SSC News (now including Oly Trials News)

[musicalmom]

Just returned from a thrilling day 3 of Canadian Olympic Trials. Then ran both the 1000 and the 1500 distances again today. Competition was again fierce. Just got home...here is first article from Van. Sun:

Speed skating: Quebecers Jean and Roberge qualify for Canadian Olympic short track team

By Gary Kingston, VANCOUVER SUN
August 15, 2009 8:01 PMBe the first to post a comment
StoryPhotos ( 1 )

Olivier Jean of Quebec fell during heat one of the men's 500m final.Photograph by: Jenelle Schneider, Vancouver SunOlivier Jean of Lachenaie, Que., and Ralyna Roberge of Montreal, qualified for the Canadian Olympic short track speed skating team today by winning 1,000 metre races at the 2010 trials at Pacific Coliseum.


Both skaters had won the first 1,000 metre races on Day 2 of the trials on Wednesday.

Sixteen men and 16 women are skating three times each at 500, 1,000 and 1,500 metres in an attempt to win spots on the 10-member Olympic team that will compete at the same venue next February.


With one male, Charles Hamelin of Quebec already pre-qualified by virtue of a third-place overall finish at last spring’s worlds and injured veteran Francois-Louis Tremblay of Montreal a safe bet to claim the discretionary spot, that actually leaves just three open spots for the men at the trials.


Jean won his 1,000 in dynamic fashion as officials needed to examine a photo finish to determine that the lanky 25-year-old had actually edged Francois Hamelin of Montreal and Michael Gilday of Yellowknife at the line.


Jean, who was behind Hamelin for most of the race, was timed in one minute, 24.483 seconds, Hamelin in 1:24.486 and Gilday in 1:24.528.


Jean, who was first and second in the first two 500s this week, will be going to the Olympics for the first time.

Roberge, a silver medallist in the relay at Turin where she was also fourth in the 500 metres, went wire-to-wire to win the women’s 1,000 with Marie-Eve Drolet of Montreal second and Amanda Overland of Cambridge, Ont., third.


Both the men and the women were to skate their second 1,500 metre race of the trials later tonight.

[e-mail]

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Two more racing days left. 2 more men to be selected, 3 more women. Just discovered that even if they qualify for the Olympic team, they still have to qualify for each distance at the World Cup in Marquette.
It's been an amazing first 3 days. With experienced skaters Tania Vicent, Amanda Overland, and Kalyna Roberge right back in the middle of the mix after injuries last year and younger skaters Marianne St-Gelais . Valerie Maltais, Marie-Eve Drolet, Jessica Hewitt and Ivanie Blondin hungry to replace them, the women's events have been awesome. And Kalyna Roberge's speed in all distances is beyond belief...she often comes from last in one pass to the very front and stays there!

Marianne St-Gelais is also extremely motivated to join her boyfriend Charles on this journey.

Olivier Jean just returned to the W.Cup season last year after one full year off with a serious injury and he is burning up the ice. Francoise Hamelin is hungry to join his brother on the team and risking it all in every race. Liam McFarlane has come from the development team and surprised everyone with his focus and speed.
Michael gilday, Marc-Andre Monette, and Remi Beaulier are also out there giving their all.

Two more days of racing...who will join the team?? One more 500 and one more 1500 will be raced on Monday. Then Tues. morning the last 1000 will be raced...stay tuned!
Your eye on the Canadian Ice,
Musical Mom

[musicalmom]

finals of the men's 1500 ( saturday)

1- Olivier Jean - 2.12.638
2 - Guillaume Bastille - 2.12.659
3 - Remi beaulieu
4- ?
5 - Liam McFarland
Michael Gilday - DQ'd

finals of the women's 1500 ( saturday)

1 - Kalyna Roberge - 2:26:202
2 - Valerie Maltais - 2:26:515
3 - Marianne St. Gelais - 2:26:732
4 - Amanda Overalnd - 2:26:825
5- Jessica Hewitt - 2:27:586
6 - Tania Vicent - 2:28:003

What a day!
MM

[musicalmom]

Just got back from Day 4 of Olympic trials...quite a day...Some pretty exciting races and some surprises...
They ran the 500 and the 1500 distances for both men and women.
Here are some quick highlights...best details from tony at shorttrackhd.com

1.Jessica Gregg won her 2nd 500 with a time of 43.776 and qualified for the Olympic team joining Kalyna Roberge who qualified Sat. Second place went to Marianne St. Gelais at 43.822.

