Edmonton’s David Ford wins silver medal at World Cup whitewater slalom paddling competition.
(Canadian Sport News)

MERANO, Italy- David Ford of Edmonton posted his best result this season on Sunday with the silver medal in the men’s K-1 (kayak singles) event to conclude the third stop on the whitewater slalom World Cup paddling circuit.

Daniele Molmenti of Italy took the gold followed by Ford, the reigning World Cup champion and second at last year’s world championships. Thomas Schmidt of Germany was third. ‘’My focus is very much on the Olympic Games but it’s nice to get a good result here,’’ said Ford, 37, headed to his fourth Games this August in Athens. ‘’After each of my runs I was standing in first place so I was the guy to catch which was a nice feeling. I really like the way I attacked the course this weekend.’’

Mike Holroyd of Edmonton was 27th and Pierre Levesque of Montreal 37th.

In the women’s K-1, Elena Kaliska of Slovakia was the winner followed by Mandy Planert of Germany in second and Marcela Sadilova of the Czech Republic in third.

Margaret Langford of Lions Bay, B.C., reached the final and placed a season high seventh. Jennifer Gratto of Chalk River, Ont., was eliminated in the opening heats for 24th spot.

In men’s C-1, James Cartwright-Garland of Ottawa reached the semifinals and placed 18th overall.

Ford, Langford and Cartwright-Garland, are Canada’s Olympic entries later this summer in Athens. The trio heads now heads to Athens for five weeks to train on the Olympic course. ‘’It’s going to be a very physical and intense
training period for our team,’’ said Canadian national team coach Shaun Pearce.

Canada's Golden Men's Four and Eight Strike Again in Munich.
(Canadian Sport News)

Canada won five medals today - including golds in the men's four and men's eight events - at the BearingPoint Rowing World Cup in Munich, Germany.

"We had a better day that we expected at this point and it's a good start to our World Cup campaign," said Canadian National Team head coach Brian Richardson. "In addition to the four and eight, it was great to see the men's pair, women's pair and lightweight double perform well today. We've learned a lot here and now have training time before the Lucerne World Cup to further develop our crews."

The men's four of Tom Herschmiller of Comox, B.C., Jake Wetzel of Saskatoon, Sask., Barney Williams of Salt Spring Island, B.C., and Cam Baerg of Saskatoon proved that they have staying power - beating the Germans to win gold. Germany put in a strong fight and crossed the line less than a second after Canada. The British four, who were expected to give Canada its biggest challenge, finished in fifth place.

The Canadian men's eight, the boat to beat in this event, also did not disappoint today. The eight won gold followed byGermany in second and the Netherlands in third. "I was nervous going into the race because of the expectations, but we had to trust our abilities," said Kevin Light, two-time World Champion in the men's eight. "Racing is always fun after winter training, and we realize that the training we put in is still right for us.

"But Germany is tired of us winning, so they put a real good push on at the 1000-metre mark," continued Light. "And in Lucerne (for the next World Cup), USA and Romania will be there, so we're going have to be even better."

The 2004 men's eight members are Jeff Powell of Winnipeg, Man., Scott Frandsen of Kelowna, B.C., Andrew Hoskins of Edmonton, Alta., Adam Kreek of London, Ont., Chris Jarvis of St. Catharines, Ont., Darren Barber of Victoria, B.C. Kevin Light of Sidney, B.C., Joe Stankevicius of Dundas, Ont., and Brian Price (cox) of Belleville, Ont.

The women's pair of Darcy Marquardt of Richmond, B.C. and Karen Clark of Delta, B.C. were second, with Great Britain winning. Although Clark has rowed in this event in the past three World Championships (with Jacqui Cook), this is Marquardt's first World Cup in Canada's top pair.

The lightweight women's double of Fiona Milne of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. and Mara Jones of Aurora, Ont. also took silver today after finishing second to Germany.

The men's pair combination of veteran racers - Dave Calder of Victoria and Kyle Hamilton of Richmond, B.C. - picked up a bronze medal today, followed by South Africa in second.

The Canadian women's eight of Sarah Pape (cox) of Toronto, Ont., Karen Clark of Delta, B.C., Romina Stefancic of Victoria, B.C., Sabrina Kolker of West Vancouver, B.C., Roslyn McLeod of Burlington, Ont., Andréanne Morin of Montreal, Que., Jacqui Cook of Burlington, Ont., Pauline Van Roessel of Bow Island, Alta. and Anna-Marie DeZwager of Victoria, B.C. finished fifth in the final of this event.

