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SWIMMER RYAN COCHRANE - THE GO-TO-GUY (9/1/2010)

9/1/2010

The recent Pan Pac Swimming Championships slipped under the radar because they finished late each night in California and with them the breakout peformance of distance freestyler Ryan Cochrane (Team BC 2005 Canada Summer Games) went pretty much unnoticed.

That shouldn’t be the case for long because in Cochrane it looks like Canada could have a world beater the likes of which it hasn’t had since the days of Alex Baumann and Victor Davis.

He’s certainly not near the level of those legends yet, but Cochrane supplies the Canadian swim team with a much needed go-to guy, someone who can give them the big performance to punctuate a meet. He won golds in both the 800 and 1,500 metres at the Pan Pacs in Irvine, Calif., setting the world’s fastest time in the former and second fastest by about half a second in the latter.

The upcoming Commonwealth Games in New Delhi will be a good chance for the Victoria swimmer to strut his stuff.

As impressive as his swimming is, it’s his attitude that’s really refreshing. He was a bit overwhelmed when he surprised as a 19-year-old with a bronze medal in the 1,500 metres at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but two years later is starting to embrace a leadership role.

“Now, I’m okay with taking that role,” he said. “It was really thrust on me in Beijing. I wasn’t comfortable with it then because I wasn’t ready to carry the team with me. I was just focused on myself and whether that’s selfish or not is up for debate. But as an athlete, sometimes you have to be selfish.

“I think now I can handle all the pressure that comes along with it. The attitude on the national team now has really changed. We can talk about winning now, we can talk about winning medals. … We hope we can get a confidence on the national team, not to be arrogant, but a confidence that we can actually compete with the rest of the world."

Courtesy: The Toronto Star

GYMNAST JASON SCOTT HEADING TO COMMONWEALTH GAMES (9/1/2010)

9/1/2010

Robert Watson of Port Coquitlam, B.C., will lead a five-member men's artistic gymnastics team to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Gymnastics Canada said Tuesday.

Watson heads to Delhi for the October competition after qualifying for the all-around final at the recent Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

Included on the women's artistic gymnastic team is Kristin Klarenbach of Edmonton, who won a bronze medal at the 2010 Canadian championships in Kamloops, B.C.

The rhythmic gymnastics team will feature Mariam Chamilova of Maple, Ont., Demetra Mantcheva of Richmond, B.C., and Nerissa Mo of Vancouver. All three will compete at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Moscow in September.

"The team representing Canada in gymnastics brings youth, energy and solid international experience to the event," Jean-Paul Caron, president of Gymnastics Canada, said in a release.

"We expect solid performances from our athletes."

The artistic gymnastics events at the Commonwealth Games will take place Oct. 4-8. The rhythmic events will follow Oct. 12-14.

The Commonwealth Games are expected to draw over 4,000 athletes from 71 nations and territories.

The other members of the Canadian artistic gymnastics teams are:

Tariq Dowers (Mississauga, Ont.)
Catherine Dion (Gatineau, Que.)
Ian Galvan (Calgary)
Cynthia Lemieux-Guillemette (St-Hubert, Que.)
Anderson Loran (Saskatoon)
Gabrielle May (Winnipeg)
Jason Scott (Richmond, B.C.) (Team BC 2007 Canada Winter Games)
Emma Willis (Sarnia, Ont.)

TABLE TENNIS ATHLETES ANDRE HO AND CARMEN LEE HEAD TO THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES (9/1/2010)

9/1/2010

Table Tennis Canada and Commonwealth Games Canada today confirmed the athletes and coaches named to Team Canada for the XIXth Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India from October 3-14.

Olympians Pradeeban Peter-Paul and Mo Zhang will guide a young Canadian team. Both are Pan American Games medalists (2007, Rio de Janeiro), have previous Commonwealth Games experience (2006, Melbourne) and have also both recently won the North American Championships.

The team will be led by new National Coach, Yongjun Duan, a quadruple medalist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

“I really enjoy the amazing athleticism of table tennis and we’ve got some superb players on this team,” said Chef de Mission Martha Deacon. “Table tennis is hugely popular in Asia, so the competition should be phenomenal.”

“Our younger athletes will face a steep learning curve at the Games,” said Tony Kiesenhofer, Director General of Table Tennis Canada. “However, there are some legitimate medal chances in the women's singles, where Mo Zhang will need to fend off strong opposition from the World Champions from Singapore and from host India. In women’s doubles, Mo Zhang and Sara Yuen have consistently performed well in the Commonwealth arena. The men are in a position to challenge for a medal in the Team event.”

Athletes named by Table Tennis Canada to Team Canada for the 2010 Commonwealth Games were selected after the Canadian Championships in Calgary, July 16-18, the last leg of a multi-competition selection process.

Men:

Pradeeban PETER-PAUL Ottawa, ON
Pierre-Luc HINSE Gatineau, QC
Xavier THERIEN Gatineau, QC
Andre HO Richmond, BC (Team BC 2007 Canada Winter Games)

Women:

Mo ZHANG Ottawa, ON
Sara YUEN Ottawa, ON
Carmen LEE Vancouver, BC (Team BC 2007 Canada Winter Games)
Anqi LUO Mississauga, ON

Coaches:

Junya CHEN Mississauga, ON
Yongjun DUAN Ottawa, ON

All selected athletes will compete in the singles, doubles and mixed doubles events. The pairs competing in doubles, as well as the three athletes selected to compete in the team event, will be decided at a later date.

