Thomas Grandi

Thomas Grandi wins Alpine World Cup, first for Canada in a decade.
(National Post, with files from Reuters)

It is a ritual Thomas Grandi knows well.

On the eve of every World Cup race, the competitors gather for a bib draw to determine the starting order. Young skiers from local clubs are enlisted to present each racer with their assigned number, a tradition observed two nights ago in Alta Badia, Italy.

Not long after Mr. Grandi stepped on stage to slip the No. 10 bib over his head, he made the sort of promise he has been waiting 12 long years to keep. "A little kid from the local ski club came up to me and asked me for my autograph and he said, 'I think you are going to win tomorrow,' " a jubilant Mr. Grandi said from Italy yesterday afternoon. "I said, 'Really, that's great.' Then he asked me if he could have my bib after the race. I said, 'Listen, since you predicted that I'll win ... if I do win, I'll give you my bib."

Mr. Grandi was as good as his word, handing over his No. 10 to the boy following a historic victory in the giant slalom. The win was the first of Mr. Grandi's World Cup career. It was also the first by a Canadian male technical skier.

Two hours removed from a wildly emotional celebration in the finish area at Alta Badia, Mr. Grandi was still grappling with the enormity of what he had done. "Definitely my biggest day as a ski racer, and one of the best days of my life," he said. "It's the sort of thing that isn't going to sink in until tomorrow morning. In Kitzbuehel, when I came second, I woke up a couple of times in the middle of the night and I reached out and I had to touch my trophy to make sure it was actually there, because I felt like I might have been dreaming." "And I think it is going to be the same thing today ... I'm ecstatic."

Mr. Grandi wasn't the only one.

The steep and icy Gran Risa course that the Canmore, Alta., resident mastered in a two-run combined time of two minutes and 34.23 seconds was lined with his supporters. Mr. Grandi is Italian-born. His parents lived in Trieste. And 32 years ago they were on a ski holiday in the Dolomites -- just a few kilometres away from yesterday's celebrations -- when Mr. Grandi's mother went into labour.

She was rushed to the hospital in Bolzano, where she gave birth to Thomas, on Dec. 27, 1972. The Grandis applied to emigrate to Australia two years later, but were rejected. So they moved to Banff, Alta., where the son, who could have been raised on a surf board, became an alpine star instead.

Mr. Grandi's Italian roots still run deep. The finish area at Alta Badia was packed with banner-waving relatives and friends, who erupted as Mr. Grandi's name flashed to the top of the leaderboard. "There is some sort of a connection between me and this valley," he said. "It is somewhat of a second home ... Any racer will tell you it is the best GS [giant slalom] of the year; it is really, really challenging. It was really icy today, and it's a classic GS, so for me to be able to win here ... it's amazing."

Mr. Grandi, who has five top-15 finishes this year, is now third in the giant slalom standings, behind Austria's Hermann Maier and American Bode Miller. Yesterday, he took the sort of aggressive line that Mr. Miller, the overall World Cup points leader, is famous for.

"I really forced myself to let the ski go down the fall line as much as I could, and then make a quick switch into the new turn," Mr. Grandi said. "I don't put myself in the same league as Bode as far as running a straight line -- no one can run as straight a line as Bode -- but he's showed me and the rest of the world that that's how you win races." Mr. Grandi's remarkable second run put him more than half a second ahead of his closest rival, Austria's Benjamin Raich. Mr. Maier tied for third with Switzerland's Didier Cuche, while Mr. Miller was disqualified for missing a gate.

Mr. Grandi's teammate, Ste-Flavie, Que., native Jean-Philippe Roy finished fifth, earning the best result of his career. "When we hugged in the finish, Thomas was yelling and was even more excited when I told him I was fifth," Mr. Roy said.

Mr. Grandi almost never made it to his greatest moment. He has been hampered by a bad back in recent years, and often toyed with idea of putting away his skis for good. "It wasn't just once or twice; there were several times when I thought it might be better for me to pack it in, but I just had this deep-seated belief that I could do it," Mr. Grandi said. "I've always believed that I had the physical skills to do it, but I just haven't been able to put it together. A big part of skiing is the mental game, and it has taken me a long time to learn how to race well."