The lightweight men's four, after a disappointing semi-finals, won the B final today and finish in seventh place overall in its boat-class. "The lightweight men's four probably had the toughest field here," said Brian Richardson. "They are strong and looking for a better result in Lucerne."

Canada’s Jaret Llewellyn soars to record jump at water skiing Masters.
(Canadian Sport News)

PINE MOUNTAIN, Georgia- Jaret Llewellyn of Innisfail, Alta., soared to a meet record for the gold medal in the men’s flying jump Sunday to complete a super weekend for Canadians at the Masters water skiing champion.

The Masters is regarded as the most prestigious competition in the sport after the world championships. It is an invite-only competition.

Llewellyn uncorked a 294 foot leap in his first of three attempts and the distance stood through the entire seven-man final. He earned $14,000 (U.S.) in prize money. Freddy Krueger of the U.S., came dramatically close to winning the gold leaping 293 feet on the final jump of the day. Jason Seels of Britain was a distant third at 274 feet.

It’s the first time in four years that the 290 foot plateau has been surpassed. Llewellyn holds the world record at 299 feet. ‘’The conditions were great for the first jump and I decided I was going to take advantage of that,’’ said Llewellyn. ‘’So I went a little bit crazy and actually bit off more that I thought. There was nothing textbook about the jump. It was totally raw.’’

The flying jump, a distinct feature of the Masters tournament is a more spectacular version of the regular jump event in water skiing. The water skiers rope is 30 feet longer and the boat speed can attain a maximum 45 miles per hour instead of 35 mph. Llewellyn hit the ramp at 43 mph on his opener.

Llewellyn was also fifth in men’s tricks with 10,560 points.

In junior competition, Jason McClintock and Whitney McClintock of Cambridge, Ont., who are brother and sister, continued a 30-year family winning tradition as they collected two gold medals apiece. ‘’To win the overall here is a big deal for me,’’ said Jason McClintock. ‘’As the competition advanced I saw that I had a chance. I just did the best I could especially in slalom and jump which are not my best events.’’

It was also solid day for another top Canadian junior Jenna Mielzynski of Brampton, Ont. She was second in women’s jump and third in both slalom and overall. Louis-Pierre Hélie of Montreal, also one of Canada’s top-ranked junior alpine skiers, was fourth in jump and seventh in slalom.

Elmore closing in on Olympic time.
The Daily Courier (Kelowna)

It's just a matter of time.
Malindi Elmore took another long stride toward the Olympic standard in the 1,500 metres during the weekend with a suspenseful third place at the Home
Depot Invitational track and field meet at California State University in Dominguez Hills, Calif.

The 24-year-old Kelowna runner recorded a personal-best time with a clocking of four minutes 7.60 seconds, bettering her previous best mark (4:09.73) set April 18.

To qualify for the Canadian Olympic team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Elmore needs to reach the Olympic standard of 4:05.08 and be among the top three runners to do so at the Canadian Olympic Trials in Victoria July 9-11. "Considering that I ran alone in front for most of the race, and that there was a strong wind on the backstretch, I believe it's (Olympic standard) definitely within reach," said Elmore, sounding more excited about the possibilities as the weeks go by leading up to the national championships. "Once I get into a race on a calm day with people running the entire race with me, things should fall into place nicely."

Elmore ran a strong race throughout on Saturday before a large crowd and a
live NBC television audience which included her parents Doug and Brenda Elmore in Kelowna. She took a big lead from the gun, as the rest of the field hung back to let her fight the wind alone. Nonetheless, she ran perfectly even splits for the first three laps. "She was almost lulled into thinking it felt more like a time trial than a race," said her coach, Mike Van Tighem, formerly of Kelowna, but now teaching and coaching in Calgary.

A group of three women broke away from the pack with about 200 metres to go, and began to close the gap on Elmore in the next 100 metres. Elmore, unaware that things were changing behind her as she entered the final straightaway, she was caught by the winner, 31-year-old U.S. Olympian Shayne Culpepper with about 40 metres to go. Canada's Kate Vermeulen also passed her a few strides from the finish.

