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Sport Performance Weekly
January 29th, 2007 |
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The Canadian Sport Centre Calgary received a $50,000 donation from Hudson’s Bay Company (Hbc), the first of seven annual contributions to be made by the retailer in support of Canada’s amateur athletes. The much needed funds will be used to fund Fuel For Gold, a program that ensures Canadian athletes have proper nutrition while training to compete on the world stage.
”To be the best in the world requires looking after every aspect of the athlete’s needs, including optimal nutrition - an essential daily component of their training regime,” said Dale Henwood, President, Canadian Sport Centre Calgary. “Our athletes need all the assistance they can get and the support Hbc is giving the sports centre will directly impact our nutrition program - an initiative that allows athletes to have a much needed meal in the middle of their hectic training day. Hbc’s donation will allow us to incorporate this program as a staple in our athlete support services catalogue.”
Olympic gold-medalist Hayley Wickenheiser appreciates the new Fuel For Gold program. “Our team finishes practice at 11:30, so it’s very convenient for us to be able to go for a healthy lunch at the Dining Centre that we know is well prepared and ready within minutes of stepping off the ice. It saves me time and money… and I can eat lunch with other athletes, which is a bonus. Support that goes directly to athletes and their training facilities is a huge help in the industry of amateur athletics.”
“Providing optimal nutrition is fundamental to achieving podium performances. Athletes know the importance of eating well; it has a direct effect on their training response and health. In turn, healthy athletes can do the full training program or more”, says Kelly Anne Erdman, Registered Dietitian for the CSCC. “The bottom line is that well nourished athletes will perform consistently in training and in competition.”
“We’re proud to be a part of our Canadian athletes’ success on the world stage,” said Diane Gordon, Director, Hbc Foundation. “This donation is one of several that directly impacts their training and their ability to compete - so that they can continue to make our country proud.”
In 2004, Hbc won the bid to become the official clothing and luggage supplier for the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Teams for the 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The contract also includes a commitment from Hbc to raise $20 million over the next seven years to fund Canada’s amateur athletes, their national training centres and sport organizations. The donation to the Canadian Sport Centre Calgary is part of this multi-year commitment. |
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HEERENVEEN, The Netherlands- Cindy Klassen of Winnipeg beat two of her biggest rivals in the sport to win the gold medal in the women’s 1,000 metres on Saturday at a World Cup long track speed skating competition.
Klassen, in her first World Cup race this season, clocked 1:16.55. Anni Friesinger of Germany, who won the first three 1,000-metre races this season, was second and World Cup leader Chiara Simionato of Italy was third.“I was hurting so much in the last lap and felt like I lost so much time that I didn’t think I would wind up with the win,” said Klassen, a five-time Olympic medallist at the Turin Olympics last year, who focused on training in the fall after a busy off-season. “But I had a great first lap, one of my best ever. Overall I was pleased I think my endurance will improve with every race.”
Shannon Rempel of Winnipeg, second the 1,000 World Cup standings, was sixth.
Brock Miron of Calgary was sixth, the best 500 result of his career. Mike Ireland of Winnipeg was 11th and Vincent Labrie of St-Romuald, Que., was 19th.“This is the first time this year I’ve done a 500 the way I wanted,” said Miron, in his fourth season on the national team. “My biggest problem has been my first 100-metres and today I had a lot better execution. In the 500, the better the opener, usually, the better the result.”
Cindy Klassen also won the silver medal in the 1,000 metres with Germany’s Anni Friesinger acquiring her fourth victory in the 1,000 metres this season. “I try not to get to caught up in the hype when Anni and I face each other in a pair, but it’s great for the fans and for the sport,” said Klassen, who won five medals at the Torino Olympics last year. “It was a very exciting race. She’s a great pair for me because she has a great start and I have to play catch up to her. I was really pleased with my race because I had a lot more left in the tank at the end.”
Brittany Schussler of Winnipeg posted one of the best World Cup results of her career finishing sixth in 1:17.80, Shannon Rempel of Winnipeg was eighth and Krisy Myers of Lloydminster, Sask., was 21st. |
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Airborn News
SAINTE-ADÈLE, Que., – Victory for Olivier Rochon of Gatineau, Que., in NorAm freestyle ski competition Sunday was a surprise in more ways than one.
