Forest and Woolstencroft win gold at IPC World Cup.

LA MOLINA, SPA (January 12, 2009) – Lauren Woolstencroft (North Vancouver, BC / Calgary, AB) and Viviane Forest (Edmonton, AB) won today as the IPC World Cup season began with its first stop of the season in La Molina, SPA. “It’s a great surprise to be on the top of the podium. The Austrians beat us by a big margin the only time we competed against them in a giant slalom race at a Europa Cup.”

“It was really exciting to compete for the first time in a IPC World Cup. I was really satisfied of today’s result but we have a lot to improve if we want a chance to beat the Austrians tomorrow,” added Rajchenbach.

In the Ladies standing category, Lauren Woolstencroft (North Vancouver, BC / Calgary, AB) won again with Karolina Wisniewska (Vancouver, BC / Calgary, AB) and Andrea Dziewior (Nanaimo, BC) in 4th and 7th place respectively.

Chris Williamson (Markham, ON) along with guide Nick Brush (Panorama, BC) finished second in the visually impaired male category while Kathleen Forestell with guide Lindsay Debou and Carly Grigg with guide Julie-Christine Roy-Ruel finished 3rd and 4th respectively.

Josh Dueck finished in the top 15 as he ranked 12th in the sitting skiers male category. Arly Fogarty (Montréal, QC) did not start the race today and Matthew Hallat (Coquitlam, BC) and Morgan Perrin (Vancouver, BC) were among those who did not finish the race.

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Humphries and Lueders Close in on Bobsleigh Podium.

KÖNIGSSEE, Ger.—Canada’s Kaillie Humphries and Shelley-Ann Brown narrowly missed the podium after finishing fifth in women’s World Cup bobsleigh action in Königssee, Germany on Saturday. "That was a really good result for Kaillie who is on the rebound after a difficult start to the season,” said Tuff Latour, head coach, Canadian Bobsleigh Team. “They had two really good starts and she is looking forward to St. Moritz.”

Two other Canadian sleds were also entered in the women’s race. Helen Upperton, of Calgary, who won two of the opening three races on the World Cup tweaked her ribs loading into the sled on the first run. Upperton sat in the sled at the start of the second run while powerful brakeman, Jenny Ciochetti of Edmonton, pushed the Canada 1 sled. Upperton and Ciochetti were forced to settle for ninth spot.

Lisa Szabon, of Nanton, Alta., teamed up with Amanda Moreley, of Surrey, B.C., to finish 17th .

Hometown hero Karl Angerer came from behind to win Sunday's World Cup four-man bobsleigh race.

Edmonton's Pierre Lueders was eighth and Lyndon Rush of Humboldt, Sask., was 18th in the 24-sled race. "Things are getting back to normal," said Tuffy Latour, head coach of the Canadian bobsled team.

"Starting back in the draw, our goal was to get into the six-to-ninth-place range and start gaining some World Cup points back. Pierre's confidence is through the roof again. His starts are fast and so are his finish times. He is anxious to get to St. Moritz [Switzerland]."

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Skeleton racer Hollingsworth leads 4 Canadians into top 10.

CBC Sports - Mellisa Hollingsworth was among four Canadians to crack the top 10 during the opening World Cup skeleton men's and women's races of 2009 on Friday in Königssee, Germany.

Michelle Kelly, from Fort St. John, B.C., was eighth while Calgary's Sarah Reid finished 14th.

Jon Montgomery, from Russell, Man., was the highest Canadian male slider, finishing tied for eighth. Calgary's Keith Loach made his World Cup season debut with a 10th-place result, while fellow Calgarian Jeff Pain finished 11th.

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Kristina Groves continues to dominate at Continental Qualifiers in Salt Lake City.

(Salt Lake City, Utah) – Kristina Groves skated to victory for yet another day at the Continental Qualifiers held at the Utah Olympic Oval. Groves surpassed all of her competitors to win the ladies’ 1500m and 5000m today.

Tailing Groves was Brittany Schussler who came in second in the 1500m. Kirsti Lay took 5th place, while Nicole Garrido finished in 6th place. In the ladies’ 5000m, Brittany Schussler came in third and Garrido was 4th; missing the podium by only 0.85 seconds, Kirsti Lay ended in 7th place.