It was the first win in any discipline for the Canadian men in 10 years, since a downhill triumph for Cary Mullen in Aspen. "This is such a great atmosphere," said Mr. Grandi, who chatted in fluent Italian to local journalists. "There is no technical race on the World Cup in Canada and this amounts to a home race for me. "I may be nearly 32 but I still feel young and motivated. I knew I had the capacity to win."

In the 1970s and early 1980s, the Crazy Canucks had an impressive reputation in downhill racing with Ken Read winning five times and Steve Podborski eight.
But no Canadian man had won a technical race since the World Cup began in 1966-67. Even among the Canadian women, it is 10 years since the last giant slalom victory.

Mr. Grandi hopes to play a part in changing all that in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics on home snow in Whistler. "I want to help the young guys to come up and prepare a strong team for Vancouver," he said after being mobbed by his team mates in the Alta Badia finish area.

Pierre Lueders

Lueders pilots Canada 1 to four-man medal at bobsleigh world cup after gold in two-man.
(CODA Release)

Cortina, ITA-Less than two weeks ago Lascelles Brown had never made a trip to a World Cup podium. Enter Pierre Lueders, and quickly the new recruit to the Canadian program has racked up three podium finishes in his Visa sled including a bronze medal in Saturday's four-man Bobsleigh World Cup event in Cortina, Italy.
Edmonton's Lueders and Brown, who joined the Canadian squad from Jamaica, joined Ken Kotyk of Canora, Sask. and Morgen Alexander of Calgary to win the first four-man medal for the country in more than a year. Lueders grabbed a silver medal last year as well. The Canadian foursome posted a two-run time of 1:45.15.

"We are very happy with the team's performance and it was a great week in Italy," said Gerd Grimme, head coach of the Canadian men's bobsleigh program. "I don't think we knew how good Lascelles really was, but he is definitely a keeper and is getting stronger. The four-man team just needs to continue being more consistent and we'll find ourselves on the podium more often."

Lueders and Brown clicked immediately. The duo also claimed the two-man title on Saturday and slid to a silver medal in Austria last weekend. Saturday's bronze completes Brown's World Cup medal collection.

The Canadian team received a bit of luck from their friends south of the border to boost them onto the podium. The American squad, piloted by Todd Hays, was sitting in third position after the opening run, but had troubles loading at the start in their final run, dropping them into fourth position (1:45.24).

Meanwhile, the Canadian flag was also flying on top of the podium down the road in Sigulda, Austria. Duff Gibson, the reigning World Champion, slid to his first victory of the season and second trip to the medal podium. Gibson blasted his way down the Sigulda track to clock a combined time of 1:50.94. Canada's Jeff Pain finished off the podium for the first time this year. The Calgary native finished in a tie for fourth at 1:51.34.

The Canadian skeleton women weren't as successful on Saturday. Calgary's Lindsay Alcock was the top Canuck in fifth spot at 1:54.20. Other Canadian skeleton results include: Michelle Kelly of Grand Prairie, Alta. in ninth (1:54.59); Mellisa Hollingsworth of Eckville, Alta. finished 12th (1:54.94); while Deanna Panting of Winnipeg was 13th (1:55.29) in women's action. Other Canadian men results include: Paul Boehm of Calgary in 11th (1:51.85), while Nathan Cicoria of Calgary was 26th.

The Canadian Bobsleigh and Skeleton Teams, sponsored by Visa, will head return to Canada on Monday for the holiday break before the final half of the World Cup season kicks off in January.

For more information on Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, please visit us at www.bobsleigh.ca on the Internet.

Jenn Heil

Heil golden despite broken digit. Star adapts to injured right thumb by performing simpler manoeuvre.
(By JAMES CHRISTIE)

Montreal freestyle ski star Jennifer Heil had a broken right thumb that prevented her grabbing her skis to perform an airborne trick when she opened her World Cup moguls season yesterday at Tignes, France.

