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Sport Performance Weekly
October 16th, 2007
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Samantha Cools of Airdrie, Alta., started from the new eight metre high ramp for the first time in her career and finished ninth on Saturday in the women’s supercross at a BMX World Cup competition in Fejus, France.
The same-style ramp will be used at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The Chinese city hosted the first of the two supercross World Cup events for the women.
Cools was unable to compete at the Beijing World Cup. The starting ramps were previously three to four metres in height. ‘’It was intimidating and scary,’’ said Cools.
‘’It’s not a disappointing result,’’ said the 21-year-old. ‘’There was something positive for me in each round. I learned a lot about these types of courses. It was a positive performance.’’
It was a memorable competition for Cools. ‘’This may be my last supercross on this type of course before the Games. The courses at the upcoming World Cups will be different,’’ she said.
Several riders struggled with the ramp. ‘’There were a lot of accidents,’’ said Cools. ‘’World champion Kyle Bennett had a big crash in his semifinal.’’
Cools was fourth in her quarterfinal heat after finishing her three rounds in fourth, second and fourth. ‘’It went well and I qualified for the semis,’’ she said.
In her semifinal heat she was fifth, less than three-tenths of a second behind world championship silver medallists Sarah Walker of New Zealand, who wound up fourth.
‘’I was eighth on the start grid, right on the outside lane,’’ Cools said. ‘’I had the fastest start and I settled into third spot. But I was forced to the inside on the second turn and I lost all my speed.’’
France finished 1-2 with Laetitia Le Corguille earning the gold and Amélie Despeaux second. Gabriela Diaz of Argentina was third. In the men’s race, Patrick Lebel and James Brown, both of Alberta, were eliminated in the round of 16 finishing sixth and eighth in their respective heats. |
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CBC News -
Michael Gilday flew so quickly over the ice at Calgary’s Olympic Oval Sunday that he broke a world record.
Gilday, 20, beat the 1,000-metre short-track record set three years ago, coming in with a time of 1:23:815, according to an entry on Speed Skating Canada’s website.
That time is 0.859 seconds under the previous record time of 1:24:674 set by China’s Jiajun Li in 2004 — a significant difference in the highly competitive world of short-track speedskating.
Gilday is currently on the Canadian development team, but is aiming to find a spot on the national team in January. He missed getting onto the national team by one spot earlier this season. “In terms of ranking, it doesn’t mean anything; it doesn’t help me get onto any team or anything,” Gilday told CBC News on Monday.
“But from a training point of view, it’s nice to know that I can physically go as fast as required to do a world record. So it gives me confidence when I go into a race, knowing that no matter how fast it is, I can go that fast.”
Short-track speedskating requires strategy as well as speed, with the top two finishers in each heat of four racers advancing until only four skaters remain. Races often involve a cat-and-mouse game in which skaters don’t reach their full speed until the end, as they jockey for position and conserve energy for a final sprint.
Gilday moved to Calgary two years ago to train, after attending high school in Yellowknife.
Another speedskater, 20-year-old François Hamelin of Ste-Julie, Que., beat the world record in the 500-metre race on Saturday. |
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a) Ian Bird from Sport Matters (www.sportmatters.ca) will be speaking in the Jenkins Theatre on Wed., Octo 17th at 2:00. This is open to the public. Ian will be addressing two topics:
- Given that Alberta is leading Canada, with economic and political hegemony expected for at least the next 3-5 years, how is sport maximizing this opportunity?
- Sport Matters Group has recently argued that sport in Canada is moving – or ought to be moving – towards a new economics. How can we work together to create a new economics that generates new forms of capital, strengthened partnerships with corporate Canada, and supply side economic policy frameworks that assist organizations and leaders in achieving financial growth.
b) Panel Presentation on Media and Sport, Wednesday, October 31st from 2:00-3:30 pm. The panel will be open to the public with the following panelists already confirmed:
Jermaine Franklin from TSN, Bruce Dowbiggin from the Calgary Herald, Jock Wilson from QR77, Eric Francis from the Calgary Sun and Jack FM, Chris Dornan from CODA and Joslin Green, Publisher of Player Magazine.
Potential Questions could include:
- Is there a potential of social networking websites to take value out of sports?
- How do changing tastes and media consumption habits impact the audience for sport and, consequently, the business models and revenue streams of media and marketing organisations?
- How does the emergence of sites including YouTube where the users by-pass the established sports media value chain by posting content which can be viewed free by audiences anywhere in the world have an impact?
- Can can sport retain and build its value and relevance as content in a digital media world?
- How will developing technologies impact business models and advertising opportunities around sport?
- Who will hold the balance of power in sports media?
- What’s the role of public broadcasters in the future of sport?
- Is new media a lifeline or concrete boots for ‘minority’ sports?
- Will new media mean new competition and further inflation in sports rights fees?
- How has the industry evolved and changed; what are the pros and cons?
c) Dr. Steve Norris from the Canadian Sport Centre Calgary will talk about the Long Term Athlete Development on Monday, Oct 22, 2:00 pm in the Jenkins Theatre. |
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The Vancouver Province - In just under a year from now—on Oct. 11, 2008 -- approximately 1.6 million tickets for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games will go on sale. And looking at the details and prices that have been set, it seems that the Vancouver Organizing Committee has taken a thoroughly sensible approach.
