Sport Performance Weekly

July 4th, 2006

International Wrestling Hall of Fame inducts first woman - Christine Nordhagen.
National Wrestling Hall of Fame

LAUSANNE, Switzerland—The Federation Internationale de Luttes Associees, the international Olympic governing body for the sport of wrestling, will induct its first woman ever into the International Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Canada’s Christine Nordhagen-Vierling, a five-time World Champion, will join eight other international superstars—four in men’s freestyle and four in Greco-Roman wrestling—as 2006 honorees in the Hall.

”On behalf of the FILA Hall of Fame Commission, I am proud to announce the nine candidates who were selected to be inducted into the International Wrestling Hall of Fame,” said Larry Sciacchetano, President of the FILA Hall of Fame Commission. “This class of inductees represents an incredible 30 individual world titles and eight Olympic gold medals along with the first female wrestler to be honored.”

Joining Nordhagen-Verling in the Hall are freestyle wrestlers: Soslan Andiev, Soviet Union, two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time World champion; Leri Chabelov, Russia, 1992 Olympic gold medalist and five-time World champion;; Il Kim, People’s Republic of Korea, two-time Olympic gold medalist and World champion; and Shozo Sasahara, Japan, 1956 Olympic gold medalist and 1954 World champion.

The Greco-Roman honorees include: Frank Andersson, Sweden, four-time World champion and 1984 Olympic bronze medalist; Nikolai Balboshin, Soviet Union, five-time World Champion and 1976 Olympic gold medalist; Maik Bullman, Germany, three-time World Champion and 1992 Olympic gold medalist; and Islam Dugushiev, Azerbaijan, four-time World champion and 1992 Olympic silver medalist.

The inaugural class of the FILA International Hall of Fame was inducted in 2003 and additional honorees have been added each year since. The permanent display of International Hall of Fame honorees is housed at the Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater, Okla.

New members will be inducted at World Wrestling Championships on Sept. 23-Oct. 2 in Guangzhou, China. Each new member will receive an award as well as recognition in Stillwater.

Kindler, Bartoch and Charron-Watson finish with top point score at the Bell Grand Prix swimming competition.

MONTREAL- Montreal’s Thomas Kindler and London’s Joe Bartoch ties for overall first place and Channelle Charron-Watson of Quebec gets top spot in the women’s event at Bell Grand Prix swimming competition in Montreal.

Audrey Lacroix of Montreal earned her fourth gold medal this weekend at the Bell Grand Prix swimming competition with a victory in the women’s 200-metre butterfly on Sunday. Lacroix was also the 50 and 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle winner this weekend.  “I had a pretty busy program this weekend,” said Lacroix.  “I’ve have been racing a lot this past month and I was successful both here this weekend and in Europe in June.  At the Pan Pacific Championships Trials (July 27-30 in Montreal) I will focus on the butterfly events as well as the relay positions for the 100 and 200 freestyle events.”

In the men’s 100 breaststroke, Matthew Huang of Montreal was the victor with Mike Brown of Calgary second and Matt Mains of Waterloo, Ont., third.  Brown, a world championship medallist last year in the 200 breaststroke, says he’s on track for some strong performances later this summer.

“I’m pleased with my races this weekend,” said Brown.  “I improved the times I had posted in Europe and that was the goal coming into this meet. I think that the Bell Grand Prix is a good concept. It’s great to be able to race top international swimmers at home. As the series builds a stronger international reputation it will hopefully attract big names.”

Gammel’s back in swim of things.
The Calgary Herald

Olympian Erin Gammel will rejoin the University of Calgary’s varsity swim team following a two-year hiatus. The 26-year-old from Barriere, B.C., will suit up for the 2006-07 Dinos, for her fifth and final year.“I think it’s a really fun atmosphere to be in varsity swimming,” she said Wednesday. “There’s a lot of cheering at the pool, and it’s a really good team atmosphere.”

Gammel brings buckets of experience to the Dinos after competing at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where she finished 17th in 100-metre backstroke. She’s the Canadian record holder for that distance.

She’s also competed at the World University Games, Commonwealth Games, world championship and World Cup levels. “It means a lot to the freshman coming into the program and it means a lot to our veterans as well,” said assistant coach Kevin Anderson. “Her experience will help lead the team to bigger and better things, and provide confidence as far as the team’s performance.”

