one11twelve

Canadian Championships Online

2011-01-21T09:09:00.002-07:00

Live streaming of the Canadian 2011 Championships:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shorttrackhd

JC

Making the most of the mountains

2010-11-08T18:32:00.005-07:00

Most of the time you can find our short track skaters at the Olympic Oval, skating laps around the rink. We spend most of our time on-ice and the majority of the remainder either on the running track, stationary bikes, in the weight room or in the lab.

However, we do take advantage of the best the west has to offer. We've used the mountains for altitude training before. Mostly, with great luck, to a successful end. Our most recent excursion into the Rockies was no disappointment. In fact, it was one of our best!

We explored 3 different trails: Chester Lake, Burstall Pass and Headwall Lakes. All of these trails are found just off of the Smith Dorrien Trail, about halfway between Canmore and Highway 40.

To summarize our trip:

3 days of amazing spring-type weather (considering it's November we were truly blessed)
40 km of trails
1500m of altitude gained (between 1900m and 2450m on average)
Infinite awe inspiring views (you may even call them "epic")

Here is an album from our adventure...

Canmore Altitude Camp 2010

Short Track Women Relay - Silver Medal!

2010-02-25T12:47:00.005-07:00

The Canadian women skated amazing under pressure in the 3000m relay to take silver! A fantastic race in an exciting A-final Olympic moment.

Post event interview with Brian Williams at the CTV studio.

Taking advantage of the moment in the RDS studio.

Posing in front of themselves on the big screen!

Felicitations les filles!!!

JC

Behind the scenes for me, Short Track Day 3

2010-02-21T10:56:00.004-07:00

My role for yesterday's short track events was more supportive in nature as Jessica Gregg was not competing in the 1500m event. Tania Vicent, Valerie Maltais and Kalyna Roberge were up against some tough competition and the results were mixed. So often they are in short track.

Kalyna advanced cleanly through the quarter-final and found herself in a difficult semi-final. Not impossible by any means, especially for someone as skilled, as fast and agile as Kalyna. Unfortunately her 1500m's came to an end when she kicked a block and found herself in the mats. Certainly not a result indicative of her ability.

Valerie also ended her day in the semi-final but it was her quarter that was the nail-biting and riveting race. Her comeback to overtake the last qualifying position at the finish line was classic and exciting short track!

Tania was the top woman for Canada of the day making the A-Final in amazing style. She raced with heart and used her experience to navigate a wild semi-final. The A-Final had 8 women due to advancements and proved to be the fastest Olympic 1500m ever! Congrats Tania on a great set of 1500's!

Both Canadian men entered in the 1000m, the Hamelin brothers, earned their way to the A-Final medal race. Up against 2 Koreans and Apolo Ohno, it was a tough final as expected. Charles and Francois posted 4th and 5th places respectively, just missing out on the podium. A result that is grand in achievement in the big picture but also difficult to accept when coming so close to achieving their goals. Great competitors they are and they'll be up to try and prove it again in the coming days.

1500m women's long track is happening today and I'm going to watch it live!
Go Canada Go!

JC

Women's 500m Short Track - Jessica Gregg

2010-02-19T00:11:00.003-07:00

She's an amazing competitor. After being knocked down several times during starts and restarts of her 500m races, Jessica Gregg proved it's all about getting back up, every time.

Fourth place was to be the final result for Jessica in the 500m event. A result that is undoubtedly bitter-sweet. But truthfully, much more sweet than bitter. She put together a set of races that exemplified the fierce competitor she is. She can walk away from this event knowing that she came to compete - and compete she did. No regrets.

Lessons to learn? Certainly. Fired up for more? Absolutely. Like I said before, she gets back up every time.

It really comes down to perspective. What she accomplished was far more worthwhile than anything she may have missed out on. Even Jessica's father reminds her that you learn more from a loss than you do from a win.

From my perspective: A successful day for Jessica Gregg in the 500m.

As a coach I live every result with my skaters. My family and friends know it as well as I do. My own support system was in full swing at the end of the 500's. Veronick, the person who keeps me afloat in rough waters, was right there for me as always. I know she felt the gravity and emotion of the day as if she was wearing the skates herself. Still she had the presence and ability to help me feel victorious in all that Jessica had accomplished.

Congratulations to Marianne for a wonderful silver medal skate. Also to Kalyna for a set of races that challenged the best in the world to be at their best.

