January 22, 2004 — Lindsay Alcock continued her dominance of the World Cup skeleton tour by winning her second gold medal of the season today in Lillehammer, Norway.

The 26-year-old from Calgary sat in third place after the first run, then posted both the new push track record, to capture the gold medal. Her teammate, Michelle Kelly, of Fort St. John, B.C., set a new track record and led after the first run, but had to settle for the bronze medal after some trouble on her second descent. The other Canadian entered in today’s race was Mellissa Hollingsworth, of Eckville, Alta., who came fifth. American Lea Ann Parsley was the other podium finisher with the silver medal.

Alcock and Kelly now sit in first and second place respectively in the overall standing after podium finishes in all three World Cup events.

In men's competition, Kristan Bromley of Great Britain continued his domination of the men’s world cup circuit taking the win with a convincing 1.37 second margin. Duff Gibson of Calgary, AB put together two solid runs on this technically challenging track to finish in third place. Jeff Pain’s first race after returning from a foot injury saw him overcome a 32nd place start order to finish in 7th place. Paul Boehm finished in 8th place and Nathan Cicoria was 27th to round out the Canadian results.

“I’m extremely pleased with how training went this week; this was my first time on this track and I had great support from my team mates during training,” said Gibson. “All aspects of my sliding are coming together – my push start has been getting faster and I am becoming more consistent with my driving.”

“The break in my foot has healed and I am pleased with how the race went today,” said Pain. “I think this is a huge step forward for me as I work towards the World Championships at the end of February in Königssee, Germany.”

The men’s and women’s teams now head to Sigulda, Latvia to prepare for the next World Cup skeleton race on February 7.

Three Canadians on podium in Aerials World Cup.

FERNIE, B.C. -- Aerialist Veronika Bauer derailed her own World Cup slump by capturing a silver medal at the Fernie World Freestyle event Sunday.

And two teammates continued their successful aerials seasons, as Steve Omischl of North Bay, Ont., and Ryan Blais of Grande Prairie, Alta., were respective silver and bronze medallists in men's aerials.

It was Bauer's second medal of the season, but the first one -- also a silver -- came in late summer in Australia. Her recent competitions in Europe and North American had proved frustrating, as her best of those four starts was 14th.

But she made her first final since Australia by qualifying sixth Sunday, with a solid landing in the first round, and carried that confidence into the final round. "Landing is a feeling; you have it or you don't," said Bauer. "You can be told how to be in the right place, but I just didn't have that feeling."

Bauer, 23, also sensed she was about to end her slump. "I was starting to find the confidence, so I wasn't that upset. I was jumping well in training," she said. "Even in Tremblant and Lake Placid (the last two weeks), when I didn't compete well, I was still training well."

The 2002 Olympic champion, Alisa Camplin of Australia, won her fourth World Cup of the season to remain a healthy first in the women's overall aerials standings. Elizabeth Gardner of Australia was third. The other Canadian women competing were Deidra Dionne of Red Deer, Alta., in eighth, and Amber Peterson of Thunder Bay in 14th.

Both defending Olympic aerials champions won Sunday, as Ales Valenta of the Czech Republic prevailed in the men's final. Omischl was second, with his fifth medal this season, while Blais was third.

The North Bay aerialist, who maintained his lead in the men's overall standings, couldn't complain after being sidelined since Tuesday with a strained hamstring. "This morning I thought I had a five per cent chance of competing, but I took a bunch of Advil and Tylenol," said Omischl.

"My butt is killing me right now, but I thought I was going to be a scratch."

Blais was jumping terrifically last year when he broke his fibula in the Fernie aerials event and missed the remainder of the season. "This is total redemption," said Blais, 24, after capturing the fourth World Cup medal of his career.

Jeff Bean of Ottawa was fifth. Ryan Snow of Calgary was 11th, Kyle Nissen of Calgary 17th, Cord Spero of Grande Prairie, Alta., 18th, and Manuel Holden of North Bay, 23rd.

Canada posts decisive win over Poland to open men’s water polo Olympic qualifier.
(Canadian Sport News)

RIO DE JANEIRO (CP) -- Dusan Lazarevic of Toronto scored three goals to lead Canada to an 8-4 victory over Poland Sunday, on the opening day of the men's water polo Olympic qualifying tournament.