2. Guillame Bastille won todays 500 ( his second) at a time of 41.547 and qualified for the Olympic Team to join Olivier Jean who qualified Sat. and Charles Hamelin who prequalified by means of his world championship results last year. Second place was Michael Gilday with a time of 41.880 and 3rd was Corey Rasmussen at 42.696. This was an amazing race with many changes of place. Liam McFarland actually came over the line first but was dq'd for lifting his skate. So sad because having won a previous race, he would have qualified for the Olympics with a win here. This is a skater to watch. He is trained in Calgary and just on the development team. Known for his rapid starts and fast pace it's likely that his excitement and inexperience caused him to lose focus a second too soon. He also crashed with I think it was Guillame or Michael Gilday just after he crossed the line. Had to wait for a referee's review of the video. So disappointing. Francoise Hamelin was also dq'd (I think for impeding)

3. Other sad news, Olympic veteran Tania Vicent who was hoping for a win in the 500 or 1500 to add to her previous scores, crashed into the boards during practice before racing started . It seemed that she slammed into them with her shoulder..they called the medics and took her off the ice. She was withdrawn from both races today. Hope her injuries weren't serious and that she can race the 1000 tomorrow morning. No word when I left the rink at the end of today.

4.Kalyna Roberge placed first in the women's 1500 final just edging out Amanda Overland who placed second. I didn't hear times announced. But it was an exciting race with many changes of position and a close finish.I think Marriane St. Gelais was 3rd.


5. the mens 1500 was breathtaking and seemed really fast..
Guillame Bastille placed first and I believe Michael Gilday was 2nd...will have to check Tony's blog for accuracy on all these races..

6. I actually met Tony today. He is amazing ...was working his video camera on a tripod and blogging/twittering on 1 computer and getting numbers on a 3rd...! Talk about multi tasking! A very accomplished young man and quite charming.

Sorry for any inaccuracies...I found it hard to watch, write with my bad hand, and keep track of the French announcer...takes me time to mentally process his accented pronunciation of names...plus there are several sets of names...2 Maltais, 2 Hamelins, 2 Bieleaus, 2 Jessicas, etc...but did my best...

All in all, these skaters are leaving it all on the ice and it has been amazing to watch...unfortunately quite a few falls today..they kept stopping to repair the gouges in the ice. Competition went from 2 pm to about 6:15...a long day for the skaters.

Respectfully submitted,
Your eye on the ice in Vancouver,
Musical Mom

[musicalmom]

This is the best of the news articles covering day 4 of the Canadian Oly Trials. Please note that Tania Vicent suffered a concussion when she slammed into the boards during practice before the start of day 3 and will unlikely skate this morning. She already has earned a place on the team with her scores from day 1 & 2.
I'm on my way to the rink to watch the final 1000 race this morning.

Musical Mom

Speed skater Gregg heading to Olympics for first time


By Gary Kingston, Vancouver SunAugust 18, 2009
StoryPhotos ( 1 )

Jessica Gregg of Alberta wins the first heat of the womens 500m final at the Bell short track olympic trials at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver on Wednesday August 12, 2009.Photograph by: Jenelle Schneider, Vancouver SunVANCOUVER — Jessica Gregg was nearly speechless. Liam McFarlane was near tears.


With spots in the 2010 Olympics on the line at Pacific Coliseum on Monday, short track speed skating’s wildly unpredictable nature — crashes and disqualifications are as much a part of the fast-paced, elbow-to-elbow racing as sharp blades and yellow helmets — dreams came true and others died.


Gregg, whose father and mother were hockey and long track speedskating Olympians, respectively, won a women’s 500-metre race at the Canadian Olympic trials to clinch her first Olympic berth.


“I can’t even almost speak,” said the 21-year-old Edmonton native while proving exactly that. “I’m so excited. It’s a dream come true.”


Dreams were also realized for two other first-time Olympians. Mariane St-Gelais, 21, of St-Felicien, Que., also qualified for the 2010 team based on two second-place finishes in three 500s at the 10-day trials and Guillaume Bastille, 24, of Riviere-du-Loup, Que., earned a spot by winning the men’s 1,500 on Monday.


While the young Quebecers were celebrating, it was heartbreak for McFarlane, a 23-year-old development team skater who nearly pulled off the surprise of trials.


A seemingly assured spot on the 2010 team was cruelly snatched from the Medicine Hat, Alta., native in the men’s 500 when he was disqualified as he fell crossing the finish line in first place.


“I thought I was in, I thought I had it,” he said after the disqualification was announced. “People fall all the time on the line. I was so happy, now I feel like I’m destroyed.”


Skaters must cross the finish line in control.


McFarlane, the most explosive starter off the line at trials, had won the second 500-metre race Wednesday and would have automatically qualified for 2010 had he won the six-lap sprint Monday.


He led from the start and appeared to have punched his ticket when chief rival Francois Hamelin of Ste-Julie, Que., fell with two laps to go.


But McFarlane wobbled off balance at the finish line, sliding unceremoniously on his rear end into the safety padding. He left the ice slowly, unzipped the top half of his racing suit and then buried his head in his hands.