"Usually you can see, hear or feel the runners behind you and that brings in the final gear, but the crowd was so loud, I didn't experience any of that," said Elmore, from Calgary, where she is studying at the University of Calgary and training with Van Tighem. "At first I thought the crowd was cheering for me, but when Shayne pulled up beside me, I knew it was for her.

"If I had known they would be able to make up so much ground so quickly, I would have run the straightaway that much harder. I was still running strong, but they had the momentum going for them." Van Tighem also expects Elmore to continue to shave time off her PB in upcoming races, starting with the Payton Jordan U.S. Open May 31 at Elmore's alma mater Stanford University. "With the right conditions it can happen (Olympic standard). We're seeing what a healthy Malindi has had the talent to do for a long time," said Van Tighem. "April was 'let's see where you're at' month; May is a 'fine-tuning' month; and June is a 'go for it' month. "I'd say she's right on schedule."

Canadians praise Athens' new facilities.
(The Toronto Star)

World diving champion Alexandre Despatie can't say enough good things about it. World Cup whitewater kayaking champ David Ford is equally laudatory. They are both enthused about the facilities in which they'll compete for Olympic medals in Athens this summer.

Nothing but horror stories have come out of Athens - partially completed facilities, stadiums without roofs and traffic gridlock, to name a few - but many Canadians who have competed there in test events this year are telling a different story.

Despatie, a threat to win in both the three-metre springboard and tower, is a big fan of the Olympic Aquatic Centre in Maroussi where he'll be diving for glory. "The pool is amazing," he said. "The tower is very well structured. The springboards are unbelievable."

A lot has been made of the fact that the swimming pool won't be covered, but Canadian swimmer Mike Mintenko brushed those concerns aside recently, saying they have all competed outside in similar conditions at some point in their careers.

The picture Ford paints of the whitewater kayaking venue is quite spectacular - the first third of the course being an aqueduct, the river being an actual bridge with a big left-hand sweeping turn that comes under itself for the finish line, which is surrounded by a Roman style amphitheatre for spectators with traditional, hockey-style sky boxes at water level.

The whitewater site for the 2000 Sydney Olympics at Penrith was thought to be quite something, but Ford says it could be fit into the change rooms in Athens. "The scope of it is massive," he said. "It is like the Australia course but on steroids, though perhaps I shouldn't use that term."

When Ford was in Athens in February, he thought the entire city looked like a construction zone. It still had that feel when he returned for a World Cup last month, but he came away much more optimistic. "The difference from February to April was quite amazing," he said. "I don't think it will be pretty but they might actually pull everything off."

That remains to be seen, of course. It would be a great shame to see athletes who have trained so hard their whole lives have their biggest competition compromised because of poor conditions for their events. It rests on the heads of the International Olympic Committee to make sure that doesn't happen since they're the ones who, against the better judgment of most observers, entrusted the 2004 Games to Athens.

McInnis and Stevenson crowned Canadian marathon champions.
(Canadian Sport News)

OTTAWA- Matt McInnis of Toronto made his first ever marathon race a memorable one on Sunday morning. He placed seventh overall and was the top Canadian in the men’s race at the Canadian marathon championships, which was part of the 30th annual National Capital Race Weekend.

McInnis, 29, took the national title while Elly Rono of Kenya won the gold medal overall. Mustapha Bennacer of Algeria was secondand Aldredo Arevalo Reyes of Guatemala third. Bruce Deacon of Victoria was the next best Canadian in ninth and Steve Osaduik of Nanaimo, B.C., 11th.

‘’I’m just happy that I felt good in the last 10 kilometres,’’ said McInnis, who is completing his studies in medicine at the University of Toronto. ‘’That’s the part of the race that is the most important. I had done a couple of half marathons and some training runs to test my fitness. That had gone pretty well so I was feeling confident but still pretty nervous.’’

In the women’s marathon, 31-year-old Nicole Stevenson of Toronto was the top Canadian placing third. Russia was 1-2 with Lioudmila Kortchaguina first and Alevtina Biktimirova second.‘’Nicole was the favourite and she showed she’s our top marathon runner,’’ said Martin Goulet, the director for endurance programs for Athletics Canada. ‘’She’s shown a lot of consistency in her recent performances. And she has the potential to go a lot faster.’’