The aerialists did not receive intermittent scores, following the first of two rounds, so when final results were announced Rochon, 17, learned he was the winner and team-mate Sean Butler was the bronze medallist.
“I was actually expecting second or third because I was a little off-balance in the air on my first jump,” admitted Rochon, one of the newest members of the Canada Post National Development Team.“This shows I’m capable of being on the podium in NorAms, but with other guys doing triples I thought it was going to be hard,” said Rochon after capturing his first-ever NorAm medal.
“At the beginning of the season, everyone was wobbly. But we’ve just worked really hard and really concentrated in training.”Butler, 20, is also among several athletes recruited to the aerials squad, as part of the Own the Podium program that’s looking to qualify medal-contenders for the 2010 Olympics.
“My jumps didn’t feel that good, but I was sixth in my first NorAm and fifth in my next. So I keep moving up,” said Butler, a long-time gymnast and trampolinist who hopes to try his first triple flips in competition next month.
The previous day, members of the Canada Post National Development Team also emerged with three medals. In men’s aerials, Rémi Belanger of Terrebonne, Que., captured the silver medal and Jean-Christophe André of Montreal the bronze, while Geneviève Tougas of Terrebonne, Que, emerged with a bronze in women’s aerials.
“I’m very happy. I did two good jumps,” said Belanger, a former world-class, age-group trampolinist whose parents were among family supporters watching from the sidelines.
The prospect of qualifying for the Olympics is a motivation, but Andre said Saturday’s bronze medal merely represents progress. “Just because I got a medal today doesn’t mean I’m so good, because I think anyone on our team can do that another day.”
A recruited trampolinist, Tougas had never had skis on her feet until her first jump in water-ramp training the summer of 2005. “It’s my first NorAm medal and I hope it will continue,” said Tougas, who was also second at the Quebec championships earlier this month. |
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Matt Morison, 19, of Burketon, Ont., captured bronze Sunday in a World Cup men’s parallel slalom in Nendaz, Switzerland. He is the first Canadian male other than four-time World Cup overall champion Jasey-Jay Anderson to finish on the podium in one of the alpine disciplines since his current coach, Mark Fawcett, was second in Chile in 2002.
“It was an awesome day, just absolutely huge for me,” said Morison, who beat some of the circuit’s most decorated veterans in the head-to-head racing, including Austrian Siegfried Grabner for the bronze. “Yeah, they were like ‘Man, who is this kid?’ A lot of guys couldn’t believe it. I’m still pretty much an unheard-of rider, coming out of nowhere.”
A World Cup rookie, Morison was 35th and 44nd in his first two events this season, but fifth and 11th in Bad Gastein, Austria, earlier this month and then 10th in parallel slalom and 12th in parallel giant slalom at the world championships in Switzerland 10 days ago. “He’s definitely ahead of schedule, but we’ll take it,” said Fawcett. “First heat, against the best Italian, Roland Fischnaller, he ripped that guy to shreds. Out of the start, first 10 gates, he was just destroying people today. These are world-class winners and champions and he just made them look dumb, especially Grabner.”
Anderson finished 21st. On the women’s side, Caroline Calve of Aylmer, Que., was top Canadian in 16th, while Alexa Loo of Richmond was 32nd. |
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Ottawa, ON – Swimming Canada announced today that Joel Greenshields of Calgary, AB will been added to Canada’s World Championships Swim Team set to compete in Melbourne Australia in March.
Greenshields was added to the team as member of the Men’s 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relay after Colin Russell of Burlington, ON had to withdraw due to an injury. “It is very exciting to have Joel added to the FINA World Championships. Joel is by far one of the fastest up and coming swimmers for Canada on the international stage” stated Pierre Lafontaine, CEO and National Coach for Swimming Canada. “His abilities will be a great compliment to keep our men’s relays in the race to be the best in the world. We wish a fast recovery to Colin as he prepares for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.”
