Calgary skier ends Canada’s gold drought at Lake Louise: Country kicks off World Cup season with two podium finishes.
Times Colonist (Victoria)

LAKE LOUISE, Alta—A Canadian finally struck gold at Lake Louise with John Kucera’s victory in a World Cup super-giant slalom yesterday. The 22-year-old from Calgary is the first Canadian skier to stand atop the podium in 26 years of men’s and women’s World Cup races at Lake Louise Mountain Resort.

The season-opening weekend for the World Cup’s downhill specialists was a banner one for the Canadian squad—the youngest on the circuit—as Vancouver’s Manuel Osborne-Paradis was second in Saturday’s downhill. “Two podium finishes in two days gives us huge momentum going into the season,” Kucera said. “It shows that our team is really strong and up and coming and we’re going to be one of the top teams soon.”

Kucera dedicated his victory to his former coach and friend Jason Lapierre, who was hit by a car while he was biking and died at the age of 34 this past summer.“He coached me when I was 15 and 16,” Kucera said. “It was a tragic accident that happened this summer and I really wanted that win just for him. “I wasn’t the most talented kid at that age. He worked really hard with me and he taught me everything I know now.”

The only other Canadian man to win a World Cup race on home soil was Rob Boyd in Whistler in 1989. Bombardier Lake Louise Winterstart chairman John Cassels was elated to see the gold drought end at his event. “Here is a volunteer who has worked 25 years for this moment,” an emotional Cassels said.

Kucera, out of the Calgary Alpine Racing Club, is in his second full season on Canada’s World Cup team and has been down the Lake Louise course many times as a warmup skier in previous World Cups and also racing in Nor-Ams here. Super giant slalom, or super-G as it is nicknamed, is shorter than the downhill but has more gates, so it requires a combination of speed and technical ability.

Kucera drew start bib No. 1 to make him the first man down the 2.5-kilometre track. He threw down a time of one minute 29.70 seconds and stood and watched in minus-24 temperatures as skier after skier came down and fell short. Austrian Mario Scheiber finished .06 seconds behind Kucera in second. Swede Patrik Jaerbyn was third in 1:29.98.

Erik Guay of Mont-Tremblant was sixth and his brother Stefan was 26th. Jan Hudec of Calgary was 27th and Francois Bourque of Pin-Rouge, Que., finished 38th. Austrian Hermann Maier, a three-time winner of the super-G at Lake Louise and Kucera’s hero, was fourth.

Kucera skied an aggressive line and was faster than anyone else on the upper middle portion of the course where there were a lot of turns. The snow kept falling, so the flat sections of the course didn’t get any faster for the rest of the field. Those fans who braved the frigid temperatures cheered loudly after every skier came across the finish line slower than the Canadian.

Among them were Kucera’s parents Jan and Zdena, who moved to Canada from the Czech Republic in the early 1980s. Kucera earned more than ($28,000 of the $94,000 prize purse. He was especially pleased to find out he’d also won a new GMC vehicle, which would replace his 1986 Honda Civic that had over 300,000 kilometres on it and that he’d bought for $400.“I don’t know how long my little car will last,” he said.“I don’t know what I’m going to go with, but a nice pickup truck for a good Alberta boy, I guess.”

Alpine Canada CEO Ken Read said that the Canadians who came through the pressure of racing at home to get to the podium bodes well for both the world championships in Are, Sweden in February, but also for the 2010 Olympics.“We want on-demand performance and today we got it,” Read said.“You need to be producing when you are under pressure and at home, in front of home fans, family, girlfriends and sponsors. It’s where the pressure is the highest.”

The women arrive at Lake Louise this week for two downhills and a super-G race starting Friday. The Canadian men’s speed and technical teams head to Beaver Creek, Colo., for races starting Thursday.

Erica Morningstar notches fourth gold at Bell Grand Prix swimming competition.

