News: e-Newsletter
Sport Performance WeeklyJune 30th, 2008 |
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BMX racer Sam Cools hopes to gold plate Olympic memory in China.
“Now I just have to concentrate on that one race and to perform on those two days. My training has stepped up so much more, mainly just because of the motivation and just wanting to see the end of the road and just being able to go and grab it. Training is hard, just being pushed to the max every day.” As excited as she is about going to the Olympics, the 22-year-old from Airdrie, Alta., is also thrilled over the exposure her sport will receive when it explodes before a world-wide audience. “Our sport is just as much a sport as any of the others out there,” said the 13-time Canadian champion, who won her first race at age three on a bike built by her father. “To give us the opportunity to show the world what we can do and show our sport off, I think that’s a good reason to put it into the Olympics.” Adding BMX racing to the summer Games is a little bit like throwing some breakdancing into a waltz competition. It’s fast, dirty and dangerous. After seeing how television audiences warmed to snowboard cross at the 2006 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee hopes its two-wheeled cousin can help draw younger viewers to the Summer Games. “If they want to get the younger generation watching the Olympics, it’s a good way of doing that,” said Cools. The BMX course at the Loashan Bicycle Moto Cross venue starts with a eight-metre drop down a hill where eight riders will battle pedal-to-pedal for position. They will hit speeds of close to 60 kilometres an hour before facing stomach-churning jumps and knee-scraping corners. The first person across the finish line wins. No judging, no points for technical merit. Fall down and you go home a sore loser. Some Olympic purists might tut-tut at the thought of cycling’s daredevils racing under the five-ringed flag. But BMX coach Tanya Dubnicoff has no trouble comparing the sport to the men’s 100 metres in track. “I think the skills and the abilities BMX athletes have are at the same level of true force and agility and speed,” said Dubnicoff, a former Olympic cyclist and Pan American Games gold medal winner. “I think it will be one of the most popular sports at the Olympic Games.” Canada can send one man to the Olympics. Jim Brown of Airdrie, Alta., and Scott Erwood of Surrey, B.C., will compete in a ride-off early next month to determine who will go to Beijing. |
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Beijing on her mind; Verbeek gears up to wrestle in her second Olympics.
The 2004 Olympic silver medallist in wrestling recently returned from tournaments in England and Romania with two tournament titles and five match victories, including a win over the Belarusian wrestler who defeated her at the 2007 world championships. For Verbeek, there’s a different feeling this time around compared to her first Olympic experience. “There’s definitely a difference this time with respect to my maturity as an athlete and my outlook,” the Beamsville native said. “I was a little blinded going into the Olympics the last time and now I know what to expect.” There’s also a different feel in 2008 with Azarbayjani on the Olympic ticket and several new teammates, including her good friend Carol Huynh of Calgary, who will represent Canada at 48 kilograms. “The team is new and it’s a dif ferent team dynamic,” she said. Verbeek will compete at the Canada Cup in Guelph this weekend—she will wrestle up to 59 kilograms to face some different opponents—followed by a week long training camp in Guelph. She will then return to St. Catharines before departing for the Olympics Aug. 4. Her competition in the 55-kilogram division won’t begin until Aug. 16,but the Olympics are already overwhelming her thoughts. “It’s every day, many times a day. It’s about your training, your competition, what you need to work on, your opponents and how you feel that day.... It’s my job but it’s something I like to do.” The word “like” is a definite understatement. “I’ve been pretty eager the last few months and it’s nice to see it (Olympics) in front of me,” she said. “Two years ago, it seemed so long away and now, boom, it’s here.” |
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Schalm leads nine-member Canadian Olympic fencing squad to Beijing.
