Sport Performance Weekly

August 14th , 2006

Elmore’s lungs pick up the pace: Calgarian outruns return of asthma.
The Calgary Herald

Malindi Elmore is breathing easier. After all, a lungful of air to a professional distance runner is . . . well, kind of important.“Things have finally started to click, like they did in previous years,” says Elmore, the 26-year-old Calgarian, who collected a pair of bronze medals over the weekend at the Canadian track and field championships in Ottawa.

“There had been enough indicators to know that I was fit and ready to run fast, so when it’s not coming together, it’s pretty frustrating,” she adds. “But by the end of June, things cleared up. It was reassuring to run nationals, and run the last part of the race really strong—and to know I’ve still got it, that the asthma isn’t a limiting factor.”

Elmore, part of Canada’s track team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, dealt with asthma caused by environmental allergens through her childhood and high school years in Kelowna, B.C., and into her college days at Stanford University.

But since she moved to Calgary in 2004, the 1,500-metre specialist hadn’t been afflicted—until this spring. “You have to have patience,” says Elmore, who finished third in the women’s 1,500m and 800m events in Ottawa. “The important thing for me was not to overanalyse, make it something more than it is—let it affect my running mentally, psychologically.”

However, Mike Van Tighem, personal coach to the Asics-sponsored runner, can sympathize. “Her event is so aerobic . . . basically, if you can’t breathe, you can’t run fast,” says Van Tighem, who has coached Elmore since she was 13. “And that’s pretty much what she was going through. It’s like someone was turning off a tap the last 100 metres, with no oxygen getting in. “But we’re working on that, getting some help from the sports-med people here and national-team doctors. Hopefully, we’ll have that straightened out by the spring.”

For all of last season, Elmore was essentially out of commission on another front, healing from stress fractures in her femur. Sandwiching that period were some major personal highlights—the ‘04 Athens Games, the Commonwealth Games at Melbourne in March, and the world cross-country championships at Osaka, Japan, in April. But now that she has a clean bill of health, Elmore is eagerly looking ahead—to next year’s 11th IAAF world championships in Osaka, and, ultimately, the 2008 Summer Olympiad in Beijing.

She’d like to get formalities out of the way quickly, by qualifying this month for Osaka. To do that, the simplest route is making the ‘A’ standard of four minutes, 5.7 seconds in her event—about three seconds quicker than her best time so far this season. “In essence, this is my first year competing since the Olympics. I’m not quite to the same level as I was pre-Athens,” says Elmore, who won the women’s 1,500m final at the 2004 Canadian championships in Victoria, B.C. “Well . . . let’s say that I think I am, but I haven’t proven that in a race.

“One of my challenges is not just making these (world and Olympic) teams, now. It’s also about top performances once you’re there. “That’s sort of where I have to shift my focus—taking care of business to get there, but also thinking finals and medal contention.”

As it happens, there’s another major event circled on Elmore’s calendar in the not-too-distant future. In May, she’ll be married to former 1,500m runner Graham Hood, who represented Canada at the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics, and is now based in Calgary, working in the financial sector. “Yeah, we’ll start the track season off with a wedding in Kelowna,” says Elmore with a giggle. “He always has great insight for me. I mean, I’ve got an amazing coach in Mike, but Graham gives me some balance, because he’s got experience at this sort of thing.”

‘This is my pool’: U.S. team packs power but veteran Canadian swimmer Rick Say shows no fear.
Times Colonist (Victoria)

That was some wake rolling to the sides of Saanich Commonwealth Place pool Sunday as the near superhuman U.S. team took its first swim in Victoria ahead of the 2006 Pan-Pacific championships beginning Thursday.

Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen and Ian Crocker currently hold nine world records among them. That other splashing sound being heard may have been the other 19 national teams jumping out of the pool in terror.

But if they’re supposed to be intimidated, someone forgot to tell the Canadian swimmers, particularly Rick Say of Victoria. Not in my house, says the lanky Team Canada warhorse veteran. While this is a home meet for the Canadians, it is that literally for Say and five other Island swimmers on the 64-member Team Canada. “It hit me, as we arrived at the pool for the first time [Sunday] as Team Canada, that this is my own pool and I’ll be competing in the Pan Pacs on my own blocks that I practise on all the time. Not many swimmers get to experience a moment like this in their home pool at a big international meet.”

