SSC News (now including Oly Trials News)

[bubblebuttsbabe]

TEAM CANADA 2008

WORLD CUPS 1 & 2

MEN
Charles Hamelin
Olivier Jean
François Hamelin
François-Louis Tremblay
Michael Gilday (NT)
Rémi Beaulieu

WOMEN
Anne Maltais
Jessica Gregg (AB)
Jessica Hewitt (BC)
Marie-Andrée Mendès-Campeau
Valérie Maltais
Marianne St-Gelais

WORLD CUPS 3 & 4

MEN

Richard Shoebridge will replace Rémi.

WOMEN

Kalyna Roberge, Annik Plamondon, Tania Vicent will replace Marianne, Valérie, and Marie-Andrée.

[musicalmom]

Dear Bubblesbuttbabe;
Congratulations on starting this thread and keeping us up to date. I just found it. As you may have noticed, I posted pics of Charles Hamelin, Olivier Jean, etc. on the Canadian summer camp thread.
I was fortunate enough to also attend the W.Cup qualifying meet for 3 days and have a few pics to add when I can get some time.
Here's my few tidbits of news:
* Have been in touch by e-mail with Amanda Overland. She is busy in rehab because of a hip flexor injury and hopes to be back later this year.
Kalyna is I believe now back on the schedule for WC #3 & #4. I believe Tania Vicent will also be back for one or two of the races.
* up and comer to watch and cheer for is JESSICA HEWITT from B.C.
This is her first world cup and she's really raring to go. I sat with both her grandmas ( Shirley and Gail) at the qualifying and we were all excited when she finally made the team on the last day. I also met her coach Sandy who has helped her train over the years.
* I got to meet Olivier Jean's father ( who is also quite charming) and we both cheered over his outstanding performance throughout this meet. He made the team on day 1 along with our friend Charles Hamelin. These two were wicked fast ...Charles won all but one of his races, Olivier came in second in all but one. That one, Olivier won and Charles came 2nd.
His dad said that Olivier had been very nervous for this meet as it was his first time back on the ice after a year long rehab for a serious injury, ie. a big slash in his leg which even knicked the bone) While on break, Olivier decided to concentrate on better nutrition and "head skating", ie. he practiced in his mind. Obviously, it worked. He looks fantastic on the ice.
That's all fr now. Hoping to meet you all in Vancouver for WCup #2. How many of you are coming?
Only a few weeks now.....I'm excited...
Musical Mom ( Karen)

[bubblebuttsbabe]

No place like home
Nats to compete at Coliseum in World Cup race
Canwest News Service
Published: Saturday, October 11, 2008

Canada's national short-track speedskating team can't be blamed for peeking ahead at the World Cup schedule.

While the team is leaving Canadian soil this weekend in preparation for next week's World Cup season-opener in Salt Lake City, Utah, they can't help but look forward to stop No. 2 in Vancouver.

The Vancouver race will give the Canadian team another look at the Pacific Coliseum, site of the Oct. 24-26 World Cup, and home to the short-track events during the 2010 Winter Games.

"The last time we were there, the track was great," Canadian men's coach Derrick Campbell said Friday from Montreal.

"Feedback from the athletes was very positive on the ice conditions. The boardless pad system, of course, the athletes are big fans of that system.

"We feel comfortable in the venue and we feel very confident that the facility will be ready."

The team held a two-week camp earlier this summer at the Vancouver arena, and most recently held its World Cup team selection trials there.

Given that there are World Cup medals on the line and the realization that the race is a reasonable facsimile of what to expect in 2010, it definitely isn't the same as training.

"I think it does hold something different," said Campbell. "It's an opportunity for us to race at an international competition which will be the site of the Olympic competition in the [same] venue. I think it gives us an opportunity to also be prepared for more media. It's also a good simulation for us to use the hometown crowd. I see it as our course of simulation to the Olympic Games."

The Canadian team, which met the media on Friday in Montreal, will head overseas following the two North American World Cup stops, with races slated for China and Japan.

As usual, the men's team is strong, led by veterans Charles Hamelin and Francois-Louis Tremblay.

Big things are also expected of Francois Hamelin, who joined the team last season; Olivier Jean, who missed last season after a skate sliced the tendon in his ankle; and Remi Beaulieu, who is making his international debut next week.

The women's team is led by longtime national team member Anne Maltais, with several less-experienced racers, such as Valerie Maltais, Marie-Andree Mendes-Campeau and Marianne St-Gelais expected to give the team a lift.

"The men's team has a tradition of excellence. The team is deep and the team is always strong," said Campbell. "All the boys will be competitive in their races. I don't expect any surprises. I do think that the guys are strong and we are ready for some good performances."

Canada's short-track team has had success in the past, evidenced by the three silver and one bronze medals at the 2006 Turin Winter Games, and the six medals Canadians brought home from the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.

The team also won 10 medals at the previous three Winter Games showcases in Nagano, Japan, Lillehammer, Norway, and Albertville, France.

That means the pressure will be on to perform over the next two World Cup seasons, and of course, the 2010 Games.

"There's no question there's more expectation, there's more pressure with the Games being here," said Campbell.

"For us, I see it as preparing ourselves ahead of time. Planning to make sure we are prepared for media, make sure that we are prepared for the hometown crowd, prepared for things like families and friends. To make sure that the team is confident going in.

"Really, it is a daily thing. It's not something specific that you do, but I think it's an attitude you create. Going in, we want to be confident, we want to be relaxed. We don't want to put any more pressure than there already is."

- - - - - -

Hi, MM!!

Thanks. I just figured we needed a spot for our Northern counterparts - since so many of us are also fans of the Canucks. ;D

Yes, I did see that. Thank you! I can't wait to see those pictures also.

Oh, I didn't know what Amanda's injury was. Thanks for the update!

I'll will definitely be on the look out for up-and-comers...they are the ones that will be carrying the sport in the future.

Olivier Jean's father?! How lucky are you! That's so awesome! Congrats! Sports psychology seems to be all the rage - Apolo did a lot of that with David back in the day. If it helps, you can't knock it.

I don't think there is a thread for WC #2, so I'm not too sure how many people are going. I can't, but I hope whoever does has a lot of fun.

Thank you again, MM for all the updates! ;D

[musicalmom]

Thanks once again BBB for the article. I found it interesting that the coach neglected to mention two or the women's team, Jessical Hewitt from British Columbia, and Jessica Gregg from Alberta. There are politics in everything and as you may have noted, a majority of the National team are French Canadian from Quebec! These two did incredibly well at the qualifying so I'm cheering for them. Of course Charles Hamelin, Olivier Jean and Francoise Tremblay are on my list too. It was cool to watch Charles and his brother Francoise race together at qualifying and come in 1 and 2. I'll try to post my pictures from the qualifying meet as soon as I can get time to refigure out how to upload them to photobucket and post them here. I'm so technically challenged! Am madly reading the manual on my new digital camera so I can use it at W.Cup #2 and not have to run to the drug store to get my camera developed!
I'm disappointed that you won't be coming. I had really hoped to meet you in person.
Once again, thanks for this thread. I'll try to contribute when I can.
Musical Mom

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Oct 13, 2008 0:14:37 GMT -5 musicalmom said:

Thanks once again BBB for the article. I found it interesting that the coach neglected to mention two or the women's team, Jessical Hewitt from British Columbia, and Jessica Gregg from Alberta. There are politics in everything and as you may have noted, a majority of the National team are French Canadian from Quebec! These two did incredibly well at the qualifying so I'm cheering for them. Of course Charles Hamelin, Olivier Jean and Francoise Tremblay are on my list too. It was cool to watch Charles and his brother Francoise race together at qualifying and come in 1 and 2. I'll try to post my pictures from the qualifying meet as soon as I can get time to refigure out how to upload them to photobucket and post them here. I'm so technically challenged! Am madly reading the manual on my new digital camera so I can use it at W.Cup #2 and not have to run to the drug store to get my camera developed!
I'm disappointed that you won't be coming. I had really hoped to meet you in person.
Once again, thanks for this thread. I'll try to contribute when I can.
Musical Mom

You're welcome, MM.

I think the reason for leaving out both Jessica's is because Derrick doesn't coach them. As you can tell, there is also no mention of Michael or Rémi - Derrick doesn't coach them either. All four are coached by Jonathon Cavar. I don't think Derrick could accurately give the right analysis of their talent/strengths.

I've only ever seen Charles and Tremblay race, but I can only imagine what it must be like watching both Hamelin brothers.

I can't wait for your pictures. LOL. Digital is so nice - once you get the hang of it. ;D

I'll get out there again sometime, I hope. Probably not this season though. I'm definitely shooting for next season - the Olympics obviously.

I hope you have fun in BC in a few weeks! ;D

[bubblebuttsbabe]

From Langley to Olympics
By BOB MACKIN, 24 HOURS

Langley-born Jessica Hewitt made the short list. Now she wants to step on a podium.

The short-track speedskater is among Canada's 12-member team, which opens the Samsung world cup tour today in Salt Lake City.

Hewitt won a spot on the team at last month's trials in the Pacific Coliseum, site of short-track speedskating for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The 22-year-old is also expected to compete when the tour makes its inaugural Vancouver stop at the Coliseum Oct. 24-26. The event will be the first indoor test event for the 2010 Games.

The world cup tour also hits Beijing (Nov. 28-30), Nagano, Japan (Dec. 5-7), Sofia, Bulgaria (Feb. 6-8) and Dresden, Germany (Feb. 13-15). Vienna hosts the world championship (March 6-8).

[musicalmom]

Once again, karma to you BBB for keeping Canada news up to date.
I have been corresponding with Amanda Overland who I was so hoping would skate in the World Cups, but as you know she had a hip flexor injury just prior to the qualifying meet. She's been in rehab ever since, but yesterday went in for surgery...so recovery may take a bit longer. She says she'll work hard at getting better because she wants to get back on the ice and "kick some butt!" The women's team is very much missing her as well as Kalyna Roberge and Tania Vicent. But they've got some young up and comers now who will benefit from the world level experience. I've got great hopes for JESSICA HEWITT. She's in great shape and she's hungary! Of course veteran Anne Maltais bears watching too. The U.S. women's team is stronger than ever, and of course Meng of China will be challenging them all. Hope to watch WC #1 on sports tv on line and then will be seeing it all live in Vancouver! I will do my best to keep you all posted next week.
Musical Mom

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Thank you!

I think all the teams are adding more depth. It makes the races more exciting! I hope Amanda recovers fast. The Olys will be here before she knows!

Have fun next weekend! ;]

[bubblebuttsbabe]

*This article has three different titles - but it's essentially the same thing.

Article Link 1:

www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=fb1e767f-24de-497c-a238-a3d3e4212fbb&p=2

Article Link 2:

www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=7801ddd4-2ce3-41a5-85bd-2bfb1a249dac

Article Link 3:

www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=a2991182-17f3-4d3b-bd1a-864c19dba731

- - - - - -

Western wonders
For years, Canadian short track has been dominated by Quebecers. But with four Calgary-based athletes on the national team, and an increased focus on the sport pre-2010, there soon may be a new source of talent
Gary Kingston, Vancouver Sun
Published: Saturday, October 25, 2008

For hard-core short track speed skating fans in Canada, the names we're about to rattle off are synonymous with international success. Even for Canadians who only care at Olympic time, they can bring a knowing nod.

Names like Sylvie Daigle, Nathalie Lambert, Eric Bedard, Mathieu Turcotte, Jonathan Guilmette, Marc Gagnon and Francois-Louis Tremblay.

Now, you might notice a theme there. That's right, they're all Quebecers. In fact, in the 24 years since Speed Skating Canada began naming male and female short track skaters of the year -- that's 48 honourees -- only three have been anglophones.

"The sport of short track, I don't know if it was necessarily born in Quebec, but it was definitely one of the beginning hot spots where it was developed," says Michael Gilday.

Gilday, in his second year on the national team, was born in Iqaluit, Nunavut, grew up in Yellowknife, and currently trains in Calgary. So he's about as far from a Quebecer as you can get, even if he is bilingual, thanks to years in French immersion.