Gammel is eager to take on a leadership role. “I hope that if anybody has any questions I can help with, that they approach me and I can help in any way possible,” she said. “I know I’m going to be the oldest person on the team, so I want to bring that maturity and show them we can do well together.”

At the Canadian Interuniversity Sport level, Gammel was a triple gold medallist at the 2004 national championships, winning the 50-, 100- and 200-metre backstroke. She holds the CIS record in the 50 and 100 backstroke.

During the first four years of her varsity career, she captured seven individual gold and three individual bronze medals at CIS Nationals. But something she and the female Dino swimmers have never done is win team gold at the national championships. They’ve come close, but the British Columbia Thunderbirds have been the dominant team in recent years. Last season, both the male and female Dinos finished second to the T-Birds at nationals.

“Every year’s another chance and this year’s going to be another chance,” said Gammel. “Hopefully we’ll show better than we have other years.”

Several recruits are also expected to pay dividends for Dino swimming this upcoming season, including: Seanna Mitchell, a Canadian junior team member from Ottawa, Ont., and standout Vernon products Taylor and Kevyn Peterson, who are sisters.

THE SPIN (SPort INnovation) NEWSLETTER. A newsletter published by PacificSport, Performance Services…

On behalf of Dr. Gord Sleivert, VP Sport Performance, I send you this note with a link to the summer edition of the SPIN (SPort INnovation) Newsletter.  
http://www.pacificsport.com/Images/PDFs/2006_06_SPIN_Newsletter_FINAL.pdf

In this issue...

Hydration and Athlete Performance
Hot Microtechnology
Technology from a Biomechanics Perspective
SID – the Sport Information Database

PacificSport - Powering Sport Performance
PacificSport works in partnership with Regional, Provincial and National Sport Organizations through it’s two Canadian Sport Centres (Victoria and Vancouver) and eight Regional Sport Centres (Fraser Valley, Interior BC, Okanagan, Northern BC, Sea to Sky, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and Victoria).  www.pacificsport.com

Disabled athletes get financial boost.
CBC Sports

Ottawa has pledged an extra $1.5 million in an effort to get more people with disabilities involved in sports.

The Canadian government already spends about $11 million annually on sport for the disabled. Most of that money is distributed to federations and elite athletes.
The bulk of new money announced Thursday will be spent on initiatives that promote participation at the community level.

The cash infusion was the highlight of Ottawa’s new Policy on Sport for Persons with a Disability. The policy was crafted after consultation with Special Olympics Canada, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the Canadian Deaf Sports Association.

Other aims of the new policy include:
A third-place finish at the 2010 Paralmpics in Vancouver. Canada finished sixth at the Torino Paralympics with 13 medals.
Increased awareness and access to sports.
Improved co-ordination among the various provincial departments governing disabled athletics.
Increased monitoring and research to ensure the needs of athletes are being met.

“Canada’s new government is committed to encouraging all Canadians, including persons with disabilities, to become more involved in sport,” Minister for Sport Michael Chong said in a statement issued Wednesday. “Sport and physical activity help maintain Canadians’ health, strengthen our communities and contribute to our overall quality of life. It is important that all Canadians have access to sport in order to experience these positive benefits.”

Elite athletes looking toward 2010: Stars of the Turin Olympics begin the countdown to success in Vancouver.
The Vancouver Sun

On a scorching summer’s day it’s hard to think of winter anything. But for a small group of elite members of Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic cross country ski teams the countdown to 2010 is very real.

After surviving the Grouse Grind, Beckie Scott, Sara Renner, Chandra Crawford and Brian McKeever took time Wednesday to talk about goal setting in both sport and life to a group of youngsters from the Hollyburn Jackrabbit Ski Club.

Scott—the trailblazer of the national team with her Olympic gold at Salt Lake City—has already announced her retirement. But for the remaining trio, 2010 is beginning to seem like it’s just around the corner. “The way it looks now I’m going to take this summer and fall off,” explained the 30-year-old Renner, who, with the departure of long-time friend Scott, inherits the mantle of national team leader.

“I think at this point of my career I feel a change is as good as a rest. I’m going to spend the summer managing my parents’ Mount Assiniboine Ski Lodge, scrubbing toilets and everything. “I feel with my experience I have a pretty good idea where I’ll have to be both physically and mentally for 2010.”