And to Jessica for getting back up.

JC

Fireworks over False Creek

2010-02-16T00:19:00.006-07:00

I practiced my photography skills with my little point and shoot this evening when some fireworks started up over the inlet of False Creek. Here's what I managed to get!

The view from our condo seems to just keep getting better and better!

JC

Speed Skating Canada House

2010-02-15T12:27:00.007-07:00

Speed Skating Canada House (Richmond)

I got to spend the day with Veronick, Lili and her grandparents yesterday! A welcome day off for the women's short track team and I met up with my family at the Speed Skating Canada House. It was an exciting place to be while watching Kristina Groves win bronze in the 3000m event!

Congratulations Kristina!!!

On my way there I ran into Flat Stanley!

This Flat Stanley is a hockey star made by Renee Currie of the COC

Lili had to opportunity to be held by many at the SSC house, including Sharon Wotherspoon (Jeremy's mother) below...

Lili with grandma Sharon Cavar

And also with grandpa John Cavar!

Is it just me, or do these two have similar hair styles?

"Hey Mark, my hair is curling up a bit, can I borrow your flat iron?"

Training at Kitsilano

2010-02-15T12:10:00.007-07:00

Today the Canadian women short trackers skated at Kitsilano arena for some extra ice time. We were greeted by some of the local club members who helped us get the mats on and off the ice for our training session.

It was a simple technical training session but with the local skaters there it became something more. It was a reminder that we have abundant support behind our team as we compete at the Games. It was a fun atmosphere in the rink during training and while the Olympians and fans enjoyed an autograph signing session after the practice.

Jessica Gregg signing an autograph next to Marianne St.Gelais

I met Sammy, who has been skating for 4 years (he's 8 years old) and also Andy, in the photo below.

A group photo to conclude the wonderful morning at the rink!

A special thanks to the Vancouver Velocity speed skating club for all of your support!

JC

Short Track, February 13th

2010-02-15T08:27:00.002-07:00

The Canadian women's short track team got the job done on their first day of competition. Despite a little nervousness, all three of our 500m skaters made it through to the quarter-final rounds. The 500m distance to be continued on the 17th.

Jessica Gregg posted the 3rd fastest time overall of the heats during a very smooth race. Kalyna Roberge and Marianne St.Gelais both needed to be sharp in their heats to avoid some potential trouble. And sharp they were!

The women also skated the semi-final relay on the 13th with a solid skate from all four teammates in the race. Tania Vicent joined the 3 named above to help Canada get to the A-Final medal round!

On the men's side of the competition, the day was little bit different. The men were competing in the 1500m (quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals). While no podiums were stood upon by Canadians on this first short track racing day, it was ultimately a positive showing by our crew.

Olivier Jean made it to 4th in the A-final! A performance which will undoubtedly get him pumped up for his upcoming events in the 500m and relay.

Guillaume Bastille had an incredible race unfolding until he was tripped up while making an outside pass into the qualifying position. It's a disappointing disqualification (dq) for Guillaume as this was his only individual race. He was flying up the outside of the pack with enough speed to take over 2nd place when the bumping occurred that took him out of the race. Although unfortunate, Guillaume can be proud of his performance despite the dq. He'll be ready to do battle in the men's relay if called upon to race by his coaches.

For Charles Hamelin, one could see this as disappointment. But you'd be wrong. To talk to him you'd realize that he's not. He skated very well in his races and he gave himself the opportunity to win. Strategically he was well placed and pushed himself to the limit at the end of the race. It was close as he was up against some stiff competition. Motivated for a medal? More than ever now I'm certain.

JC

Thanks Cassie!

2010-02-13T10:42:00.003-07:00

I found this next to my gear last night as I returned from the opening ceremonies! A good luck note from Cassie, in Charlottetown, PEI.

Cassie wrote incredibly well in both French and English!

Merci beaucoup Cassie pour tes souhaits de bonne chance. Thank you Cassie for your good luck wishes!

I'll do my best here in Vancouver and it's great to know that you're cheering us on from the other coast! Enjoy the Games in PEI!

JC

Opening Ceremonies 2010

2010-02-13T01:06:00.015-07:00

The opening ceremonies were amazing. An experience that brought me excitement, goose bumps and a positive emotional boost for these Games. Even the buildup as we were preparing to march into the stadium was incredible. The behind-the-scenes volunteers were cheering and pumping us up with high-fives and heart pounding chantings of "CANADA!"