He's also part of a significant breakthrough. Gilday is one of four Calgary-based skaters to be named to the national team World Cup squad for the 2008-09 season, three of whom are competing at the Pacific Coliseum this weekend. Jessica Gregg of Edmonton is in her second season, while Jessica Hewitt of Kamloops is a World Cup rookie.

Richard Shoebridge, who was born in Johannesburg and grew up in Cambridge, Ont., will skate World Cups in Asia next month.

Speed skaters past and present are optimistic the greater focus on their sport -- during events like this week's World Cup and the Olympics in 2010 -- will encourage more young westerners to give short track a try, increasing the national team pool.

Jonathon Cavar, who coaches short trackers at the Calgary Oval, says it's been a tough grind for his athletes.

"They're battling not only to get onto the circuit, but to get out of that sort of feeling that the sport's dominated by athletes from the East," said Cavar. "It's a sheer numbers game. There are a few athletes up against many. But they feel like 'we are capable, we can do anything that we have to out in the West in order to be on the top of the podium and make the team at the Olympics.'"

Quebec's domination of the national team is no surprise. The sport's infrastructure -- from subsidized ice time to extensive coaching programs -- is deeper than any other province given the Quebec government's significant largesse. And then there are the role models.

"I grew up watching [long track star] Gaetan Boucher and Marc Gagnon, Frederick Blackburn," says national team veteran Olivier Jean of Montreal. "There was a feeling, 'we can do it. I can be world champion.' And there are so many people involved. We have good coaches, lots of clubs, many kids going into the sport."

Cavar says the Calgary-based skaters aren't without their own advantages, however.

"We're a smaller team, so it allows for a little more one-on-one attention. It allows us to be a little more creative. We also share the venue with the whole long track team. And the cycling program is there. So there's a lot of energy, a lot of spirit ... a lot of life in the building. That brings something to the team."

His athletes have also benefitted from the fact skaters from Latvia, Belgium and Austria, all guided by a top Dutch coach, have spent several months training in Calgary.

While Hewitt, 22, is the lone B.C. representative on the national team, two other women were the real trailblazers for skaters from the Left Coast.

Eden Donatelli of Mission won world championship gold in the 500 metres at age 16 and won silver and bronze in 1988 when short track was a demonstration sport at the Calgary Olympics. Alanna Kraus of Abbotsford retired last spring after 10 years on the national team. She won Olympic relay medals in 2002 and 2006.

Donatelli, initially coached by her dad in Mission, was forced to relocate to Quebec at age 17 to live and train with the national team. With little French and living alone in a new province, the adjustment was difficult.

Cavar now is travelling to World Cups given that four of his skaters made the national team, but Donatelli and Kraus had to leave their personal coaches behind when they travelled and hook up with Quebec-based coaches.

"The fact I couldn't speak French did make things difficult," Kraus said Friday. "I actually had to sort of demand the attention and then I got it.

"You sort of get forgotten. You don't understand what's happening, don't know when meeting times are and things like that," added Kraus, who trained mostly out of Calgary but relocated to Montreal for the 2006 pre-Olympic season.

"I had to talk to the coaches and say 'What's going on? I don't understand and I need to know. The problem for me was the meetings would be 45 minutes and I'd get the breakdown in five. So I knew I was missing something," she said. "At least now, there's a bigger group [of westerners] and it's different."

Gilday and Hewitt say there is a good, open dialogue with the Quebec-based skaters, coaches, team directors and support staff. Gilday says it's important for the group to be united.

"Obviously, we're proud of western Canada to put as many on the team as we can, but ultimately we are Team Canada, not Team West vs. Team East. We're working together to get to the goals we want to achieve."

Cavar says Kraus was a terrific role model in showing young skaters in Calgary that it was possible to make the national team.

"She was a very gutsy, determined athlete. She showed our group in Calgary that it is possible. She paved the way in helping create that belief. And other athletes have really followed suit with their own determination."

Kraus hopes that having the national team trials at the Coliseum a few weeks ago, the World Cup and then the Olympics in 2010 will lead more B.C. athletes to try short track.

"It's going to bring interest, probably bring more money into the sport. And it should help out all the clubs."

It would also be a huge plus, she said, if Hewitt qualifies for the Olympic team.

"To be able to have the hometown kid, to have something in common with someone, you feel like you know that person. It'll be easier for Jess to be some little kid's hero because 'Oh, she's from B.C.'"

Picture:



Jessica Hewitt.

- - - - - -
Speed skating: West set to break Quebec's short track dominance
Gary Kingston, Vancouver Sun
Published: Saturday, October 25, 2008

For hard-core short track speed skating fans in Canada, the names we're about to rattle off are synonymous with international success. Even for Canadians who only care at Olympic time, they can bring a knowing nod.

Names like Sylvie Daigle, Nathalie Lambert, Eric Bedard, Mathieu Turcotte, Jonathan Guilmette, Marc Gagnon and Francois-Louis Tremblay.

Now, you might notice a theme there. That's right, they're all Quebecers. In fact, in the 24 years since Speed Skating Canada began naming male and female short track skaters of the year - that's 48 honourees - only three have been anglophones.

"The sport of short track, I don't know if it was necessarily born in Quebec, but it was definitely one of the beginning hot spots where it was developed," says Michael Gilday.

Gilday, in his second year on the national team, was born in Iqaluit, Nunavut, grew up in Yellowknife, and currently trains in Calgary. So he's about as far from a Quebecer as you can get, even if he is bilingual, thanks to years in French immersion.

He's also part of a significant breakthrough. Gilday is one of four Calgary-based skaters to be named to the national team World Cup squad for the 2008-09 season, three of whom are competing at the Pacific Coliseum this weekend. Jessica Gregg of Edmonton is in her second season, while Jessica Hewitt of Kamloops is a World Cup rookie.

Richard Shoebridge, who was born in Johannesburg and grew up in Cambridge, Ont., will skate World Cups in Asia next month.

Speed skaters past and present are optimistic the greater focus on their sport - during events like this week's World Cup and the Olympics in 2010 - will encourage more young westerners to give short track a try, increasing the national team pool.

Jonathon Cavar, who coaches short trackers at the Calgary Oval, says it's been a tough grind for his athletes.

"They're battling not only to get onto the circuit, but to get out of that sort of feeling that the sport's dominated by athletes from the East," said Cavar. "It's a sheer numbers game. There are a few athletes up against many. But they feel like 'we are capable, we can do anything that we have to out in the West in order to be on the top of the podium and make the team at the Olympics.'"

Quebec's domination of the national team is no surprise. The sport's infrastructure - from subsidized ice time to extensive coaching programs - is deeper than any other province given the Quebec government's significant largesse. And then there are the role models.

"I grew up watching [long track star] Gaetan Boucher and Marc Gagnon, Frederick Blackburn," says national team veteran Olivier Jean of Montreal. "There was a feeling, 'we can do it. I can be world champion.' And there are so many people involved. We have good coaches, lots of clubs, many kids going into the sport."

Cavar says the Calgary-based skaters aren't without their own advantages, however.

"We're a smaller team, so it allows for a little more one-on-one attention. It allows us to be a little more creative. We also share the venue with the whole long track team. And the cycling program is there. So there's a lot of energy, a lot of spirit ... a lot of life in the building. That brings something to the team."

His athletes have also benefitted from the fact skaters from Latvia, Belgium and Austria, all guided by a top Dutch coach, have spent several months training in Calgary.

While Hewitt, 22, is the lone B.C. representative on the national team, two other women were the real trailblazers for skaters from the Left Coast.

Eden Donatelli of Mission won world championship gold in the 500 metres at age 16 and won silver and bronze in 1988 when short track was a demonstration sport at the Calgary Olympics. Alanna Kraus of Abbotsford retired last spring after 10 years on the national team. She won Olympic relay medals in 2002 and 2006.

Donatelli, initially coached by her dad in Mission, was forced to relocate to Quebec at age 17 to live and train with the national team. With little French and living alone in a new province, the adjustment was difficult.

Cavar now is travelling to World Cups given that four of his skaters made the national team, but Donatelli and Kraus had to leave their personal coaches behind when they travelled and hook up with Quebec-based coaches.

"The fact I couldn't speak French did make things difficult," Kraus said Friday. "I actually had to sort of demand the attention and then I got it.

"You sort of get forgotten. You don't understand what's happening, don't know when meeting times are and things like that," added Kraus, who trained mostly out of Calgary but relocated to Montreal for the 2006 pre-Olympic season.

"I had to talk to the coaches and say 'What's going on? I don't understand and I need to know. The problem for me was the meetings would be 45 minutes and I'd get the breakdown in five. So I knew I was missing something," she said. "At least now, there's a bigger group [of westerners] and it's different."

Gilday and Hewitt say there is a good, open dialogue with the Quebec-based skaters, coaches, team directors and support staff. Gilday says it's important for the group to be united.

"Obviously, we're proud of western Canada to put as many on the team as we can, but ultimately we are Team Canada, not Team West vs. Team East. We're working together to get to the goals we want to achieve."

Cavar says Kraus was a terrific role model in showing young skaters in Calgary that it was possible to make the national team.

"She was a very gutsy, determined athlete. She showed our group in Calgary that it is possible. She paved the way in helping create that belief. And other athletes have really followed suit with their own determination."

Kraus hopes that having the national team trials at the Coliseum a few weeks ago, the World Cup and then the Olympics in 2010 will lead more B.C. athletes to try short track.

"It's going to bring interest, probably bring more money into the sport. And it should help out all the clubs."

It would also be a huge plus, she said, if Hewitt qualifies for the Olympic team.

"To be able to have the hometown kid, to have something in common with someone, you feel like you know that person. It'll be easier for Jess to be some little kid's hero because 'Oh, she's from B.C.'"

- - - - - -

Breakthrough on short track
Western Canadian athletes are slowly making it onto national skating team
Gary Kingston, Canwest News Service
Published: Saturday, October 25, 2008

VANCOUVER - For hard core short track speedskating fans in Canada, the names we're about to rattle off are synonymous with international success. Even for Canadians who only care at Olympic time, they can bring a knowing nod.

Names like Sylvie Daigle, Nathalie Lambert, Eric Bedard, Mathieu Turcotte, Jonathan Guilmette, Marc Gagnon and Francois-Louis Tremblay.

Now, you might notice a theme there. That's right, they're all Quebecers. In fact, in the 24 years since Speed Skating Canada began naming male and female short track skaters of the year - that's 48 honorees - only three have been anglophones.

"The sport of short track, I don't know if it was necessarily born in Quebec, but it was definitely one of the beginning hot spots where it was developed," says Michael Gilday.

Gilday, in his second year on the national team, was born in Iqaluit, Nunavut, grew up in Yellowknife, and currently trains in Calgary. So he's about as far from a Quebecer as you can get, even if he is bilingual thanks to years in French immersion.

He's also part of a significant breakthrough. Gilday is one of four Calgary-based skaters to be named to the national team World Cup squad for the 2008-09 season, three of whom are competing at the Pacific Coliseum this weekend. Jessica Gregg of Edmonton is in her second season, while Jessica Hewitt of Kamloops is a World Cup rookie.

Richard Shoebridge, who was born in Johannesburg and grew up in Cambridge, Ont., will skate World Cups in Asia next month.

Speedskaters past and present are optimistic the greater focus on their sport - during events like this week's World Cup and the Olympics in 2010 - will encourage more young westerners to give short track a try, increasing the national team pool.

Jonathon Cavar, who coaches short trackers at the Calgary Oval, says it's been a tough grind for his athletes.

"They're battling not only to get onto the circuit, but to get out of that sort of feeling that the sport's dominated by athletes from the East," said Cavar. "It's a sheer numbers game. There are a few athletes up against many. But they feel like 'we are capable, we can do anything that we have to out in the West in order to be on the top of the podium and make the team at the Olympics.' "

Quebec's domination of the national team is no surprise. The sport's infrastructure - from subsidized ice time to extensive coaching programs - is deeper than any other province given the Quebec government's significant largesse. And then there are the role models.

"I grew up watching [long track star] Gaetan Boucher and Marc Gagnon, Frederick Blackburn," says national team veteran Olivier Jean of Montreal. "There was a feeling, 'we can do it. I can be world champion.'