Kevin Mitchell and Thomas Marks, both of Vancouver, Adam Deffett of Hamilton, Ont., Vladimir Cosic of Calgary, and Regina's Noah Miller added singles for the Canadians. "It was imperative that we win this game," said Lazarevic, named Canada's player of the game. "It really gives us a lot of momentum. We had to win it and we did a good job."

"It was a good team game," said Canadian coach John Csikos. "We had to not only win the game but also prove we were better than Poland. And I think by doubling the score, we did that. That'll get us some respect for the rest of the tournament."

The top three finishers in the 11-country tournament earn a berth at the Athens Olympics. Canada, ranked No. 14 in the world, is in the six-team Pool A, along with Poland, No. 9 Croatia, No. 11 Germany, No. 12 Romania, and Puerto Rico.

Croatia defeated Romania 7-5 in other Pool A action Sunday, while Germany blasted Puerto Rico 13-3. In Pool B, Russia defeated Slovakia 11-7 and Brazil hammered Argentina 9-2.

Ireland and Wotherspoon finish 1-2 in showdown at speed skating World Cup.

HARBIN, China- Mike Ireland of Winnipeg and Jeremy Wotherspoon of Red Deer, Alta., earned gold and silver respectively in a showdown confrontation in the men’s 500-metres on Sunday to conclude the third stop on the long track speed skating World Cup circuit for the sprinters.

The Canadian bullets were the second to last pair of the day and showed why they’ve been the top two in the event this season. Ireland clocked 35.31 seconds to complete a weekend sweep in the event and Wotherspoon, who has won the other four 500 races this season, was
second in 35.46.

‘’I had a solid race overall,’’ said Ireland, who has beaten Wotherspoon three times this month. ‘’I was slow off the line so I had to chase Jeremy down but I settled down on the corner and had a solid lap. It was nice to repeat Saturday’s performance. It’s a little bit different having a teammate in the lane beside you but the bottom line is you know you’re in for a fast race. I wasn’t surprised that we were 1-2.’’

In the World Cup 500 standings after six of 12 races, Wotherspoon remains first 550 points while Ireland jumped from fourth to second at 390.

Wotherspoon praised his teammate. ‘’When Mike gets confident he’s capable of doing very well,’’ said Wotherspoon. ‘’And it’s good for the team to have the two of us battling for the gold medals.’’

In the men’s 1,000, Gerard Van Velde led the Netherlands to a medal sweep. Ireland was fourth and Wotherspoon sixth.

In women’s competition, world sprint champion Marianne Timmer of the Netherlands won the 500 and 1,000 on Sunday to complete the weekend with three victories in four races.

Kerry Simpson of Melville, Sask., posted an eighth place in the 1,000 for the second straight day.

Double victory for Canadians in World Cup Dual Moguls action.
(Freestyle Skiing Release)

Fernie, BC -- It was a shocking double victory for the Canadians in Suzuki World Cup freestyle ski action Saturday, as Elisa Kurylowicz of Manotick, Ont., and Jim Schiman of Cranbrook, B.C., both won gold medals in dual moguls.

It was each skier's first-ever World Cup medal, as Kurylowicz, who had stayed off skis most of the week, to rest an injured groin, defeated Jillian Vogtli of the United States in the women's final.

The double victory was also the second time ever, and second time this season, that Canadian men and women hogged gold in World Cup moguls. Earlier this month, in Tremblant, the winners were Marc-André Moreau of Chambly, Que., and Stéphanie St-Pierre of Victoriaville, Que.

"I barely skied, I barely trained this week," said a shocked Kurylowicz, who twice has finished fifth in World Cup moguls, but no higher than ninth this season.

The irony of her victory is that speed is a more important factor in dual moguls than it is individual moguls. "For me, speed is a weakness, so duals push me to go faster," said Kurylowicz, 22. "I really had to make a mental note to turn on those turbo jets."

Defending champion St-Pierre also had a shot at the podium, but lost the bronze-medal dual against Shelly Robertson of the U.S. "I was a little disappointed not to win another medal," said St-Pierre, 18, who lost her semi-final to the eventual gold medallist, who's commonly called Cookie by her teammates and friends.

"But the fact Cookie won, it really doesn't matter that I came away without a medal," said St-Pierre. "I'm really, really happy for her. I've been there, and it was her turn."