TENNIS ATHLETE REBECCA MARINO WILL TAKE ON VENUS WILLIAMS AT US OPEN (8/31/2010)

8/31/2010

Rebecca Marino (Team BC 2005 Canada Summer Games) has begun to feel comfortable with her tennis game, and the results were obvious on Monday at the US Open when she won her first Grand Slam event match, defeating Ksenia Pervak of Russia 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

A 19-year-old from Vancouver, Marino has taken a while to grown into her 6-foot-1½ frame on the tennis court.

“I’ve always been pretty clumsy, so that didn’t really help,” she joked on Monday. “I’ve just been a little slower to progress with everything generally. I started tennis late [age 10], didn’t really get serious until the past year or two.”

Marino originally had designs on playing college tennis in the United States and signed to go to Georgia Tech, then deferred for a year before signing again and then finally electing to turn pro in 2008.

“Sticking to the one decision I made, turning pro has been really good,” Marino said. “Just to focus on it. It’s like my job now. I have to be serious about it.”

Her match Monday against the No. 100-ranked Pervak, who won the Australian Open junior title in 2009, was an eloquent example of how she has progressed as a player. She has always been a good ball-striker and had a fine serve but, as a tall player, her mobility has always been a liability.

“It’s been kind of recent,” said Marino, a qualifier, about her new-found consistency. “But it’s been a lot of work, a lot of fitness. I feel really good right now.”

She added, “Being a little taller, it’s sometimes tougher to move around and the girls [on tour] try to pick on you. To try to fix that is nice.”

That improvement was evident in the gruelling rally after gruelling rally that she played with Pervak, a nimble, diminutive left-hander who pounded the ball hard and flat and deep during the match that lasted 2 hours 19 minutes. But Marino replied in kind and was able to stay with her opponent as they alternated pushing each other back behind the baseline with stretching each other out side with well-angled drives.

If there was any difference, it may have been Marino’s superior serving. She finished with 10 aces to just one for the Russian, but there were a number of service winners as well, and an equal number of flat ones and high kickers that forced short service returns and allowed her to finish the point with her first ground stroke.

“I didn’t really feel like I was on top of my game,” Marino said a little self-critically. “I didn’t return or serve how I wanted to but I think my heart was in it the whole time. I was mentally focused and I try to stay composed. It kind of made the difference at the end.”

Marino’s fellow Canadian, Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., did not fare as well, bowing out meekly 6-0, 6-1 to Australian qualifier Sally Peers. Canada’s top-ranked singles player said afterward she’ll take break from tennis to let her injured forearm heal.

Currently ranked No. 179, Marino, with the points from qualifying and from winning her first round, should jump up to about No. 135.

“I always thought I could hang with these girls,” she said. “It’s just a matter of consistently being at that level. I didn’t have it until recently, the past few months.”

Her next match should test that as she faces 6-foot-1 Venus Williams. “That would be really neat,” she enthused about the likely possibility of playing on the 23,000-plus seat Arthur Ashe Stadium. Her previous biggest court would be the 11,000-seat Uniprix Stadium in Montreal.

Asked about tall players she may have served as models for her, Marino said, “probably [6-foot-3 Lindsay] Davenport a little bit, and [6-foot-2 Maria] Sharapova. But I don’t really look at their game styles and say I want to be like that. I’m my own unique player.”

She is also unique on the national tennis landscape. There has never been a Canadian woman six feet or taller who has made a mark on the international scene, where even 5-foot-8 players are now regarded as the norm, or maybe even a little bit on the small side among the top ranks.

On the greatest day of his daughter’s blossoming tennis career, Marino’s father, Joe, who owns a construction business in Vancouver, was notably understated immediately after her victory. “The most important thing is that she showed courage and she competed,” he said. “So as long as she does that and doesn’t shy away from the challenge of the moment, that’s all you want.”

That was all he got, and maybe a bit more on Court 12 on Monday at the U.S. Open.

TENNIS ATHLETE REBECCA MARINO WILL TAKE ON VENUS WILLIAMS AT US OPEN (8/31/2010)

8/31/2010

A 19-year-old from Vancouver, Marino has taken a while to grown into her 6-foot-1½ frame on the tennis court.

“Sticking to the one decision I made, turning pro has been really good,” Marino said. “Just to focus on it. It’s like my job now. I have to be serious about it.”

“It’s been kind of recent,” said Marino, a qualifier, about her new-found consistency. “But it’s been a lot of work, a lot of fitness. I feel really good right now.”

She added, “Being a little taller, it’s sometimes tougher to move around and the girls [on tour] try to pick on you. To try to fix that is nice.”

Currently ranked No. 179, Marino, with the points from qualifying and from winning her first round, should jump up to about No. 135.

“I always thought I could hang with these girls,” she said. “It’s just a matter of consistently being at that level. I didn’t have it until recently, the past few months.”

That was all he got, and maybe a bit more on Court 12 on Monday at the U.S. Open.

BADMINTON'S ANNA RICE: IT'S INDIA OR BUST! (8/30/2010)

8/30/2010

Anna Rice competed for Team BC at the 1999 Canada Winter Games. Below is a blog she wrote courtesy of cbc.ca:

India has always eluded me.

In my 10 years on the Canadian badminton team, I've traveled to more than 50 countries, but never to India. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't by choice. I've been dying to go. I've even had the visa stamp in my passport, the plane ticket bought and the accommodations booked. But on four different occasions, the trip fell through.