"And there are so many people involved. We have good coaches, lots of clubs, many kids going into the sport."

Cavar says the Calgary-based skaters aren't without their own advantages, however.

"We're a smaller team, so it allows for a little more one-on-one attention. It allows us to be a little more creative. We also share the venue with the whole long track team. And the cycling program is there. So there's a lot of energy, a lot of spirit . . . a lot of life in the building. That brings something to the team."

His athletes have also benefitted from the fact skaters from Latvia, Belgium and Austria, all guided by a top Dutch coach, have spent several months training in Calgary.

While Hewitt, 22, is the lone B.C. representative on the national team, two other women were the real trailblazers for skaters from the West Coast.

Eden Donatelli of Mission, won world championship gold in the 500 metres at age 16 and won silver and bronze in 1988 when short track was a demonstration sport at the Calgary Olympics. Alanna Kraus of Abbotsford, retired last spring after 10 years on the national team. She won Olympic relay medals in 2002 and 2006.

Donatelli, initially coached by her dad in Mission, was forced to relocate to Quebec at age 17 to live and train with the national team. With little French and living alone in a new province, the adjustment was difficult.

Cavar now is travelling to World Cups given that four of his skaters made the national team, but Donatelli and Kraus had to leave their personal coaches behind when they travelled and hook up with Quebec-based coaches.

"The fact I couldn't speak French did make things difficult," Kraus said Friday. "I actually had to sort of demand the attention and then I got it.

"You sort of get forgotten. You don't understand what's happening, don't know when meeting times are and things like that," added Kraus, who trained mostly out of Calgary but relocated to Montreal for the 2006 pre-Olympic season.

"I had to talk to the coaches and say 'What's going on? I don't understand and I need to know. The problem for me was the meetings would be 45 minutes and I'd get the breakdown in five. So I knew I was missing something," she said. "At least now, there's a bigger group (of westerners) and it's different."

Gilday and Hewitt say there is a good, open dialogue with the Quebec-based skaters, coaches, team directors and support staff. Gilday says it's important for the group to be united.

"Obviously, we're proud of Western Canada to put as many on the team as we can, but ultimately we are Team Canada, not Team West vs. Team East. We're working together to get to the goals we want to achieve."

Cavar says Kraus was a terrific role model in showing young skaters in Calgary that it was possible to make the national team.

"She was a very gutsy, determined athlete. She showed our group in Calgary that it is possible. She paved the way in helping create that belief. And other athletes have really followed suit with their own determination."

Kraus hopes that having the national team trials at the Coliseum a few weeks ago, the World Cup and then the Olympics in 2010 will lead more B.C. athletes to try short track.

"It's going to bring interest, probably bring more money into the sport. And it should help out all the clubs."

It would also be a huge plus, she said, if Hewitt qualifies for the Olympic team.

"To be able to have the hometown kid, to have something in common with someone, you feel like you know that person. It'll be easier for Jess to be some little kid's hero because 'Oh, she's from B.C.' "

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Good first day for Short Track World Cup Team in Salt Lake City
Date posted: 10/17/2008

Canadian Short Track speed skaters had a good start at the first World Cup of the 2008-09 season, today, in Salt Lake City. Almost all athletes were able to qualify to go straight to the final rounds of races on Saturday and Sunday, only two women will need to go through the repechage, and one man was disqualified in a distance. Both Canadian relay teams also qualified for the semi-final races tomorrow night.

In the first 1500m (this distance is being skated twice in the World Cup), all Canadian athletes qualified for the final rounds. Rémi Beaulieu (Alma, QC) posted the fastest time on the men side, an excellent result for a first career World Cup. Charles Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) was also first in his heat, while Olivier Jean (Lachenaie, QC), skating in his first World Cup event in over a year following a serious injury that sidelined him for the entire 07-08 season, was 2nd in his.

On the women side, World Cup rookie Valérie Maltais (La Baie, QC) finished second in her heat to qualify to go straight to the final round tomorrow evening. Marianne St-Gelais (St-Félicien, QC) did the same, while another first time World Cup athlete Marie-Andrée Mendes-Campeau (Montréal, QC) qualified for finishing third in the fastest heat of the day. All six Canadian athletes skating this distance will therefore be able to sleep in Saturday morning before skating in the final session starting at 6pm in Salt Lake City tomorrow.

“When I got here this morning, I was extremely stressed out”, explained Valérie Maltais. “But I told myself to relax, that I had nothing to lose, and once the gun sounded, I became myself again.”

In the 1000m, Canadian athletes were not so lucky. While Michael Gilday (Yellowknife, NT) and François Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) both qualified, Gilday by winning both his races and Hamelin finishing second in both occasions, François-Louis Tremblay (Montréal, QC) was disqualified in his first race for impeding. Because of the disqualification, Tremblay will not be able to take part in the repechage on Saturday so he will now have to focus his efforts on his 500m race on Sunday and the relay.

Anne Maltais (Québec, QC) and Jessica Gregg (Edmonton, AB) both won their first 1000m race, before finishing second in their next heat, but that was enough for them to qualify to go straight to tomorrow’s finals. Jessica Hewitt (Langley, BC), another World Cup rookie for the Canadian Team, faced very tough competition in her first heat and will be the only Canadian skater in the repechage tomorrow morning.

In the afternoon, all athletes had to race in their second distance, and the end result was similar. All men qualified to head straight to the finals on Sunday: Tremblay had a great comeback in the 500m, winning both his heats, Charles Hamelin, strong as usual, did the same, and young brother François was second of both his heats. In the second 1500m, Beaulieu once again surprised everyone by skating the fastest time, while Jean and Gilday also won their respective heats.

“I’m really happy with the way things happened,” said Michael Gilday. “I did what I wanted to do today, everything went well. Coming here, we knew what to expect and what strategy to adopt. We had pretty tough races at our Team selection so we were prepared. Now I hope to be able to make an A final and hopefully get a medal this weekend.”

The women won’t all be able to sleep on Sunday, however. In the 500m competition, Gregg and Anne Maltais both qualified, but St-Gelais was third in her first race, forcing her to go through the repechage round Sunday morning if she wants a shot at a medal. It was close in the 1500m, but Valérie Maltais and Mendes-Campeau were able to qualified by finishing third in very fast heats. Jessica Hewitt, fourth of her wave, will have to get up with St-Gelais for the repechage round.

“I’ve been to the World Junior Championships before”, continued Valérie Maltais. “But here, it’s bigger, the girls have a lot more experience. Some of them are quite intimidating, but by qualifying for final rounds in both distances, I proved that I had my place here. My goal was not to go through repechage, so I’ve reached it, and I’m not putting any pressure on myself for the rest, but it would be awesome to make a final!”

Tomorrow, Jessica Hewitt will be in action in the 1000m starting at 10am in Salt Lake City, and all of her teammates will be on the ice at 6pm for the final rounds of the 1500m and the 1000m. Competition continues through Sunday, before the action moves to Vancouver for the 2nd stop of the World Cup circuit October 24-26 at the Pacific Coliseum.

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Silver medal for Hamelin at Short Track World Cup Opener
Date posted: 10/18/2008

Charles Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) kicked off the 2008-09 season in good fashion by winning a silver medal in the 1500m, today, at the first World Cup event of the season in Salt Lake City. Six of his team-mates also achieved top-10 performances.

Hamelin finished second just behind Korean rival Sung Si-Bak in the final round of the 1500m. He was the lone Canadian athlete in the final, since fellow skaters Rémi Beaulieu (Alma, QC) was a close third in his semi-final race and Olivier Jean (Lachenaie, QC) got disqualified in his wave for off tracking. Beaulieu went on to win the B final for 8th place overall, an excellent result for the World Cup rookie.

“The semi finals were really fast, everyone skated well so I expected a tough final”, explained Hamelin. “It was a little slower in the final, but the ice was really good today. I started up front, but with six laps to go the Korean skater passed me from the outside. I followed him, but I was thinking about too many things at the same time and there was only one lap to go when I finally try to pass him, but it was too little too late. This gives me a lot of confidence for tomorrow though, I really want to come back and win gold in the 500m.”

In the 1000m, Canada was only represented with two skaters, François Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) and Michael Gilday (Yellowknife, NT). Both athletes made the B final by finishing third in their respective semi-finals, and finished 7th and 8th respectively.

On the women side, three junior-aged skaters were taking part in the 1500m. Valérie Maltais (La Baie, QC) posted the top finish of the day with an 8th place. The 18 year old athlete came just short of the A Final by crossing the line 0.016 after Korean Yang Shin-Young, finishing third in her heat. The top two were qualifying for the A final. Maltais was second of the B final, while team-mate Marie-Andrée Mendes-Campeau (Montréal, QC), also 18th, finished 12th overall by placing 6th in the B Final. The other Canadian skater in the distance, Marianne St-Gelais (St-Félicien, QC), took 14th place.

Jessica Hewitt (Langley, BC) skated many more races than most skaters today, as she went through the repechage rounds this morning, but this did not prevent her from getting the best Canadian result in the 1000m with a 10th place. Anne Maltais (Québec, QC) followed her with 12th position, and Jessica Gregg (Edmonton, AB), a 500m specialist, was 14th.

“I felt lonely this morning, being the lone Canadian skater in the repechage”, said Hewitt at the end of the day. “But at the same time, it shows that Canada is really strong since almost all athletes qualify straight for the final rounds. That pushed me, it made me think that I also belonged there. It’s really exciting to be here and skate with the Koreans and all the other skaters I don’t know.”

Both relay teams were able to qualify for Sunday’s finals. Tomorrow, all Canadian skaters will be in action, starting with St-Gelais and Hewitt who will skate in the repechage of the 500m and 1500m respectively, starting at 10am. The rest of the team will join them at the Pacific Coliseum in the afternoon for the final rounds, starting at 3pm.

“My first race is normally not the best, so it’s good for me to race in the morning”, said Hewitt of having to wake up again for tomorrow’s repechage. “Plus, I’m here to learn and get more experience, so it’s good for me to race more.”

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Great Canadian Medal Haul Today at Short Track World Cup
Date posted: 10/19/2008

The Canadian Short Track Speed Skating Team had a great showing today in Salt Lake City by capturing five more medals, one silver and four bronze, for a total of six over the weekend.

Canadian skaters lived up to their reputation as some of the best sprinters in the world as the three individual medals were won in the 500m. Charles Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) added a silver to the one he won yesterday, and team-mate François-Louis Tremblay (Montréal, QC) joined him on the podium for the bronze medal. Jessica Gregg (Edmonton, AB) was the other individual medallist with a bronze in her specialty.

It was a busy final in the men division, with an usual six skaters on the start line. All three Canadians were in the count: Tremblay, Hamelin, and his younger brother François (Ste-Julie, QC). Korean Sung Si-Bak took the gold medal, and François Hamelin finished in 5th place.

“It wasn’t easy, with an injury to my ankle on Friday, I was disadvantaged from the start”, explained Tremblay. “I didn’t walk on it at all yesterday, hoping to rest it as much as I can, and it paid off. It was a very unusual situation with six guys in the final, I’ve never seen that in my life. I was 6th on the line, so I’m extremely satisfied with this bronze medal in these circumstances.”

On the women side, Marianne St-Gelais (St-Félicien, QC) was unable to make it through the repechage round in the morning, so only two skaters were part of the finals of the 500m. Anne Maltais (Québec, QC) was eliminated in quarter final when she finished fourth of her heath, which left Gregg the lone Canadian in the final. The young skater who previously won a bronze medal in a World Cup in 2006 was not intimidated by the three Chinese girls also in the final and skated a strong race to win her second carreer individual medal in a World Cup. Chinese skaters Wang Meng and Liu Qiuhong took gold and silver respectively.

“I feel really good about the bronze medal, I was excited to be in the final, and after winning a World Cup medal two years ago, I really wanted to get another one this time”, explained Gregg after receiving her medal. “The fact that the other three skaters in the final were Chinese motivated me more to go for it. I was second on the line, but came out of the first corner in 3rd after one of the girls squeezed in front of me, and I stayed in that position for most of the race. The other Chinese passed me, but there was no room for it so she got disqualified. This medal is a huge confidence booster going in to Vancouver next week, I know I can skate as fast as these girls, and in Vancouver, I will have the home crowd advantage so I look forward to it!”, she concluded.