Home water advantage will mean a lot, predicts Say. It certainly did last year at the 2005 world aquatics championships in Montreal as Team Canada rebounded smartly from its pool debacle at the 2004 Athens Olympics. “That same boost to performance we got last year at the worlds, we expect again this week at the Pan Pacs,” said Say, a finalist at both the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Summer Games and a Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs multi-medallist.

“Having these two meets in Montreal and Victoria back-to-back at home really kick-started our national team program again. It would have been nicer to have a bigger setting for the Pan Pacs because it’s tight here for seating; but it’s going to be small but explosive in here—packed, loud and crazy with the crowd almost right on top of the swimmers and that will give us a lift.”

Fewer than 2,000 can be squeezed in for the Pan Pacs. The finals are sold out for all four days with only a few tickets remaining for qualifying sessions. “The American team is deep and strong and will be a challenge, but we’re the hosts and should be able to steal a few races,” said Say, who has held five nationals records during his career.

“That’s the kind of thing we’re building toward for Beijing—picking off some of the best in the world. To beat the Americans in even a few races will be an amazing feeling. And then there’s the Chinese, Aussies, Japanese, South Africans . . . almost every team here is strong.”

Say, swimming three individual events, will meet the great American six-time Olympic gold-medallist Phelps in the 200-metre freestyle later this week but is undaunted. He’s been there before. “In swimming, you’re in the same room before a race and you chat and are friends to some extent,” noted Say, “Both Phelps and Thorpe (Australian legend Ian Thorpe is bypassing the Pan Pacs) are down-to-earth guys.”

ON TARGET; NATTRASS HAPPY SHOOTING, NOT VOLLEYBALL, WAS HER AIM.
The Edmonton Sun

Susan Nattrass wanted to be a volleyball player. But she was a better shooter. In hindsight, she chose the right sport.“It was good for volleyball and it was good for me,” Nattrass said yesterday at the Strathcona Shooting Range on the eve of the 2006 national trapshooting championships. “When I go to Olympic Games now I always go to watch volleyball.”

Nattrass, 55, has been to five Olympics and has her sights set on a sixth in Beijing.
Two weeks ago, she took a giant step in that direction by winning the world championships in Zagreb, Croatia.

It was her 29th consecutive appearance at the world championships and seventh win - first since 1981. “I’m very happy and still a little high from my win,” Nattrass said. “It was wonderful to win the world championships. It was just amazing. It had been 25 years since I’d won my last world championships, so it was a little bit of a drought.”

This week, Nattrass hopes to add another national title to her impressive resume. It won’t be easy. Defending Canadian champion Cynthia Meyer of B.C., and local shooter Sandra Honour are expected to provide tough competition. Along with Nattrass, the three are in competing for Canada’s lone female trapshooting spot at the Olympics. “I expect really tough competition,” Nattrass said. “We don’t have a lot of women, but we have really good women. “It’s going to be a good weekend, but it’s going to be tough. I’ve always maintained that it’s sometimes harder to win a Canadian championships than it is to win internationally.”

Having competed internationally for nearly four decades, Nattrass is by far Canada’s most decorated trap shooter. Born in Medicine Hat but moving to in Edmonton in 1962, she competed in her first national championships at the age of 18 and was hooked. “It was in Montreal,” Nattrass recalls. “That year shaped everything. I had never been to Montreal and what a wonderful city it is. “The world championships were in San Sebastian, Spain, which is just gorgeous. “I met all of these people from all over the world and it was so neat. That’s when it happened. I just thought, ‘This is so cool.’ “Initially, I just did it. I think the love and the passion for the sport developed more as I kept doing it.”