TORONTO- Erica Morningstar of Calgary collected her fourth gold medal this weekend at the Bell Grand Prix swimming competition with a victory in the 100-metre individual medley Sunday while Brittany Reimer of Vancouver neared her Canadian record in the 800 freestyle.

In the women’s 100 IM, the 17-year-old Morningstar took the gold with Annamay Pierse in third.   Morningstar also won the 50 and 100 freestyles and 200 IM this weekend and added a silver in the 200 freestyle.  Pierse and Wycliffe collected their fourth medals.

On the men’s side, Brent Hayden of Vancouver earned his third gold medal with a victory in the 200 freestyle.  Brian Johns of Vancouver was second and Chad Hankewich of Calgary third.  Hayden broke Canadian records in the 100 freestyle on Friday and 50 freestyle on Saturday.

Ryan Cochrane of Victoria notched a second win in the 1,500 freestyle. He took the 800 freestyle on Friday and added a silver in the 400 freestyle on Saturday. ‘’I was a bit disappointed with the time but it was a good race,’’ said Cochrane, 18.  ‘’I’ve made some changes in my training this year and so far I’m pleased with how it’s working out.’’

David McKechnie of Barrie, Ont., won the 50 breaststroke. In the men’s 200 breaststroke, world championship silver medallist Mike Brown of Calgary won handily with Mathieu Bois of Montreal in second place. ‘’My goal was to go below 2:10 but overall I’m still satisfied,’’ said Brown.  ‘’I’ll have another test at the U.S. Open next week which will set up my training up for the world championships (this March in Australia).’’

In the men’s 400 freestyle, veteran Rick Say of Victoria built a strong lead early and took the gold with Ryan Cochrane of Victoria second and Ray Betuzzi of Calgary third. ‘’I haven’t done this race in awhile and it felt really good to try it out tonight,’’ said Say.  ‘’My game plan was to go fast on the first 50 and let the other guys try to catch me.’’

Calgary Oval X-Treme defeat Edmonton rivals with 11-0 win, getting the team closer to representing Alberta at the Esso Nationals.

Calgary, AB - - The Calgary Oval X-Treme won 11-1 today against the Edmonton Chimos at the Olympic Oval, getting the team closer to their goal of representing Alberta at the Esso Women’s National tournament in Salmon Arm, B.C., in March 2007.

“We wanted to win this game, it is very important to us to qualify for the Esso Nationals,” says X-Treme Head Coach Tomas Pacina. “The Chimos are a well coached team but they didn’t play as well as they normally do. We came out prepared and our power play was on.”

The X-Treme is vying against the Chimos and Strathmore Rockies for the opportunity to represent Alberta at the Nationals. The team with the most points after playing two games against each other will qualify; this was one of the designated games for the X-Treme and Chimos.“Whenever we play Edmonton we want to come out hard,” says Monica Dupuis, X-Treme forward and Assistant Captain who scored the fifth goal of the game. “They were missing a few players and we were able to capitalize on that and it was a really solid effort from our team.”

Three-time Olympic medallist Hayley Wickenheiser was the star of the game with a hat trick and an assist, tying fellow Olympian Danielle Goyette and teammate Rebecca Russell for a four point game. Goyette scored two goals and had two assists, while Russell made four assists.

Other goals were scored by Olympic medallist Colleen Sostorics, Jocelyne Larocque and Jeni Creary (two goals). Edmonton Chimo Ashley Cockell scored the last goal of the game and the lone goal for her team, unassisted.

The Calgary Oval X-Treme’s next home is Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007 against the Strathmore Rockies. Next month the team will be on the road playing the Chimos (Dec. 2 and 3, 2006) and the Minnesota Whitecaps (Dec. 8, 9 and 10, 2006).

The Calgary Oval X-Treme is undefeated in the WWHL with ten wins. Wickenheiser, Russell and Creary lead the league in points, with Wickenheiser and Russell tied with 23 points each and Creary with 21.