He knew his fate was in the hands of the officials.


“I thought I was in control,” he said of crossing the finish line. “I fell, but people fall when they’re giving it their all.”


He said he was not going to “say anything bad” about the disqualification, but wondered if the situation had been different, if he had been third and not in contention, perhaps the officials would have let it go.


McFarlane’s coach, Jonathon Cavar, said that while he respected the official’s right to make the call, he didn’t believe McFarlane’s move at the finish involved kicking his foot out, which is grounds for disqualification, or that it put anybody in danger.


“It certainly didn’t change whether he was the fastest guy across the line,” said Cavar. “It didn’t change whether or not he won the race.


“That’s a tough pill to swallow. Liam is a great guy, he skated an awesome set of 500 metres at the trials. It’s tough to take because he deserves a spot on the team.”


Speed Skating Canada’s high-performance committee will award one discretionary spot on the five-member men’s team and McFarlane will get some consideration. But it’s likely that spot will go to veteran Francois-Louis Tremblay, whose injured ankle kept him for skating at trials.


Interestingly, McFarlane could have finished second in Monday’s 500 and still made the Olympic team as the top point-getter overall.


Instead, it was Olivier Jean of Lachenaie, Que., who claimed the 500 title, with a best two results of a win and a third. The flamboyant, nipple-ring sporting Jean, who donned a Popeye T-shirt on Monday, had earlier earned his 2010 berth with two wins at 1,000 metres.


Meantime, Kalyna Roberge, who had also claimed an Olympic team spot by winning two 1,000 metre races, won the women’s 1,500 on Monday. That means the Montreal native will skate both distances next February.


The fourth automatic spot on the women’s team went to three-time Olympian Tania Vicent of Vercheres, Que. She suffered a mild concussion in a fall in practice early Monday and didn’t skate either the 500 or 1,500, but had already built up enough points in earlier 500- and 1,000-metre races to ensure nobody can catch her with just one final 1,000 to be run Tuesday.


“I wished I would have finished on a better note . . . (but) I guess it’s a testament to how strong I was to start these trials off with,” said Vicent.


A fifth women’s spot will be awarded by the high performance committee.


Vancouver Sun

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

[musicalmom]

Day 5 of OLy TRials Vancouver

It was quite a morning of racing. Skaters told me the ice was softer than usual. Lots of spills. During 1000 ladies final, 3 of 5 in the front of the pack ( including Amanda Overland-who had been in 1st or 2nd position throughout) crashed and fell several laps before the finish, then a 4 skater fell and got up...don't know how they determined the final placements with all the falls, but here they are:
1. Ann Maltais - 134.847
2. Annik Plamodin
3. Valerie Maltais (fell)
4. Marie Eve Drollet (fell)
5. Amanda Overland (fell)

Don't know what this will do to Amanda's chances to be picked by the selection committee. prior to this race she had the next most points overall of those not yet qualifying. I believe Valerie Maltais was just behind her. Final committee selections will be announced Aug. 26.

The final of the men's 1000 was also chaotic..constant change of positions..
1. Guillame Bastille
2. Francoise Hamelin
3. Remi Beaulier
4. Michael Gilday (fell)Will have to check at www.shorttrackhd.com (Tony) for accurate
times and placements....pretty heartbreaking day for many....

Although he qualified for the B final, Liam McFarland didn't skate as he had fallen in the semi's and banged an ankle that he had injured yesterday ( ligaments I heard). Corey Rasmussin won the B final.

Here is an article re: Amanda Overland and the challenges she has been facing this past year and currently. She is a talented and gracious competitor and I wish her well.

Your eye on the ice in Vancouver
Musical Mom


LOVE STORY
TheStar.com | Olympics | Olympic family draws strength from mother's love

Olympic family draws strength from mother's love
SUBMITTED PHOTO
All three Overland children, clockwise from left, Amanda, Cindy and Kevin became Olympians. Email story

Randy Starkman's Olympics blog Graphic: Vancouver Olympic venues Olympics page Olympic Torch Relay Guide Olympic Torch Relay Route (PDF) Video: Torch's route announced Video: Opening of skating oval Vancouver 2010 official site Mom's fight for life with cancer 'bringing out the best' in Olympian family

Aug 18, 2009 04:30 AM
Randy Starkman
Sports Reporter
As Mom to three Olympians, she provided the soft side to Dad's fiery competitiveness. She thought nothing of bringing a homeless person in for a hot meal and a bed.

Now, Linda Penner has cancer and her children are seeing the steel they always knew was there, too.

They're having to show their mettle as well.