Justine L’Heureux and Clara Hughes did not skate today because of illness.

On the men side, Jay Morrison came in third place in the 1500m. Following Morrison was Steven Elm. Jeff Kitura came in 5th while Lucas Makowsky ended 6th. Mathieu Giroux was 9th and Peter Martel ranked in 12th.

In the 10000m, Mathieu Giroux came in 4th behind the leader, the American Chad Hedrick. Jay Morrison was 5th. Steven Elm was 6th, Lucas Makowsky took 7th place and Jeff Kitura ended in 11th.

“It’s not surprising to see Groves and Schussler do so well. They have managed their races well and gave solid performances. But we had a bit a difficulty with certains skaters been sick,” explained National Team Coach Marcel Lacroix. “ To this regard, I have to mention Kirsti Lay’s performance today. She gave all she had to secure Canada’s fourth place at the World All Round Championships. She battled for a place that belonged to a fellow teammate. That’s an selfless act. Jay Morrison also surprised us this week-end as a new skater on the circuit. He skated really well.”

The next important international meeting in long track will be the World Sprint Championships in Moscow next week-end.

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Maltais wins a silver medal after near-success in recent races.

BEVERLEY SMITH - CP - January 12, 2009 - Olympic bronze medalist Dominique Maltais never lets a problem get in the way of a medal. The 28-year-old from Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Que. won the silver medal at a World Cup snowboard cross event at Bad Gastein, Austria, yesterday.

Mike Robertson of Canmore, Alta., won the bronze medal in the men's version of the event, too, his best result in World Cup competition. Still, he was disappointed because he fell while trying to make a bid for the lead at the final jump. He had been in second place at that point.

On Saturday, Maltais was fifth at another snowboard cross World Cup race, also in Bad Gastein, where the conditions were unusual. "It's cold and there's been no snow for two weeks," she said. "You need to be really focused to stay on the board."

"In my last 10 competitions, I've been in at least six small finals [for the fifth to eighth places]," Maltais said. "I was anxious to race for the gold. I've been riding well, but there has always been something preventing me from getting up on the podium."

Ricker and Maltais are third and fourth in the World Cup standings with 1,870 and 1,840 points, respectively. Jacobellis leads with 2,890.

Robertson finished behind Damon Haylor of Australia and Markus Schairer of Austria.

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Canadians sweep the top 5 in men’s aerials at Ski Mont Gabriel.

STE-ADÈLE, Que., January 11, 2009 – Aerialist Ryan Blais of Grande Prairie, Alta., collected his first-ever gold medal in NorAm freestyle ski competition Sunday, to lead a Canadian sweep of the men’s medals. “It was kind of a standing joke that I’d never won a NorAm, but had won World Cups,” said Blais, 29, who was here training, at Ski Mont Gabriel, during a break in the World Cup schedule.

“I didn’t even know if I was going to compete. The original plan was to compete once and do lots of training,” said Blais, who, until this weekend, hadn’t competed on the NorAm circuit for several seasons. “But the weather was perfect and I had to take advantage,” added Blais, who said he had an excellent weekend of training, but felt that his jumps in the final weren’t quite World Cup level.

Travis Gerrits of Milton, Ont., was third. Next Canadians were Jean-Christophe André of Montreal, fourth, World Cup team member Cord Spero of Grande Prairie fifth, and Jonathan Vellner of Red Deer, Alta., ninth.

In the women’s aerials final, Olga Volkova of Ukraine was first. World Cup team member Amber Peterson of Thunder Bay was second despite missing both of her landings. “My landings went great all weekend,” said Peterson. “I just didn’t land them in competition (today),” added Peterson, who won Saturday’s event. Nadiya Didenko of Ukraine finished third.

Next Canadians were Laurence Allard-Riendeau of Montreal in fourth, Sabrina Guérin of Laval, Que., sixth, Crystal Lee of Queensville, Ont., seventh, and Stéphanie Pratte of Quebec City eighth.

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Delbosco Wins Silver in Ski Cross World Cup.

Les Contamines, FRA (January 10, 2009) – Under sunny skies and perfect conditions, Chris DelBosco (Sudbury, ONT) took 2nd place today with another solid performance at the World Cup event in Les Contamines, FRA. The winner of the final Jeep King of the Mountain Event last season in Sun Valley, Idaho, this marks DelBosco’s first World Cup Podium.