Sylvia Kerfoot of Vancouver was the last qualifier for the quarter-finals en route to finishing eighth. Jennifer Simm of Prince George, B.C., who was third in qualifications, emerged 10th, and Jennifer Heil of Spruce Grove, Alta., was 11th.

It was another stunning upset in the men's final, as Schiman, coming back from reconstructive knee surgery eleven months ago, defeated Nathan Roberts of the U.S. to win the gold-medal dual for by far his best performance this season.

Twice previously he has finished fifth in World Cup action. "After everything I've gone through, especially with the injury (and rehabilitation) the last couple of seasons, it's been a long time coming," said Schiman, 29.

Traditionally known to be better in dual moguls, rather than individual moguls, he added, "It's something I always knew I could do. There were times you feel it's not going to happen, but you have to keep believing."

Vladimir Tiumentsev of Russia won the bronze medal. The other Canadian quarter-finalists were Marc-André Moreau of Chambly, Que., and Jean-François Therrien of Laval, Que., who finished 10th and 12th respectively.

Sara Renner battles 70-km Italian monster to finish 8th at world cup cross country ski event.
(CODA Release)

Moena-Cavalese, ITA-It may have been the most gratifying, yet longest four hours in Canadian cross-country skier Sara Renner's life.

The Canmore, Alta., native finished eighth in Sunday's Marcianlonga, a 70-kilometre ultra marathon similar to Ottawa's Keskinada, that has more than 5,000 people jockeying for position on trails and roads covered in man-made snow that winds its way through towns, farmer's fields and the occasional backyard.

"I am completely exhausted and my back feels like a big block," said Renner, who traditionally specializes in short-distant sprint races. "That was the craziest thing I have ever competed in. It shows our sport is the full-meal deal with disciplines ranging from one-kilometre races to long-distance marathons."

The 27-year-old Renner, who completed the race in a time of three hours 42 minutes 17.4 seconds, is proving she is ready for any distance thrown her way. Sunday's result marks back-to-back eighth-place finishes on the World Cup. She finished in the same spot at last week's sprint in the Czech Republic.

Exhausted, sore and running out of gas, Renner's eyes were like saucers focused on the podium until the final 10-kilometres. "I got off to a great start and was back-and-forth in third and fourth for the first 60 kilometres," said Renner, whose husband, Thomas Grandi, made history down the road in Kitzbuehel, Austria on Sunday, becoming the first Canadian to earn a World Cup slalom medal with a second-place finish. "With 10-kilometres left, I bonked. A group passed me, and I hung on as best I could, but I had no energy left, and was running on fumes to the end."

Italy's Gabriella Paruzzi was the first woman to come barging up the downtown street, and enter the finish coral at the city's main square. Valentina Sheuchento, of Ukraine, was just two minutes off the pace, grabbing the silver while Manuela Henkel, of Germany, rounded out the top three.

Canada's young male cross-country skiers also enjoyed a successful day in Italy. George Grey, of Rossland, B.C., and Chris Jeffries, of Chelsea, Que., finished a reputable 36th and 44th respectively.

The Norwegian men had little trouble battling the Italian monster. Anders Aukland grabbed the gold, while teammate Joergen Aukland finished third. Sandwiched between them in the silver medal position was hometown favourite Giorgio Di Center of Italy.

Welcoming Olympic gold medalist, Beckie Scott, back to the team in Europe on Tuesday, the Canadian World Cup contingent will take advantage of week without competition to get in some high-altitude training in Italy, and get some first tracks on the Olympic trails set out in Turin, Italy. The World Cup circuit picks up again in two weeks when the world's best cross-country skiers glide into France.

Lueders and Zardo take gold in St. Moritz; solidify 1st place in 2-man Bobsleigh World Cup standings.
(Bobsleigh Canada Release)

Calgary, January 24, 2004 – For the second year in a row, Canada’s Pierre Lueders of Edmonton and brakeman Giulio Zardo of Montreal have won gold in the 2-man Bobsleigh World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Canadian duo set a track record this morning to win their third World Cup of five World Cups held so far this season. Today’s victory positions them firmly in 1st place atop the 2-man Bobsleigh World Cup standings with 167 points.

Lueders and Zardo posted a track record time of 1:06.46 in their first run and went on to win the gold medal at the fifth World Cup of the FIBT Bobsleigh Tour, which was also the European Championships. Germany 3’s Christoph Langen, who trails Lueders in the World Cup standings, finished in second while Switzerland’s Ivo Ruegg finished third.