Calgary Oval X-Treme game schedules and statistics are available at www.calgaryovalxtreme.com and www.westernwomenshockeyleague.com

Canadian speed skaters Jeff Kitura and Alanna Komisar top off the Olympic Oval Can Am International competition.

Calgary, AB - - Canadian National Development Team and Olympic Oval athlete Jeff Kitura posted great results this weekend, including a first place finish in the 1,000 metres today, at the Can Am Invitational speed skating competition at the Olympic Oval. “I skated very well this weekend,” says Kitura, 27. “It reaffirms that I am skating at the level I need to be.”

Kitura and all Canadian National and National Development Team athletes will be gearing up over the next month for the Canadian Single Distances Championships, Dec. 28 – 31, 2006, at the Olympic Oval. That competition will select skaters for the winter World Cups.

“I really like skating in the Can Am,” says Kitura, who trains with Coach Neal Marshall. “It is great to see really young athletes who really give each race everything. Watching them compete helps to see the fun in this sport.”

In today’s 1,000 metres, Kitura came in first, with fellow National Development Team skaters Cailean Duggan and Kyle Parrott skating into second and third place.
In the men’s 500 metres Kitura came in third, with Jamie Gregg in first and Kyle Parrott in second.

In the women’s 500 metres race, Alanna Komisar, a crossover athlete from women’s hockey with Speed Skating Canada’s talent identification program, was the top Canadian, coming in third. Two Swedish skaters, Claudia Wallin and Sara Andersson took first and second. “I felt great about my race today,” says Komisar, 16, from Calgary. “I was paired with Wallin and she had a really fast opener, it was really nice to chase her down.”

Komisar played ladies AA hockey with the NEAA Flyers and Rocky Mountain Storm before training in speed skating at the Olympic Oval in Sept. 2005. She skated two personal best times in yesterday’s races.

In the women’s 1,000 metres Swedish skaters Andersson and Wallin came in first and third, with Olympic Oval skater Tobey Berriault skating into second place. Results from the Olympic Oval Can Am International are posted on the Olympic Oval web site (www.oval.ucalgary.ca).

Canada’s Karen Cockburn wins 2 golds in trampoline.
CBC Sports

Toronto’s Karen Cockburn beat the Olympic champion for the gold medal in the individual trampoline on Saturday at a World Cup event in Birmingham, England. Cockburn added a second victory with Rosannagh MacLennan of Toronto in synchronized trampoline.

The World Cup final is a one-day competition that gathers the top-eight performers from the seven-stop World Cup series to determine the season champs.
In individual trampoline, Cockburn earned 37.40 points to edge Olympic champion Anna Dogonadze of Germany, who placed second with 37 points. Claire Wright of Great Britain also scored 37 and was awarded third spot. Five-time World Cup champion Irina Karavaeva of Russia was sixth.

Cockburn was planning to execute the most difficult routine of her career but decided on Friday to go with a safer program because she didn’t feel all that comfortable on the trampolines at the venue. “The trampolines were softer than usual and I saw in training that a lot of competitors were struggling with them,” said Cockburn, the world champion in 2003.

“It was really smart to go with an easier routine, do it clean and receive a solid score. It’s a stressful decision because you don’t want to kick yourself later but I was confident it was the right way to go.”

In synchro trampoline, Cockburn and MacLellan, world silver medallists last year, totalled 47.80 points with Dogonadze and Jesica Simon of Germany second at 47.30, and Yulia Domchevska and Olena Movchan of Ukraine third at 45.20.“The hard work paid off and it feels great,” said MacLellan. “We stuck with the routine that we are familiar with and that made it easier on the nerves.  Our synchronization was excellent and our form was good as well.

“Working and training together almost every day really helps. We know how each other bounces, we know each other’s strengths and can foresee what adjustments need to be made before we get on the trampoline.”