Carol Howe of Winnipeg was fourth and Kristina Rody of Whstler, B.C., fifth.

Canada won’t have any entries in the marathon at the Olympic Games. Sunday’s race was the last opportunity to qualify. No Canadians met the time standard.

Baby keeps Catriona on her toes: Now, Greta's the one exercising her.
(Calgary Herald - Trent Edwards)

Only the tuque was spared. Just as Catriona Le May Doan spoke of the unpredictability of both speed-skating races and babies, up came her newborn's breakfast. In her first public appearance, in front of a scrum of photographers and a TV cameraman Wednesday morning, week-old Greta Munro Le May Doan proved her mom's point in the most innocent way.

Le May Doan, who retired in 2002 after winning her second Olympic gold 500-metre speed skating medal and being named Canadian athlete of the year, rushed inside her northwest Calgary home cradling her first child. Greta had lasted about 10 minutes in the Calgary Flames pyjamas that covered her from neck to tiny toe. A few minutes later, the refreshed pair popped back into their back yard to continue the photo shoot. Though mom and daughter sported all new clothes, except for Greta's Flames tuque, both were content again.

Catriona and her husband Bart Doan are happy to deal with normal baby problems after Greta's difficult birth. During Le May Doan's caesarean section May 19, doctors found that nine-pound Greta had inhaled feces. The newborn had to be rushed to a special care room to have her lungs cleared and be put on oxygen for a few hours. "As soon as she was born, they whisked her off. I was freaking out," said Le May Doan. "My blood pressure dropped and I felt like I was going to throw up."

Le May Doan, 33, expects to give a few motivational speeches and interviews for the CBC at the Canadian Olympic Trials in June. She heads to Athens in August to work on Summer Olympic Games features for CBC. "Every day we've been out and about. She travels well," said Le May Doan
with a smile Wednesday.

So far, Le May Doan says the main difference between being a speed skater and a mother is the lack of sleep as Greta exercises her lungs each night. "That's the big difference. In training, you sleep all the time. With this, you don't sleep nearly as much," says Le May Doan.

Dean of Kinesiology Receives City of Calgary Community Achievement Award.

I have the pleasure of informing you that the Faculty of Kinesiology Dean, Dr. Ron Zernicke, was named the 2004 recipient of the City of Calgary Community Achievement Award in the Education category. For those who have had the opportunity to work with Ron, you will appreciate that he is a most deserving recipient.

Ron was granted this prestigious award at a formal ceremony at City Hall on May 26. This award recognizes Ron for enhancing learning opportunities forCalgarians and bringing recognition to Calgary due to outstanding academic achievement in his field.

More specifically, he was recognized for his contributions to education in the Faculty of Kinesiology’s undergraduate and graduate programs; his outstanding initiatives in educating the greater community by convening public forums in various topics related to health and wellness; and his impact as a mentor, supervisor, and lecturer to the numerous students who have benefited from his expertise and example.

Ron’s nomination included supporting letters from numerous individuals testifying to his outstanding contributions and achievements in community life. Statements such as “Dr. Ron Zernicke is an accomplished educator who supports and encourages his Faculty members” and “he provides consistent, enthusiastic support and guidance to students during their program of study” are just some of the many reasons why Ron is deserving of such recognition.

We are delighted that Ron has been granted this award. On behalf of the Faculty of Kinesiology, congratulations Ron!

Dr. Tina Gabriele
Acting Dean - Faculty of Kinesiology

Fund and Games: Are We Willing to Pay for Success? Lobby Loud and Often, Amateur Sport Funding needs to Intensify.
(The Toronto Sun - Jason Paul)
Series: Part 3 of 3

With the Athens Olympics just four months away, the debate over funding for amateur sports in Canada will intensify. In this three-part series, The Sun's Jason Paul looks at Canada's commitment to gold:

--
Lobbying efforts to attract government support for amateur sports have come up a mile short, according to the former cabinet minister in charge of sport.

"There's a lack of interest," said Liberal Member of Parliament Paul DeVillers, who was secretary of state of physical activity and sport for two years until Prime Minister Paul Martin shuffled his cabinet in December. "There's support for sport and physical activity in caucus but nobody talks a lot about it."

