Lindsay Alcock (Calgary) defended her Calgary World Cup title from last season in convincing fashion, setting new start and track records on her way to achieving a 1.16 second advantage over Michelle Kelly (Prince George, BC) who came back from a sixth place first heat, to win the silver medal. Maya Pederson-Bieri of Switzerland took the bronze medal. Tristan Gale- USA, Olympic gold medallist, was fourth and Diana Sartor- GER was fifth.

In the men's competition, Jeff Pain (Calgary) set a new track record in the first heat, on his way to his first medal of the new season. Duff Gibson (Calgary), was second 0.24 seconds behind Jeff. Gregor Stahli of Switzerland, reigning World Cup Champion, was third, followed by Kazuhiro Koshi of Japan in fourth and Dirk Matschenz of Holland in fifth.

Lindsay Alcock in action at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. (COA/Andre Forget Photo)

Other Canadian finishes were Mellisa Hollingsworth (Lacombe, AB) in 8th place, and Deanna Panting (Calgary) in 11th in the women's competition which had twenty-four competitors from 12 nations. In the men's field, Paul Boehm (Calgary) had difficulties with his first start, and finished 11th, while Turc Harmesynn (Calgary) finished in 15th.

Teresa Schlachter, Head Coach of the Skeleton Program commented, "this is a great day for Canada, a great start for our new season. The preparations for this, from the track crew, coaches, medical support and especially the athletes, has shown that we are ready!"

DID YOU KNOW? Beijing plans to spend nearly 20 million dollars on tapping geothermal energy for powering the Olympic Green, one of the main venues of the 2008 Olympic Games. The project, to tap underground steam and hot springs to heat or cool buildings, will be completed by 2006 and will heat 400,000 square metres at stadiums and gymnasiums.

Cindy Klassen skates to her third 1,500 meter speed skating World Cup title in three weeks. Her performances so far prove her to be a force to watch this year. (Reuters/Jerry Lampen Photo)

"I was surprised to win by over a second," said Klassen, a naturally gifted athlete who has also competed at a high level in hockey, in-line skating and lacrosse. "I was still feeling the effects of yesterday's race (Klassen placed 11th in the gruelling 5,000 metres). I wasn't sure how I would fare, but my coach just told me to concentrate on what I do best. It went very well."

Kristina Groves of Ottawa made another appearance in the top-10 finishing ninth. Clara Hughes of Winnipeg, a silver medallist Saturday in the 5,000, was 17th. Tara Risling of Medicine Hat, Alta., was fifth in the B Group race.

In the B group race, Mark Knoll of Regina was 13th, Dustin Molicki of Calgary 16th, Steven Elm of Red Deer, Alta., 19th and Jamie Ivey of Ottawa 20th.

In the World Cup 1,500 standings, Klassen leads with a perfect 350 points followed by Pechstein at 280 and Jennifer Rodriguez of the U.S., fourth in Sunday's race, third at 220. Groves is 10th.

POWELL FALLS SHORT OF U.S. OPEN RACQUETBALL TITLE

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Mitzi Hunt, U of M Media Intern) - Coverage from the 2002 Choice Hotels 7th U.S. OPEN Racquetball Championships presented by the United States Racquetball Association (USRA). This is the seventh year for racquetball's premier "grand slam" event, which features all of the top pros from both the Ladies Professional Racquetball Association (LPRA) and the men's International Racquetball Tour (IRT).

Canadian athlete Lori-Jane Powell, ranked No. 9 going into the event, seemed confident during her first match against Robyn Perrin (Antioch, TN). After falling behind in the first game of the match, Powell admitted to "slightly letting off the gas, while she (Perrin) came from behind." Powell finished strong the last three games, and ended with a victory.

Powel then faced No. 8- seeded Kim Russell (Austin, Texas) in the next round but fell short of a victory. Powell stated, "I never found my groove out there." The first game of Powell's match seemed to be slow, but her powerful serves took control of the second match. Russell, however, never lost consistency and had what it took to win the match.

Powell's next stop on the tour will be the 2nd week of December in Denver, Colorado. Her determination will bring her back next year in Memphis for the 2003 U.S. OPEN Racquetball Championships.

Riding a wave of telepathic good vibes from her mom Andrée, in Whistler, BC, Janyk clocked the second fastest time in the final run to vault into 10th place with a time of 2:28.62. Forsyth, of Nanaimo, BC finished 8th overall. "Two seconds after I turned my phone on, my mom was ringing through. She was so happy she was screaming," Britt said. "My mom sends me messages by telepathy and I find them through the air - just loving mom wishes."

In 22nd place after the first run, Janyk cruised through Seebees Run on the Olympic Mountain at Park City and watched racer after racer fail to meet her standard.

"It's exciting to see your name on top of the leaderboard for so long - it's where I see myself moving to more regularly," Janyk said. "The atmosphere on the team is great. Alli said she heard my result up top and it really pumped her up. We know if one of us is there the other can be, too."

"There will be a lot more top-10s this year," said technical team head coach Mark Sharp. "We need two in the top three, then I'll be happy. The women are stepping up and I know there's more in there."

TRIVIA: What is the only Latin American country to have hosted the Olympic Games? (See below for answer)

LATE ADDITION: BOBSLEIGH RESULTS FROM
THE FIRST WORLD CUP OF THE SEASON

CALGARY, Alberta (Bobsleigh Canada Release) - In the first heat on Friday, Christina Smith of Calgary at the helm with rookie brakeman Maria Gallo of Guelph, ON set a new Canadian women’s track record of 57.23 seconds, shaving 4/10’s off the old record set last season by Christine Fraser and Paula McKenzie at 57.64 seconds. Smith and Gallo ended the night in 8th place with a combined time of 1:54.97.

On Saturday, Canada 1, piloted by Olympian Christina Smith and rookie brakeman Buffie Babb, 31 of Winnipeg, finished ninth with a combined time of 1:55.34, 1.40 seconds off the winning mark.

The next FIBT Women’s Bobsleigh Tour event is on November 29 & 30 in Park City, Utah, at the site of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games this past February.

IN THE NEWS:
PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE SUPPORTS
CALGARY CENTRE FOR OLYMPIC EXCELLENCE

CALGARY, Alberta (CODA Release) - The Canadian Paralympic Committee announced Monday its official support for the development of the country's first Centre for Canadian Olympic Excellence in order to finally permit Canadian athletes to compete on a level playing field with athletes from leading sport countries.

The first Centre will directly benefit almost 1,000 elite athletes. Developed with extensive input from athletes, coaches, and national sports organizations, the Centre is modeled on successful initiatives that have propelled athletes in Australia, the United States and Europe to international dominance and more Olympic and Paralympic medals.

"For Canadian athletes to continue to succeed and climb the ladder of success, we need the first Centre for Canadian Olympic Excellence," said gold medallist Earle Connor, who captured the world record for the men's 100 metre at the Sydney Paralympics in 2000. "Developing a culture of excellence like other leading countries already have in place is critical if we want to be the best."