All that glitters is definitely gold: Heil’s success fuels her drive to help others and succeed more.
The Vancouver Province

Winning a gold medal can mean a lot to an Olympic athlete. There can be lucrative contracts to endorse products. There’s often a flood of demands to make appearances and an increase in celebrity status.

For 2006 Olympic women’s moguls champion Jenn Heil gold has meant a chance to put more back into the community. “I’m trying to put something back in,” says Heil, a Spruce Grove, Alta., native who now lives in Montreal. Heil is actively involved with Kids Kottage Foundation, a crisis nursery in Edmonton and KidSport, which raises money to provide disadvantaged Canadian children with sports equipment.

Next spring she hopes to visit Africa with Right to Play, an athlete-driven humanitarian organization which uses sport to improve the lives of Third World kids. She’s now an Athlete Ambassador with Right to Play.“I definitely want to give back to the community and the youth coming up,” says Heil, 23. “My life would be so different without sport. To have a goal and to have a dream is so important for kids these days. It doesn’t matter if the dream is in sport or to be a doctor, sport teaches you to work hard and work towards that.”

Having a gold medal can help you get that positive message across.“I was just at a school this week talking and I have all these kids yelling, ‘you’re my hero, you’re my role model.’ ... Having a positive impact is incredibly rewarding.“The things I’m doing on the side are time consuming but it’s giving me a lot of energy as well.”

It’ll be crucial to keep the energy level high this season. Heil doesn’t have the pressure of an Olympics but she does want to successfully defend her gold medal at world championships Jan. 21-28 at Madonna, Italy.

She also wants to keep improving her technique while trying to close the gap between what the men and women are doing on the hill. “At the end of the year I sat down with my coaches and discussed where I was at and where I could go,” says Heil, who won four golds and five silver medals in the 10 World Cup events she entered last season.

“We all agreed that there was room for improvement in my skiing and my actual technique. Without that I wouldn’t want to go on for another four years. That’s where I get my motivation, continuing to improve myself as a competitor.”

Heil trains in Montreal away from the rest of the national team, which has centralized at Whistler and Apex. She trains along with national team teammates Alex Bilodeau, Audrey Robichaud and Stephanie St. Pierre with coach Dominic Gauthier.

The group—along with other athletes including figure skater Joannie Rochette and hockey goalie Kim St. Pierre—have formed a training centre called B 2Ten, which is funded by private donors across the country.

Instead of seeing them as renegades, the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association endorses their initiative. “Jenn moved to a private coaching model and was very successful,” says CFSA high performance program director Gord Hopper of Vancouver.

“The others have made the decision to take that path partly in recognition of what worked for Jenn and partly to train close to home. They’re all doing schooling while they’re in Quebec. We’re working very closely with Dom and that group. They’re very much a part of our program. They’re working on their own but they’re part of the family.”

Athletes take Parliament Hill.
Globe and Mail Update

Several of Canada’s national team athletes and the AthletesCAN association are chasing down federal politicians and bureaucrats in Ottawa Wednesday and Thursday to bring them face-to-face with sport issues from funding to the need for more physical activity for youth to sport opportunity for the disabled.

The Parliamentary Sport and Physical Activity Forum has been organized by the Sport Matters Group lobby to bring Canadians who care about sport and physical activity together with Members of Parliament to discuss what physical activity means to Canada’s health, its economy and its communities.

“One of the roles of AthletesCAN is to communicate the perspectives of Canada’s national team athletes to those who make decisions about sport in our country,” said AthletesCAN president Claire Carver-Dias, an Olympic bronze medalist as a synchronized swimmer. “For the Parliamentary Forum, we are going a step further by bringing in Canadian athletes to personally share their perspectives. Face-to-face contact is crucial.”

National team athletes participating in the event include Amy Alsop and Dean Kozak (goalball); Nathaniel Miller (water polo); Jason Dunkerley (track and field); Suzanne Weckend (triathlon); Sally Thomas (powerlifting); Todd Nicholson (sledge hockey); and Mike Holroyd (canoe).