Team Canada had good results in the 1500m as well, all athletes placing within the top-13. On the men side, all three Canadians qualified for a final, but Olivier Jean (Lachenaie, QC) was the only one who had a chance for a medal as Rémi Beaulieu (Alma, QC) and Michael Gilday (Yellowknife, NT) were relegated to the B Final by finishing very close third in their semi-final races. Jean, in his first World Cup after a year off the circuit due to a serious injury in the Fall of 2007, finished 7th, Beaulieu 9th and Gilday 10th.

Valérie Maltais (La Baie, QC) and Marie-Andrée Mendes-Campeau (Montréal, QC) proved that making the B Final was not an accident yesterday when they both did it again today in the 1500m race. The young Maltais even went on to win her last race for an excellent 7th place overall, and Mendes-Campeau finished 12th. Jessica Hewitt (Kamloops, BC) went once again through two repechage races in the morning and came out as the top skater, which allowed her to skate in tonight’s final rounds. That was a lot of races for the rookie World Cup athlete over the weekend, and she was eliminated in the semi-final for 13th place overall.

The relay finals put an end to the competition, and both Canadian teams won bronze medals. It was a close one for the men’s team, who finished less than a second after the Koreans and Americans who won gold and silver. China and Korea took the other two podium spots for the women.

“The Relay medal has a different meaning, it’s a team medal, so it’ll always remind us of the girls we skated with, I’m really happy with it”, said Maltais, for who it was a first ever World Cup medal.

Athletes make their way to Vancouver tomorrow, where they will train all week and compete in the second World Cup event of the season at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver on October 24 to 26th. For ticket information, please visit ticketmaster.ca, and for all details on the event, go to www.vancouvershorttrack2008.com

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Canadian Skaters Prove Their Domination in the 500m at Vancouver World Cup
Date posted: 10/24/2008

Canadian short track speed skaters dominated the 500m races today, and all six athletes qualified for the quarter finals to be held Sunday at the Pacific Coliseum. These were not the only successes of the home team: eight athletes also qualified straight to the quarter and semi finals on Saturday, and both relay teams will be of the semi finals.

Canadians are known for their strength in the 500m, and all skaters in Vancouver this weekend have a chance to make a podium in the distance. The men’s team is definitely the strongest, with Charles Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) and François-Louis Tremblay (Montréal, QC) finishing 2-3 in the distance last week. Hamelin is not skating the distance this weekend, but his young brother François (Ste-Julie, QC) and Olivier Jean (Lachenaie, QC) are, along with Tremblay. All three skaters had two strong races. In the second heat, it looked like the game plan was to start out fast and lead the race from start to finish, as all three Canadians used the same strategy to finish first of their heat with a comfortable lead.

“We all had good times in the first round”, said Hamelin at the end of the day. “We were all first on the start line, so it was the strategy that made sense: go out fast, make sure you stay there, so you don’t need to risk passes.”

It was a similar scenario for the women, as Jessica Gregg (Edmonton, AB), Marianne St-Gelais (St-Félicien, QC) and Anne Maltais (Québec, QC) were all able to qualify for Sunday’s quarter final races. St-Gelais skated a very strong second race, just like the men did, and she was able to cruise to the finish line well ahead of her competitors.

“I’m really happy, the 500m is the distance in which I want to perform well, so it’s great to make it to the finals”, she explained. “I was planning on going with a fast start and accelerate through my first lap, and it worked well against those girls. I’m hoping to do as best as I can in this distance, race strong every time and not make mistakes. This is great experience for me!”, concluded the 18-year old skater.

The Hamelin brothers and François-Louis Tremblay were also racing the first 1000m, and they will all be part of the quarter finals tomorrow. Charles Hamelin dominated his second heat, while François Hamelin and Tremblay had to go for numerous passes in order to finish 1st and 2nd of their respective heats, but the end result was the same for all skaters.

“I was slightly cut on the thigh when I fell in my first race, so I lost a little bit of concentration in my second race, but I was still able to focus”, said Hamelin, who was advanced from his first heat after another skater made him fall.

The women did not have the same luck, and only Marianne St-Gelais was able to win her spot in the quarter finals. Both Anne Maltais and Gregg will have to get up at dawn Saturday to partake in the repechage rounds. Maltais had an unfortunate fall in her second race, while Gregg was passed in the last lap and relegated to third place.

“I’m happy with how I skated the 1000m”, said St-Gelais. “As a kid, the 1000m was the race that was giving me the most trouble, but the more I learn to skate it right, the more I start to enjoy it. It went well, I was able to follow my strategy and place myself properly in both races.”

Marie-Andrée Mendes-Campeau (Montreal, QC) and Michael Gilday (Yellowknife, NT) will also be at the Pacific Coliseum early tomorrow for their respective 1500m repechage. Both athletes were passed by competitors just before the finish line, finishing third. The other Canadians in the 1500m will go straight to semi-finals on Saturday, as Valérie Maltais (La Baie, QC) and Jessica Hewitt (Kamloops, BC) were 2nd of their respective race while Olivier Jean and Rémi Beaulieu (Alma, QC) took the honours in theirs.

The last distance skated this weekend will be a second 1000m race on Sunday, and three Canadians will for sure be part of the quarter finals. Only Valérie Maltais qualified for the women, with two strong races in which she stayed close to the leaders to secure her second place finish. Mendes-Campeau was facing a very tough heat and stuck in third place for the last five laps, unable to pass successfully. She will be in the repechage Sunday morning. Hewitt was disqualified for impeding in her last race of the day when she tried passing two skaters with just over one lap to go.

It was similar on the men side, with Charles Hamelin first getting disqualified for impeding in his first heat while passing all four opponents with two laps to go. World Cup rookie Rémi Beaulieu, once again won both his races. Beaulieu, who skated in a World Cup for the first time last weekend in Salt Lake City, has won each of his heats in qualifications both last week and today. His team-mate Michael Gilday will join him in the quarter finals Sunday.

The women’s relay team of Jessica Gregg, Marie-Andrée Mendes-Campeau, Valérie and Anne Maltais led their heat until the last few laps, when the Dutch team passed them. They finished second, qualifying for tomorrow’s semi-final. On the men side, Charles Hamelin, Michael Gilday, Rémi Beaulieu and Olivier Jean were in action, and they did not disappoint, winning their race with an impressive lead.

Tomorrow, Mendes-Campeau, Gilday, Anne Maltais and Gregg will be in action starting at 8 at the Pacific Coliseum, hoping to qualify to join the rest of their team-mates at 2pm for the final rounds in the 1500m and 1000m.

Photo(s):


F. Hamelin

Marianne St-Gelais

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Hamelin Brothers Take Over Podium at Vancouver Short Track World Cup
Date posted: 10/25/2008

Brothers Charles and François Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) pleased the crowd at the Pacific Coliseum, today, when they took the gold and bronze medal respectively in the 1000m final. It was the first time the Canadian brothers were stepping on the podium together for an international competition.

“It’s amazing”, said François afterwards. “Once I heard I was going to be on the podium with my brother, I was really excited! It’s even more amazing that it’s happening here, in Vancouver, in the event that’s the official preparation for the Olympic Games…”

The fans were cheering loud during the men’s 1000m final, and they certainly had good reasons to do so, with not only home favourites Hamelin, but also American Apolo Anton Ohno and Korean Kwak Yoon-Gy, two of the fastest skaters in the world. There was a fifth skater in the race, American Anthony Lobello, who took silver.

“It was the perfect example of a short track race,” said Charles Hamelin. “There was a lot of action, strategy, and a great finish!” And he was right, he who started out first, but saw his brother take the lead very quickly. Ohno then passed and came in contact with him, causing a slight slip. There were numerous changes of position and a race for the finish, with Hamelin, Ohno, Lobello and younger Hamelin crossing the line in that order, but Ohno was disqualified for impeding, which gave 1-3 to the Hamelin. The other Canadian skater in the distance, François-Louis Tremblay (Montréal, QC) won the B final, for 6th place overall.

“It’s great to get my first gold medal of the season. There are now 15 months to the Olympics here in Vancouver, and having two Canadians on the podium in a distance shows that we’re on the right path leading us there”, finished Charles Hamelin.

Marianne St-Gelais (St-Félicien, QC) was the lone Canadian on the women side, as her two team-mates, Anne Maltais (Québec, QC) and Jessica Gregg (Edmonton, AB) didn’t make it through the repechage round in the morning. The young skater had a tough heat with Chinese Wang Meng, World Record holder in the distance. St-Gelais gave everything she had, but came just short of a spot in the semi-finals, crossing the finish line in 3rd position for 11th place overall.

In the 1500m, both Marie-Andrée Mendes-Campeau (Montréal, QC) and Michael Gilday (Yellowknife, NT) were able to qualify for the semi-finals through the morning repechage rounds. Mendes-Campeau even made it to the B final, for a 15th place overall. Valérie Maltais (La Baie, QC) was also in that B final, and she finished 10th.

This is a great showing for the two junior-aged athletes who are skating in their second career World Cup this weekend. There were 9 skaters in the B final, a very unique situation but great experience for these young skaters. Jessica Hewitt (Kamloops, BC) was the other Canadian woman in the distance, and she was disqualified for cross-tracking in her semi-final race, for 18th place overall.

On the men side, Rémi Beaulieu (Alma, QC) had another strong day, taking once again the honours of the B final, for 9th place overall. Beaulieu came very close to making the A final for the first time of his career, but finished 3rd of his semi-final. Both other skaters from Team Canada, Olivier Jean (Lachenaie, QC) and Michael Gilday, were disqualified in semi-final for 20th and 21st positions.

The women’s relay was another extremely exciting race for the crowd. Five teams were in the second race, including home favourite Canadians (Gregg, Hewitt, St-Gelais and Maltais), and it was close for second place. Kamloops skater Jessica Hewitt took the last relay from Jessica Gregg, and passed the American skater in the last lap, securing a spot in tomorrow’s finals for her team.

“I knew it was going to be tight and I would have to nail that last exchange for us to do it”, said Hewitt. “The crowd was so loud I couldn’t hear my team-mates, but I just went for it and it happened!”

The men’s relay team of the Hamelin brothers, Tremblay and Jean went on to also qualify for the final, leading for the whole duration of their heat.

Tomorrow, Mendes-Campeau will be at the Pacific Coliseum for the repechage round in the 1000m starting at 8am. All other Canadian skaters but Hewitt and Charles Hamelin, disqualified yesterday in the 1000m, will be there at 2pm for the 500m and 1000m final rounds as well as the relay finals.

Photo(s):


A. Lobello, C. Hamelin, F. Hamelin

Ohno, C. Hamelin

Marie-Andrée Mendes-Campeau

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Six Podiums for Canada at Short Track World Cup in Vancouver
Date posted: 10/26/2008

Canadian athletes were very strong on the last day of the Short Track World Cup event being held at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, winning six more medals, making it eight for the young team over the weekend.

The first medal of the day came in the women’s 500m race, with junior skater Marianne St-Gelais (St-Félicien, QC) making her way to silver, second to none other than Chinese Wang Meng. St-Gelais skated extremely well in all her races. In both her quarter and semi-final she had very fast starts and led from start to finish. In the final, she started right behind Wang and kept her 2nd place until the finish line, for her first ever World Cup medal.

“I’m surprised, very excited and extremely proud,” smiled the 18 year old after getting her medal. “It shows that I’m now part of the game, that I can not only qualify to make World Cups, but I can be in the finals and win a medal!”

The other Canadian women in the distance, Jessica Gregg (Edmonton, AB) and Anne Maltais (Québec, QC), were eliminated in quarter finals for 9th and 11th place overall.

François-Louis Tremblay (Montréal, QC) followed suit, achieving another silver medal performance in the 500m, his favourite distance. Tremblay started out first, but American skater Jeff Simon passed him on the inside with three laps to go, and Korean Lee Ho-Suk followed. The Canadian was able to get back one spot in the last lap, finishing second to Lee for his second podium in as many 500m races this season.

François Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC), bronze medallist in the 1000m yesterday, finished third behind two Korean skaters in his semi-final, and went on to the third place in the B final for a 7th position overall. Olivier Jean (Lachenaie, QC) was disqualified in the quarter finals and finished 16th.

Next up was the men’s 1000m final, in which Canada’s Hamelin brothers won gold and bronze yesterday. Two other Canadians were able to find their way to the podium today, for their first ever individual medals in a World Cup event. Michael Gilday (Yellowknife, NT) and Rémi Beaulieu (Alma, QC) had amazing races in quarter and semi finals to qualify for the big final.

Gilday started in third, Beaulieu just behind in this four men final. With two laps to go, Gilday passed American Apolo Anton Ohno on the inside, and Beaulieu did the same moments later. The skaters went on to cross the finish line in that order, with Lee Jung-Su of Korea taking the gold.

“I’m so excited right now, I’m really happy,” said Gilday right off the podium. “It’s awesome to do this in the Olympic venue, it shows that we are comfortable here. It’s even more special to win my first World Cup medal here in Vancouver. Seeing so many Canadians on the podium this weekend, all different, shows that we are on the right track for 2010!” Beaulieu added “I feel absolutely great right now, I’ve been skating really well both last week and this one. I was ready for it!”

In the women’s 1000m event, Valérie Maltais (La Baie, QC) was the lone Canadian skating this afternoon, and she finished 3rd of her quarter final heat, for 10th place overall. Marie-Andrée Mendes-Campeau (Montréal, QC) was eliminated earlier in the repechage rounds, for 23rd position.

The day ended with both relay finals, in which Canada won two more medals. The women were up first, and the team made of Mends-Campeau, Valérie Maltais, Gregg and Jessica Hewitt (Kamloops, BC) started in second place behind Korea. The Chinese team passed Canada with just about 15 laps to go, and positions didn’t change from then on, with Canada a close third crossing the finish line.

Canada’s men team of Charles and François Hamelin, Beaulieu and Tremblay had big hopes with Korea out of the picture, having been eliminated on Friday. It was a very close race between Canada and the US from start to finish, teams exchanging positions every so often, and Canada crossed the finish line 0,077 seconds after the US, for the silver medal.

“With Korea not in the race, our plan was to go out first and accelerate to lead the race,” explained veteran skater Tremblay. “We could have done better in a few of our exchanges, which would have likely made the difference.”

It was a great weekend for Canadian skaters, with 8 medals but, most importantly, the chance to get even more familiar with the Pacific Coliseum which will be their home for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

“It’s a lot of little things together that made it happen for us this weekend,” concluded Beaulieu. “The great food we have at the hotel, the fact that we’ve been here twice before, that we know the area, the ice, the facility, it makes it better for us.”

The team now heads back to Montreal and Calgary tomorrow for training, and will be back in World Cup action as of November 28th in Beijing, China, and the following week in Nagano, Japan.

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New structure for Speed Skating Canada’s Sport Department in the lead up to 2010
Date posted: 11/11/2008

In order to optimize its preparation for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Speed Skating Canada (SSC) announced today a small restructuration within its Sport Department.

Effective today, Sport Director Brian Rahill will assume the position of High Performance and Olympic Program Director, and will work solely with the high performance programs, for both short and long track speed skating. One of his main responsibilities will be to provide the necessary direction for organization and delivery of all parts of the Olympic preparation plan.

This will relieve the Short Track and Long Track Program Directors, Yves Hamelin and Finn Halvorsen, of some of their planning workload, allowing them to focus more on program management and evaluation of the technical aspects of their respective disciplines. Rahill will take direct responsibility for the planning, management and implementation of the Olympic plans, while the two Program Directors will, among other things, keep their role as leaders of the national training centres as well as the national coaches and integrated support teams and monitoring and evaluating the entire programs performances and needs analysis.

“This new structure comes into play today, 15 months before the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, in order to ensure the best possible support is given to our speed skating athletes and coaches to optimize their success at the 2010 Olympics and beyond,” explained SSC’s Director General Jean R. Dupré. “We have a strong program and have achieved great success over the past few years, but constant change is necessary in order for us to keep improving and stay a leader within Canada’s National Sport Organizations.”

Rahill will also be responsible for strategic planning of both high performance programs including succession planning. He will become the lead liaison with both High Performance Committees. He will continue to be the lead liaison with Sport Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee, Own the Podium 2010 and the Canadian Sport Centres.

Additionally, he will retain his overarching responsibilities regarding the implementation of SSC’s Long Term Athlete and Participant Development plan.

“I’m very excited at the opportunity to work even closer than before with our two Program Directors in order to prepare as optimally as possible for the 2010 Games. I hope to share and build on the experience acquired in various capacities at 7 Olympic Games and allow them to focus on the preparation of our teams, coaches and performance enhancement teams. Our program has grown exponentially since the creation of the Own the Podium 2010 program and they need to be able to focus on factors that will directly affect performance “ said Rahill.

Link for an article similar to this release: www.cbc.ca/sports/amateur/story/2008/11/11/rahill-speedskating.html?ref=rss

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Competing with Canada's best suits Shoebridge
'I'm out there because I love the sport'
Kristen Odland, Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The journey has taken Richard Shoebridge from South Africa to Calgary's Olympic Oval but, finally, the short-track speed skater finds himself competing on the World Cup circuit.

Disappointing results last season restricted him to competition at the national development team level but, after a qualifying race in September, the 23-year-old who was born and raised in Johannesburg and learned to skate at age six at an arena on the roof of a local casino is competing with Canada's best.

"I think it was an overall conclusion that I came to," said Shoebridge between laps at the Olympic Oval on Tuesday. "I'm not just out there to finish top 10 or top five, I'm out there because I love the sport.

"There are times where yes, you need to think, I messed this up or I did this wrong in a race. But overall, in the scheme of things, you need to focus on what's going to make you happy."

Shoebridge took up speed skating at age six following in the footsteps of his English-born father, Paul, who skated with the South African national team and ran the local speed-skating club in Johannesburg. His mother, Jacky, was a speed-skating referee.

But it was a trip to Ontario for a speed-skating summer camp that convinced the family Canada was the place to be.

"We were over here for two weeks and my parents fell in love with Canada," said Shoebridge, who was 11 when his family moved to Cambridge, Ont. "Within two years, we had moved to Ontario . . . at the age of 18, I moved out here and two years ago, my sister (17-year-old short-track skater Kristy) moved (to Calgary) too and now we both live here and skate."

After moving to Calgary when he was 18, he started training with the national development team while going to the University of Calgary and studying kinesiology.

Following September's short-track trials in Vancouver, Shoebridge finished among the top five Canadians in the 500-metre event.

With that performance, he'll join fellow Olympic Oval World Cup skater Michael Gilday and Montreal-based Charles Hamelin, Olivier Jean, Francois Hamelin and Francois-Louis Tremblay as the group leaves this weekend for the season's third and four World Cup stops in Beijing on Nov. 28 to 30 and in Nagano, Japan, Dec. 5 to 7.

"It shows that (Shoebridge) has the ability to be one of the best in the world, as well, if you're qualifying for the Canadian team," said Olympic Oval national team coach Jonathon Cavar. "Especially up against some of the athletes who have already gone to World Cups and won medals.

"He knows it's possible to reach the podium and to reach the A-final."

Shoebridge's next goals include representing Canada at the World University Games and making Canada's World Cup team for the fifth and sixth events in February.

After that, he'll set his sights on the 2010 Olympic team selection at Vancouver's GM Place in August.

Meanwhile, Shoebridge's girlfriend, Jessica Gregg of Edmonton, who also trains at the Olympic Oval, will take in her third and fourth short-track World Cup events after a third-place finish in both the 500-m and the 3,000-m team event at the season opener in Salt Lake City, Utah, and finishing ninth in the 500-m in the second stop in Vancouver.

"I'm feeling really good," said Gregg, 20. "Hopefully, I'll get better in the next two (World Cups). Because it's right before the Olympics, it's about getting more experience every time and more podium finishes."

Gregg will be joined by Oval-based Jessica Hewitt and Montreal-stationed Anne Maltais, Kalyna Roberge, Annik Plamondon, Valerie Lambert in Asia.

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First, Richard and Jess Gregg - how cute! ;D

Second, KALYNA ROBERGE!! Oooo...I'm getting excited! I'm so glad she's back! ;D

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Canadian short-track speedskater Monette retires after eight-year career
December, 3, 2008 - 04:22 pm THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL - Canadian short-track speedskater Jean-Francois Monette has decided to call it a career.

The skater from Pointe-aux-Trembles, Que., announced his retirement Wednesday just over a year before the Vancouver Olympics, saying a pair of concussions suffered last February and a knee injury that's been slow to heal influenced his decision.

"While I can still train, I can't do so with the same quality of work that I used to," Monette said in a release. "I always believed I could represent my country in Vancouver, and that's why I stayed on the team. However, today, I don't think I can reach the only objective that is worth all these sacrifices - the gold medal."

Monette competed in short-track for eight years, winning a pair of medals at the world championships in 2002-03, and finishing first in the 500 metres and second in the 1,000 metres in the World Cup standings that same season. He was named Speed Skating Canada's male short-track skater of the year that season.

He didn't compete for the national team in 2005-06, but rebounded to help Canada win gold at the 2007 world championships and silver in 2008.

Monette graduated with a law degree from the University of Montreal in May, and is now studying notary law there.

"Monette is a perfect example of a great speedskating career," Canadian short-track team program director Yves Hamelin said in a release. "I am sure that his passion and successes will carry over into his personal and professional pursuits."

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Good Luck, Jean-Francois!! ;D

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Jean-François Monette retires from Short Track Speed Skating
Date posted: 12/03/2008

After much thought and eight years of competitive short track speed skating, Jean-François Monette (Pointe-aux-Trembles, QC) has decided to officially retire from Speed Skating Canada’s (SSC) national team.

Monette’s best season was highlighted in 2002-2003, where he won two medals at the World Championships. That year, Monette was first overall in the World Cup Standings in the 500m races and 2nd in the 1000m, and he was later on named Speed Skating Canada’s Male Skater of the Year – Short Track.

After having been away from the international scene in 2005-06, Monette came back at the 2007 World Championships, where he helped Canada take the gold medal, and then in 2008 for silver.

The two time recipient of Speed Skating Canada’s Peter Williamson Bursary, for athletic and academic excellence, is currently pursuing further studies in notary law at the University of Montreal, after graduating with a Law Degree in April 2008.

SSC’s National Short Track Team Program Director, Yves Hamelin, expressed the feelings of many when he stated, “Monette is a perfect example of a great speed skating career. I am sure that his passion and successes will carry over into his personal and professional pursuits, and on behalf of everyone at SSC I wish him the best of luck!”

His career achievements for Speed Skating Canada off the ice are equally remarkable. He was involved as an athlete representative on the High Performance Short Track committee for a number of years. Back in 1996, Monette won the World Junior title and was a finalist at the Canadian Sport Awards for Male Junior Athlete of the Year. A leader on and off the ice, Monette also helped develop future athletes when he coached at his original club Pointe-aux-Trembles. For many years he has quietly assumed the role as mentor, inspiration, and friend to all his fellow National and Development Team members.

« J’ai toujours été un athlète fier et intègre. Je n’ai jamais accepté les demi-mesures. Je crois fermement en l’excellence. J’espère avoir représenté dignement mon sport et mon pays tout au long de ces années, et avoir la chance de le faire encore, mais d’une autre façon, auprès de Patinage de vitesse Canada, » expliquait l’athlète.

Jean-François Monette suffered two concussions during a World Cup last February which, along with a slow to heal knee injury, influenced his decision to move forward. “While I can still train, I can’t do so with the same quality of work that I used to. I always believed I could represent my country in Vancouver, and that’s why I stayed on the team. However, today, I don’t think I can reach the only objective that is worth all these sacrifices: the gold medal,” finished Monette.