Amanda Overland, silver medallist at the Turin Olympics, is battling for a berth for the 2010 Winter Games right now in Vancouver. Her brother, Kevin Crockett, Olympic bronze medallist in 1998, coaches a Chinese skater who is among the favourites for gold in February. Their sister Cindy, a former Olympian, is their mom's primary caregiver.

They are a fractured family which somehow managed to operate as a whole, though never more than now. The parents separated when the kids were young and they were raised in Kitchener by their father Ernie Overland, but their bond with their mother remained strong, even when she lived in B.C.

"We all depend on our mother, love her and are really connected with her," said Crockett, who changed his last name in 2002 to honour his grandfather. "That hasn't changed at all right now with her illness. I think it's bringing out the best in us, to be honest."

A diagnosis of lung cancer was made in early May. The tumour had grown to a point that it broke one of Penner's ribs. There have been some good signs, such as a recent test for fluid in her lungs that came back negative, but Crockett said the situation is on the "red line of being terminal."

"That's where all the pressure comes in," said Crockett, who is with his mother this week at her home in Kitchener.

Amanda Overland, the youngest at 27, said it was a shock at first seeing her mother, who'd always been bigger than her, shrink dramatically while undergoing chemotherapy. She's tried to commute as often as possible from her training base in Montreal to visit her mother.

But she was also preparing for the Olympic short track speed skating trials in Vancouver, an excruciatingly tense 10-day test to determine the team. Overland is in a good position to qualify heading into the final two days.

Some of the most important support came from skaters against whom she's battling for a spot. At a training camp in Vancouver shortly after getting the terrible news, teammates gave her a notebook in which each penned a page-long message saying they would be there for her.

"I was struggling," she said. "I would be coming to training and being sick to my stomach. You don't know, right. I'd never experienced it. My grandma, my mom's mom, had cancer, but she died in a couple of months. We didn't see her get sick, really."

She has found comfort in her older siblings; Kevin, not afraid to show his feelings, and Cindy, the calm one.

"Honestly, they are my rock, both of them and in different ways," said Amanda.

This family knows tough times. Money was always tight. Crockett wanted to play hockey, but the resources weren't there. Their car was forever breaking down on the way to speed skating practice, forcing them to run the rest of the way.

Ernie Overland, an ex-boxer who worked the night shift at J.M. Schneider's in Kitchener, got his kids into speed skating at the suggestion of a co-worker. He was their coach, too, even building a little speed skating oval in their backyard. He set it up around two clothesline posts, built up snow banks around it and flooded it with a hose.

"Mom would always be there after with the hot cocoa, marshmallows and the camera," said Crockett.

Her kindness extended beyond her family. A dedicated Christian who was raised as a Lutheran, she would share the family home with people who needed help.

"We would have a homeless person stay with us while that person cleaned up," said Crockett. "We would give a little pocket money and they'd have a meal with us. We weren't rich. I think it's a really, really amazing gesture and I think that's something that shows how good of a person she is. You can say it. But she lived it with her actions."

Crockett says it's easier for him to cope than it is for his youngest sister because he doesn't have to rely on physical ability in his job. His group of skaters, including gold-medal contender Wang Beixing in the women's 500 metres, help take the heat off him.

"I'm fortunate to have a mature enough team where they understand that I may have to leave once in a while," he said. "I'm not going off to the tropics to party. I'm going to go home to carry my mom to the bathroom because she can't walk."

But there's a constant guilt about being so far away.

"If my mom wanted me to stay home for the rest of the season, I'd give up coaching in a second," said Crockett. "But she wouldn't allow that to happen."

Her initial shock over, Amanda Overland said she's now drawing strength from the situation as she battles for her Olympics spot.

"I see her being tough with her chemo. I see her being the soldier that she always has been. In my eyes, my mom's always been a very tough woman and she's showing it during this time."

[musicalmom]

LAST WORD - DAY 5 - CANADIAN OLYMPIC TRIALS- FROM YVES HAMELIN, HIGH PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR, COACH, AND DAD TO 2 NEWLY SELECTED OLYMPIANS, CHARLES AND FRANCOISE HAMELIN.

Short-track speed skaters savour pre-Olympic team trials meet

One spot each on men’s and women’s teams still to be selected as competition wraps up
By Gary Kingston, Vancouver SunAugust 18, 2009 4:51 PMBe )

‘Before the start of the event, we are always asking ourselves if the process will give the end result we are looking for,’ high performance director Yves Hamelin says of the Canadian short-track team trials that wrapped up Tuesday at the Pacific Coliseum. ‘We’re really happy with the ones that are secured.’Photograph by: Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun

VANCOUVER — Skaters in the final race of the Canadian short track Olympic team trials were still leaving the ice at Pacific Coliseum late Tuesday morning and crews were already breaking down the rinkside padding and rolling up wiring.