“It’s great to win two years in a row in St. Moritz but it’s especially nice for us to win today at the European Championships,” said a satisfied Lueders. “We had good starts, good driving and obviously the runs we had last week at the Europa Cup (held January 15 on the St. Moritz track) helped a lot. I was concerned about getting too complacent on this track but Gerd (Canadian men’s national bobsleigh coach Gerd Grimme) figured it could only help us and the strategy worked. But I don’t think some of the European teams were too happy about us walking away with their championship.”

Canada 2’s Jayson Krause of Okotoks, Alberta and brakeman Nathan Cunningham delivered their best performance of the World Cup season, finishing 11th in a field of 28 sleds from 17 nations.

On Sunday, Lueders and his crew of Al Hough of Newmarket, Ontario; Ken Kotyk of Saskatoon; and Giulio Zardo of Montreal, finished fourth in the 4-man Bobsleigh World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Germany’s André Lange, undefeated in the 4-man World Cup season to date, set a track record en route to winning his 4th-straight World Cup. USA1 pilot Todd Hays earned the silver, while Ivo Rüegg of Switzerland delighted the local fans by winning the bronze medal. Lange now leads the 4-man World Cup standings with 135 points. Pierre Lueders is tied for sixth place overall with Todd Hays with 89 points.

Athlete Feature: Clara Hughes and Jeremy Wotherspoon on staying healthy, motivated and pain free.
(Karen Clark - The Calgary Herald)

When it comes to speed, power and endurance, these two athletes have an edge. Olympic medallists Jeremy Wotherspoon and Clara Hughes are two of the fastest skaters on the planet. And they're willing to share the secrets of what makes a body achieve the ultimate in sport.

It all starts with enjoying your activity. "Always find pleasure in what you do -- exercising is a gift," says Hughes. "For me, being fit is something that equals health. A fit body can do anything."

For Wotherspoon, brain power is a critical factor. "On the day of a race, the hardest thing is being mentally ready," he says. "I have a certain chain of events I follow. I get up two hours before a race, I have a meal that's easy to digest and I warm up off the ice and on the ice for 30 minutes."

Hughes and Wotherspoon's athletic accomplishments should entitle them to honorary degrees in physiology. Hughes is a three-time Olympic bronze medallist. She won two medals in cycling at the 1996 Atlanta Games and picked up another at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games in 5,000-metre long track speed skating. She is the first Canadian to win a medal at both the Summer Games and Winter Olympics.

Wotherspoon won silver at the 1998 Winter Olympics and has since won the overall World Cup title in the 500-metre and 1,000-metre events five times each. He holds the world record for sprint combined points and was undefeated last season in the 500.

But snacks are vital. "Fruit is my most common snack -- especially apples -- I also eat Power Bars, cereal, granola bars, crackers and cheese."
Pain management "I don't really think of pain as a negative," says Hughes, whose events are considered the most gruelling. "It's more a gauge of if I'm working hard enough. I look at pain as a challenge of how far I can push myself."

And at the age of 31, Hughes does not see herself slowing down. "Age is not an issue. Women, especially, get better with age. I don't see my age as a limit."

Coping with pressure
"It all depends on how you perceive pressure," says Wotherspoon. "No one puts pressure on me unless I allow them to." Wotherspoon has made a huge comeback after a devastating fall at the 2002 Games. Last season, he won the overall sprint world title, the overall world title in the 500-metre (undefeated) and broke the outdoor world record for the same distance.
"Obviously, I didn't do what I wanted to at the Olympics. But I learned that if it all came down to one race every four years, it wouldn't be worth it.
"The No. 1 thing for me is to have fun and enjoy it."

Sticking with a program
"Find something you love to do," says Hughes. "If you like the exercise you are doing you will want to continue. Exercise with friends if you need guilt as a motivator. We train in a group twice a day and often get to the rink because we count on each other." One of Hughes's favourite workouts is a long bike ride in the mountains. "I would urge anyone to drive to the front range of the Rockies and breathe the clean mountain air. Bragg Creek to Elbow Falls is a glorious ride and not too far of a drive to get to the point of departure."

For Wotherspoon, sticking with any exercise regimen is about focus.
"It's hard to be motivated unless you have a goal -- something you are working towards. Even if you just want to be fit, have a target you are aiming for." He says boredom is the death of any program, so make sure at least once a week your chosen exercise is fun and engaging.