Monette will still keep busy in the coming months. Following the Law Degree he completed last May, he should be sworn in as a notary in January of 2010 following the completion of his internship with the notary firm Prud’homme, Fontaine, and Dolan, in Boucherville, QC; a dynamic work environment where excellence and co-operation is fostered, similar to that of the National Short Track team.

Speed Skating Canada joins Jean-François’ former teammates to thank him for his exceptional contribution throughout the years and to wish him the best with his new career.

PHOTO:

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Gregg hopes to follow parents to Olympics
Vicki Hall, Calgary Herald
Published: Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Jessica Gregg already has one trip to the Olympics on her resume.

Well, sort of.

"My mom and I came to the Olympics in '88," Gregg said, in a break from training at Calgary's Olympic Oval. "I was in my mom's belly, so I don't remember it or anything. We came to Calgary to watch my dad play hockey."

She also has no recollection of her dad, Randy, hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head as a defenceman for the Edmonton Oilers.

"We have pictures of me sitting in the Cup," she said. "So I know it actually happened.

"But I don't really think of my dad as a hockey player. He's just my dad."

Her mom Kathy Gregg represented Canada in long-track speed skating at the Olympics in 1976 and 1980. Jessica's parents actually met at Lake Placid.

Now 20, Jessica hopes to write her own chapter in Canadian sporting history. Her specialty? The rough-and-tumble world of short-track speed skating.

"Roller derby on ice," she said, with a wry grin. "The corners are so tight. When people see it live for the first time, and it's so much faster than people think."

Known for her explosive starts, Gregg picked up her second individual World Cup medal in October, a bronze in the 500-metres in Salt Lake City.

The Edmonton native hopes to climb even higher in a World Cup season dedicated to gearing up for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

"That's my ultimate goal, -- to make it to the Olympics," she said. "But the Olympics come only every four years, right?

"You have to make the most of the years in between. So I'm focused on the World Cup circuit and moving up in the world rankings."

Ranked eighth in the world last year, Gregg is considered a legitimate medal contender for Vancouver.

"We see her as high potential for now, for the future and for sure for 2010," said Yves Hamelin, the short-track program director for Speed Skating Canada. "She is a natural sprinter. The legacy from her family is clearly giving her the physical requirements to be really good."

She also inherited the wisdom to pursue an education instead of throwing herself solely into sport. Dr. Randy Gregg played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League, but he also went to medical school and trained to become an orthopedic surgeon.

These days, Jessica balances her skating with part-time kinesiology studies at the University of Calgary.

But she earned an education of a different sort this weekend at a World Cup stop in China. The referees disqualified her in both the 500 metres and 1,000 metres.

Both calls came when she attempted to pass a Chinese skater.

"She qualified with the fastest time, so she's skating really well," said Kathy Gregg, who coached her daughter as a tyke through the Edmonton Speed Skating Association. "It's a good learning experience, and she doesn't get too upset about those kind of things.

"You have to be like that in short track. If you don't like the ref's calls, you have to live with them."

Kathy Gregg knows the frustrations firsthand, as a former world junior champion in short-track.

"Jessica actually doesn't fit the profile of short-track," Kathy said. "Short-track skaters are normally more out there. Long-track skaters are generally more conservative.

"It a lot like the differences between snowboarders and skiers. Snowboarding, as a sport, is more out there. On the edge."

The entire Gregg family lives on the edge.

Jamie Gregg, 22, will represent Canada this weekend at a long-track stop on the World Cup circuit. His goal is to compete in Vancouver in 2010 along with his sister, Jessica.

Sarah Gregg, 19, represented Canada last year in the world junior championships for long-track. The University of Calgary student is one of the rising stars in the sport and is eyeing a berth at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

"It's a lot of work, but we get some of it naturally," Jessica said. "Our parents are both high-calibre athletes, so I think we got good genes."

Shortly after she learned to walk, Jessica skated for the first time in the backyard rink built by her dad.

"At age five, she took her first pair of speed skates for a whirl, imitating her mom as she breezed around the ice.

Hockey, volleyball, handball, ringette, fastball, gymnastics -- Jamie, Ryan (an accomplished athlete in his own right), Jessica and Sarah enjoyed success in virtually every sport they tried.

But ice, and the Olympics, course through their veins.

"We try to be casual about it," Kathy Gregg said. "We're proud of them in what they're trying to achieve to get to the Olympics. We both understand the time and the sacrifice that it takes.

"But not everyone makes it, even though they put in the same time and sacrifice as the ones who do.

"And they know their value to us -- the way we feel about them -- has nothing to do with the way they skate.

"We want them to be happy. We don't want to put any pressure on them.

"Parents can really screw up their kids' careers if they're not careful."

If anything, Jessica figures her parents taught her there's more to life than skating. After all, the sun still rises after falls after disqualifications.

"They always taught us that winning wasn't everything," she said. "We grew up knowing that."

She also grew up knowing that she is her own person, even as the daughter of a Stanley Cup champion.

"I'm really proud of my dad," she said. "But I'm glad that people are beginning to recognize me as well."

If she keeps climbing up the rankings, Jessica could experience Olympic stardom even her parents never knew.

[bubblebuttsbabe]

2010 Olympic Hopefuls Jeremy Wothersthingy and Charles Hamelin Headline Guest Judges’ Panel for ING Speed Skating Challenge
Date posted: 01/14/2009

There certainly won’t be a lack of talent or star power on the guest judges panel for the second annual ING Speed Skating Challenge: there are Olympians, World and National Champions and World Record Holders, with too many medals to count between them.

Two-time Olympic Champion Catriona Le May Doan will again assume the role of head judge, and has extended an invitation to World Champion long track skater Jeremy Wothersthingy and Olympic short track skater Charles Hamelin to join her on the panel.

“If anyone knows great speed skating stories, it’s our panel of guest judges. They’ve all lived speed skating in this country, growing up in community clubs and coming through the system to represent Canada all over the world,” added Catriona.

Jeremy Wothersthingy’s comeback story has become legendary. After taking a year off following the 2006 Olympics and spending time in Norway on a fishing boat, he returned to the ice to win nine out of ten World Cup races in 2007-08.

Charles Hamelin’s story is all about family ties: younger brother Francois also competes for Canada on the short track team and father Yves is their coach, as well as Speed Skating Canada’s short track program director.

To help select the Top 16 video finalists, Catriona has also recruited two-time Olympic medalist Alanna Kraus and up-and-coming short track sensation Jessica Gregg. As the daughter of an Olympic long track speed skater Kathy Gregg and NHL defenseman Randy Gregg, Jessica knows what she’s doing on the ice and brings a lot of family history to her role as a guest judge.

Alanna Kraus, who now works for ING in Calgary, has developed a strong relationship with ING after retiring from the National Team in 2008 and is looking forward to her role as a guest judge. "Growing up in Abbotsford, BC, and getting involved in speed skating at the community club level, it’s amazing to see what the sport has become in Canada,” added Alanna. “And that’s what the ING Speed Skating Challenge is all about – how the sport can inspire you and make you laugh. I saw that in the video stories last year and I’m really looking forward to being a guest judge this year.”

Rounding out the panel of judges is a young skater who knows a thing or two about telling great stories. Alastair Starke’s “Durness Oval Story” prevailed as Canada’s Best Speed Skating story in the first ING Challenge and this year, he’ll join Catriona and the others to select the Top 16.

Following the January 18, 2009 deadline for video submission, the panel of judges will convene to view the video stories and make their recommendations for the Top 16.

National voting begins on February 9, 2009.

To find out more information on the guest judges for this year’s ING Challenge or enter your video, please visit www.INGSpeedSkatingChallenge.com.

MEET THE JUDGES

Catriona Le May Doan
Few names are as synonymous with speed skating excellence as Catriona Le May Doan. Her Olympic and World Cup victories started Canada back on the track towards becoming a dominant skating nation.

Jeremy Wothersthingy – 2010 Vancouver Games Medal Hopeful
Wothersthingy is one of Canada’s most decorated male athletes. A world record holder in the 500m, Jeremy finished first overall in the 2007-2008 World Cup season, winning nine out of ten 500m races.

Charles Hamelin – 2010 Vancouver Games Medal Hopeful
Charles Hamelin has represented Canada at the 2006 Olympics and competed on the World Cup circuit for the past five years, recently winning his first gold medal in the 1000m at the World Cup in Vancouver in October.

Alanna Kraus
A two-time Olympian in Short Track Speed Skating, Alanna medaled at the Salt Lake City and 2006 Torino Games in the 3000 m relay. Upon retiring, Alanna began work with ING as a Marketing Coordinator.

Jessica Gregg – 2010 Vancouver Games Medal Hopeful
The Overall Canadian Junior Champion of 2006 skated to a silver medal finish in her first World Championships in 2008.

Alastair Starke
Alastair’s “Durness Oval Story” captured the title of Canada’s Best Speed Skating Story in last year’s ING Speed Skating Challenge. Alastair is currently living in Calgary, training in the real Olympic oval.

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Tight competition ahead at Canadian Open Short Track Speed Skating Championship
Date posted: 01/14/2009

There’s a lot on the line this weekend at the 2009 Canadian Open Short Track Speed Skating Championship that will be held for the second year in a row at the Maurice-Richard Arena in Montreal, from January 16 to 18.

The event serves as team selection for the World Short Track Championships scheduled for early March in Vienna, Austria. The top five male and female skaters overall between the Canadian Open Championship and the Fall World Cup Selection held in Vancouver last September will be able to represent Canada at the World Championship, and another athlete will join them for the last two stops of the World Cup Circuit this February.

For the last two years, Kalyna Roberge (St-Étienne-de-Lauzon, QC) has been dominating on the women side, winning every race she entered in national selection competitions since the Fall of 2006. Roberge did not skate in the Fall World Cup Selection as she was injured, but she’s now back in shape and ready to compete. The most experienced athlete of the Canadian team, Tania Vicent (Laval, QC) is also coming back to competition after missing races this Fall due to a groin injury.

Marie-Ève Drolet, who put an end to a young career in 2002 after winning a bronze medal in the relay at the Salt Lake City Olympic Games, and having been crowned World Junior Champion in 2000 and 2001, is making a come back to competition this year. It will be interesting to see how she will measure up to the other skaters this weekend.

It would not be surprising to see young skaters make the finals either, as the junior team made of Marianne St-Gelais (St-Félicien, QC), Valérie Maltais (La Baie, QC), Ivanie Blondin (Ottawa, ON) and Marie-Andrée Mendes-Campeau (Montreal, QC) is just coming off a great showing at the World Junior Short Track Championship in Sherbrooke.

On the men side, competition promises to be very tough as it has been for the last few years. Charles Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) and Olivier Jean (Lachenaie, QC) have an advantage on their competitors following great performances in the Fall World Cup Selection, but the other members of the national and development teams are ready to give everything they have hoping to represent Canada on the international stage this winter. Among the 9 skaters currently on our national team, 8 have won at least one medal in a World Cup since the Fall of 2007, and we can add to the list Rémi Beaulieu (Alma, QC) who is on the development team right now. Talent is there, and action promises to be breathtaking on the Maurice-Richard Arena ice!

Also to watch on Saturday, the organizing committee of the event has planned a « celebrity race », that will combine personalities of various fields such as Alexandre Despaties, MC Mario, Carl Marotte and Annie Pelletier with ex skaters like Frédéric Blackburn, Isabelle Charest, Jonathan Guilmette, Nathalie Lambert and Mathieu Turcotte for a race that should take place around 3pm.

Athletes will battle in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m over the three day event. Action starts on Friday, January 16 at 2:30pm. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children and students, and they will be on sale at the door or can be bought before the event at Ticketpro.ca.

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Charles Hamelin and Valérie Maltais 1500m Canadian Champions
Date posted: 01/16/2009

No one was surprised to see Charles Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) and Olivier Jean (Lachenaie, QC) taking gold and silver in the 1500m at the Canadian Open Championship taking place in Montreal. On the women side, the final was full of action, and Valérie Maltais (La Baie, QC) took the title, closely followed by Anne Maltais (Québec, QC) and Jessica Gregg (Edmonton, AB).