Back in 2004, I was going to do some training and touring in India with a group of younger players from Vancouver, but I had to cancel because I got selected to go to the Olympics in Athens (so I was actually happy that one fell through). A couple of years later, a scheduling conflict forced me to bow out of a tournament. Then, last summer, a hip injury kept me from competing in the world championships in Hyderabad.

But nothing is going to stop me from going to Delhi in October to compete for Canada at the XIX Commonwealth Games. This time, it's India or bust.

In just under 40 days, India will welcome thousands of athletes from around the world to host the biggest sporting event the subcontinent has ever seen. Back home in Canada, the athletes on our badminton team are busy preparing, sharpening our bodies and our minds for an event that, for many of us, will be the biggest experience of our sporting careers so far.

This will be my second Commonwealth Games, as I had the privilege of competing in Melbourne four years ago. Now I'm the only Commonwealth veteran on a youthful team.

Introducing...

Despite their young ages, we've got an awesome team of badminton players heading to Delhi. I'll admit, I'm the oldest. My recent 30th birthday has prevented me from hiding behind my fave "around the mid-20s" response to any brave rookie who dares ask my age. But I'm hopeful that my years of experience will mesh well with the youthful energy of this team.

Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to the 10-player Canadian Commonwealth badminton team.

Joining me on the women's side are four talented and very skilled shuttlers: Joycelyn Ko, Grace Gao, Michelle Li and Alexandra Bruce. Joycelyn and I train together in Vancouver at the ClearOne Badminton Centre, Grace plays out of Calgary, and Michelle and Alex hail from a little town back east called Toronto.

On the guy's side, Jon Vandervet of Edmonton heads up the charge as the senior-most player. David Snider of Winnipeg, Vancouver's Alvin Lau (Team BC 2007 Canada Winter Games), and Cowtown's Alex Pang and Toby Ng (Team BC 2007 Canada Winter Games) round out the team.

The most talent I've ever seen

There are two parts to the Commonwealth Games badminton tournament that will take place in Delhi: the individual and the team competitions. In the team event, which starts things off on Oct. 7, we'll battle the likes of Malaysia, Singapore, India, England and many more for a shot at the medals. The format calls for five matches in five different disciplines. So there's one women's singles match, one men's singles, one women's doubles, one men's doubles, and one mixed doubles.

After the weeklong team event, the individual tournament will begin. It's a single-knockout draw, with all the Canadian athletes listed above competing in their respective disciplines for a shot at a coveted Commonwealth medal.

I've had the honour of representing Canada at several multi-sport games over the past 10 years, including the last two Olympics. I've shared the bench with Canadian badminton greats like Denyse Julien, Mike Beres, Andrew Dabeka, Milaine Cloutier and the Milroy brothers to name a few.

But, of all those teams, I believe the one heading to Delhi in October has the most talent.

I'm not guaranteeing results, but I will definitely say that this team is one to watch.

Blog, courtesy of: cbc.ca

BASKETBALL'S TERESA KLEINDIENST (GABRIELE) LEADS TEAM CANADA (8/30/2010)

8/30/2010

The Senior Women’s National Team (SWNT) kicked off their second training camp on August 28 at RIM Park in Waterloo, Ont. to determine the final roster that will compete at the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women. The Senior Women are undefeated this summer after they dominated Sweden and Chile at the University of Fraser Valley (UFV) in Abbotsford, BC and at the Richmond Olympic Oval in Richmond, BC.

"We had an outstanding first phase in British Columbia and are looking forward to building on that in this second phase here in Ontario" said head coach Allison McNeill. “This is a good opportunity for people from across the country to see their national team."

Training camp runs until September 5 and includes a core group of eight athletes that helped Canada qualify for this year’s World Championship at the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship for Women. Among them are national team veterans such as Teresa Gabriele (nee Kleindienst 1997 Canada Summer Games) (Mission, B.C.), Chelsea Aubry (Kitchener, Ont.), Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ont.), Kim Smith (Mission, B.C.) and Natalie Achonwa (Guelph, Ont.). The camp also features new comers in Miranda Ayim (Chatham, Ont.) and Courtney Pilypaitis (Ottawa, Ont.), who have set team records during their NCAA careers.

Following the camp, the ladies will travel to France September 9-11 to compete in a series of national team exhibition games against France, Japan and Belarus. The SWNT will then head to Athens for a pair of exhibition games against the Greek national team from September 18-19 for their final tune-up for the FIBA World Championship in Czech Republic.

SWIMMER JEREMY BAGSHAW WINS BRONZE IN RELAY (8/30/2010)

8/30/2010

Canada claimed silver and bronze medals Saturday at the Junior Pan Pacific swimming championships in Kihei, Hawaii.

The U.S. clocked a meet record three minutes 40.97 seconds to win the women’s 4x100-metre freestyle relay gold medal, while Canada’s Sandrine Mainville of Boucherville, Que., Chantal Van Landeghem of Winnipeg, Lauren Earp of Toronto and Fionnuala Pierse of Edmonton took silver in 3:42.50. Australia was third in 3:42.58.

“Our goal was to get a medal,” Mainville said in a statement. “But when we saw that we had a shot for second place, it was very exciting. This is the second relay we’ve finished ahead of the Australians and we gained some ground on the U.S. I achieved my goal in the leadoff by going under 55 seconds.”

The U.S. also won gold in the men’s 4x100-metre freestyle relay with a time of 3:20.09. Australia claimed silver in 3:21.36 while Matthew Grillo of Pointe-Claire, Que., Kyle Troskot of Lethbridge, Alta., Eric Anderson of Calgary and Jeremy Bagshaw (Team BC 2009 Canada Summer Games) of Victoria followed in 3:25.62 to take the bronze for Canada.

