportunity to just be children and to have the joy and fun of play."

While Hughes is excited about the trip, she's not sure what the experience will be like. "For me it's important to go into something like this without too many expectations, because I've never been to Africa," she said. "I think it's really important to go into it and just allow the experience to unfold. I think this is something that could potentially inspire me to do even more and I hope it does."

Cara Button

Stephanie Mathieson

The Canadian Sport Centre Calgary is pleased to welcome two new members to our staff.

The CSCC welcomes Cara Button, who can be found in the Athlete Resource Centre in her new role as Administrative Assistant. We are very excited to have her with us and welcome her support in what continues to be an exciting time in Canadian sport.

Cara can be reached at 220-8189 or at csccarc@canadiansportcentre.com

The National Coaching Institute is also pleased to welcome Stephanie Mathieson to our team. Stephanie will be working primarily for the NCI as The NCI Administrative Program Assistant under Dr. Jon Kolb. Stephanie is a recent graduate of the U of C Bachelor of Physical Education program and will be pursuing her Masters of Education this fall.

Stephanie can be reached at 220-8197 or nci@canadiansportcentre.com

Welcome Cara and Stephanie!

Nathan Gafuik (CP)

Kikuchi, Gafuik, Damianova and Cockburn double winnersin event finals at gymnastics nationals.
Canadian Sport News/Nouvelles-sport canadien

QUEBEC CITY- David Kikuchi of Halifax, Nathan Gafuik of Calgary, Nansy Damianova of Montreal and Karen Cockburn of Toronto each won two gold medals Saturday in the event finals to conclude the Canadian gymnastics championships at Universite Laval’s PEPS.

In men’s artistic competition, Kikuchi, the all around champion earlier this week, took top honors on high bar and pommel horse and was also second on rings.

Gafuik was first on parallel bars and added a third place finish on floor.  Other winners were Adam Wong of Calgary on floor and Ken Ikeda of Abbotsford, B.C., on rings.

In the women’s artistic event finals, Damianova was first on vault and uneven bars and also third on beam while all around champion Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs of Toronto was first on floor and second on uneven bars and beam.

Alyssa Brown of Mississauga, Ont., was the winner on beam and also struck silver on vault.

In trampoline and tumbling, Cockburn, a two-time Olympic medallist, reclaimed the women’s trampoline crown and added a victory in synchronized trampoline with Rosie MacLennan of Toronto.

Other winners for the women were Sarah Smith of Burlington, Ont., in women’s tumbling and Rose James of North Bay, Ont., in double mini trampoline.

On the men’s side, Jason Burnett of Toronto took the trampoline title, Denis Vachon of Burlington, Ont., was first in tumbling and Alberta’s John Vellner took the double mini crown.

'A blessed life': Allison Forsyth has put her Olympic crash and unhappy marriage behind her, and is back on track -- personally and professionally.
The Vancouver Sun

Allison Forsyth is on her cell phone from Seattle, where she is on a 'girls-getaway' trip to help her older sister, Andrea, shop for a wedding dress. She sounds terrific -- upbeat and happy.

In fact, you might say she is having the time of her life -- just three months after it was rocked when she crashed in a downhill training run at the Turin Olympics, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. These days, the Nanaimo native and Alpine Canada veteran is recovering "exceptionally well" from the knee surgery, spending quality time with family, enjoying the cabin she recently bought on Hornby Island and preparing to host her sister's wedding reception in her backyard. She's also in the process of finalizing her divorce.

Oh, and one other thing . . . "The good news is Lance Armstrong broke up with Sheryl Crow at the same time," she says with delightfully deadpan delivery. "That's not really a coincidence, that's a significant thing. I'm just waiting for him to give me a call. Actually, if you know his number, maybe you could talk to him. I'll wait for that phone call. The two of us could go riding together."

Yes, she may have lost a shot at Olympic glory in February, but the girl teammates call 'Alli' hasn't lost her sense of humour.

After battling hip tendinitis for a couple of years, an injury that forced the 2003 world championship giant slalom bronze medallist to concentrate more on the speed events, Forsyth entered the Olympics as a darkhorse medal candidate, but with one eye on retirement.