There was no time to waste with the PNE on tap and the venue in need of set up for the popular and enduring Super Dogs.

Thousands will watch labs and boxers, pugs and poodles race the clock chasing balls and jumping barriers. Only dozens, mostly just family and friends, watched Canada’s best bladers battle each other over the last week-and-a-half for precious Olympic team berths.

Six months from now, though, close to 14,000 will jam into the venerable rink on Renfrew when the short oval speedsters try to prove they are not just super, but also top dogs.

First-time Olympian Francois Hamelin of Ste-Julie, Que., says skaters who competed in a World Cup at the Coliseum last fall got a “little bit” of a taste then of what it will be like in February.

“It’s going to be way better at the Olympics. When a rink is full, it really gives you wings when you’re on the ice.”

One spot each on the men’s and women’s teams is still to be selected by a Speed Skating Canada high performance committee, but program director Yves Hamelin, Francois’ father, said those who earned spots at trials are a good mix of seasoned Olympians and talented youngsters.

“Before the start of the event, we are always asking ourselves if the process will give the end result we are looking for,” said Hamelin. “We’re really happy with the ones that are secured.”

With world 500-metre champion Charles Hamelin, Yves’ oldest son, pre-qualified — and injured three-time Olympic medalist Francois-Louis Tremblay almost certain to be the discretionary choice — that left three men’s positions up for grabs.

Those went to the iconoclast Olivier Jean, who captured the 500-metre and 1,000-metre titles, Guillaume Bastille, champion at 1,500 metres, and Francois Hamelin. All will be first-time Olympians.

“I don’t worry,” said men’s head coach Derrick Campbell when asked about that fact. “These guys know the competition scene, they know their competitors. The environment will be a little bit different, but these guys have the right attitude. They’re going to be well-prepared and focused.”

On the women’s side, the automatic qualifiers were: 500-metre champion Jessica Gregg, 21, of Edmonton, a first-time Olympian; and Kalyna Roberge, the 1,000-metre and 1,500-metre champion at trials and a relay silver medallist in Turin as a 19-year-old; reigning world junior 500-metre champion Marianne St. Gelais, 19; and veteran Tania Vicent, who will going to her fourth Olympics. Roberge, St. Gelais and Vicent are all from Quebec.

“It’s basically a dream team,” said Amanda Overland, a strong contender for the discretionary spot on the women’s squad.

“You got your Marianne St. Gelais, who goes out there with this fresh perspective. She’s bubbly, bouncy and happy. You got Tania, who can stay calm through it all. You’ve got Kalyna, who’s good at everything. You’ve got Jess Gregg, who’s fire on ice. We’ve got a mix of everything.”

Says Gregg: “In the last year, so many new girls have made the [national] team. It’s so exciting, We’re just ready. No fear. You’re younger, but who cares, you gain experience as you go.

“I think the energy is just going to be awesome on our team.”

Overland, a Cambridge, Ont., native who lives and trains in Montreal, was in a fierce battle with two other candidates for the discretionary spots — Marie-Eve Drolet and Valerie Maltais — in the final 1,000-metre race on Monday when all three crashed in corner four just before the last lap.

A relay silver medallist in 2006, Overland, who missed all of last season after October hip surgery, says her “head’s on the chopping block a bit, so to speak.” But she hopes her experience and reputation as a team player will carry weight with the high performance committee.

“I know I still have a lot more to give and I hope they consider that. I just hope that they see what I feel right now. I have that fire and I have it in my heart.”

The four-stop World Cup season begins in Beijing Sept. 17-20 and Seoul Sept. 24-27. The final two stops are in Montreal Nov. 5-8 and Marquette, Wisc., Nov. 12-15, with those races serving as Olympic qualifiers.

The fact World Cups are done three months prior to the Olympics — some countries have their Olympic selection process in December — “is an issue,” said Yves Hamelin.

“We’re going to have to create racing events. In December, we’re looking at inviting other countries [to Canada] to keep up the competitive environment.”

[e-mail]

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Musical Mom says Bye from the Vancouver Coliseum..back in Feb. for the Winter Olympics!!!

[musicalmom]

Hi everyone;
am just putting link to this article because:
-has a great picture of Charles and his skate ( I haven't figured out how to post picture)
-links to 2 videos,
a) one on the Hamelin brothers
b) one on the padding system at the Coliseum

Have just posted my first ever video on you tube - it's of the women's 1500 final (3)
Am trying to post one of the men's 1500 final (3) but...it took over an hour for the first one to upload, and now I'm working on the second one.

Just edited all my snaps from the Oly Trials and will be posting them in an album on my facebook page ...if you're already a friend, just click on my profile page, look for picture albums on left side and click on Can. Oly. Trials...( maybe by tomorrow night?)
If you want to friend me on facebook and you don't know my real name, pm me and we can correspond.