DeVillers, who spoke with every major amateur sports official in Canada during his time as minister, says the reasons funding doesn't come as easily as other areas the government spends on is the intensity of lobbying efforts.

"Polite lobbying is fine, but if you want to find new funding, the sports community has to do a better job of lobbying and make a considerable amount of noise. It would make such a difference," said DeVillers, who is chairing an all-party caucus on sport and physical activity. "They need to be in the press telling stories of athletes and how to develop the system, and not just to the federal government but all levels of government."

The federal government raised its annual funding in last week's budget from $90 million to a record-high $100 million. The Canadian Olympic Committee and other special interest groups were campaigning for a $50-million injection. Last year's federal contribution amounted to about 0.06% of its $140-billion budget.

"Historically, the sports community has not had a lot of experience with lobbying," COC CEO Chris Rudge said. "There isn't that experience like in business or arts and culture that are more politically organized. We've started to get into it more in the past year and we'd like to get the sports community more active."

The only major advocacy group is Sport Matters, an Ottawa-based volunteer lobby group founded four years ago that represents 60 sports organizations on a shoe-string budget.

"It's a tug-of-war of the squeeky wheel gets the oil versus not biting the hand that feeds you," Sport Matters leader Victor Lachance said. "We have to act more like a squeeky wheel. Sport is an industry just like any other sector. Beer companies try to destroy each other, but if the feds try to limit their market, they get on board together. Sports people have to come together as a group like that instead of fighting just for themselves."

CROSS-CANADA TOUR

Minister of state for sport Stan Keyes, DeVillers' successor, embarked on a cross-Canada tour last month to meet with sports officials. DeVillers, as others do, feels the time to talk is over. "There's been a lot of consultations and we're beyond that now,"DeVillers said. "We're at the stage where we need to put our money where our mouth is."

A problem, DeVillers says, is that government is more inclined to look at short-term investments. "Decision-makers have a hard time looking beyond three or four years," he said, pointing to the long-term healthcare benefits of a strong sports system. "The political system doesn't work that way."

According to the federal government's Canadian Sport Policy, conservative estimates suggest that illness from physical inactivity costs $2.1 billion annually in direct healthcare costs in Canada.

"Intangibles like that don't show on the balance sheet, but an economic case can be made for this," said DeVillers, who feels having the sport portfolio under the heritage ministry and physical activity under health is the wrong decision. "I remain optimistic, but we have some roadblocks to raise the public awareness."

There's a federal election coming. There's an important issue you are asked to raise with your candidates. Ask the federal government to invest in sport and physical activity way more than it is now.

Why is this important? Children and youth are not involved in sport and physical activity enough to benefit their health. In 2002, less than half (44%) of Canadian youth reported participating in organized sport at least once a week. A year later it was worse -- just over a third participating (38% in 2003).

In other countries, like Australia, over three-quarters (78%) of youth participate at least once a week. Other countries like Australia spend more than Canada does on sport. With a population of 19 million (two-thirds of Canada's), Australia spends $157 million annually on sport (50% more than Canada). Canada spends $100 million.

Tell your candidate that you want our kids to be healthier! Tell your candidate you want the federal government to spend the equivalent of 1% of the Health Canada budget on getting kids into sport and physical activity.
That's about $300 Million.

Ask your candidate these questions:

1. Do you support spending the equivalent 1% of the federal Health budget on sport and physical activity to get our kids active?

2. What will your party do to support more money for getting children and youth into sport and physical activity?

3. Do you have kids? Are they physically active in sport?

Benefits of sport and physical activity: better health and well-being…

1. Sport and physical activity are important components of healthy living:
- Longer life
- Higher resistance to diseases
- Improved physical functioning

2. Sport and physical activity also act as "preventive medicine" and reduce health care costs.

Sport and physical activity contribute to healthy communities and child and youth development …

3. Community sport is second only to the family in potential to transmit values to children

4. As a major contributor to community social life, sport is an important part of our culture, traditions and identity

5. Participation in sport and recreation develops self-esteem, self-discipline and responsibility among Canadian youth; sport encourages a positive identity, especially for troubled youth.

Sport has positive economic spin-offs…

6. Sport's contribution to GDP is similar to that of forestry, printing and mining with direct positive impacts on manufacturing, retail and services

7. Hosting sport events can have a major economic impact.

For supporting reference data, please go to www.sportmatters.ca