Few people outside the ski team were aware that it had been a difficult World Cup season leading up to the Olympics for Forsyth. Her mom was battling cancer and Allison had made the decision to separate from her husband of four years, a Rossignol ski tech who travelled the men's World Cup circuit, and with whom she shared a home in Canmore, Alta.

Still, she managed to play a key role in the women's team developing a stronger camaraderie than it had in the past. "We all knew she was going through [a tough time], that her life was affected by it," says Max Gartner, then Alpine Canada's technical director. "But once she made some decisions, she became very focussed, a very determined lady. I gained a ton of respect for her last year. She became a real team leader. In her earlier days in racing, she was alone a lot. But she really stepped up as a team leader."

Then, on the third day of the Olympics, before she had even skied an event, Forsyth, 27, caught an edge on the San Sicario downhill and crashed into the safety netting. She left Turin the next day, after an emotional conference call with reporters in which she vowed "this won't stop me." Seven days later, she had surgery in Calgary.

The recovery period was said to be between six and nine months. But Forsyth is already riding her road bike 300 kilometres a week, has just been cleared to start weight training, and plans to be with the Canadian ski team when it heads to Chile on July 28 for on-hill training. "My surgeon was pretty impressed . . . quite astounded, actually, at how quickly I recovered. The thing is, I went in [to the surgery] so fit. I couldn't have gone in any fitter."

Forsyth concedes to some trepidation about returning to the slopes. "It's interesting. I watched some videos the other day, some ski stuff, and I realize it's going to take a while. Do I remember how to do this? I'm going to watch a lot of video in July, do a lot of visualization. I have a feeling that will really help. I don't want to get out there the first time and be: 'Wow, how do I do this again?' I'm going to work with a sports psychologist and get myself mentally ready to get back on snow."

Forsyth's Olympic crash occurred just before a group of family and friends were to fly to Turin to watch her compete. Those plans were abandoned, but her mom did head to Calgary to spend a week with Allison after surgery. "That was great. She's pretty ill, but it was really great to spend some quality time with her."

With a decade on the national team behind her, with her mom ill and her personal life in upheaval, Forsyth was planning on retiring after the Olympics. Now, that has been put off. "The injury, combined with a lot of other factors," she says of her decision to keep competing. "I really have a blessed life and this is not a bad job to have."

She's going to play it year-by-year, but would like to ski on home turf in 2010 if "my body holds out. I'd like to think I can age like a fine wine." "It's strange," she adds. "Mom got ill, I got divorced, but everything fell in place. I learned a lot last year. There are a lot of young girls on the team, real up-and-comers, and I had a great time with them being a mentor. I explored and learned what it's like to be a true teammate and I got a lot of satisfaction out of helping someone else succeed. It sounds trivial, but I really enjoy my teammates and it's a much more fun atmosphere."

Denny Morrison (CP)

Olympic Oval speed skaters support teammate in her fight against MS

Olympic Oval, Calgary - - More than 45 Olympic Oval speed skaters, including four Olympic medallists are joining the Rona MS Bike Tour on June 10 and 11, 2006 in support of one of their own.

Crystal Phillips, just 20-years-old, has been speed skating since she was six and is now one of 89 Olympic Oval high performance speed skaters. In March 2005 she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis after suffering her first debilitating episode.

“They told me I would be able to lead a pretty normal life, that it wasn’t a death sentence, but all I wanted to hear was that I could still skate.”

Crystal battled back from the neurological relapse to train and compete as a speed skater during the 2005 -2006 season, inspiring many of her teammates.

“I have seen Crystal go through some really hard times and it is the way that she bounces back from them that makes me believe she can do anything,” says friend and Olympic silver medallist Denny Morrison. “Most speed skaters at the Oval know Crystal and we all want to do our part to support her.”

A few months ago Crystal told some friends about her plans to ride the 180 km Rona MS Bike Tour this year. “I was overwhelmed at how many other skaters, friends and family wanted to join me,” says Crystal. “It really helps me to believe in myself when everyone gives me this kind of support. It is amazing that we have this huge team. We really want to raise money for research and build awareness of the disease.”