Here is the citation for the latest article:
www.ctvolympics.ca/short-track-skating/news/newsid=14303.html
Musical Mom

[musicalmom]

CANADIAN OLYMPIC TEAM JUST ANNOUNCED:
Women's Team:

KALYNA ROBERGE
JESSICA GREGG
MARIANNE ST-GELAIS
TANIA VICENT
VALERIE MALTAIS- selection committee

Men's Team:

CHARLES HAMELIN
GUILLAME BASTILLE
OLIVIER JEAN

FRANCOIS HAMELIN-selection committee

FRANCOIS LOUIS TREMBLAY-reg. choice (medical bye?)

Interesting ...they announced that Valerie and Francois Hamelin were picks of high performance committee...and Francois Louis Tremblay was announced as picked by trials( he wasn't there) so I'm confused.

Unfortunately, most of live announcement was in French, so I didn't hear reasons why Valerie Maltais was chosen..they only translated part of comments in English..so disappointed that Amanda Overland was not selected as committee choice.


Coaches announced:
1. Sebastion ?
2. Derrick Campbell
3. Steven Duff
4. Jonathan Cavar

first 3 from Montreal Training Program, 4th from Calgary program

As each member of Olympic Team walked in ,they were announced and were given an Olympic jacket to put on. Hard to see, so many cameramen in way.
All men on team were present, Jessica Gregg & Tania Vicent missing from the women .

So it begins...

Your eyes on the Canadian Ice,
Musical Mom

[musicalmom]

Can't believe I beat the first article on the announcement. Here it is:


Brother act going to Vancouver

CTVOlympics.caBy John Marchesan, CTVOlympics.ca Posted Wednesday, August 26, 2009 1:07 PM ET

RelatedNews
Fully Focused: Charles Hamelin
Charles Hamelin is Vancouver-bound
Video
Road to Vancouver: Hamelin Brothers
Countries Athletes:

Charles Hamelin
François Hamelin
François-Louis Tremblay
Olivier Jean
Guillaume Bastille
Kalyna Roberge
Tania Vicent
Jessica Gregg
Valérie Maltais
Marianne St-Gelais

Brothers Charles and Francois Hamelin will have a chance to make their Olympic dream come true. Both have been named to the 2010 Canadian short track speed skating team which will compete at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Speed Skating Canada unveiled the 10 member squad Wednesday following a 10-day Olympic selection camp held in Vancovuer.

Charles Hamelin, who was part of the 2006 Olympic team, earned an automatic berth last March after finishing third in the overall World Cup standings. In 2006, he won a silver medal in the men's relay and finished fourth in the 1,500m. Over the last three seasons, he has collected no less than 29 medals and is the current world champion at the 500m distance and holds the world record in the 1,000m event.

Brother Francois was one of two discretionary picks made by the High Performance Short Track Committee following a solid performance in the three distances he competed in at the selection camp.

François-Louis Tremblay was the other discretionary pick after he was granted a medical exemption from the selection camp while recovering from an ankle injury. He captured a silver medal in 2006 in the 500m and is a three-time World Cup champion at that distance.

The other members of the men's squad who had previously secured their position at the camp were Olivier Jean and Guillaume Bastille. Both will be making their Olympic debut in 2010.

On the women's side, Kalyna Roberge will lead a strong group of veteran and young skaters into the Olympics. Roberge solidified her spot on the team by winning the 1,000m and 1,500m races at the selection camp.

Tania Vicent will be making her fourth Olympic appearance for Canada after winning three medals in the relay.

Jessica Gregg and 19-year-old Marianne St-Gelais had also previously secured their spot on the team. St-Gelais is the current World Junior Champion and World Junior Record holder in the 500m event.

The fifth member of the women's team, selected by the High Performance Short Track Committee is Valérie Maltais. She's a young and talented skater who competed in both the junior and senior World Championships last season, winning a bronze medal at each event.

"An Olympic selection process doesn't last only 10 days, but a full three years," explained Yves Hamelin, Olympic Team Leader for short track speed skating.

"It all started right after the 2006 Turin Olympic Winter Games, with a four-year plan designed to optimize our preparation for 2010. Every day, I see talented and dedicated athletes and coaches working hard and together with one goal in mind: contributing to the optimal preparation of our Olympic team.

"Today, I am proud to introduce you to the ten athletes who will be representing us in Vancouver, and I am confident that they will offer great performances and will once again give everything they can on the ice of the Pacific Coliseum in February 2010."

The athletes will continue to train in their respective training centres for the next two weeks before heading to Asia for the first two World Cup events of the season.

The team will be back in Canada at the end of September, preparing for the third stop of the World Cup Circuit in Montreal. That event, and the one after that, will be of significant importance as the results will confirm how many berths skaters will have for each individual distance at the Olympic Winter Games.

