‘Queen of curling’ to skip nationals, focus on Olympics.
The Vancouver Sun

CALGARY—She’s the player most identified with the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Canadian women’s curling championship, but for the foreseeable future, Colleen Jones is giving up on her bid to win a seventh national title.

Instead, the 47-year-old broadcaster from Halifax is ramping up her Olympic dreams by forming a new team featuring players from across the country—third Georgina Wheatcroft and lead Darah Provencal from B.C. and second Kate Hamer from Ontario—that won’t be eligible to compete in provincial playdowns in any of the three provinces.

“I’m excited,” said Jones, who’s played in 20 Canadian women’s championships, winning six of them. “It’s a big change in curling, looking outside your province as opposed to simply looking at who’s at your club, which is how it’s always been done. I think it’s going to be a growing trend.”

The team will go hard on the fall cashspiel circuit in hopes of building up Canadian Team Ranking System points, which are one of the main factors in determining the field for the 2009 Olympic Trials.

But under Canadian championship residency rules, the team can’t compete in playdowns leading to the Scotties.

“At the end of the day, I think everybody now—sure, they’re playing to go to the Scotties, but it’s all about the Olympics,” said Wheatcroft, an eight-time Tournament of Hearts participant and two-time champ.

“That’s all you hear players talking about now. It’s not about the Brier. It’s not about the Scotties. Those are stepping stones to the Olympics. And what’s great about the new system is that there are many other stepping stones. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be doing it this way.”

Figure skaters Marcoux, Wakamatsu, Fecteau announce retirements.
CP Wire

OTTAWA (CP) _ Figure skater Valerie Marcoux, who won three straight Canadian pairs titles with Craig Buntin, announced her retirement from competition Wednesday.
Marcoux, 27, plans to move to Columbus, Ohio, to coach. Buntin, 26, is looking for a new skating partner.

“I’m ready to move on because I’ve achieved all that I wanted,” Marcoux said in a statement. “I feel totally satisfied with my career.”

Fellow pairs skaters Utako Wakamatsu and Jean-Sebastien Fecteau also retired Wednesday. There were runners-up at the Canadian championships in 2005 and were third in 2006.

Marcoux, from Gatineau, Que., and Buntin, from Kelowna, B.C., finished sixth at the world championships earlier this year in Tokyo.

The two joined forces in 2002 and placed fourth in their national championship debut in 2003. They went on to win the Canadian title in 2004, 2005 and 2006, but were runner-up to Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison at the 2007 BMO Canadian Championships in Halifax in January.

Their best showing at the world championships was fifth in 2006. They also placed 11th at the 2006 Olympics and were fifth at the 2006-07 ISU Grand Prix final.

Marcoux began pair skating at 20 with partner Bruno Marcotte.

“Val is the most positive, persevering and fiercely competitive person I have ever met,” said Buntin. “She achieved more than most people ever imagined she could and she did so without ever being handed any gifts.”

CANADIANS VOICE SUPPORT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF CANADA’S FIRST CENTRE OF SPORT EXCELLENCE

CALGARY—More than eight out of 10 Canadians support a plan to create Canada’s first Centre of Sport Excellence in Alberta where the nation’s top athletes could train and fully prepare to deliver world-leading results at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and beyond, a new national poll shows.

According to a poll of 2,000 Canadians conducted by NRG Research, the development of the Centre of Sport Excellence in Alberta is endorsed by 83 per cent of Canadians on a national basis, with solid support across all regions of the country. Support was especially strong in Ontario and Alberta.

Using the legacy of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary as its foundation, the $276-million Centre brings together government and private sector funding to upgrade existing facilities and add new ones. The core new facility is an Athletics and Ice Complex, which will serve as the new home to Hockey Canada.

 “This poll shows it is important to 85 per cent of Canadians that our athletes be successful in Vancouver and that success is measured on winning medals,” said Bob Nicolay, president and chief executive officer, CODA, the organization developing the Centre of Sport Excellence.

“The Centre of Sport Excellence is the critical component required for success at Olympic and international competitions, and Canadians strongly support development of the facilities, programs and other resources necessary to make us all winners.”

The planned Centre, developed by CODA in association with Canadian athletes, coaches, and national sport governing bodies, is intended to make Canada a leading Olympic sports nation, while encouraging a healthier and active lifestyle amongst Canadians.

With Canada Olympic Park serving as the hub location, the Centre of Sport Excellence will centralize resources, give access to world-leading research and technology, and provide education and enhanced nutritional opportunities, while creating a culture of excellence.

Skiing: Cassels to direct World Cups in Canada.
The Daily Courier (Kelowna)

CALGARY—Alpine Canada named veteran organizer John Cassels to the newly created position of World Cup race events director on Tuesday. Cassels has been chairman of the race organizing committee at the season-launching Lake Louise World Cup for the last 14 years.

“As we prepare for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Canadian alpine ski racing is entering the most important era in its history,” Cassels said. “The staging of successful World Cup races is critical to the Alpine Canada goal of being the best in the world at every level.”

The new position was created to oversee the 10 World Cup races that take place in Lake Louise, Panorama and Whistler.