The MS. Helia team is captained by Crystal and sponsored by Helia Sports in Calgary and Edmonton. The team has more than 80 members and includes Olympic silver medallists Shannon Rempel, Justin Warsylewicz, Alanna Kraus and Denny Morrison and Olympian Brittany Schussler. The team is rallying to support Crystal in raising her goal of $30,000 and cycling from Airdrie to Olds and back in the two-day bike tour.

Each cyclist must raise a minimum of $200 to join the event. To date the MS. Helia team, which is the second largest team in Canada registered for the event, has raised over $21,000.

On Tuesday, May 30 at 11:00 a.m. Crystal and many of the Olympic Oval speed skaters on the MS. Helia team will be available for interviews at the Olympic Oval. Crystal and her team will be preparing for a training bike ride in front of the Olympic Oval’s North entrance from 11 – 11:30 a.m.

Beckie Scott (CP)

Vancouver 2010 welcomes Olympian Beckie Scott to the Board of Directors, thanks Olympian Catriona Le May Doan.

Vancouver, May 17, 2006 -The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) welcomes the Canadian Olympic Committee's (COC) appointment of two-time Olympic medalist Beckie Scott to its Board of Directors and extends its thanks to three-time Olympic medalist Catriona Le May Doan for her service on the Board.

Scott replaces Catriona Le May Doan, who resigned her position on VANOC's Board to allow for Scott's appointment in accordance with VANOC's contractual and constitutional bylaws.

Scott will begin her term at VANOC's next Board meeting in July. "We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have the leadership, experience and influence of such prominent Canadian athletes on VANOC's Board," said Jack Poole, Chair of the VANOC Board of Directors.

"VANOC's ultimate responsibility is prepare the field of play to give the world's elite winter athletes the opportunity to deliver their best performance in 2010," continued Poole.  "In the end the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are about sport and athletes, and Beckie as a member of the Organizing Committee will keep us focused on that." 

Le May Doan has been a member of the VANOC Board since the Organizing Committee was formed in October 2003. VANOC thanks Le May Doan for her years of service to the VANOC Board, as well as her tireless efforts during the Bid for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. "Catriona was one of our earliest supporters, and her leadership continued as a member of the Board," said Jack Poole. "Catriona represents the strength of Canadian athletes and amateur sport and we look forward to continuing our strong relationship with her on the road to 2010."

Scott became eligible for VANOC's Board in February 2006 when she was elected to the IOC's Athletes' Commission during the Torino 2006 Winter Games, making her Canada's second IOC member along with Richard Pound. She also sits on the board of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport.

As one of the seven Directors appointed by the COC, Scott joins Michael Chambers, Walter Sieber, Charmaine Crooks, Michael Phelps, Richard Pound and Chris Rudge.

Melody Davidson (CP)

Davidson signs four-year deal with Hockey Canada.
The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)

CALGARY (CP) -- It has taken a long time to happen, but Hockey Canada finally has hired a full-time national women's team coach.

Melody Davidson also will have the general manager's title in her new four-year contract that puts her in charge of the day-to-day operation of the women's high-performance program. Previously, Davidson and those before her were employed to coach the women's team on temporary agreements. "It's pretty exciting -- not just from my behalf but for all of us who have worked in the program," Davidson said Tuesday from Calgary.

Davidson, 42, has resigned her position as head coach at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., to take the job with Hockey Canada.

The native of Oyen, Alta., has served in various capacities with Hockey Canada in the women's program for the last 14 years. She coached Canada to its second straight Olympic title in Turin, Italy, last February. She was an assistant when Canada won Winter Games gold four years earlier in Salt Lake City.

Davidson will lead the team into the 2007 world championship in Winnipeg and Selkirk, Man. A final decision on whether she'll be head coach for the 2010 Olympics will be made prior to the start of the 2009-2010 season, Hockey Canada said.

Julie Healy will continue overseeing all of Hockey Canada's women's hockey programs, including development and high performance. "It was all getting too big for one person to handle," said Davidson.