Before she heads off to her summer chores, however, Renner has an important function coming up in just over a week. On July 7 she and Norwegian coach Bjornar Hakensmoen have been chosen to be co-marshals for the opening parade of the Calgary Stampede. The two have become famously linked ever since the incident in Turin when Hakensmoen, noticing Renner had just broken one of her ski poles during the third leg of the six-leg team sprint, rushed forward with a replacement. It’s been widely hailed as a great example of sportsmanship—made all the more relevant when Renner and Scott finished second, pushing the Norwegians off the podium.

Renner is excited about her debut at the head of the Stampede parade, but the word is Hakensmoen is more than a little apprehensive, having never before sat on a horse.

Crawford, 22, is at the other end of the national team spectrum. She beat the Olympic silver won by her teammates by taking gold in the individual sprint. In terms of experience, however, she’s just getting started. “At the beginning of last season the thought of being an Olympic champion was almost impossible,” says Crawford, with the same smile that lit up a nation following her surprise triumph.

While her Olympic victory seemed to come out of nowhere, Crawford notes her whole 2005-06 season was one of incredible improvement. “I started the World Cup circuit with a 28th-place finish, then my results after that were 10th, eighth and then a bronze medal in Davos, Switzerland, in the last race before Turin. I went into the Olympics on a roll. I know it’s going to be tough now that I’m a defending champion. But I’m really looking forward to working on my weaknesses and building towards 2010.”

Turin was just the icing on the cake for a great season by the entire cross country ski team. In all, team members won an unprecedented 17 World Cup and Olympic medals. “We believe we’ve got a huge amount of momentum both in terms of national interest and performance going forward to 2010,” comments Dave Dyer, director of marketing and events for Cross Country Canada. “I feel Beckie’s gold in Salt Lake gave the whole group confidence in themselves.”

Canada is a welcoming place for top level international coaches.
Hamilton Spectator

Coaches are the gypsies of the international sports stage. While competitors obviously perform under their country’s colours, coaches move readily from nation to nation. Canada’s national sports associations are studded with a United Nations of mentors.

Rowing Canada has an Englishman and two Danes, for instance, while the speedskating success in Turin this winter was guided by Canadians as well as an Australian and a Chinese-born coach.

At the community coaching level, sports like gymnastics enjoy the expertise of several people who have immigrated.

And unlike the standards other professionals are held to, they can go to work with little trouble. The Coaching Association of Canada has a certification process which includes an equivalency standard to assess international coaches.
For Cristina Bontas of World Class Gymnastics Centre in Hamilton, moving from Romania to coach in Canada was not difficult. She came for a summer on a contract and when she applied to return to Canada on a full-time basis was awarded significant scores under the immigration point system.

“At one point I was looking at hiring an immigration lawyer, but they (immigration officials) said my background in gymnastics assured me of a high score. Bontas won silver and bronze medals for Romania at the 1992 Olympics and was coached by gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci.

She coached in Romania, studied at the national Institute of Physical Education and also coached on the Isle of Man, between Ireland and England.

She understands first hand that it is much easier for a coach with particular expertise to find work in a country short on that than, say, a health professional from another country. “I have a friend in Canada who was a pediatrician in Romania ... but has trouble finding work here while her husband, who is a gymnastics coach, had no problems.”

Bontas’ husband, Gabriel Tataru, who graduated from Romania’s national Institute, also coaches at World Class Gymnastics. Bontas has achieved her levels one to three since 1998 and is qualified to coach at the national level. She has considered coaching at the international level, but takes much satisfaction out of teaching younger children.

The standard for international courses required by the National Coaching Certification Program tests international coaches for competency and offers full and part-time diploma courses.

Olympic Oval accepting applications for Associate Director, High Performance Sport Development.

PRIMARY PURPOSE
Creates and implements programs through a holistic approach that ensure the development of athletes from the development high performance level to the advanced high performance level.

This position provides leadership and direction in setting the goals, establishing the environment and evaluating the resulting performance of the athletes, and the individuals staffing and participating in the program area. Strong leadership abilities, communication (both written and verbal), and problem solving skills are necessary for the position.

http://careers.peopleclick.com/jobposts/Client40_UofC/BU1/External/32-3953.htm

For further inquiries, please contact Moira Marshall at the Olympic Oval:
email: mjmarsha@ucalgary.ca
Phone: 403. 220. 8466