“I had a pretty mediocre qualifying time and I knew it was going to be a battle all day,” said DelBosco “I really thought I had Matt at the bottom of the course, all day I’d been using this sling-shot pass to advance but it just came too late in the final heat.”

Canada’s rookie women also showed that they are coming on strong with Danie Poleschuk (Calgary, AB) and Kelsey Serwa (Kelowna, BC) turning in solid performances that saw them both just miss the finals.

Fresh off her 3rd place finish in Austria last week Kelsey Serwa (Kelowna, BC), looked solid as she battled her way into the semifinals where a tactical error forced her from the course and removed her from the final heat. She finished the day in 7th spot.

Danie Poleschuk (Calgary, AB), another new comer to Ski Cross had her strongest showing to date taking 5th spot. Qualifying well and really focusing throughout her heats was the main tactic of the day.

“This was another course where a good starts and a fast qualification time were essential, we really worked on firing these ladies up today and trying to shake off the rookie jitters and it showed in their results, these results are a huge boost to their confidence.” said Eric Archer, Canadian Ski Cross Team Head Coach. 

Canadians, Brady Leman (Calgary, AB), Stanley Hayer(Calgary, AB) and Davey Barr (Whistler, BC) finished the day in 11th, 12th and 14th respectively.

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Wickenheiser's back with Eskilstuna.

By Donna Spencer, THE CANADIAN PRESS (abridged) - Hayley Wickenheiser wasn't the only one anxious for her to get back on the ice and playing hockey. On a recent visit to Eskilstuna, Sweden, her sister Jane saw how restless Wickenheiser was watching her men's team play without her. Wickenheiser sustained ligament damage in her right knee playing for the Canadian women Nov. 9 in Lake Placid, N.Y. She missed 13 of Eskilstuna's games.

"Watching the games, it was like I was still playing," Wickenheiser said Monday from Eskilstuna. "I was exhausted after every game just watching it. "My sister came over for Christmas and after a few days she said, 'You need to get back on the ice because you're driving me crazy."'

The mental health of the Wickenheiser sisters was saved when Hayley donned Eskilstuna's red and white jersey again. The 30-year-old from Shaunavon, Sask., has played two games since her return. Her most recent was Eskilstuna's win over Jarfalla on Sunday. Eskilstuna is a Division 1 club in the third tier of Swedish men's pro hockey.

Her first game back Jan. 7 was just under two months from the day she collided with a U.S. player during the Four Nations Cup final, which the Canadian women lost 3-2 in a shootout.

Wickenheiser, the Canadian captain, was told then by team doctors she could be sidelined anywhere from six to 20 weeks. She preferred the first option. The five-foot-10, 171-pound forward started aggressive rehabilitation, which included five sessions in a hyperbaric chamber in Toronto, and was skating six weeks later in Sweden.

Wickenheiser wears a brace on her knee and has eased her way back into games. She played only five or six shifts in her first game back and about 10 minutes Sunday. "I've been trying to be patient and not push it," she said. "I'm fortunate that my coach Mattias Karlin, he lost his NHL career to a major knee injury, and he said to me, 'I'm not going to let you make the same mistakes I did.' "So he's been pretty cautious in not rushing me back."

She's playing with men who are bigger and stronger than her, and unlike in women's hockey, there's bodychecking in Sweden's Division 1 league. Wickenheiser couldn't afford to risk re-injury, particularly with the 2010 Winter Olympics on the horizon.

"Obviously it's another level when you play a game situation, but it's about just getting out there and not thinking about it anymore," she said. "The physical rehab may take six weeks, but then there's the whole mental rehab of knowing when you get back out there that the knee is going to feel strong.

The all-time leading scorer on the Canadian women's team with 136 goals and 152 assists in 194 games has a goal and two assists in 12 games for Eskilstuna. She ranks in the league's top 20 in faceoffs won at 53 per cent.

Wickenheiser was named the most valuable player of the last two Olympic women's hockey tournaments. Canada will need her power, speed and creativity to defend the Olympic gold in Vancouver.