Meanwhile, Lindsay Delmar of Calgary and Caitlin Hodge of Toronto were fifth and seventh, respectively, in the women’s 400-metre individual medley; Samantha Corea of Vancouver and Van Landeghem were sixth and seventh in the 100-metre butterfly; and Brooklyn Snodgrass of Calgary and Brittany MacLean of Etobicoke, Ont., were sixth and eighth in the 200-metre backstroke.

“It was a solid performance for me,” said Corea, 16, who had a personal-best time of 1:00.58 in the 100-metre butterfly. “I wanted to get a best time and I went out as hard as I could and tried to maintain that pace.”

Snodgrass, who was second at the split, also lowered her personal best to 2:14.03 in the 200-metre backstroke.

“I held back a bit in the prelims so I would have more energy for the final,” said Snodgrass. “In the final, I felt I really needed to put myself out there early and see how I would fare against such a strong field. It was a very valuable experience.”

On the men’s side, Kourosh Ahani of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Anderson were sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 100-metre butterfly; Jeffrey Swanston of Newmarket, Ont., was seventh in the 200-metre backstroke; and Bagshaw and Keegan Zanatta of Victoria sixth and eighth in the 40-metre IM.

Courtesy: Postmedia News

BADMINTON'S ANNA RICE BOUNCED AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (8/25/2010)

8/25/2010

Canadian Stephan Wojcikiewicz advanced to the second round of the badminton world championships while Anna Rice (Team BC 1999 Canada Winter Games), the top women's player in the country, lost her match.

Wojcikiewicz, an Ottawa native, defeated Dmytro Zavadsky of Ukraine 21-18, 21-19 in the men's singles draw in Paris.

In the second round, Wojcikiewicz will face Chen Ong Zhao of Singapore, who upset 14th-seeded Chetan Anand of India 21-14, 21-18.

Rice lost to Pui Yin Yip of Hong Kong 21-19, 21-13 in the second round of the women's singles draw. In mixed doubles, Calgary duo Toby Ng (Team BC Flag Bearer 2007 Canada Winter Games) and Grace Gao lost 21-8, 21-16 to Japan's Noriyasu Hirata and Maeda Miyuki.

Courtesy of: The Canadian Press and CBCSports.ca

SWIMMER RICHARD WEINBERGER WINS BRONZE AT PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS (8/23/2010)

8/23/2010

Richard Weinberger (Team BC 2009 Canada Summer Games) of Victoria took another giant step in his open water swimming career on Sunday winning the bronze medal in the men’s open water 10 kilometre race to conclude the Pan Pacific swimming championships.

Chip Peterson led the U.S., to a 1-2 finish in one hour and 56 minutes and 00. 02 seconds, Frances Crippen was second in 1:56:02.744 and Weinberger followed in 1:56:02.984.

“This (medal) is the result of so much work,” said Weinberger, 20, 13th at the world championships last month. “I had a disappointing 1,500 freestyle in the pool and I decided that I wasn't going to finish the meet on a bad note. I wanted to make my country proud and win a medal.”

Weinberger says his result has given him a lot of confidence for the future.

“The race today made me realize that I'm on the right path to representing Canada in London (at the Olympics),” he said. “I see myself as an Olympian.”

Aimeson King of Victoria was 11th.

In the women’s 10 kilometre, Zsofia Balazs of Toronto was sixth and Nadine Williams of Edmonton ninth. Christine Jennings of the U.S., took the gold.

Canada ends the five-day competition with 11 medals (two gold, two silver and seven bronze) its highest total at the Pan Pacs since earning 11 in 1999. The competition also established the 27-member Canadian team for the Commonwealth Games in October.

“We continue to make progress every year,” said Swimming Canada’s CEO and national coach Pierre Lafontaine. “We have structure in our system and our youngsters are pushing the veterans. I was impressed with our professional approach this week and how the swimmers really supported each other.”

Canadian medallists at the Pan Pacs were:

Gold (2): Ryan Cochrane Victoria, 1,500 freestyle and 800 freestyle.

Silver (2): Brent Hayden, Vancouver, 100 freestyle; Cochrane, 400 freestyle.

Bronze (7): women’s 4X200 freestyle relay (Geneviève Saumur, Montreal; Julia Wilkinson, Victoria; Barbara Jardin, Montreal; Samantha Cheverton, Pointe-Claire, Que.); women’s 4X100 freestyle relay (Victoria Poon, Montreal; Wilkinson; Erica Morningstar, Calgary; Saumur); Scott Dickens, Vancouver, 50 breaststroke; Hayden, 50 freestyle; Annamay Pierse, Vancouver, 200 breaststroke; Poon, 50 freestyle; Richard Weinberger, Victoria, 10 kilometre.

SWIMMER RYAN COCHRANE WINS SECOND GOLD AT PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS (8/23/2010)

8/23/2010

Ryan Cochrane (Team BC 2005 Canada Summer Games) of Victoria earned his second gold medal and third medal on Saturday at the Pan Pacific swimming championships with a victory in the men’s 400 freestyle to highlight a four-medal night for Canada.

In the men’s 800 freestyle, Cochrane took the gold in 7:48.71 nearly three seconds ahead of runner-up Chad LaTourette of the U.S.