“This event is a unique opportunity for Canada’s national team athletes to have their voices heard at the decision-making table,” said Dunkerley, a middle-distance runner who won two Gold medals at the 2006 world track and field championships for athletes with a disability.

“It’s an opportunity for our athletes to tell our policy-makers what it takes to represent Canada on the international stage, what it takes to get to that level of competition, and the importance of sport from a social and health point of view.”

Ice queen’s snow start. Turin Games star temporarily trades in her speed skates for skis.
Randy Starkman - Toronto Star

‘I want to give myself the best chance that I can in 2010,’ says Klassen of cross-country travels. Cindy Klassen has chosen a unique way to begin the long trek to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games — she’s doing it on cross-country skis.

After losing Beckie Scott to retirement and Sara Renner to pregnancy, the Canadian cross-country team has welcomed the Olympic speed skating star into their ranks at their training base in Canmore, Alta.

But Olympic fans hoping Klassen can approach her remarkable five-medal haul from Turin last February four years hence needn’t worry. It’s not a permanent move and she has no designs on being a two-sport star in 2010 — she just needed a break from speed skating amid some new scenery.“I want to give myself the best chance that I can in 2010 and know that I did everything possible,” said Klassen in a telephone interview from her new digs in Canmore. “I think that to get ready for that, I need to take this time away for a little bit. I think that’s going to be helpful in the end.”

The 27-year-old Winnipegger said she’s drained because she didn’t get the down time she normally does during the summer as her new status meant a slew of public appearances. After discussing things with coach Neal Marshall, they decided it would be better for her to skip the fall World Cup races and get out of Calgary to do something different.

She will rejoin the speed skating team in Calgary in early December and return to competition in Calgary at the Canadian championships.“I’m going to do some cross-country skiing just so I could keep my fitness up and be using the same leg muscles,” said Klassen. “It’s really exciting. It’s to get mentally ready for the next four years and I’m going to be hungry to come back onto the ice.”

She’s rented an apartment in Canmore, where she’s loving the mountain scenery and peaceful surroundings, and will stay until the end of this month. Klassen has been roller skiing — “I’m really bad at it,” she said — and is looking forward to getting out on the snow when it comes.

She’ll join the Canadian cross-country team for several training sessions, although she won’t work with fellow Olympic champ Chandra Crawford, who’s left to compete in Europe. Before leaving, Crawford set Klassen straight on what restaurants and coffee shops to frequent in her hometown.

Klassen’s number of appearances over the summer weren’t over the top, but it was a tough adjustment for an athlete who was mostly under the radar on the road to Turin and isn’t comfortable in the spotlight.“I find that pretty difficult,” she said. “It’s gotten a lot easier because I’ve been doing it a lot more. But I’d rather be off to the side and let someone else do the talking for interviews and stuff like that. So it was a big change for me this last season.”

She enjoyed interacting with the kids at school appearances she made for the McDonalds’ Olympic Day runs and getting to film a cameo on Corner Gas and a television commercial for sponsor Manitoba Telecom Systems, in which a bison wears her skinsuit in a race on the ice and winds up stretching it.

But it’s clear the trip that had the most profound effect on her was the one she made with the Mennonite Central Committee to visit their sponsored HIV/AIDS projects in Nigeria and Ethiopia, where there’s no snow or ice and no one has ever heard of speed skating. “I found it really inspiring,” said Klassen. “I found that even though the people are in such a desperate state, they have so much hope as well, they’re living off of hardly anything, but they’re so full of joy and they’re just very beautiful and loving people. It was a really good experience, an eye-opening experience.

“In speed skating, you’re always worried about getting the proper nutrition and the proper workouts or massage and stuff like that. It’s all about you and trying to improve yourself. I think it’s great to be able to do other things for other people as well.”