[sk8er]

Thanks Musical Mom for the detailed and interestng updates. It helps me get a feel for the Canadian team. I'm sorry Amanda Overland didn't make the team. I think some of the most exciting skating on the women's side in 2010 will be by Kalyna Roberge. I saw her at Worlds in 2006 when she was just a tiny young thing. She was really aggressive, utterly fearless and fast as lightening. I hope she can hold off those rough and tumble Chinese girls. And the Koreans of course....but not the Americans!

[tdav]

I think Meng Wang is going to possibly sweep the events, since Jin Sun-yu is not on the Korea team.

[musicalmom]

sk8er and tdav....

I agree with your comments...
Kalyna Roberge was amazing at the trials..yes, lightening fast with sudden power...in several races she "seemed to throttle up into a supersonic gear" and flew from last to first past 5 or 6 skaters...
will be interesting to see how she does with the Koreans and Chinese..but even she will have trouble if the "always a concern" team skating is used by either of these country teams.

Meng Wang is beyond super fast...would love to see recent comparisons of her 500 speed against Kalyna's ...although Kalyna seems to have had her fastest races in the 1000, and 1500 distance.
Jessica Gregg is the 500 specialist and Marianne St. Gelais was the 2nd chosen for the 500.

But then we have Katerine Reutter and Kimberly Derrick et al to add to the mix. Will be interested in their times at the trials. Didn't have a timed trial at the Canadian Oly Trials to use for comparison. But the 9 lap and 4 lap times will tell their tale. Can't wait for Marquette.

[musicalmom]

Here's an article that explains my confusion re: who was actually there at the press conference:

SHORT-TRACK SPEED SKATERS INTRODUCED
TheStar.com | Olympics | Speedy Canucks set for Games

Speedy Canucks set for Games

CHRISTINNE MUSCHI/REUTERS

Short-track speed skaters are announced to the Vancouver 2010 Canadian Olympic team in Montreal, August 26, 2009. Back row from left to right are Olivier Jean, Guillaume Bastille, Francois-Louis Tremblay and Francois Hamelin. Front row left to right are Kalyna Roberge, Marianne St-Gelais, Tania Vicent, and Charles Hamelin.

Randy Starkman's Olympics blog World championships official site Six medals within reach of talented team but beating South Korea, U.S., China will be tough

Aug 27, 2009 04:30 AM
DAVE FESCHUK
Sports columnist

MONTREAL–When the 10 members of Canada's Olympic short-track speed-skating team were announced yesterday, the skaters in attendance were called to a riser in the front of a small conference room to be presented with a team jacket.

Such is the popularity of the sport in Quebec that the path to the coveted jacket was blocked by a frothing pack of photographers and TV cameramen. At least a couple of the athletes, momentarily flummoxed by the crush of attention, couldn't find their way to the podium.

As pre-Olympic imagery goes, some six months away from an Olympics at which Canada has vowed to "own" the medal podium, perhaps it wasn't ideal. But never mind the optics. There are those who'll tell you that Canada's short-track squad could become the darlings of Vancouver come February.

The sport, with its wont for dramatic wipeouts and head-scratching officiating, always promises compelling viewing. And Canada's team appears possessed of the potential to snag its fair share of the 20 possible short-track medals (including two relay events) on offer at the Pacific Coliseum.

"Our best-ever performances was six medals in Salt Lake (in 2002). Certainly it's a number that's on our radar as being achievable this time," said Brian Rahill, Canada's high-performance and Olympic program director. "That's roughly what we're looking for. Anything above (six medals) will be a bonus ... but we think we have the team for (six) to be a realistic goal."

Led by 2006 silver medallist Charles Hamelin of Levis, Que., the reigning 500-metre champion and world-record holder in the 1,000 metres, and Kalyna Rogerge of St. Etienne de Lauzon, Que., who finished fourth in Turin in the 500 at age 19, nine of the team's 10 athletes hail from La Belle Province.

Edmonton's Jessica Gregg, the daughter of ex-Oilers stalwart Randy Gregg and his Olympic speed-skating wife, Kathy, is the only non-Quebecer on the roster.

Hamelin is joined on the five-strong men's team by his younger brother, Francois, Olivier Jean, Guillaume Bastille and three-time Olympic medallist Francois-Louis Tremblay. The women's team is rounded out by Marianne St. Gelais, the reigning world junior champion at 500 metres, Valerie Maltais and three-time Olympic medallist Tania Vicent, who will be competing in her fourth Games at age 34.

The competition in Vancouver will not include many pushovers. China has emerged as a power. The U.S. is a formidable foe. And blocking the way to the top of any given short-track podium, never mind the phalanx of home-country cameras hungry for a good-news story, will be athletes from South Korea, winners of 10 medals at the Turin Olympics, six of them gold, and the sport's undisputed powerhouse.