We had a brief staging in GM Place where we waited to be organized into our proper order for the march.

With Jessica Gregg at the staging area in GM Place

As we walked under that stands in BC Place, they posted the following message in memory of the fallen luge athlete that passed away in training...

A somber moment for all and a reminder that life is precious. We are very fortunate to do what we do and to be able to participate in the Olympic Games. It's not to be taken for granted or to be taken lightly.

I loved many parts of the opening ceremonies. Not sure what was my favorite. I'll leave you with a few images that give you a look at the ceremonies from my point of view!

With Jeroen Otter, a coach for Belgium (and Latvia, Austria, New Zealand, Isreal and arguably - Canada!) We work together in Calgary.

As close as I could get to the Vancouver Olympic Flame! Unfortunate that it didn't work properly for the ceremonies, but impressive none the less!

Citius! Altius! Fortius!

JC

Meeting up with friends

2010-02-10T15:31:00.006-07:00

I got the chance to bump into some familiar faces today at the rink. The home field advantage we keep talking about is not just about access to facilities and familiarity with the environment. It's about the people. It's the fans in the crowd that cheer us on and help us to do the work we do. It's the abundant volunteers that are readily available to help things run smoothly. Even more importantly, it's the familiar faces we see in the volunteer outfits and and in the crowd. You know you're at home and well supported when the people you work with everyday, or the people you grew up with are right there to offer a helping hand.

At the rink with Mick Kiddle, the #1 ice making genius from the Olympic Oval in Calgary.

On ice with Al McIlveen, a coach from Calgary, who's in charge of the track stewards for our short track competition & training.

With a high school friend from Ottawa, Steve Brown, who's come to be a part of the security force that will keep us safe at the Games.

And these are just a few of the familiar faces that I've bumped into so far here in Vancouver. And familiar or not, everyone is ready with a smile and a good luck wish for the Canadian team!

JC

A day to get acquainted.

2010-02-08T19:53:00.009-07:00

The women's short track team took to the streets today to explore and to get some fresh Vancouver air. It was a great day to get acquainted with our surroundings via electric bicycles borrowed from the COC. We stopped for a little photo shoot near the entry to False Creek...

Some interesting sculptures have gone up in Vancouver since our last visit. These "liquid mercury" looking ones are quite impressive....

As we were returning back to the Olympic village, we came across a gentleman who was extremely skilled at, well, balancing rocks. Seems odd but is actually one of the most incredible things to see...

They look as if they are defying gravity, or tempting it. His ability to salute the Olympics was evident in the number of Inuksuks setup along the rocks as well...

The number of teams in the Olympic village has increased significantly since yesterday. It's likely going to be a very busy place as we get closer to opening ceremonies day. I'm not sure yet if I'll be marching in the opening ceremonies. It will depend on the number of athletes that choose to participate and how many extra places are available. I'm looking forward to that possibility!

JC

A Beautiful first night in Vancouver!

2010-02-07T22:28:00.006-07:00

The Canadian Olympic short track team landed in Vancouver today and are now settled into the Olympic Village.

Just after arriving in Vancouver, we went to Speed Skating Canada House for a media event to introduce the team. From there we joined our long track counterparts for supper and then worked our way to the Olympic Village to settle into our impressive condos overlooking the city center. Impressive is actually an understatement! These condos are big!

Nighttime settled in as we arrived at the village, so we haven't had a chance to yet experience the Olympic "buzz" that we're told is building in the city.

The photos in this post are from the balcony on our 6th floor home away from home.

JC

Opportunity of Olympic Proportions

2009-11-10T17:22:00.002-07:00

Almost half my lifetime ago, back in Ottawa, I lived around the corner from a young man named Hart Shouldice. I was in the same grade as his older sister in high school. While I don't remember much of that time long ago I can say one thing for certain, that even back then he was more articulate than I. Or should I say than "me". Not sure.

Anyway.

Hart has entered a contest to become a writer for the Globe & Mail during the Olympics in Vancouver 2010. An amazing opportunity for any writer. A position that I am confident Hart would do amazingly well.