The 2007FINA World Aquatic Championships will be Greenshields’ second taste of international swimming as he competed for Canada at the Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria last summer. At the 2006 Summer Nationals, Joel finished 5th place in the 100 freestyle with a time of 50.18. He also picked up two 7th place finishes in the 50 and 200 freestyle events.
In 2004, Joel was a Victor Davis Memorial Award recipient and part of the Canadian 4x100 freestyle relay age group record setting team. He was named Swim Alberta’s Outstanding Male Age group Swimmer of 2001 and currently holds 6 provincial records.
Eighteen year old Joel Greenshields currently trains at the University of Arizona under Frank Busch and swims for the University of Calgary Swim Club under Coaches Jan Bidrman and Mike Blondal.
The 2007 FINA World Aquatic Championships swimming events will take place from March 25 – April 1 in Melbourne Australia. |
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Canoe.ca
TORONTO - The newest innovation in helping produce more elite level Canadian golfers has nothing to do with space-age equipment advances or new swing techniques.
With the help of Sport Canada, the RCGA and CPGA are going back to basics. The result of the combined effort is a 66-page manual called the Long-Term Player Development Guide, which identifies the key stakeholders within the game and systematically outlines the role each plays in developing it in Canada.
While the guide is intended to help players of all ages and abilities, it also offers a glimpse into how Canada can produce more players like Mike Weir.
That high performance is a priority. “There’s a momentum in this country to improve Canada’s sports system,” said Dr. Steve Norris, who works at the Canadian Sport Centre Calgary and led the project. “Canada wants to win.”
One of the main shortcomings outlined by the guide is the fact that too much emphasis is currently placed on competition for young golfers. Norris and the six-person committee responsible for the LTPD guide believe that adult training regimens and excessive tournament play stall the growth of young players.
Instead, they suggest that more time be spent on hitting balls and practice.
Norris provided a school reference during a presentation on Friday to illustrate the point. “We expect players to go from Grade 1 to Grade 12 in three seasons and use the same exam,” he said. “It’s dishonest and unfair. We lose so much.”
Norris is involved with Canada’s Own The Podium program and speaks with passion and conviction about the development of homegrown athletes. He considers the golf development guide a “remarkable achievement” because it was jointly produced by two organizations that haven’t always seen eye-to-eye - the RCGA and CPGA.
The RCGA is primarily concerned with developing amateur players while the CPGA certifies teaching professionals. Those organizations combining efforts can help take golfers from their first exposure to the game until the time they turn pro.
“We have identified gaps that exist today and the action needed to create a solid framework for the development of players,” said Jeff Thompson, the RCGA’s managing director of player development. “The CPGA is an instrumental partner and delivery channel from a coaching and implementation perspective.
“Now that we’ve taken the initial step, we must start to look ahead at our implementation strategy.”
One gap that must still be addressed is what happens to players after they turn pro. They’re essentially independent contractors at that point but Norris thinks the sport organizations can still administer advice and help. He also believes they can do a better job preparing the golfers for life as a professional.
While the new LTPD guide seems to suggest that the game is currently not being taught properly, the CPGA doesn’t take that as an indictment. “The CPGA’s always had giants in education,” said Gary Bernard, the association’s director of education. “We’re just standing on their shoulders. “We’re enhancing the work we’re already doing.”
Norris is the first to point out that the real work is just beginning. All of Canada’s have started looking at taking a more scientific approach to developing athletes in recent years and have learned that the production of teaching manuals is just the beginning. “The real work starts from this point,” said Norris. |
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CALGARY—On any given day, half the students at the National Sport School are absent.
Principal Cam Hodgson is OK with that because while his students are ski jumping in Japan, snowboarding in Quebec or sliding on a luge in Germany, they are still in school.
With laptops loaned to them by the school, the students are e-mailing assignments to their teachers and receiving instruction from the school’s online-learning website. Some of Canada’s most successful athletes are products of the National Sport School.