But that didn't hurt the 21-year-old Heil as she performed a simpler manoeuvre perfectly and grabbed gold. "I had a bit of tough luck thrown at me two weeks ago when I broke my thumb trying a 720-degree [double twist] while training at Saint-Sauveur, Quebec," Heil said in a telephone interview from France. "It was a pain. I came over here taking things as they came, without a lot of expectations. The atmosphere was great because we jumped in the village today with a big crowd around rather than on the glacier."

Heil, originally from Spruce Grove, Alta., now lives in Montreal, where she trains under Scott Livingston, the strength trainer of the Montreal Canadiens. Last year he helped her put together a string of successes that included nine World Cup wins.

Yesterday she wore a brace on her wrist and downgraded the degree of difficulty of her tricks. She had a winning score of 25.94 points. "I'd normally like to do a 360-degree grab, but because of my thumb I went for a 360-degree iron cross, crossing my skis at 180 degrees," Heil said. "It had to be perfect. It was challenging because the course was all firm, man-made snow. I felt so strong now that I'm working with Scott."

On her second jump, near the bottom of the course, Heil performed a backflip cross. "It was the first time I tried it in competition," she said. "The women are really pushing the degree of difficulty now, a year from the Turin Olympic season, so I couldn't come with anything less. It's amazing how far the women's event has come, and how quickly. You have to work hard to keep up with the new tricks."

Olympic champion Kari Traa of Norway (24.93 points) was next despite having a tougher jump, and Sara Kjellin of Sweden (24.92) was third. Elisa Kurylowicz of Manotick, Ont., was sixth yesterday. She also became the first woman to perform a back flip with a full twist. She performed it adequately while placing 10th in the qualification round, but improved it in the final to finish sixth in 24.21. "I'm pretty pleased with myself," said Kurylowicz, 23, who now has four top-six World Cup showings in her career. "I was glad to be in the top six because that was the result I was looking for."

Jasey Jay Adnerson

Canadian snowboarders sweep World Cup gold.
(CBC SPORTS ONLINE)

Jasey-Jay Anderson and Dominique Maltais made it a golden day for Canada at a World Cup snowboarding event Wednesday in Nassfeld-Hermagor, Austria. Anderson of Mont-Tremblant, Que., and Maltais of Charlevoix, Que., each won snowboardcross races to cap a successful two days for the Canadian snowboarding team.

It was Anderson's second snowboardcross triumph in as many days, while Maltais earned her first career victory on the World Cup circuit. "It is quite a feat to do two in a row like that, especially on a course that's so unpredictable," said Anderson. "I was a little tired, with qualifying, the race and training runs yesterday. By the finals I was getting a little tired, mostly in the upper body. It worked out pretty well."

Anderson, 29, edged out second-place finisher Florent Mather of France and Mario Fuchs of Austria in the final. Sylvain Duclos, also of France, was fourth.

Other Canadians in the men's event included Drew Neilson of North Vancouver, B.C., (11th); Robert Fagan of Cranbook, B.C., (14th); Tom Velisek of Vernon, B.C., (21st); and Derek Wintermans of Port Coquitlam, B.C., (38th).

Maltais, 19, beat out Austria's Doresia Krings and Carmen Ranigler of Italy in Wednesday's final. France's Julie Pomagalski finished fourth. "I'm speechless," said Maltais of first-ever World Cup win. "I'm very happy and I was expecting this first victory for so long that I had the feeling it would happen here. I found this run to be fitting my style very well."

"Two Quebecers, two Canadians winning today," said Anderson. "Our team did a little better but it still wasn't a great day for the other Canadians today. They can definitely do better than that."

Maltais, the lone Canadian in the women's event, was ninth in Tuesday's race won by France's Deborah Anthonioz. "I was ecstatic when I saw him finishing first," said Maltais of her compatriot's victory. "He was already having World Cup success when I started with this sport so he's been my model. I wanted to become the women's version of J-J."

In snowboardcross, four riders per round race against each other over a course of jumps, curbs and other obstacles. The top two advance to the next round.
Snowboardcross makes its Olympic debut at the 2006 Games in Turin.