It was an uneventful final for the men, Hamelin and Jean taking the lead in the first few laps. The pack was tight, but the two athletes were never threatened in the fast paced race led by Hamelin (2:15.480). Guillaume Bastille (Rivière-du-Loup, QC) crossed the finish line in third place, for the bronze medal and important points in the rankings that will help determine which athletes will get to represent Canada at the World Championships and in World Cups this winter.

“It was a fast enough race, I gave a good rhythm from the start”, explained Charles Hamelin, who is generally the man to beat in a national competition. “I knew I was able to lead the entire race, I often do it in training. My goal is really to finish in the top-two, not to take risks and race well. Olivier was behind me and I knew he wouldn’t try anything risky, it’s not worth it here.”

Hamelin and Jean have a good lead on their counterparts, and if they skate all finals this weekend they should be sure to skate at the World Short Track Championship in March. The other athletes in the final were Michael Gilday (Yellowknife, NT), Marc-André Monette (Pointe-aux-Trembles, QC) and François-Louis Tremblay (Montréal, QC) who finished 4th, 5th and 6th respectively.

On the women side, there was a lot more action in the final. Marie-Ève Drolet (Saguenay, QC) is making a come back to competition, and it has been successful so far. The athlete who dominated the pre-selection event in Calgary last November made the final, along with the one who has been dominant in Canada in the last two years, Kalyna Roberge (St-Étienne-de-Lauzon, QC). The two skaters have been compared a lot in the last few weeks, and it was the first time they were skating against each other.

No one wanted to let someone else lead during the final, so position changes and passes were numerous. With a little bit less than four laps to go, Roberge tried to pass Valérie Maltais, but it was too tight and Roberge ended up in the mats. A little bit later, just before starting the last lap, Ivanie Blondin (Ottawa, ON) tried to pass Drolet who was then in first place, but she lost her edge and fell, bringing Drolet down with her.

The two Maltais – who are not related – were then able to make their way to the finish line without further trouble to take gold and silver, and Gregg, the only other athlete who did not fall, followed. Roberge and Blondin were disqualified and Drolet took 4th place.

“It’s an important win that gives me confidence”, said Valérie Maltais after her victory. “It will really help me with the points. It’s a bit different with Marie-Ève, we don’t know her, we never raced against her, so we are watching her, looking at her strategy. In the final, I definitely didn’t want her in front of me.”

It’s a first victory for Valérie Maltais in a Canadian championship. She just came back from Sherbrooke, where she won a bronze medal in the 500m and silver in the relay last weekend in the World Junior Championship.

Competition promises to be interesting tomorrow at the Maurice-Richard Arena in Montreal, as athletes will vie for the 500m Canadian titles – the favorite of many Canadian skaters – starting at 1:30pm.

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Kalyna Roberge and François-Louis Tremblay back at the top
Date posted: 01/17/2009

Kalyna Roberge (St-Étienne-de-Lauzon, QC) and François-Louis Tremblay (Montréal, QC) took the gold medals in the 500m today at the Canadian Open Short Track Speed Skating Championship. Jessica Gregg (Edmonton, AB) and Valérie Maltais (La Baie, QC) took the other medals on the women side, while silver and bronze went to Charles Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) and Olivier Jean (Lachenaie, QC) on the men side.

With on the line the chance to represent Canada at the World Championships in March and at the World Cups this winter, as well as a spot on next year’s National Team, competition promised to be exciting on the ice of the Maurice-Richard Arena in Montreal.

Kalyna Roberge showed everyone she was back in great shape and while she hadn’t skated a 500m race since the end of last season because of an injury this past summer, she managed to win all her races to be crowned Canadian Champion in the distance.

There were five skaters in the final, Roberge skating against Gregg, Jessica Hewitt (Kamloops, BC), Laurie Marceau (Dolbeau, QC) and Maltais. After a very fast start of Gregg, a fall from Hewitt with three laps to go made it a four woman rice, and Roberge achieved a great pass on the inside to take the lead with a little less than two laps to go to take the win.

“I didn’t have expectations this morning, I lost a lot of time this year with my injury, so I’m happy!”, said Roberge after the race. “I know Jessica (Gregg) well, I knew she would slow down slightly at the end, so I didn’t want to try anything risky at the beginning, I wanted to wait for the right time to pass her and that’s what I did. I look forward to tomorrow as the 1000m is my favorite distance.”

Gregg and Maltais are now on top of the overall ranking of the Fall selection and the Canadian championship, but the selection of athletes who will go to the World Championships depends on the results from the 1000m tomorrow as the rankings are tight and some athletes did not skate in the first selection.

On the men side, Guillaume Bastille (Rivière-du-Loup, QC) was the other skater in the final that looked like a World Cup race. Tremblay, who has one of the fastest starts in the World, started first, with Hamelin, Jean and Bastille just behind. Hamelin was able to pass him in the first lap to take the lead, but with two laps to go, Tremblay came back in front to cross the finish line in front of his teammates.

“I’m really happy, there were 3 of us in the final who can constantly win medals in World Cups,” explained Tremblay. “I haven’t won a race in national selections in three years, so this is a great victory for me. It puts me in a nice place in the rankings. It’s also been a while since I beat Charles (Hamelin) in a race, it feels good!”

In the overall rankings on the men side, Hamelin is first with over 1000 points more than his closest opponent, Olivier Jean. Tremblay is third, a little more than 1000 points behind Jean. Hamelin and Jean are therefore sure to skate at the World Championships in March as a victory gives 1000 points, so no one can catch up with them.

Competition ends tomorrow at the Maurice-Richard Arena in Montreal, and teams who will represent Canada on the international stage this winter will be named later next week. Races start at 9:30am tomorrow and athletes will skate the 1000m.

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Roberge and Hamelin do it again in the 1000m and become Canadian Champions
Date posted: 01/18/2009

Charles Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) and Kalyna Roberge (St-Étienne-de-Lauzon, QC) had another great day at the Maurice-Richard Arena in Montreal and they took the Canadian Champion titles in the 1000m and overall, ensuring the chance to represent Canada at the World Championships.

“My results this weekend show that technically, I skated well, even though I missed a lot of races this Fall, so I’m really happy”, explained Roberge after her victory.

On the women side, a series of disqualification in quarter finals forced semi-finals with five and six skaters. In the end, Roberge, Jessica Gregg (Edmonton, AB), Jessica Hewitt (Kamloops, BC) and Marie-Ève Drolet (Saguenay, QC) were able to get a place in the final.

Drolet started first, Roberge right behind. As Roberge managed to take the lead in the second turn, Drolet lost her edge and ended up in the mats, leaving the other three racing for medals. Gregg and Roberge took turns in the lead for a few turns, until the Québec skater went back in front with four laps to go and accelerated the pace to take gold. Gregg stayed second for silver and second place overall in the Championship, and Hewitt took bronze.

“In the final, we were fighting for positions,” continued Roberge. “I knew I was with three skaters from Calgary, so I wanted a fast start to avoid being stuck behind, and it worked well.”

No surprise in the line up for the men final, which had the Hamelin brothers aligned with Olivier Jean (Lachenaie, QC) and François-Louis Tremblay (Montréal, QC). In semi-final, Charles Hamelin had given a very fast pace to his heat, ending up with a brand new World record, a first official one for the Ste-Julie athlete who finished the race in 1:23.43. The old record was held by teammate Michael Gilday (Yellowknife, NT) who had skated the distance in 1:23.815 in the Fall of 2007.

“I felt good, I really wanted to go in front and lead the whole race”, explained Hamelin after his record. “I was looking at my coach when passing and he said to keep my speed, I knew it was fast, I’m really happy to have a world record! I had two of them at the trials in Calgary in the Fall of 2007, but it didn’t count.”

In the final, the pace was slow in the first few laps, where skaters were trying to get into position, then Charles Hamelin took the lead on the inside with six laps to go and accelerated. Many changes in positions followed, but Hamelin went back in front with a few laps to go, followed by his brother and Tremblay, Jean was then a bit behind. Skaters crossed the finish line in that order, the Hamelin brothers taking gold and silver just like they did at the last national team selection and at a World Cup last Fall, and Tremblay took bronze.

“I couldn’t have asked for better”, said François Hamelin after his race. “To make the final confirmed my ranking so I had no stress, but I still wanted to give everything I had.” His older brother added: “I wasn’t sure who was behind me, it all went quite fast. It’s François who told me at the end “I’m 2nd!”, I think that’s awesome!”

Charles Hamelin is crowned 2009 Canadian Champion, after his brother took the title from him last year. Tremblay was second with three points more than Jean. In the overall rankings of the two selections, Jean is second and Tremblay third. François Hamelin, with today’s medal, took 4th place and Marc-André Monette (Pointe-aux-Trembles, QC) is fifth.

The team that will represent Canada at the World Championships and in World Cups will be made official this week following a meeting of Speed Skating Canada’s High performance short track committee. Normally, the Hamelin brothers, Jean, Tremblay and Monette should be at the World Championships, and on the women side, Roberge, Gregg and Valérie Maltais (La Baie, QC) have good chances to represent Canada, but the rest of the team is to be confirmed.

Gregg, who tops the overall rankings of both selections, would be skating individual distances at the World Championships for the first time. “My objective was a top three to be able to skate individually at the World Championships, so I’m really happy and proud of my results”, explained the athlete, smiling. “We will have a great team. I was at worlds last year, and sitting in the stands during the individual distances, I just wanted to be on the ice, so I’m happy I’ll be able to do it this year!”

The first competition for Canadian athletes will be the last two World Cups of the season, planned for Bulgaria and Germany on February 6-8 and 13-15.

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Speed Skating Canada names World Cups and World Championships Teams
Date posted: 01/21/2009

Following the Canadian Open Championship held last weekend in Montreal, Speed Skating Canada (SSC) names today the teams that will represent Canada at the World Short Track Championships, at the last two stops of the World Cup Circuit and at the 2009 Universiade of the International University Sport Federation (FISU).

In order to qualify, athletes had to earn a maximum of points at the Fall World Cup Selection that was held in Vancouver last September, as well as at the Canadian Open Championship. SSC’s High Performance Short Track Committee then met to finalize the teams.

“We are confident that athletes who have been selected to represent Canada this winter are ready for the next steps on the international stage”, explained Yves Hamelin, Short Track Program Director with SSC. “The calendar allows us once more to offer a maximum of international experience to our athletes in this pre-Olympic year, so that they are as prepared as possible in the lead up to the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.”

Jessica Gregg (Edmonton, AB) and Valérie Maltais (La Baie, QC), who are first and second in the overall ranking for the two selection meets, will be skating individual distances at the World Short Track Championship to be held in Vienna, Austria, on March 6-8. Kalyna Roberge (St-Étienne-de-Lauzon, QC), Canadian champion for the last three years, will join them. After missing the first selection because of an injury, she showed last weekend that she was on top of her form by winning the title in the 500m and 1000m and finishing 6th in the 1500m.

Teammates Anne Maltais (Québec, QC) and Jessica Hewitt (Kamloops, BC) will also be there to skate in the relay and at the World Team Championship in Heerenveen, The Netherlands, the following weekend. It will be the first time that Valérie Maltais and Hewitt skate at the World Championships, and the first time that Jessica Gregg will skate individual distances at the event.

On the men side, competition was very tight, but the top three in the overall rankings of the two selections, Charles Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC), Olivier Jean (Lachenaie, QC) and François-Louis Tremblay (Montréal, QC) will skate the individual distances, and they will be helped by François Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) and Marc-André Monette (Pointe-aux-Trembles, QC) for the rest of the competitions.

SSC chose to send different athletes for World Cups 5 and 6 in order to give experience to a maximum of skaters in the lead up to the Vancouver Olympics fastly approaching. On the men side, the Hamelin brothers, Jean, Tremblay, Monette and Guillaume Bastille (Rivière-du-Loup, QC) will be at the World Cup #5 in Sofia, Bulgaria, on February 6-8. Only François Hamelin, Monette and Bastille will then go to Dresden, Germany, for the last stop of the World Cup circuit, and Michael Gilday (Yellowknife, NT), Rémi Beaulieu (Alma, QC) and Alex Boisvert-Lacroix (Sherbrooke, QC) will join them there.