Because a national team won't be re-formed until the Four Nations Cup tournament in Kitchener in the first week of November, Davidson will stay active in coaching by serving as an assistant with the AJHL's Calgary Canucks.

No players from the victorious Turin team have announced retirement. "Nobody has indicated one way or another that they won't be coming back," said Davidson. "Time will tell."

Overall, the pool of female hockey talent in Canada continues to grow, said Davidson. "We're real fortunate in our depth," said Davidson. "We have tremendous talent across the country."

Rick Say (CP)

New study as cool as it gets.
Times Colonist (Victoria)

If you dip your toes into the pool to find out how cold the water is, chances are this technology isn't for you. But if you are an athlete keen on reaching the podium at an Olympic Games in the future, it's an easy concept to swallow. Literally.

The jury is out on PacificSport Victoria's core temperature testing unveiled to local media Tuesday at Saanich Commonwealth Place, but the national training centre hopes data supports its theory that hand-held coolers can reduce core temperatures enough during training to give Canadian athletes a better shot at gold.

The testing, conducted by PacificSport technologist Thomas Zochowski, calls for national team swimmers to swallow radio transmitters the size of multi-vitamins, allowing body temperature to be measured and recorded. But it is the second part of the study that excites national team swimmers such as Rick Say.

During his training Tuesday, Say swam in a warmer than usual pool, stopping at the end of his 100-metre intervals to place his hands on two ice cold joysticks within plastic vacuum-sealed bubbles.

The hands, excellent conductors with their many blood vessels close to the surface, allow heat to be drawn out of the body quickly. By stopping to cool between sets, the theory is that athletes can train at a higher intensity for a longer period of time.

"You don't want their training to be at a lower level because they are too hot," says Zochowski, a former national team swimmer who is using the data from the study for his master of science degree in kinesiology at the University of Victoria.

Swimmers are not always at their home pool where temperatures are close to perfect. Warmer climates and warmer water mean swimmers often reach their critical internal temperature of 39.5 C and compromise training, explains Zochowski, whose goal is to keep temperature closer to the body's normal 37 C.

Gord Sleivert, the PacificSport Victoria resident sports scientist who made headlines for the cooling vests he developed for athletes at the Athens Olympics in 2004, says that reducing the core temperature by one degree will allow swimmers to train at maximum intensity.

The question is, says Sleivert, who oversees the study, whether the cooling system is up to the test. "We don't know whether it works yet or not," says Sleivert of the technology donated to PacificSport by the U.S. Avacore firm. "That's the idea of the study."

Sleivert and Zochowski should find out in a couple of weeks. If successful, the cooling system could be applied to other sports, especially those that use interval training.

And that's where the hand-sized coolers come into play. "What we are trying to show is that you don't need big refrigerators, but that you can use these small devices," says Zochowski.

Say, finishing up his testing, wasn't sure if he was working harder or not during training. "Maybe without it [cooling] I would have been fading at [set] four. But today I was fading at seven and eight. Technology is becoming such a big part of everything in sport. It's important that we work hard to stay ahead."

Moira Marshall

Cindy Klassen’s former coach returns to the Olympic Oval as Director of Sport.

Olympic Oval, Calgary - - Moira Marshall, former Olympian and Olympic Oval speed skating coach, is returning to the home of the world’s fastest ice as the Director of High Performance Sport for the Olympic Oval.

“I am thrilled to be back at the Olympic Oval in Calgary. My goal is to provide the best training environment for our athletes and coaches as we prepare for Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010,” says Marshall about her motivation to take on the new role and move back to Calgary after almost two years in B.C. She will relocate from Vancouver with her husband, former Canadian National Team Coach Mike Marshall and their two young children.

Marshall has been working in the position on a limited basis since early May and will begin working full-time in mid-June. As Director of High Performance Sport she will lead all four high performance sport programs (cycling, female hockey, long and short track speed skating) at the Olympic Oval.

Marshall’s background includes coaching, administration and experience as an elite level speed skater. The Saratoga Springs, N.Y. native came to coaching after competing for 12 years as a member of the United States Speed Skating Team including the 1988 Winter Olympics in short track, and 1992 and 1998 Olympics in long track.