Regan Lauscher

Diary - Regan Lauscher, The Road to Turin: Making history.
(CBC Sports Online)

It happened. I stood on the podium with a silver medal flanked around my neck and watched the Canadian flag fly proudly.

I had always dreamt about this moment – had always wanted it – but didn't expect it the day it finally came true. I woke up that morning and, like a fully bona fide meteorologist, opened the blinds to conduct my own prediction and evaluation of the weather, a ritual I conduct every morning. At 8:30 a.m. the skies were clear, but would it hold until 2p.m., the start time of the women's race.

Even after 10 years of sliding, I still get nervous before every run I take, training or race. Saturday was no different. I felt that slight churning in the pit of my stomach all morning.

To keep my mind busy, I wrote some e-mails, had a bite to eat then decided to read my book. And if I had to pick one thing that went right about that day, it was this. I opened the book that has had an instrumental affect on my performance – Mind Gym written by Gary Mack with David Casstevens.

The entire book is a collection of lessons, strategies, advice and stories of great athletes who have mastered their sport by mastering the mental game. My roommate, who began reading it earlier this fall, now plays on the number one ranked women's curling team in the country.

I thought it was worth a shot, especially since lugging around my own personal sports psychologist is less than convenient and hardly economical. The chapter I so brilliantly opened to, was titled "Be Here, Now."

It is this quote that struck me: "When you are playing your game on time, in the present, you perform at your best. Why? Because in the present, there is no pressure. Pressure is created by anxieties about the future and remembered failures from the past...Learn from the past. Prepare for the future. Perform in the present." So simple, so true, and yet so unbelievably hard to do.

Upon arriving at the track I noticed a few tiny snowflakes dancing in the air, hovering safely above the ice. I couldn't wait to race, the ice looked great. My coach Robert, came up to me and said, "are you ready?" to which I nodded.
"Then relax," he said, "let it fly, and I will see you at the bottom..as quickly as possible!"

I was third last to go on the first run. As I sat in the start handles waiting for the green light and 30 second clock to commence its count down, I asked myself, "where am I?" and my answer was "right here. Right now." With Walt by my side, and a final 'go get'em' pat on my back, I took a deep breath and went. I slid well and I knew it.

I crossed the finish line to see my time and a number one beside it. I was in first place. I was leading a World Cup! A bit confused, I had to double check with my teammates that I was, in fact, the leader. So many emotions swam through my body, I felt numb. Never having been in that position before I wasn’t sure exactly how to feel.

In between runs, I put on my head phones and tried to zone out the excitement and commotion that was happening around me. It was when I heard the announcer say "could this be the day that Canadian Regan Lauscher, ends the German streak?", when I felt my stomach drop.

The German women had won 50 consecutive World Cups, en route that day to their 51st. Luckily at that moment, I took some kind advice from an Austrian friend who has a healthy collection of his own World Cup and World Championship medals. "Don't try and make it perfect." He said, "Just go down the hill like you know how."

And so I did. When they cleared the track for me, the final sled to go, you could have heard a pin drop. I reminded myself that no matter fast the first run was, at this point it was irrelevant. A luge race consists of two runs for a reason. I knew that my job was only half done and that I needed to finish it with the same intensity and focus as when I started. This time I told myself, "all you need to do is focus for 45 seconds. That's it. Who can't do that?"

I remember anxiously sitting up after the finish line to see the clock. It seemed like an eternity before it showed my final place. And then I saw it. A number '2' displayed in huge electronic numbers. I hadn't won, but I would step onto the podium for the first time in my life at a World Cup. I would become the first Canadian to ever to win a silver medal. I would mark history as the best Canadian finish in luge. I would watch our flag rise.

Everyone was jumping for joy. There was an endless sea of people hugging, even crying in a mixture of excitement and pride. I remember friends, family, athletes, coaches, officials and fans all smiling and extending to me their congratulations. Toques off as we listened to the familiar German anthem for the 51st time, I stared at our maple leaf. I thought it would be appropriate, if not expected, that I shed a few tears. I tried, but just couldn't muster up the water works to swipe the smile across my face.

Nearly a week later, I prepare to race at home in Calgary. After reflection on my experience in Lake Placid are lessons that mean more to me now than my medal. I showed myself, my coaches, my teammates and the rest of the world that we are competitors.