Gymnast Kyle Shewfelt is an Olympic gold medallist, freestyle skier Deidra Dionne is a bronze medallist in aerials, hockey player Jennifer Botterill has won two Olympic golds, Blythe Hartley is world champion diver and Alanna Kraus is an Olympic silver medallist in speed skating.
Twenty past and present National Sport School athletes were on the Canadian team at the 2006 Winter Olympics and more are expected to compete in Vancouver in 2010. “Pretty much one in six of these kids will be representing Canada at some point on a world level and some of them already are,” Hodgson said. “What we’re all about is achieving excellence in both academics and sport.”
The National Sport School, which includes grades nine through 12, was established in 1994 as a joint venture of the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Olympic Development Association. A CODA study had determined that half of high-performance athletes were either dropping out of high school to pursue sport, or leaving their sport to pursue academics.
The National Sport School provides a flexible learning environment in which athletes can work training and competition around school while still getting good grades to get into a post-secondary institution. Botterill, for example, went on to get a degree at Harvard.
The school takes up a wing of Ernest Manning High School in southwest Calgary and there is a different feeling when you walk through the double doors into the hallway. It is an informal, intimate environment.
Classes start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m., but students come and go during class as they arrive from or depart to training sessions.
The swimmers bring bags of food and litres of water into the classroom as they replenish their energy from their morning pool session and fuel up for another later in the day. “Most other schools only allow a water bottle,” 15-year-old alpine skier Erik Read said. “We can’t do that here. We need to be eating all the time.”
There are students working at a table in the middle of the staff room. The Grade 9 students sit at computer terminals alongside the Grade 12s and get help from them. It looks like any typical high school except for the huge wall murals of successful alumni and the fact there are so few students around.
The majority of the 138 students are winter athletes and many of them are currently spread across the planet for training or competition. Advances in technology and communication have made it possible for the students to be virtually schooled when they are on the road.
They have the cellphone numbers of their teachers and can call them any time from anywhere. Each of the 13 teachers is an adviser to students in a particular sport in addition to the subjects they teach.
It is common for a student to approach a teacher and say, “I’m getting on a plane tomorrow and will be gone for five weeks. Can I get my materials?”
Read, who is the son of former Crazy Canuck skier Ken Read, is leaving Friday for B.C. and a week of training and racing. “Usually the teachers give us our work ahead and we can go online and get more work,” he explained. “I’m lucky because I can finish my exams right before I leave.”
Ken Read, currently head of Alpine Canada, said he had understanding high school teachers in Calgary while he pursued skiing in the 1970s, but not all athletes did.
“With the sport school, the whole thing is set up to be supportive,” he said. “It’s set up on the notion athletes are going to be coming and going. The staff understands and works with that.”
The environment was a relief to 14-year-old gymnast Sydney Sawa after attending a traditional Calgary junior high school last year. She trains five hours a day and hopes to compete in next year’s Olympics in Beijing. “Last year, getting piled on with homework and then coming home after training and having to stay up late and do all the homework was pretty hard,” Sawa said. “It was hard to keep up with the schoolwork and balance training at the same time.”“Here, the teachers are a lot more flexible. It’s a lot better and a lot more relaxed and less stressful.”
The staff doesn’t deal with a lot of the social problems of a typical high school.
Hodgson says he rarely has to be a disciplinarian and points out his students are constantly tested for drugs in their sport. None of the students smoke and obesity is non-existent.
They don’t have school dances, intramurals or team sports at the National Sport School, but they do participate in shave-your-head fundraisers and also get involved in other charity work.
Most of them are better-than-average students. They wouldn’t have reached the elite levels of their sport if they were not high achievers.
Hodgson says the school’s completion rate is almost 100 per cent and the students post grades better than the provincial average. |
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TSN Release
TSN, together with Bell Canada and Toronto-based Bradford Productions, announced Monday a new six-part, 30-minute TSN original series. Bell Spirit of the Game will explore the world of Canadian amateur sports beyond the field of competition.
From funding to training to planning for the Olympics, Bell Spirit of the Game will take you behind the scenes to meet athletes, psychologists and planners, exploring the fascinating, but often underreported world of amateur sports in Canada. Production for the series is currently underway with a launch date scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. ET. The series will air on TSN, TSN HD and TSN Broadband, and will also include a mobile component.