Now as well as being a world-class competitor, Nattrass is also an international ambassador. “I worked for five years to get women’s trap and skeet back to the Olympics,” she said. “I did that from 1992 to 1997. I think in that way I feel like I’m the mother, fighting really hard in order to get it back and keep it there. “I think sometimes internationally I’m a s*** disturber because sometimes they want to do things that are not good for the shooter or good for the sport. They’re trying to do away with women’s double trap so I’ve been asked by some of the other countries to try and get it back. “I sometimes feel I’m the conscience because I’ve been around for so long.”

attrass plans on sticking around a little longer. She intends on continuing through 2009 which would mark her 40th year of international competition. After that she’ll contemplate retiring.“I think what maintains me is that I really do enjoy it and it is my passion,” she said.“I like the people that I meet internationally. I love going to shoots internationally, so I think it’s an all-encompassing thing.“The people I have met going all over the world, the places I’ve gne, the experiences I’ve had, the confidence that I’ve learned from being the best. The skill that I’ve learned the concentration, I owe (the sport) so much.”

Canada’s racquetballers strike silver

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (CP) — Josee Grand’Maitre of Longueuil, Que., and Calgary’s Lori-Jane Powell beat Americans Amiee Ruiz and Laura Fenton as Canada’s men’s and women’s racquetball teams earned silver medals at the 2006 International Racquetball Federation world championships Friday.

The United States will take home the gold.

American Cheryl Gudinas beat Winnipeg’s Jennifer Saunders 15-12, 15-4.
Calgary’s Christie Van Hees lost to Rhonda Rajsich, 15-11, 8-15, 11-3.
In men’s play, Jack Huczek defeated Saskatoon’s Kris Odegard 15-5, 15-9.
In doubles action, Huczek teamed with Rocky Carson to defeat Calgary’s Brian Istace and Mike Green of Burlington, Ont., 15-2, 15-4.
Montreal’s Francois Viens forfeited the third match against American Shane Vanderson because Canada was already set to finish behind the Americans in points.

Canadian Lightweight Women’s Double Wins Gold.

The Canadian lightweight women’s double won gold today at the World University Rowing Championship (FISU) in Trakai, Lithuania (August 11 to 13).

Lindsay Jennerich (University of Victoria) of Victoria, B.C. and Christine Bennett (University of Alberta) of Edmonton, Alta. were first, followed by Poland and Germany - France, Great Britain and Italy rounded out the field. ”The double was in second position at the 500m by 1.20 seconds, but made a huge move through the middle 1000, opening up a lead of more than six seconds,” said Canadian coach Chuck McDiarmid.

Jennerich has past World Under-23 medals in the same event and was named UVic’s 2006 Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year.  Bennett recently won a Commonwealth gold medal with Jennerich and is a relative newcomer to international competition.

The lightweight women’s double was Canada’s top finish at this regatta, with the rest of the crews relegated to B finals.   Poland, Great Britain, Italy and France were overall strong finishers at this ninth FISU World University Championship.

Belleville’s Drew Ross wins gold at water skiing World Cup.
Canadian Sport News/Nouvelles-sport canadien

ENNISKILLEN, Ireland- Drew Ross of Belleville, Ont., won the gold medal in men’s slalom while Jaret Llewellyn of Innisfail, Alta., added a silver in jump on Sunday at a World Cup water skiing competition.

In men’s slalom, Ross posted his first career World Cup victory finishing ahead of Jodi Fisher of England in second and Jamie Beauchesne of the U.S., in third. ‘’The conditions were really tough but thanks to my fitness I adapted really well,’’ said Ross, 36, a 14-year national team veteran.  ‘’I was tied for the lead after the first round and was the second to last rider in the final.  I knew I had to stay aggressive and I was the only rider to go under 11 metres.’’

In men’s jump, Freddy Krueger of the U.S., continued to dominate the circuit soaring 68.2 metres for the win.  Llewellyn, the reigning world champion, was a close second soaring 66.8 metres on his first of three jumps.  Ryan Dodd of Olds, Alta., was sixth. ‘’I was upset with myself with how I did on my last jump,’’ said Llewellyn.  ‘’I didn’t time it properly.  It’s been the story of my whole season.  I’ve consistently come up short.’’ In men’s tricks, Llewellyn was sixth and Dodd 12th.