Canada DOES count. We don't wake up in the morning to finish top 10, we are fighting for the podium. Yes, only three people get medals at the end of the day and it's not always going to be me, but something I can win everyday is the mental game. The challenge isn't between me and the competition, it's between me and the ice. The only thing I’m racing against is the clock.

Canada's Jeffries and Theriault rack up fourth gold medal of week at Haywood Noram Cross-Country Ski Race.
(CODA Release)

Mont-Saint-Anne, Que.-Canada's Chris Jeffries and Milaine Theriault stomped down some early season authority against most of the nation's elite cross-country ski racers this week, winning their fourth gold medal each at the Haywood NorAm event in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Que. on Sunday.

Jeffries of Chelsea, Que., who competed on the World Cup during the second half of last season, handily won the men's 15-kilometre free technique event in a time of 33 minutes 23.7 seconds to claim his fourth distance title of the week in Quebec.

"Skiing just seems automatic for me right now. I can start hard and finish hard and that is a great feeling," said Jeffries who is likely to be selected to Canada's World Championship team this week based on his performance. "I am more steady in my racing now than I have been, and that is due to my training this summer. I am very excited for the second half of the season, most importantly World Championships, but right now I can't wait to get home and have a little holiday break."

Joining Jeffries on the podium was Gordon Jewett of Toronto. Jewett, who captured the Madshus sprint title earlier this week, completed the Mont-Sainte-Anne track in a time of 34:17.4 to claim the silver medal. Dave Nighbor of North Bay, Ont., a rookie on the national senior team, claimed the final spot on the podium with a time of 34:33.0.

While Chris Jeffries was making a familiar trip to the podium on Sunday, so to was Milaine Theriault of St. Quentin, N.B. The three-time Olympian, who has been competing on the nation's premiere development circuit over the last two years after having a baby, is showing signs she is set to compete once again against the world's elite racers. The 31-year-old also captured her fourth title of the week after winning the women's 10-kilometre free technique with a time of 23:54.8.

"I am racing stronger right now than I was last year, but I'm not in my peak form quite yet," said Theriault, who added it was good racing conditions on Sunday despite a trace of fresh snow. "My goal this season was to get back to the World Cup and World Championships. I am ready to race against those faster women now, but I had to get the job done this week first."

Tara Whitten of Edmonton was the next fastest athlete behind Theriault, crossing the line in a time of 24:15.5, while Dasha Gaiazova of Montreal won the bronze medal after clocking a time at 24:50.9

Sunday's event, loaded with the countries top skiers not at the World Cup, marked the completion of five races, which are being used to determine Canada's team at February's World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany. Cross Country Canada is expected to name the team early this week.

Cross Country Canada is the governing body of cross-country skiing in Canada. Its 45,000 members are athletes, coaches and officials, including members of the Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team and Canadian Disabled Cross-Country Ski Team. Cross-country skiing is Canada's optimal winter sport and recreational activity with more than one million Canadians participating annually.

IOC rewards best television sports coverage of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games CBC honoured.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced yesterday the winners of the 2004 "Olympic Golden Rings" for the best television coverage of the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad - Athens 2004.

This year, around 30 films from various countries were presented to an international jury, chaired by the IOC Honorary President for Life, Juan Antonio Samaranch, which met from 13 to 14 December 2004 at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The award ceremony took place last night at the Olympic Museum where gold, silver and bronze trophies were awarded in three categories, as follows:

Category I: The Best Sports Coverage by the host broadcasting organisation, Athens Olympic Broadcasting (AOB)

Golden Rings: Gymnastics - Makoto Nakamura and Kostas Katapais
Silver Rings: Swimming - Greg Clarke and Ian Hirst
Bronze Rings: Canoe/Kayak Slalom - Daniel Costeris and Kostas Katapais

Category II: The Best Olympic Programme

Golden Rings: Seven Network Australia - Seven Network Australia Telecast
Silver Rings: NBC Olympics - "Games of the XXVIII Olympiad"
Bronze Rings: CBC - "Perdita Felicien Coverage"

Category III: The Best Olympic Athlete Profile

Golden Rings: Eurosport Olympic Magazine - "Heike Drechsler - One Life"
Silver Rings: NOS Television Sports Departments - "Inge de Bruijn"
Bronze Rings: ZDF German Television - "Runner's Land Ethiopia: Track and Field Athletics - Running"

Created by the IOC in 1976 and held every two years, the “Olympic Golden Rings” is an international television competition to promote the best television sports broadcast of the Olympic Games.