She says she can't wrap herself in bubble wrap from now until the Olympics. The threat of injury is a fact of life for all athletes. "Twenty-ten is a huge event and everybody wants to compete, but I don't think of it as 'preserve until 2010,"' she explained. "I think of it more as, 'This is what I do every day and this is what I love every day and 2010 is way down the road still."'

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Williams heads broadcast talent.

Canwest News Service - Brian Williams, a name synonymous with Canadian broadcasting and the Olympic Games, will return behind the desk in 2010, as he leads Canada's Olympic broadcast media consortium into the Vancouver Games.

Williams was one of 91 names announced this week that will make up the consortium coverage. The English-language team includes hosts, reporters, play-by-play announcers, analysts and Olympians, who bring their expertise to the Games' coverage.

For Williams, the Vancouver Games will be his 13th Olympics during his 30-plus year career. The consortium of rights-holders is led by CTV, Rogers Sportsnet and TSN.

Among the Olympic medallists who'll join in the coverage are figure skaters Jamie Sale, David Pelletier and Elizabeth Manley; cross-country skier Beckie Scott; speedskater Catriona Le May Doan and skier Karen Percy-Lowe. "It means a lot, it's an honour to be chosen, first of all," Percy-Lowe said. "CTV ironically (provided) the media coverage for Calgary in 1988 ... and there's still a few personalities who will be covering 2010 who were there in 1988 so it's fun to be a part of that side of it.

"Also to relive the excitement of another Canadian Olympics and I'm hoping to be able to share in some of the excitement and victories and medals on the other side."

The double bronze medallist from the 1988 Olympics in Calgary will be an analyst for the alpine skiing events. "I did some stuff with TSN and a few things in Edmonton ... done enough of it that I feel comfortable enough that I know I can do it," she said of her broadcast experience. "I definitely have some homework to do and even if I had stayed in it and done a lot more there's a whole new generation of skiers out there so it'll be a fun year for me to get back into it."

Familiar names from the three networks are among the team members, including TSN personalities Darren Dutchyshen, James Duthie, Chris Cuthbert, Rod Black, Vic Rauter, Gord Miller, Jennifer Hedger and Dave Randorf, who'll be covering his seventh Olympic Games.

On Rogers Sportsnet, Don Taylor, Martine Gaillard, Brad Fay and Evanka Osmak will work as hosts of the network's coverage, with several other on-air talents doing play-by-play, including names such as Gerry Dobson and Jamie Campbell.

CTV chief news anchor Lloyd Robertson will join Williams in coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies.

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Cross Country Canada and Statoilhydro Join Forces to Develop Heroes of Tomorrow.

CALGARY—Two-time Olympic medallist, Beckie Scott, will travel the country over the next three years to attract Canadian youth to the sport of cross-country skiing, thanks to a new multi-level partnered initiative announced by Cross Country Canada and StatoilHydro Canada Ltd. during a media conference in Calgary on Friday.

The Beckie Scott Youth Ambassador Program will target Canadian youth between the ages of six and 14 in regions of StatoilHydro’s core business, including Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador. Scott, of Vermilion, Alta., will help recruit and retain children to the sport of cross-country skiing in an effort to increase awareness, support youth development and strengthen Canada’s junior athlete talent pool.

“This is an exciting, new program that will have a direct contribution to attracting new talent for Canada, while motivating and developing the heroes of tomorrow into world-class athletes,” said Al Maddox, executive director, Cross Country Canada. “With Beckie Scott as an active Olympic role model, and the generous support of StatoilHydro, our goal is to reach kids from coast-to-coast-to-coast and teach them the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle, while encouraging them to pursue excellence in cross-country skiing.”

The Beckie Scott Youth Ambassador Program represents StatoilHydro’s commitment to provide more than one million dollars in support over three years to Cross Country Canada, and is designed to ensure the success of Canadian cross-country skiers by focusing on supporting Cross Country Canada’s junior and youth programs.

“Having new opportunities to pursue excellence through sport will change the lives of aspiring Olympians in every corner of this country," said Beckie Scott, who represents the pinnacle of Cross Country Canada’s development model. "Supporting skiers at the grassroots level, while educating them on setting proper goals within the various stages of their development, is crucial to ensuring Canada’s success continues on the world stage well into the future.”

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