An award-winning team will produce the series, led by executive producer Brad Diamond and veteran documentary producer Paul Harrington. Brian Williams, the dean of amateur sports, will host the series. Bell Spirit of the Game is supported by Bell Canada, longtime champion of amateur sports across the country and proud premier national partner of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Bell Spirit of the Game balances investigative reporting with behind-the-scenes features and studio panel discussions. It will go inside the battle lines in the war against doping, look at the complexity of hosting an Olympic Games, and examine the dedication by athletes to get to the podium.
“Outside of Olympic years, amateur athletes receive little attention as compared to the professionals. This series marks the beginning of our journey to Vancouver in 2010 by raising the profile of amateur sports in our country,” said Phil King, President, TSN. “Brian Williams is recognized as an expert on amateur sports and brings his 30 years of broadcasting to the team.”
“This is why I joined CTV and TSN. There is not only a strong commitment to covering Vancouver, London and beyond, there is a strong and meaningful commitment to both amateur sport and the issues facing both amateur sport and the Olympics. And this is just the beginning,” said Williams.
Each episode will delve into intriguing - and often controversial - topics surrounding amateur athletics: how the overhaul of Canada’s national sports system is determined to put more athletes on the podium, the sensitive relationships between coaches and athletes, why Quebec has such a high success rate developing first-class competitors, and the surprising way in which Canada’s Paralympians are recruited.
Williams will also take a look at up-and-coming athletes and go one-on-one with the big names and power brokers in Canadian amateur sport. “Bell is committed to supporting athletes and connecting every Canadian to the Olympic and Paralympic experience,” said Loring Phinney, Vice-President Corporate & Olympic Marketing, Bell Canada. “We are proud to support Bell Spirit of the Game, as it showcases the best of Canadian amateur sport on the exciting journey to 2010. |
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The Calgary Herald
Her 41st birthday is only 10 days away, but Danielle Goyette wouldn’t know it when her skates are on.
“The only time I think about my age is when I put it down on paper,” said Goyette, following a four-on-four scrimmage at Father David Bauer Arena on Friday, wrapping up this week’s national women’s hockey team evaluation camp. “I don’t feel 41 at all. “As long as I keep feeling like that, I’m going to keep going.”
Goyette has been among 22 hopefuls aiming for the 2007 International Ice Hockey Federation world women’s championship in Winnipeg from April 3 to 10.
Partaker in three Winter Olympics, bearer of two gold medals and a national team member since 1991, Goyette says she feels younger than ever. “Every time I step on the ice, I feel young, younger every time,” said the native of St-Nazaire, Que. “It’s just the passion of the game. I love to play that game. “I think as long as I have that, I don’t think I’m going to be thinking about my age.”
Part of the Olympic Job Opportunity Program at Home Depot, home renovations are her passion outside of the national team and she sees herself involved in that when she finally hangs up her skates. But retirement won’t happen any time soon.
“If I was listening to people, I would have retired in ‘98” said Goyette. “A lot of people thought I should have retired, 2002, the same thing.
“If you listen to people when they tell you to retire, you’ll always regret it. . . . And you’ll know when it’s time. “For myself, as long as I’m going to be able to keep going with those girls—I’ll keep going.” And boys.
Players from the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Calgary Canucks were thrown in the mix during Friday’s scrimmage. During the week at Father David Bauer, the national team played against the Calgary Midget AAA Royals, Northstars and Flames of the Alberta Midget Hockey League.
Katie Weatherston, a forward from Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., said the bar was definitely raised. “The competition has been great playing the boys,” said the 23-year-old from Thunder Bay, Ont. “They push you to be your best.
“I just hope to bring that back to my team and have a good season at school.”
The players will return to their respective post-secondary institutions and National Women’s Hockey League teams and wait for the final roll call in March. “You have to prove you can stay on this team,” said Weatherston. “The thing that’s great about this team is that there’s great players coming up and you really have to earn your spot.”
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