“It’s always amazing to win gold at a major meet like this,” said Cochrane who also won the 1,500 freestyle on Wednesday and the took the silver in the 400 freestyle on Friday. “I think I had a little more in me than that but this has been the hardest year of training I’ve ever had and the times will work themselves out.”

Brent Hayden (Team BC 2001 Canada Summer Games) made his second trip to the podium with the bronze in the men’s 50 freestyle in 21.89. He also took silver in the 100 freestyle. Nathan Adrian was the winner in 21.55.

“With about 15 metres left I glanced up to see how far the wall was and I decided I wasn’t going to breathe at all in the race,” said Hayden. “I kept my head down, my arms spinning and got my hand on that wall.”

World record holder Annamay Pierse of Vancouver was also third in the women’s 200 breaststroke in 2:23.65 less than a half second from silver medallist Leisel Jones of the Australia. Rebecca Soni of the U.S., took the gold in 2:20.69. Martha McCabe of Vancouver was eighth.

“It’s been hard year I felt like nothing was working but tonight it came together,” said Pierse. “With everything I’ve gone through this means as much as gold for me.”

Victoria Poon of Montreal came within 0.01 seconds of her Canadian record in the 50 freestyle clocking 24.76 for the bronze medal. Jessica Hardy led the U.S., to a 1-2 finish clocking a meet record 24.63.

“The medal is amazing and the time is a plus,” said Poon. “It shows there is improvement.”

In the women’s 200 IM, Julia Wilkinson of Victoria broke her Canadian record clocking 2:11.32 beating the 2:12.03 from 2008. She placed fourth and 0.11 seconds short of a medal. Erica Morningstar of Calgary was sixth.

“It’s a really tough road to come back and to smash my Canadian record after not touching it for two years makes me very happy,” said Wilkinson who was slowed after the 2008 Olympics after she underwent shoulder surgery.

Scott Dickens was fifth in the men’s 200 breaststroke.

In the medley relays, Canada was fourth in the women’s race with Wilkinson, Pierse, Poon and Katerine Savard of Montreal and fifth in the men’s final with Dickens, Hayden, Jake Tapp (Team BC 2005 Canada Summer Games) of Langley, B.C., and Joe Bartoch of London, Ont.

GOLFER CHRISTINE WONG TO REPRESENT CANADA IN ARGENTINA (8/23/2010)

8/23/2010

Golf Canada is pleased to announce that Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., Sara-Maude Juneau of Fossambault, Que., and Christine Wong (Team BC 2009 Canada Summer Games) of Richmond, B.C., have been selected to represent Team Canada at the 2010 World Amateur Golf Team Championship (WATC) in Argentina.

Kirby and Juneau, who are members of Team Canada, and Wong, who is a member of Team Canada’s Development Squad, will be looking to improve on Canada’s fourth place finish at the 2008 event in Adelaide, AU. Development Squad member Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Toronto was named as team alternate for this event.

Team Canada Women’s Head Coach Derek Ingram will accompany the team in Argentina, along with non-playing captain and Golf Canada Director of High Performance, Doug Roxburgh. The team will also be supported by Penny Werthner, Team Canada Psychologist and Greg Redman, Team Canada Physiotherapist.

“This year’s women’s team features tremendous talent and ability,” said Derek Ingram “Jennifer, Sara-Maude and Christine have worked hard all year for this goal. They have distinguished themselves through their play this season and we are thrilled to have them represent Canada on the world stage at this prestigious international championship.”

The biennial World Amateur Team Championship is set for October 16-31 at the Olivos Golf Club and Buenos Aires Golf Club in Argentina, with the Asociación Argentina de Golf serving as host of the 2010 championships. This prestigious event features two consecutive tournaments - the women’s event for the Espirito Santo Trophy followed by the men’s event for the Eisenhower Trophy.

Contested over 72 holes of stroke play, the championship will feature both a team and individual component, with the best two scores each day counting towards the team total.

Kirby is coming off a semi-final showing at the recent US Women’s Amateur where she lost 1-up to the eventual champion. The Alabama sophomore also competed in the 2010 US Women’s Open and is a year removed from one of the most impressive amateur season’s in Canadian golf history where she won the 2009 Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship, the 2009 Royale Cup Canadian Women's Amateur Championship, the 2009 Ontario Women's Amateur Championship, the 2009 Ontario Junior Girls Championship, the 2009 Toronto Star Women's Amateur Championship and the 2009 CN Future Links Pacific Championship.

Juneau’s 2010 season includes a victory at the 2010 Quebec Amateur Championship and a third place finish at the 2010 Royale Cup Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. In addition to competing in the 2010 US Women’s Open, she also advanced to the round of 16 for match play at the 2010 Ladies British Open Amateur Championship and the recent US Amateur where she lost to Kirby in the round of 16.

The 18-year old Wong has also had an impressive 2010 season, winning the 2010 BC Women’s Amateur Championship and finishing as the runner-up low amateur at the 2010 US Women’s Open Championship. Wong tied for 11th at the 2010 Royale Cup Women’s Amateur Championship and has also won the 2009 Seattle Junior Open and the 2009 Bellingham Junior Open as well as finishing 4th at the 2009 World Junior Girls Championship.

Kirby, Juneau and Wong will all be competing in next week’s CN Canadian Women’s Open at St. Charles Country Club.

Team Canada’s recent best showing at the event came inPuerto Rico in 2004 when the team finished tied for second. Canada’s Women’s Team also finished runner-up in both 1966 and 1968.