He needs your votes to win!
Vote for Hart
(http://journalismdream.theglobeandmail.com/entry_article.asp?id=887)

Hart is truly fantastic with the written word. You can and should check out his blog to see for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

A Harty Meal
(http://hartymeal.blogspot.com)

JC

O. NOIR (In the Dark)

2009-11-06T09:14:00.003-07:00

The Canadian Olympic short track team went out for a team supper this past week at O. NOIR. A restaurant in which your dining experience is completely, and I mean completely, in the dark. Aside from a dimly lit front lounge and fortunately the washrooms as well, the main room is completely blacked out.

The concept is extremely interesting. The servers are visually impaired. A group within our population which, according to O.NOIR's website, experiences a 70% unemployment rate.

Our team was able to experience what it would be like to be blind. The once simple act of eating a meal became an interesting challenge. To lose your sight is disorienting and initially uncomfortable, almost scary. We were led to our table by our server in congo-line style, following single file with one hand on our friends shoulder. Once sitting, we needed an explanation about the items around us. "In front of you there are 2 forks on your left, your napkin in the middle and a knife on your right." It's amazing what you take for granted when you can see!

It's true that your other senses become heightened when you lose one of them. At least you start to rely on them more when placed in a situation like the dining room at O.NOIR. As I searched for the food on my plate, I wasn't even sure what happened to get stuck on the end of my fork. I would bring the food to my mouth with my tongue hanging out in search of some mysterious surprise that was only identified by taste and smell. A truly interesting way to appreciate the subtle tastes and spices of my meal. If only I could have seen what I looked like while bringing a piece of steak to my mouth which was (unknowingly) twice the size I had imagined!

The menu at O.NOIR is presented to you in the front lounge. You're asked to place your cell phones and anything else which lights up in a locker. You place your order for an appetizer, main course and desert. One of the selections on each section of the menu is the "surprise" option. You don't know what you're going to get which is supposed to enhance your experience of taste and adventure. It certainly did. I chose the surprise dish for my appetizer and desert and I was not disappointed! The meal was fantastic.

Something I found very interesting was that everyone at the table had a different perception about where we were located within the room. At the front, back, middle? We didn't know. It was also interesting to see how, without sight, our level of speech became increasingly louder and louder. I believe we were compensating for the lack of visual cues that someone was actually listening to us speak. The room became increasingly louder and from time to time a lonely "hush" from another corner of the room brought everyone back to what seemed like a more appropriate level of noise.

As a team building event, it was fantastic. We had to rely on new ways to communicate and socialize. We spoke a lot about how we appreciated the fact that we could see and how difficult it must be for someone who is visually impaired.

If you're looking for a new experience and a fantastic meal - check out O. NOIR, you won't be disappointed!

O.NOIR
(http://www.onoir.com/MTL/en/frames.htm)

JC

one hundred days

2009-11-04T22:42:00.003-07:00

100 days until the opening ceremonies in Vancouver. This is really starting to feel like it's "just around the corner."

Even more so if you're in Montreal right now for the 3rd World Cup of the short track season. Although not our home Olympic venue, the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal is set up to be our home field advantage for the first Olympic qualifying event. The crowd is going to be on our side and we'll have another taste of what it's going to be like in February, just 100 short days away.

Jessica Gregg has been spending some time with her Olympic teammates in Montreal, beginning to feel at home far east from where she typically hangs her hat. It's an advantage for her and her team to bring all five women together to prepare for a serious run at a relay team medal. They also have individual medal objectives of course and training together allows them to build towards the same dream.

After the 3rd and 4th World Cups there will be some time back in Calgary for Jessica to focus on some individual needs. She'll get to catch up with her Calgary teammates and on some school work at the U of C. She really has some opportunities to make the most out of both training environments in the east and the west as she prepares for the Olympic Games.

For myself, it's a pleasure to be back in Montreal and working with the staff and athletes in the east. The Olympic spirit is here and will only get stronger, for the next 100 days.

JC

Olympic Qualifying World Cup Montreal

2009-11-03T08:13:00.003-07:00

The best short trackers in the world are gathering once again in Montreal for the 3rd World Cup of this Olympic season and the first official Olympic qualifying event.

Countries need to perform this weekend in Montreal as well as next weekend in Marquette, Michigan in order to earn distance entries for the Olympic Games events. Canada is primed to qualify a full quota, 3 athletes per gender per distance. As the host nation, we are guaranteed 1 entry per individual distance as well as a relay team entry.