Others named to the team Thursday were Josh McGuire of Montreal, Igor Tikhomirov of Toronto, Philippe Beaudry of Montreal, Sandra Sassine of Laval, Que., Olga Ovtchinnikova of Toronto and Julie Cloutier of Repentigny, Que. Jujie Luan of Edmonton, a 49-year-old who won a gold medal for China at the 1984 Games, will return to her native country to compete for Canada in foil. Wendy Saschenbrecker of Montreal will go as the substitute in the women’s sabre team competition. The coaches are Gabor Salamon, Jean-Marie Banos and Ildemaro Sanchez. Only five Canadian fencers went to the 2004 Olympics in Athens and there were four at the 2000 Games in Sydney. |
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Rowing Canada 2008 Olympic Team Nominations.Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) today announced the following crews will be nominated to the Canadian Olympic Committee to compete at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. “This is a strong team - both in skill and maturity level,” said RCA VP High Performance Phil Monckton. “The final weeks of preparation before the Olympics are intense and exciting – we are looking forward to the Olympic regatta and to making Canada proud both on and off the water in Beijing.” Canada has eight boats that have met FISA’s (the international rowing federation) standards for qualification. The rowing event of the 29th Olympic Games will be held at Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park in the Shunyi District of Beijing from August 9 to 17, 2008. Men’s Eight Men’s Pair Lightweight Men’s Double Women’s Eight Women’s Quad Lightweight Women’s Double Women’s Pair Alternates Staff |
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Athletes to bolster CBC’s coverage.
“It has been a dream and a goal of mine for some time to be an analyst for CBC for cycling and I am thrilled that it has come true,” said Hughes, who has been doing research since learning in October 2007 that she got the job. “CBC has been making sure that people like me, virtual rookies for this, are not going in unprepared. After their training and seminars, I feel I’ve had the best coaching and preparation possible.” Hughes, an Olympic medallist in both cycling and speed skating, will make her debut as an analyst for the track, road, and mountain bike events. Wickenheiser, who has competed in both winter and summer Olympics—women’s hockey and softball—will serve as the analyst for softball. Hughes and Wickenheiser are unusual in this role in that they still are active athletes required to maintain their fitness, as is Kevin O’Brien, the analyst for the new Olympic sport of BMX racing. “That’s going to be the tough part for me,” Hughes said. “I’m bringing my bike, my trainer, and I’m told I’ll have access to a treadmill and a weight room, so there will be plenty of opportunities to punish myself in training.” As for other sports: Double Olympic gold medallist Bailey will be a special guest analyst along with three-time Olympian Rosey Edeh in athletics. Swimming boasts Olympic medallist analysts in Mark Tewksbury and Marianne Limpert, while rowing will use Barney Williams, who won silver in the men’s four at Athens in 2004. Other ex-athletes on the CBC team include gymnast Lori Strong-Ballard; field hockey goaltender, Hari Kant; baseball infielder Warren Sawkiw; double Olympic diving medallist Anne Montminy; three-time Paralympian Rob Snoek; and former Canadian water polo head coach and two-time Olympian George Gross Jr. There also is Olympic weightlifter Aldo Roy; former national soccer team captain Jason DeVos; canoeist Scott Logan; whitewater kayaker Claudia Kerckhoff-Van Wijk; Olympic synchro silver medallist Karen Clark Le Poole; and Olympic horse jumper Beth Underhill. |
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Take a Tour of Whistler’s 2010 Winter Games Venues.
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The Canadian Sport Centre Calgary (CSCC) Needs You to Support the Canadian Amateur Sports Network.
These licenses would represent a major benefit to amateur sport at all level, in Canada. These new channels would dramatically increase the profile of Canadian athletes as well as provide significant funding for amateur sports bodies in Canada. We are asking for a mandatory status for these French and English channels, which means that every household in Canada would have access to them. This would give our sport and athletes at all levels television exposure across Canada, helping to grow our sport and attract sponsorship. In order to persuade the CRTC to grant our licenses, we need a strong show of support from the Canadian sport community. HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP: 1. REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT ONLINE NOW AT www.casn-rsac.ca. IT WON’T TAKE MORE THAN A MINUTE OF YOUR TIME. 2. FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO YOUR COLLEAGUES, FAMILY, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS SO THAT THEY, TOO, CAN REGISTER THEIR SUPPORT FOR CASN. More information on the applications is available on the www.casn-rsac.ca website. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you wish additional information. Thank you for supporting our CASN/RSAC applications. Dale Henwood |
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Own the Podium Newsletter.
In this issue you will find: - A brief review of this past 2007-08 winter season |
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