The 2010 World Amateur competition will see 125 teams competing - a record 55 teams from around the world have entered the 2010 Women's World Amateur Team Championship while 70 teams have entered in the men’s division.

Golf Canada will be announcing the Men’s World Amateur Team following the completion of the U.S Amateur Championship.

TEAM BC SWIMMERS WILL HEADLINE COMMONWEALTH GAMES TEAM (8/23/2010)

8/23/2010

Press Release: SWIMMING

Canadian Swim Team for Delhi Commonwealth Games announced

“An exciting time for Canadian Swimming”

IRVINE, California (August 21, 2010) – Following a successful Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California, Swimming Canada is pleased to announce the twenty-seven strong swimmers nominated to represent Canada at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

The Canadian squad was selected based on performances at the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships and the 2010 IPC World Para-Swimming Championships.

“Our swimmers have demonstrated great Canadian pride over the past weeks,” said CEO and National Coach for Swimming Canada, Pierre Lafontaine. “We have had strong medal performances at the Pan Pacs and the IPC Worlds, while also seeing many of our swimmers are knocking on doors, to make that extra step onto the podium.”

“It’s quite an exciting time for Canadian Swimming as we head into the Commonwealth Games and the second half of the quadrennial.”

The following swimmers have been nominated to Commonwealth Games Canada to represent Canada at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

The men’s team will feature: (Name, Age, Residence, Hometown)
Ryan COCHRANE (Team BC 2005 Canada Summer Games), 20, Victoria, BC, Victoria, BC; Scott DICKENS, 25, Vancouver, BC, Burlington, On; Andrew FORD, 21, Guelph, ON, Guelph, ON; Charles FRANCIS, 21, Montreal, QC, Cowansville, QC; Brent HAYDEN (Team BC 2001 Canada Summer Games), 26, Vancouver, BC, Mission, BC; Stefan HIRNIAK, 25, Victoria, BC, New Brunswick, NJ; Richard HORTNESS, 25, London, ON, Medicine Hat, Alta.; Benoit HUOT, 26, Longueuil, QC, Montreal, QC; Brian JOHNS, 27, Vancouver, BC, Richmond, BC; Tobias ORIWOL, 25, Toronto, ON, Pointe-Claire, QC; Sean PENHALE, 22, Victoria, BC, Red Deer, AB; Blake WORSLEY, 22, Victoria, BC, Denver, COL.

The women’s team will comprise of: (Name, Age, Residence, Hometown) Genevieve CANTIN, 19, Quebec, QC, Saguenay, QC; MacKenzie DOWNING, 23, Victoria, BC, Whitehorse, YK; Barbara JARDIN, 19, Montreal, QC, Montreal, QC; Alexa KOMARNYCKY, 20, Victoria, BC, Etobicoke, ON; Audrey LACROIX, 25, Montreal, QC, Pont-Rouge, QC; Lauren LAVIGNA, 21, Vancouver, BC, Burnaby, BC; Martha MCCABE, 20, Vancouver, BC, Toronto, ON; Erica MORNINGSTAR, 21, Calgary, AB, Calgary, AB; Annamay PIERSE, 26, Vancouver, BC, Edmonton, AB; Victoria POON, 25, Lasalle, QC, Hong Kong, China; Katarina ROXON (S9), 17, Cornerbrook, NF, Stephenville, NF; Sinead RUSSELL, 16, Oakville, ON, Burlington, ON; Genevieve SAUMUR, 22, Montreal, QC, Montreal, QC; Katerine SAVARD, 16, Pont-Rouge, Qc, Pont-Rouge, QC; Julia WILKINSON, 23, Victoria, BC, Stratford, ON.

Randy Bennett of Victoria will lead the team as head coach, assisted by Tom Johnson (Vancouver), Joszef Nagy (Vancouver), Benoit Lebrun (Montreal), Jan Bidrman (Calgary), Marc-Andre Pelletier (Cap Rouge St-Augustin Quebec), Nicholas Perron (Quebec) and Pierre Lamy (Montreal).

“We are very happy to welcome the twenty-seven swimmers to the Canadian Commonwealth Games team," said Canada’s Chef de Mission, Martha Deacon. “With the overall great performances that we saw at the Pan Pacific Championships and IPC Worlds, we are quite excited to see them repeat that success in Delhi.”

For World Record holder Annamay Pierse of Edmonton, the Commonwealth Games are an important step towards her preparation towards London. “It’s another great opportunity to race against some of the best in the world,” said Pierse. “On top of that, I’ve always wanted to go to India, so I’m really excited to represent Canada at the Games.”

Typically, the month of October marks the beginning of the season for elite swimmers. But for former World Champion, Brent Hayden, of Mission, BC, “it’s not the fastest swimmer in the world that will win the race, it’s the best one who will adapt on that day and get his hand on the wall first.” Hayden ended the 2009-10 season with the second fastest time in the world in the men’s 100-metre freestyle.

The Canadian swim team will head to Singapore for an 8-day staging camp, prior to arriving in Delhi on September 30th.

Pool competition starts on October 4th.

BC ATHLETES DOMINATE FIRST SNOWBOARD FIS EVENT OF THE SEASON (8/23/2010)

8/23/2010

In back to back Australia New Zealand Cup (ANC) Snowboard Cross races, BC Provincial Team girls win 5 out of 6 podiums.