You can find more information about the World Cup in Montreal on the following link:
World Cup Montreal 2009
You can also follow the results live online on the ISU website:
ISU Short Track World Cup Montreal

On another note, Speed Skating Canada and Intact (one of our primary sponsors) have released a newsletter which provides information about the world of speed skating in Canada.
on the edge
mordus de vitesse (en francais)

JC

Worlds Fastest 500m - Liam McFarlane

2009-10-14T11:27:00.005-06:00

At the Calgary Olympic Oval short track competition on October 10th, Liam McFarlane skated the fastest time ever recorded in the 500m. He won with a time of 40.572. He beat the previous World Record of 41.051 which is still held by Sung Si-Bak of Korea. McFarlane's time will not count as a World Record because the competition was not ISU (International Skating Union) sanctioned. This was the similar fate of Cory Rasmussen in the past when he skated below the World Record on the Olympic Oval ice.

Photo by: Tracy Hillis

Liam McFarlane leading the pack with Cory Rasmussen (in black skinsuit), Michael Gilday and Richard Shoebridge (in the back) during the semi-final 500m at Oktoberfest 2009.

Their are currently 4 skaters that have skated faster than the World Record while on Calgary ice. Canadians Liam McFarlane, Cory Rasmussen and Francois Hamelin as well as Wim De Deyne of Belgium.

JC

Where have I been?

2009-08-03T20:16:00.002-06:00

Where have I been since my last post? Keeping busy, that's for sure! The Canadian Olympic Trials are just around the corner and my athletes have been training like champions. They're ready for one of the most difficult short track competitions they'll ever compete in. (It has been referred to as the Olympics before the Olympics).

We've conquered Highwood Pass in Kananaskis again this year with even more volume. Cycling through the highest paved highway in Canada can be a great challenge and skaters tackled it in the cold month of June. Battling the snow and rain at times and luckily also enjoyed a fair amount of sunshine.

We also headed to Vancouver for our National Team training camp. All of Canada's best were there to prepare on the Olympic ice surface at the Pacific Coliseum. The skaters dealt with intense programs, lactic burning efforts and Olympic intensity scheduling to prepare them for the tough qualifying competition format. Vancouver proved again to be a wonderful city (my love affair continues) and the weather was simply fantastic. Grouse Mountain was ascended as well and the team took a look at their future home during the Olympic Games, visiting the Canadian building in the Athletes Village during a recovery jog.

Since the camp we've been down to business in Calgary, training at the Olympic Oval. We've had an awesome group of teammates helping us prepare for these trials and my crew is primed and ready to compete. To say we're excited to get back to Vancouver would be an understatement.

By the numbers:

- 5 days of racing over a 10 day period

- 3 distances, 3 times each for a total of 24 races

- 16 women vying for 5 spots, 16 men vying for 4 spots

- 1 goal, Vancouver 2010

One day, one distance and one race at a time.

Olympic Excellence Series - Vancouver

2009-05-10T05:31:00.006-06:00

At the beginning of May I had the privilege of attending an event in Vancouver which brought together Canada's top winter athletes and coaches. The Olympic Excellence Series. From every Olympic winter sport, the room was filled with people we usually only see in the sports headlines. Just being there was motivating enough.

For four days we stayed on the northern edge of Vancouver's city center. Overlooking the water and Stanley Park towards North Vancouver and the mountains. I'm completely reminded of why I fell in love with this city at our training camp last July. It's an outdoor enthusiasts playground with all the benefits of the big city.

The Canadian Olympic Committee also brought in some fantastic speakers to motivate and prepare us for the upcoming home Olympics. Through personal stories of victory, defeat, overcoming all odds and coming together as a team, they taught us about what it takes and what it means to be Olympians.

Sylvie Frechette (synchronized swimmer)- Dealing with the unexpected

Sylvie was an amazing speaker. She spoke to the crowd with real passion and emotion. Goose bumps and tears? Check. Her tale of Olympic success was truly a journey of unexpected events. Starting with the suicide of her fiance just 4 days before leaving for Barcelona in 1992, her Olympic experience almost never got rolling. But it did get rolling and she did compete. Her reason? "I'm still alive." Simple. The most powerful lesson anyone can take from her story can be summed up in those three words. If you're alive, then live.