"It's their national sport," said Bastille of the South Koreans. "Everybody is playing hockey here when they're young. There, they're doing speed skating. ... But we are strong and we are going there to beat them."

[musicalmom]

And yet another article...this one quoting Yves Hamelin, father of Charles and Francoise as saying that he has no say in decisions re: selection of his sons.

Skate team full of brotherly love

Father says he had no influence on decision process

By Terry Bell,
The Province,August 27, 2009
StoryPhotos ( 1 )

Charles Hamelin (left) will skate with younger brother Francois on Canada's Olympic team.
Photograph by: Getty Images,

The Province

During the 2006 Olympics in Turin Francois Hamelin sat by the television set at home in Montreal and watched his brother Charles help Canada win a silver medal in the short track speed skating relay.

He won't get to do that during the 2010 Games in Vancouver. This time the brothers will be skating together on Canada's Olympic team.

Francois, 22, earned a discretionary spot from a Speed Skating Canada high performance selection committee and was officially named

to Canada's 10-member Olympic team on Wednesday, a week after Olympic selection trials ended at the Pacific Coliseum.

Charles had pre-qualified for the team last March after finishing third overall at world championships in Vienna.

"We talked about it a lot before the trials," Francois said Wednesday in a telephone interview from Montreal.

"I thought it would be the greatest thing that could happen to us. Now it's going to happen and I'm really, really happy."

"It's the best feeling that I've had in my life," said the 25-year-old Charles, whose girlfriend, Marianne St. Gelais, was named to the women's team Wednesday. "For him, I knew it was one of the hardest things to do."

Their father, Yves Hamelin, is short track's national team program director.

The younger Hamelin was chosen by the committee on the strength of his international results and his performance at selection trials, a series of 500, 1,000 and 1,500 metre races that were held on the Olympic ice at the Pacific Coliseum from Aug. 9 to 18.

The Hamelins will be joined by Montrealer Francois-Louis Tremblay, who was granted a medical bye after an injured ankle prevented him from skating at trials.

Olivier Jean of Lachenaie, Que., and Guillaume Bastille of Riviere du Loup, Que., won spots at trials.

Besides Montreal's St. Gelais, the women's team will have Montrealer Kalyna Roberge, Valerie Maltais, of La Baie, Que., Edmonton's Jessica Gregg and Tania Vicent of Laval, Que.

Maltais got the one available women's discretionary spot.

Six skaters have been listed as possible replacements should any of the 10 be injured or perform poorly in the 2009-10 World Cup season.

Named to that list were Liam McKenzie of Medicine Hat, Alta., Michael Gilday of Yellowknife, NWT, Marc-Andre Monette of Montreal, Valerie Maltais's sister Anne, Amanda Overland of Cambridge, Ont., and Marie-Eve Drolet of Calgary.

Drolet, who didn't get the discretionary spot, has asked for an appeal. Her request will be reviewed this week by Speed Skating Canada officials.

Yves Hamelin likes the look of the team. And not just because two of his sons are part of it.

In fact, as high performance director he's in a sticky spot. Some might wonder if he doesn't influence decisions within the sport that could benefit his sons.

Francois Hamelin got the discretionary spot over skaters like Gilday and McFarlane.

McFarlane was disqualified at trials in a 500 that he appeared to win. It was a close call. Had he not been disqualified, he would have secured an automatic spot on the team and forced the committee to pick between Charles Hamelin and Tremblay.

But Hamelin says he removes himself from all decisions involving his sons.

"When it involves either one of them I declare a conflict of interest and I need to quit the meeting," he said. "I was not part of the discretionary process for these spots.

"It's a transparent [selection] process. We have two athletes on the committee, all of the coaches and the formal committee members are on the committee. We're pretty at ease with how we do things."

Francois Hamelin helped the Canadian relay team win the overall World Cup title last season and was on the silver medal relay team at 2008 world championships. McFarlane has no international experience.

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

[musicalmom]

The previous article explains a lot.

NEWS !!!
***"6 Skaters have been listed as possible replacements should any of the 10 be injured or perform poorly in the 2009-10 World Cup season."

***Named to that list are:

Liam McKenzie of Medicine Hat, Alberta
Michael Gilday of Yellowknife, NWT
Marc-Andre Monette of Montreal

Anne Maltais - Valerie's sister
Amanda Overland of Cambridge, Ontario
Marie-Eve Drolet of Calgary

***Drolet, who didn't get the discretionary spot, has asked far an appeal. Her request will be reviewed this week by Speed Skating Canada officials.

Interesting developments...as is the article, considering my earlier concerns.

Your eye on the Canadian Ice
Musical Mom