The first event resulted in a clean sweep for the girls taking the three top spots. Jade Critchlow (Kelowna) won the event with Tess Critchlow (Kelowna) in her first FIS event taking 2nd and Shayna Goodwin (Surrey) in 3rd. The girls fought very hard in the technical course to achieve their best results to date. While on the boys side, brothers Tommy and Mitch Pitman (Trail) put on an impressive performance in a very tough field which included several Olympic athletes resulting in 12^th and 19^th respectively.

The second of the back to back events saw Jade once again take the top spot and Tess follow up with the silver medal. Shayna fought hard in her heats to take 6th spot. "This was a very impressive weekend for our BC Team athletes. With their performance here it will be a big boost to their confidence going into Jr Worlds in New Zealand later in the month." said Chris Nakonechny, Provincial SBX Team Head Coach. "It has been a great prep camp before the big event in New Zealand and with all the amazing support from Big White Ski Resort the kids will be very prepared to represent BC and Canada."

Next on the schedule for the athletes will be to continue to train at Mount Hotham and compete in an upcoming Banked Slalom event. On August 16th the team will move over to Cardrona, New Zealand for the last part of the training process before the FIS JR World Championships start on August 21st.

Currently there are twelve athletes on the BC Provincial SBX Team. The athletes compete in FIS events ranging from BC Snowboard Provincial Events to International World Cup races. The team trains in three areas in the province including Big White, Whistler and Cypress Mountain.

BC SNOWBOARD ATHLETES CONTINUE WINNING WAYS IN AUSTRALIA (8/23/2010)

8/23/2010

More podium results for the BC girls in the Capita Hot Ham Banked Slalom at Mount Hotham resort.

Taking top spot in the ladies competition on the weekend was Jade Critchlow of Kelowna. For the Jr. Category Tess Critchlow (Kelowna) took the win with Shayna Goodwin (Surrey) close behind in second place. From their years of experience racing the Big White Neil Edgeworth Memorial Banked Slalom, the girls were right at home standing on that podium. The BC brothers Mitch and Tommy Pitman of Trail put in great runs taking 20th and 24th spot in a very tough field of men competitors including Australian Olympian Alex Pullin.

"This was a great way for the kids to end our training camp here in Australia. We are looking forward to getting over to New Zealand to race in the Jr. World Championships and test them out against the best Jr. riders in the World." said Chris Nakonechny BC Snowboard's Head Snowboard Cross Coach. "We would like to continue to thank Big White Ski Resort for all their financial support to make this camp possible."

The team will have a couple days training on the New Zealand slopes before the Jr. World Championships start with a qualifying day on August 21st and then race day on August 22nd.

SOFTBALL STANDOUT KELSEY HAVERL HELPS TEAM WIN SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (8/23/2010)

8/23/2010

Kelsey Haberl (Team BC 2009 Canada Summer Games) of Burnaby helped the White Rock Renegades win the senior women's Canadian fastpitch championships in Kitchener, Ont., Aug. 15.

White Rock defeated Ontario third-seed Pickering Heat 2-0 in the championship final.

Round-robin winner and host Kitchener Coyotes won the bronze medal.

The Simon Fraser University first base helped knock off the host team, registering a hit and scoring one run in a 10-7 victory that sent the Renegades to the gold-medal final.

White Rock also got past Ontario champion Whitby Eagles, the third-place team from the round robin, 4-3 earlier in the day.

The Renegades were 4-2 after the first three days of competition.

Haberl had a hot bat in a 10-0 mercy-rule win over the Calgary Ice, going three-for-three at the plate with one run batted in and two runs scored in a 10-run first inning.

The Renegades also dispatched Alberta champion Calgary Thunder 9-2. Haberl had two hits and two runs scored in the win.

Haberl also knocked in two runs in an 8-6 defeat to Whitby on Aug. 12.

Courtesy: Burnaby Now

SWIMMER RYAN COCHRANE WINS GOLD AT PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS (8/19/2010)

8/19/2010

Olympic and world championship medallist Ryan Cochrane (Team BC 2005 Canada Summer Games) of Victoria produced the fastest time in the world this year to win the gold medal in the men’s 1,500-metre freestyle on Wednesday to conclude the first day of racing at the Pan Pacific Championships.

Cochrane clocked 14 minutes and 49.47 seconds for the victory, the only sub 14:50 time in 2010. Chad La Tourette of the U.S., was second in 14:54.48 and Lin Zhang of China third in 14:58.90.

“I had the best year of training in my life and it was great to see it pay off with the win here,” said Cochrane. “The big difference for me was the first half of my swim was really smooth tonight. That allowed me hold on and then really progress over the final lengths.”

Cochrane’s coach Randy Bennett of Victoria said his pupil showed confidence in his swim.

“He felt comfortable against this field and being in the lead,” Bennett said. “He needs to swim to win and winning the race was the most significant thing for him tonight.”

Olympic champion Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia placed 16th.

In the women’s 200 butterfly, Audrey Lacroix of Montreal placed fourth in 2:08.32 missing the bronze by just over a second. MacKenzie Downing of Victoria was seventh.

“Strategically I swam well,” said Lacroix. “I had very modest goals for this competition and to swim around that time is good for me right now. It gives me a lot of confidence.”

Julia Wilkinson of Victoria was fifth in a very close women’s 100 backstroke less than a second off the winning time.

“That was the first time at a major event that I thought I could win a medal” said Wilkinson. “I didn’t do it but it is still the highest I’ve ever place. It’s huge for me. I felt I was in the race.”

Genevieve Saumur of Montreal took sixth spot in the 200 freestyle with Barbara Jardin of Montreal eighth.