Hughes's secret to success
"When you get to this level, everyone is good, everyone is talented and everyone works so hard. For me, the difference is staying healthy. The biggest challenge is not getting sick two days before you compete."
Hughes uses an anti-cold, anti-flu product called Cold-fX. "It saved me." Cold-fX is a preventative medicine with a concentrate of immuno-boosters from North American ginseng. She also stays healthy with regular massage and chiropractic therapy. "It enables me to train at this level. It's about injury prevention, not just recovery."

Wotherspoon's secret to success
"The breakthrough for me came after I won the first World Cup race. I really didn't know if it was a fluke and if I could do it again. Ever since, I approach every race with the attitude I am still going to go for it. "You never know what you might be capable of if you don't set any limits."

Here are their top tips for the rest of us.
Cross-training
"Cross-training is fantastic," says Hughes, who has been a member of Canada's national cycling and speed skating teams for the past three years.
"A lot of people I run into do only one sport or exercise and they tend to level out and aren't getting the results they want. "You can increase your metabolism with cross-training because you're not adapting." Hughes says she runs, rides, skates, lifts weights and does agility exercises. "Picture a track and field athlete warming up -- things like leg kicks, jumping jacks, tuck jumps -- anything that makes you feel springy and fast."

Rest and recovery
While Hughes competes in the long distances, Wotherspoon is a sprinter. For him, 10ths of a second are the difference between glory and defeat. After almost two decades in the sport, he understands the value of rest and recovery. "Rest is equally important as training," he says. Wotherspoon lays low on rest days but does what he calls "active recovery," which includes massage, physiotherapy and hot and cold therapy. "It enables my muscles to recover so I can be ready to train even harder the next day."

Nutrition
Hughes believes nutrition is a critical element of her training regime. "What you put in your body fuels you," she says. "I try to eat a whole-foods diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. I eat a lot of protein as we are always tearing up our muscle fibres in training and need to repair them." Hughes says she never eats anything labelled "diet" and thinks of aspartame as poison. She recommends lots of water and confesses to having a piece of chocolate on occasion.

Wotherspoon's meals are centred around meats such as fish, tuna and ham.
He stays away from caffeine and takes vitamin supplements. "I start with the meat and I add rice, noodles, potatoes, yams or squash. "And I try to eat as much salad as possible and add vegetables to meals any way I can."
He eats a lot of carbohydrates for energy and says his biggest meal of the day is lunch.

Karen Clark was an Olympic medallist
in synchronized swimming at the 1996
Atlanta Olympics. She is freelance
journalist in Calgary.

Canadians volunteer at Olympics; 2,000 pay own way to Greece.
(The Windsor Star / CP)

Hundreds of Canadians of Greek background are anxious to work for free this summer just to experience the pride of welcoming the Olympic Games home to the land of their ancestors.

"It's an opportunity of a lifetime," said Constantine Bonnis, 24, a self-professed Olympic groupie who will spend two weeks volunteering at the Summer Games.

In the past, he's cheered on Canadian athletes from the comfort of his living room. But with the Games returning to Greece for the first time in more than a century, the Vancouver financial analyst has worked for two years to get others "psyched up" to volunteer.

"I'm not an athlete, unfortunately," he said, "but there are other ways to participate. Volunteers are just as important as the athletes."
Bonnis will be working at track-and-field events at the Olympic Stadium, where among his likely tasks will be making sure athletes have water bottles and competition numbers.

Bonnis is one of more than 2,000 Canadians willing to pay their own way to Greece to volunteer at the Games. Competition has become fierce as some 138,000 people from around the world have applied for about 60,000 volunteer spots at the Olympics (Aug. 13-29) and Paralympics (Sept. 17-28).

Applications at www.athens2004.com are being accepted, especially for people with specific skills in medicine, sports or rare languages. Aspiring performers for the opening and closing ceremonies will be accepted until Saturday.

Canadians rank seventh in countries with the most applications outside Greece, Olga Kikou, volunteers manager of the 2004 Games, said from Athens. The United States leads the list of foreign volunteer applications, followed by Spain, Germany, Australia, Britain, Cyprus and Canada. About 46 per cent of the 2,100 Canadian applicants are of Greek origin and most are within a few years of 18, the minimum age requirement.