On the women side, Gregg, Anne Maltais, Hewitt and Roberge will skate at the World Cup #5, as will Laurie Marceau (Dolbeau, QC) and Marie-Ève Drolet (Saguenay, QC) who was making a come back to competition last weekend, after retiring in 2003. Gregg and Roberge will come back to Canada after the event, and young Marianne St-Gelais (St-Félicien, QC), recently crowned World Junior Champion in the 500m but unable to skate at the Canadian Open Championship because of a concussion, as well as Marie-Andrée Mendes-Campeau (Montreal, QC) will take their place for Heerenveen.

As is the case every second year, the FISU will present the 2009 Winter Universiade this year. The event will take place in Harbin, China, on February 19-23, and Canada will be sending a team. Bastille and Boisvert-Lacroix will be there, along with Richard Shoebridge (Cambridge, ON), Tyler Derraugh (Winnipeg, MB) and Liam McFarlane (Medicine Hat, AB).

Teammates Mendes-Campeau, St-Gelais, Valérie Lambert (Sherbrooke, QC), Nita Avrith (Montreal, QC) and Annik Plamondon (Longueuil, QC) will also be in Harbin for the event.

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Canadian Short Track Skaters Shine on First Day of World Cup #5
Date posted: 02/06/2009

The Canadian short track speed skating team had a great day in Sofia, at the first World Cup stop after a two month break from international competition. Almost all athletes have qualified directly for the final rounds to be held tomorrow and Sunday.

“It was a great day but very long for our team”, explained Yves Hamelin, Short Track Program Director for Speed Skating Canada. “The zamboni broke which made us late for the relay at the end of the day, but we are very happy with the races of our athletes today.”

On the men side, François Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC), Olivier Jean (Lachenaie, QC) and François-Louis Tremblay (Montréal, QC) dominated all their races in the 1000m and 500m, always crossing the line first and ensuring they get good starting positions in the quarter final rounds.

A few weeks after being crowned Canadian Champion, Charles Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) also won each of his race without surprise, and will be of the semi-finals in the 1500m and 1000m quarter finals this weekend. In the 1500m, teammate Marc-André Monette (Pointe-aux-Trembles, QC) also won his heat and will join Hamelin in semi-final tomorrow, while Guillaume Bastille (Rivière-du-Loup, QC) was disqualified for impeding and will now have to focus on his other distance, the 1000m, for which he qualified. Monette, a specialist of the 1500m, also managed to qualify for the 1000m quarter final by finishing second of both his qualification rounds.

“Guillaume was badlucky in his 1500m race, we believe his disqualification had no reason to be called”, continued Yves Hamelin.

It was a similar scenario on the women’s site, as almost all of the women were able to qualify for the 1000m and 500m quarter finals. Kalyna Roberge (St-Étienne-de-Lauzon, QC) and Jessica Gregg (Edmonton, AB), who finished first and second at the Canadian Open Championships a few weeks ago in Montreal, proved those results were well deserved. Both athletes dominated all their races in the 500m and also qualified for the 1000m quarter final.

In the 500m, teammate Anne Maltais (Québec, QC) will join them in quarter final rounds. Maltais will however go through the repechage tomorrow morning for a chance to skate with Gregg and Roberge in the 1000m quarter final tomorrow afternoon. According to Yves Hamelin, Short Track Program Director, Maltais was victim of the impeding of another athlete who was not called for it.

Marie-Ève Drolet (Saguenay, QC) did well on her return to the World Cup circuit. The 27-year old athlete came back to competition earlier this year after a six year break to focus on her studies. She finished 6th overall at the Canadian Open Championships, earning the chance to represent Canada for the last two stops of the World Cup Circuit. Drolet was second of her 1500m race, and will be of the semi-final rounds tomorrow, and she was also able to qualify straight to the quarter finals of the 1000m to be raced Sunday in Sofia.

Two other athletes will join her in the 1500m semi-final, as both Jessica Hewitt (Kamloops, BC) and Laurie Marceau (Dolbeau, QC), who is making her debut on the World Cup Circuit, skated fast enough to qualify.

In the 1000m, however, Hewitt and Marceau were third of their respective heat and will need to go through the repechage for a hope to make it to the podium.

To conclude the day, the women’s relay team made of Gregg, Roberge, Marceau and Drolet went on to win their quarter final race, finishing ahead of the Italians. The men’s team – Jean, les frères Hamelin and Bastille – went on to do the same, finishing first ahead of the Japanese team.

“Marie-Ève and Laurie did very well in their individual races at their first World Cup [of the season for Drolet] and they helped to qualify the relay team for the semi-final. The men’s team qualified easily by creating a gap of a lap and a half between them and their opponents”, finished a very satisfied Yves Hamelin at the end of the day.

Competition resumes tomorrow in Sofia. Anne Maltais will be the first in action in the 1000m repechage, and her teammates will step on the ice in the afternoon for the final rounds of the 1500m and 1000m, as well as the relay semi-finals.

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Three Bronze Medals for Canada at Sofia Short Track World Cup
Date posted: 02/07/2009

Canada’s short track speed skaters did not disappoint in Sofia, today, capturing three bronze medals at the fifth stop of the World Cup Circuit. Charles Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) was the first, taking his medal in the men’s 1500m race. Kalyna Roberge (St-Étienne-de-Lauzon, QC) and François-Louis Tremblay) followed moments later by finishing third of their respective 1000m final.

In a very busy 8-men final, Hamelin finished third in 2:12.709, very close behind two Korean skaters, Lee Ho-Suk (2:12.439) and Sung Si-Bak (2:12.650). It is Hamelin’s 8th individual medal on the World Cup circuit this year, on a possible total of 9 so far.

“I had a great day”, said Hamelin at the end of the day. “In the final, we were 8 skaters, which is a bit particular. I didn’t want to be stuck behind so I started in the front and led the first 9 laps. I was surprised by a pass that I didn’t see coming. This year, I feel really good, I know I’m strong and it’s a good thing in the lead up to 2010. To step on the podium as often shows that I can keep the same fitness level all season.”

Marc-André Monette (Pointe-aux-Trembles, QC) was the only other Canadian in the distance, as teammate Guillaume Bastille (Rivière-du-Loup, QC) was disqualified in the preliminaries yesterday. Monette was disqualified in semi-final, finishing 15th.

Roberge followed suit in the 1000m. It was a first individual World Cup medal this season for the young athlete who was sidelined at the beginning of the season because of an injury. It was a very close race between Roberge, American Kimberly Derrick and two Chinese skaters, Wang Meng and Liu Quihong. Wang raced to gold in 1:30.510, followed by her teammate in 1:30.561 and Roberge crossed the finish line 0.036 seconds later for bronze.

“I’m happy with my medal. Technically and strategically, it’s going better”, explained Roberge. “The Chinese had the advantage as they were two in the final, they were able to play together if you want. I’m more satisfied with my first round, my goal is to learn for the [Olympic] Games, in my first round, it was fast, but I still managed to pass on the outside with three laps to go and win the race. That’s what I wanted to do again in the final, it was my only chance against the two Chinese, but it didn’t work. When I tried it I hit the skater, so I lost my speed, and I wasn’t able to pass at the finish.”

Jessica Gregg (Edmonton, AB), a 500m specialist, finished 2nd in the B final for 6th place, while Anne Maltais (Québec, QC) was stopped in the final of the repêchage earlier in the day for the 17th position.

All Canadian men made their way to the semi-final rounds in the 1000m and eventually finished in the top-5, but François Hamelin (Ste-Julie, QC) was stopped when teammate Olivier Jean (Lachenaie, QC) and Korean skater Lee Jung-Su finished ahead of him. Hamelin went on to win the B final for 5th place.

Korean skaters dominated the final, with Kwak Yoon-Gy (1:25.212) and Lee (1:25.259) taking gold and silver, relegating Tremblay (1:26.001) to the bronze medal and Jean (1:26.280) to the 4th place.

In the last individual distance of the day, the women’s 1500m, Marie-Ève Drolet (Saguenay, QC), returning to competition after a 6 year-break, was the top Canadian when she finished 2nd of the B final for 8th place total. World Cup rookie Laurie Marceau (Dolbeau, QC) was 13th and Jessica Hewitt (Kamloops, BC) 18th.

In the relay semi-finals both Canadian teams won their heats to qualify for tomorrow’s final. The women – Gregg, Hewitt, Roberge et Maltais – finished ahead of Japan despite a fall in the first few laps while the men (Bastille, Charles Hamelin, Monette and Tremblay) took a lead of over 8 seconds on their closest opponents, the German team.

Competition ends tomorrow in Sofia, with Marceau and Hewitt first on the ice as they try to qualify through the repechage in the 1000m. The afternoon will see final rounds in the 1000m and 500m, followed by the relay finals.

[bubblebuttsbabe]

Link: www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iXE3Gxh9-Jnlf3rTK6ZZ4W3VMStA

Nathalie Lambert right fit as the chef de mission for Canada's 2010 Olympians

3 hours ago

MONTREAL — Four-time Olympic speedskater Nathalie Lambert is preparing to return for yet another Winter Games, but she won't be taking flight on the ice in Vancouver a year from now.

Instead, Lambert will be taking Canada's next crop of Olympians under her wing as the country's chef de mission.

The Canadian Olympic Committee enlisted the three-time Olympic medallist to guide Canada's athletes in Vancouver not only for her decorated career in competition, but also for her unique experience on home soil.

During the 1988 Calgary Games, the short-track speedskater learned first-hand what it was like to race in front of pro-Canadian crowds.

"It adds to the distractions but I don't think it adds to nervousness and stress," Lambert, 45, said of competing at home.

"It's your rendezvous with history, regardless of where it takes place in the world.

"And when you take part in the ceremonies, and there's 40,000 people cheering for Canada, it gives you chills, for sure. I still have goosebumps when I think of Calgary."

The role of the chef de mission varies from country to country. In the Canadian model, the chef's main responsibility is to be the athletes' representative and support them as much as possible. The day-to-day details of the Canadian delegation's operation is left to other Canadian staff members.

Caroline Assalian, the Canadian Olympic Committee's executive director for Olympic preparation and Games, said Lambert has a good rapport with competitors.

"When an athlete speaks to Olympians it's like they speak another language that only they understand," said Assalian.

"It's like a conversation between two physicians. They have a language of their own, there's a credibility that has already been established. Olympians all know what it takes to reach this level."

The COC also chose Lambert for the post because of her dedication to the sport since hanging up her skates more than a decade ago.

"I never stopped my involvement," said Lambert, who retired from speedskating in 1997 after breaking her ankle before the 1998 Nagano Olympics.

Lambert travelled to Nagano anyway - as a journalist - and has since become a volunteer organizer of speedskating events in Montreal.

She has also been an active member of Canadian Olympic Committee.

A year away from the Vancouver Olympics and the chef de mission is already immersed in her job.

Lambert said she's been busy assembling a team that will serve the more than 200 Canadian athletes expected to compete at the Games.

She said many of the pieces have already been put in place, including medical and therapeutic units as well as the media-relations team.

"We will be in a context where everyone will be a little bit nervous and on edge - the athletes, the coaches, the team leaders - so our role is to be calm, positive (and) to find solutions," said Lambert, who was assistant chef de mission for the 2004 Games in Athens.

"If we're not in a good mood, it becomes contagious."

After a successful run in international athletics, she knows what it takes to win.

In short-track speedskating relays, Lambert and her teammates won a gold medal in Albertville in 1992 and a pair of silvers at the Lillehammer Games two years later.

Her team finished third in Calgary in the 3,000-metre relay (however, it was a demonstration event at the time so it didn't result in a medal).

Lambert, inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, also earned the prestigious honour of carrying the Canadian flag during Albertville's closing ceremonies.

Despite her Olympic accomplishments, she believes Canadians put too much emphasis on results from the Olympics instead of recognizing success at all the major international competitions.

"Our problem in Canada is that the only important medal is the one from the Olympic Games," Lambert said.

"It would be nice if we could also help ... great athletes who shine on the international scene, who are truly the best at their sport."