It is no easy task to satisfy the enormous demand for tickets while making events accessible to a wide range of income groups.
Of those 1.6 million tickets available, about 100,000 will be priced at $25, while half are priced at $100 or less.
The most popular events, including the opening and closing ceremonies, inevitably will be beyond the reach of all but the well-heeled.
But VANOC officials insist that the prices, ranging from $175 to $1,100, are lower than for similar tickets at the Torino 2006 Winter Games or the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Games.
And they point out with some truth that the rich who fork out big bucks for the top events will be subsidizing lower-priced tickets for many others, such as $40 to $85 for the men’s and women’s two-man bobsleigh final or $65 to $125 for the curling finals.
Some popular events—such as the men’s and ladies free skate in figure skating—will command prices in the range of $150-$450 per ticket. And punters will pay a hefty price for the men’s ice hockey gold medal game, with tickets set at between $350 and $775.
But let’s not forget that a fancy seat at a run-of-the-mill Canucks game at GM Place will set a fan back around $175.
During the run-up to the 2010 Games, VANOC has at times been accused of elitism and arrogance, but these faults are commendably absent from its decision to distribute 50,000 tickets—to events at both the Winter Games and the Paralympic Games—to people who would not otherwise be able to attend. There will be consultations with community groups and social agencies to determine where those tickets go.
VANOC is also smart to address the problem of large blocks of seats going unoccupied when ticket-holders fail to turn up after their favourite athletes or teams are eliminated.
A secure, online ticket buy-and-sell exchange program will guarantee an efficient marketplace for ticket exchanges, while confirming the validity of tickets. This should help thwart scalpers.
B.C.’ers will have no edge over other Canadians in getting access to tickets—it’s against the rules.
But VANOC has confounded cynics who predicted a Games for the rich only. It’s too early to hand out medals, but a cheer is appropriate. |
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The Vancouver Sun - Cypress Mountain, home of freestyle skiing and snowboarding events, is moving towards completion.
The freestyle aerials and moguls courses, snowboard parallel giant slalom, snowboard/ski cross courses, halfpipe as well as the freestyle surface lift have all been completed.
The new Black Mountain chairlift, venue lighting upgrades, new parking lot, aerials judges tower and site-wide high power electrical upgrades will be ready this fall. Final work on the snowmaking reservoir, pumping stations and installation of fan guns is scheduled for later this month.
In September, the International Olympic Committee inspected both snowboard and freestyle courses. Not only will Cypress host the world’s freestyle and snowboarding Olympians but it will be a location where sustainability was incorporated into venue construction.
Locally-significant plants were found growing in the small wetland identified as the site for the future snow-making reservoir. Though not required to salvage the plants, Vancouver 2010 and its partners decided to save them to benefit the park. Volunteers donned rubber boots and hard hats for a day to carefully move tiny plants to their new home nearby.
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The Calgary Sport Council is pleased to present a series of seminars and workshops designed to provide coaches, parents, volunteers and sport administrators with current information from experts involved in various aspects of sport. Your participation in these seminars and in creating dialogue and discussion will help elevate sport in Calgary.
If you have any suggestions for seminar or workshop topics please email us with your suggestions to info@calgarysportcouncil.ca or call us at 403-387-7772.
SEMINAR SERIES FALL 2007
Parents role in sport
Dr. Natasha Kutlesa
Although the coach is considered to have a major impact on a child’s enjoyment and continued involvement in sport, the parent also plays a significant role. A child’s experience in sport is often determined by the role and support offered by the parents. This session focuses on how parents can contribute to a positive growth experience through sport and the role they play in ensuring their child remains active and involved.
Thursday, October 18 6:30 – 8 pm
Talisman Centre for Sport & Wellness Riverview Room
Officiating & Refereeing
Sheri Wilson
This seminar will be a discussion of dealing with parents/coaches/athletes, game/match control and the shared responsibility and working dynamics of competitions.
Tuesday, October 23 6:30 – 8 pm
Talisman Centre for Sport & Wellness Riverview Room
Recruitment, Retention and Recognition
Trudy Gahlinger
Volunteer management has become an increasingly complex component of non-profit operations. Discover the 3 R’s of working effectively with volunteers.
Tuesday, November 6 6:30 – 8 pm
Talisman Centre for Sport & Wellness Riverview Room
Nutritional Needs for the Female Athlete
Kelly Anne Erdman
Sport requires athletes to place careful attention to their nutritional needs. This seminar will explore nutritional needs for female athletes including gender differences and unique concerns such as eating disorders among athletes. Seminar is lead by Kelly Anne Erdman 1992 Cycling Olympian and Registered Dietician.
Thursday, November 15 6:30 – 8 pm
Canada Olympic Park - Olympic Hall of Fame Theatre
Long term athlete development
Dr. Stephen Norris
Dr. Norris will discuss the new Canadian model of long term athlete development, a training, competition and recovery program based on developmental age – the maturation level of the individual – rather than chronological age. This new framework focuses on growth, maturation and development, trainability and sport system alignment and integration.
Saturday, November 24 9:00 am - Noon
Location to be Determined
Physical Preparation of Young Athletes
This session will be a general discussion about strength training basics for developing athletes.
Tuesday, December 4 6:30 – 8 pm
Family Leisure Centre - Multi-Purpose Room 8 |
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