In the men’s 200 butterfly final won by Michael Phelps, Stefan Hirniak of Victoria took eighth spot just short of his Canadian record time set in prelims.

TEAM BC ALUMNI AT YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES (8/18/2010)

8/18/2010

Five BC athletes who competed for Team BC at the 2009 Canada Summer Games in Prince Edward are currently in Singapore representing Canada at the first ever Youth Olympic Games. They are:

Jeremy Bagshaw (18), Saanichton - Swimming
Shari-Anne Davis (16), Richmond - Athletics
Parmvir Dhesi (16), Surrey - Wrestling
Katherine Reid (16), Surrey - Athletics
Christine Ridenour (18), Cowichan Bay - Triathlon

“This is a prime example of how Canada Games athletes are the future international competitors for this country,” says Sue Hylland, President and CEO of the Canada Games Council. “We will be watching these athletes with great interest and are proud to have them represent Canada on the international stage.”

SWIMMER JEREMY BAGSHAW WINS BRONZE AT YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES (8/16/2010)

8/16/2010

Rachel Nicol of Lethbridge, Alta., won gold on Monday in the women’s 50-metre breaststroke and Canadian flag bearer Jeremy Bagshaw (Team BC 2009 Canada Summer Games) of Victoria added a bronze in swimming action at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games.

The Youth Olympics are for athletes 14-18 and have attracted more than 3,000 athletes in the same sports program that is set for the 2012 London Games.

In the women’s 50 breaststroke, Nicol showed her top qualifying time from Sunday’s semifinal was no fluke as she earned the victory in a personal best 32.06 seconds. Martina Carraro of Italy was second in 32.44 and Ana de Pino Rodrigues of Portugal was third in 32.49.

“It feels great to get the gold,” said Nicol 17, whose father Chris was a member of the Scottish swimming team. “I wasn’t sure what kind of results to expect here but after doing so well in the prelims and semis I was feeling more pressure. But it was tough year of training and it really paid off in the end.”

In the men’s 200 freestyle, Andrey Ushakov of Russia took the gold in 1:49.81. Cristian Quintero of Venezuela was second in 1:49.98 and Bagshaw beat out compatriot Chad Bobrosky of Calgary for the bronze in 1:50.67. Bobrosky collected his third fourth place finish in two days in 1:50.86.

“It was a really exciting race,” said Bagshaw, a Singapore native who was cheered on by several family members. “I went out very fast in the first 50 metres and paid for it in the end. But my strategy was to stay as close to the leaders as possible. With the medal, the flag bearer duties and my family here these have been special Games for me.”

Canada was fourth in the women’s 4X100 medley relay with Nicol, Lindsay Delmar of Calgary, Lauren Earp of Toronto and Tera Van Beilen of Oakville, Ont., missing the bronze by 0.08 seconds. Delmar was also seventh in the women’s 200 butterfly.

In the semifinals, Earp clocked the third fastest time in her heat and fourth overall in the women’s 100 freestyle to advance to Tuesday’s final.

TRIATHLETE CHRISTINE RIDENOUR CRASHES AT YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES (8/16/2010)

8/16/2010

Canada’s Christine Ridenour (Team BC 2009 Canada Summer Games) was poised to make history and win the country’s first-ever medal at the Youth Olympic Games, but a crash on the bike in the women’s triathlon event left at the finish line with a lesson learned and a 14th-place result.

The 18-year-old Ridenour, who is one of the top junior triathletes in Canada, led the world’s top 32 young athletes out of the water after a stellar 750-metre swim in Singapore’s East Coast Park. Heading into the first transition with a five second lead over the next fastest athlete, the field bunched together in the 20-kilometre bike with 18 athletes riding together after the first lap. Ridenour was organizing the lead pack on the final lap to set up the transition into the run when an anxious rider caused a group of five athletes, including the Cowichan Bay, B.C. resident, to crash.

"There were some sketchy riders. I’m not interested in blaming anyone, but I’ve learned a lesson today. I will stay right up front when I’m in the lead group,” said Ridenour, who qualified to represent Canada based on her result at the Monterrey World Cup earlier this summer. “It’s hard to get the girls organized. I stayed in the first five or six riders. Sometimes we were four across, bunching up. It was a bad judgment call on my part. I tried to get us organized, and dropped back so I was unfortunately in line with the girls when they crashed.”

After hitting the curb and hitting a tree after plunging to the grass on the side of the road, Ridenour shook off the road rash suffered to the right side of her body to post the sixth fastest time in the five-kilometre run, to finish in 14th spot overall, clocking a total time of one hour, four minutes, 7.56 seconds (1:04:07.56).

“I have never not finished a race in my life and I was determined to finish today,” said Ridenour. “I took a good look at myself and I was badly injured, but thought – okay – this is another challenge I have to face today.”

Japan’s Yuka Sato, who stuck close to Ridenour in the swim, ran away from the field to win the first-ever gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games, stopping the clock at 1:00:49.69. Australia’s Ellie Salthouse captured the silver medal at 1:01:04.39, while Kelly Whitley, of the United States, rounded out the podium in third with a time of 1:01:13.49.

Canada’s 16-year-old Brook Powell, of Victoria, will hit the start line on Monday for the men’s race at the Youth Olympic Games.

In addition to the individual races, a four-athlete mixed relay triathlon will take place on August 19, marking the first time the format has been featured at a major Games. Teams will be made up of two women and two men from each continent. Each of the four participants in the relay will compete a 250-metre swim, 7K bike and 1.7K run before tagging a team member to begin the next segment.