Strokes of inspiration; Kayaker derives biggest thrill from motivating kids.
(The Toronto Star)

It's the most gratifying thing to happen to Oakville kayaker Adam van Koeverden since winning Olympic gold and bronze in Athens.

We're not talking about winning the Lou Marsh Award yesterday as Canada's top athlete for 2004, though that was definitely a huge thrill. It wasn't when he got to shake hands recently with Prime Minister Paul Martin, either.

What has really turned the 22-year-old's crank is the effect he's been able to have on kids, including the boy who decided this past Halloween to buck the Spiderman trend and dress up as a new kind of superhero - van Koeverden.

The 10-year-old from Oakville made a little kayak out of cardboard and painted it just like the one van Koeverden raced in Athens - right down to the Maple Leaf in the same spot - and wore his baseball cap backwards just like his idol. The boy's mom sent van Koeverden a picture. "I thought that was so cool to have some kid from my own hometown think it was cool to dress up as me," said van Koeverden.

Van Koeverden was also feeling pretty cool yesterday about the company he shared on the ballot for the Lou Marsh Award - gymnast Kyle Shewfelt, cyclist Lori-Ann Muenzer and wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc, all fellow gold medallists, and pros Jason Bay, Eric Gagne, Martin St. Louis and Steve Nash, among others - as well as the former winners he joined, such as Terry Fox, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

The prestigious award is presented annually by the Toronto Star and named after former sports editor Lou Marsh, an excellent athlete as well as an NHL and boxing referee at the start of the 20th century. "I can't believe I won the same award as Terry Fox. I don't think I deserve it. He's my favourite Canadian athlete of all time," said van Koeverden.

A kinesiology major at McMaster University, van Koeverden was busy yesterday trying to squeeze in some study time for an exam tomorrow between all the interviews and congratulatory phone calls. He has had a chance to attend his fair share of dinners since his Olympic success, but is most enjoying the opportunity to share his medals and story with schoolchildren.

"To go into an elementary school and have the kids scream their heads off when I show them my race and other races and to talk about how important school is, those are the things I'm going to look back on," he said.

The remarkable thing about van Koeverden is that he's really just getting started. He mentioned yesterday he'd like to compete through the 2012 Summer Olympics, at which time he'd still only be 30. He said he doesn't think of his career in terms of how many Olympic or world championship medals he might win.

"I don't worry about it," he said. "My goals don't change. They're so simple - keep improving and keep competing at a high level. They don't equate to tangible things like winning a gold medal at the Olympics. All I want to do is race my best."

Van Koeverden certainly did that at the Olympics. First, he won a bronze medal in his specialty, the K-1 1,000 metres, the same event in which he captured silver at the worlds the year before. He wasn't a medal favourite the next day in the men's K-1 500 metres but pulled off the race of his life to win gold.

"I remember going as hard as I could through the first 250 metres and then thinking, 'The next 50 seconds are the most important of your life,'" he said. "For the next 70 strokes, I worked to make everything happen. I didn't think about winning a gold medal, I just thought about putting my best race together."

One of the adjectives most used to describe van Koeverden is cocky. He has a definite edge to him and is outspoken, but he feels he's often been mislabelled by the media. "If that's what you get from my attitude, all I am is confident in my training ... I wouldn't say I'm cocky. I still get nervous going into a race. Cocky is going into a race thinking you've already won it. I have the utmost respect for my competition."

The voting panel consisted of representatives from the Star, , the Globe and Mail, National Post, Toronto Sun, Montreal La Presse, the Edmonton Journal, CBC, CTV, The Score and Prime Time Sports/Fan 590.