Her story was full of road bumps and barriers to success. Full of tough decisions and chances to quit. She worked her way through them all and found herself facing another unexpected loss. A judging error in her first event meant she had no chance of winning gold. Her Olympic dream of being on top of the podium was over and she still had to compete in her final event. So what did she do? She performed the best event of her life and showed the world of her gold medal potential - and finished second. She left the water knowing she did what she had to do. She lived again. Fortunately, 19 months after competing in Barcelona, the error was corrected and she was awarded her gold medal. A symbol of her true achievement.

Ray Zahab (ultra-marathoner) - Finish what you start

Ray is truly 'high energy.' He gets on stage and takes over the room with his personality and energy to the point where it's tough to look away. A former couch potato-smoker turned ultra-marathoner. Really? Yup. Ray decided at age 30 he's done living a life that's going nowhere when he read a poster for an ultra-marathon across the arctic. He enters the race, his first ever ultra-marathon and wins! The start of many ultra-marathon events and extreme challenges. He crossed the antarctic the fastest to reach the south pole, all-the-while communicating with kids learning about his journey via the internet. He has also crossed the entire Sahara desert to raise awareness for the water crisis with the help of Hollywood star Matt Damon. Talk about zero to hero. 111 days in a row, no days off, averaging close to 70 kilometers a day through the desert. Ray was an example of living the "never quit" attitude.

http://www.rayzahab.com/

Johann Koss (long track speed skater) - the strength of the team

Johann got to compete at a home Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994. The (small in numbers) Norwegian speed skating team was out to prove that they could beat the ever powerful Dutch team. His comical story-telling was entertaining and inspiring as he took us back to his Olympic journey and the winning theories behind his triple gold Olympic performances. One message which stood out in my mind was about building a strong team, even though speed skating is an individual sport. Their entire team bought into the theory that if you work hard to make sure your teammates are strong - your entire team is then ensuring that you are as strong as you can be. Selfless and productive.

Adam van Koeverden (kayaker) - dealing with stress

After winning gold and bronze in kayak events in Athens, somewhat unexpectedly, Adam was back in Beijing to attempt a repeat. His 1000m event was supposed to be his strongest event. He came up short, falling back to 7th after leading the race. He can't explain why entirely, but his television interview following the race was direct, honest and quite refreshing following such a disappointing race.

He still had the 500m event to race the next day. He had to forget his past performance and start to prepare for his next opportunity. Which he did, and sussessfully so - as he pulled off a silver medal performace just 24 hours later.

Mixed in with the presentations by these powerful speakers were some motivational videos as well as some time to mingle with athletes and coaches from the other sports. A great weekend which brought the Olympic spirit a little closer home.

JC

Support Canada's Athletes

2009-04-04T12:57:00.005-06:00

Michael Gilday is now on a cereal box! General Mills has placed his picture along with several other potential Olympians on specially marked boxes. Michael appears on Multi-Grain Cheerios and Golden Grahams cereal boxes.

Find the code printed on the inside of the box, visit the website www.everydaycelebrations.ca/aspiringolympians and select Michael's name for your donation! With each code you enter, General Mills will donate $1 to the athlete!

The program will run until February 28th, 2010. I know what I'll be eating for breakfast until then!

JC

Cross Training

2009-03-28T14:04:00.008-06:00

We're always looking for ways to train our athletes to be the best. Picking apart performance details and applying training techniques to improve in specific areas. Cross training is a great way to achieve sport specific skills by challenging the body with new types of resistance or stress. In speed skating we can use both long track and short track disciplines to change the focus of the training. It not only demands the body to perform physically different tasks but it becomes a different mental focus as well.

We've seen the benefits this season of training in both disciplines. Long track speed skaters Shani Davis, Trevor Marsicano and Denny Morrison have all trained on the short track ice. The three were most recently on the podium for the 1500m (in the same order) at the World Single Distance Championships.

Top athletes seem to understand this concept and embrace cross training techniques that will clearly help to improve their performance. I believe it comes from the willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed. It may no longer be enough to be a "purist" athlete when it means that you'll be missing some critical component necessary to win.

Another great example of this is Mark Cavendish, a 23 year old cyclist who just won the 298 km Milan to San Remo race. Below is a question posed to Cavendish (MC) and his response in a post-race interview:

Q: You will race the world championships on the track, why?

MC: The reason is it makes me so fast is the leg speed, for sure I get the leg speed from the track. What people don’t see is the fine details I put into my training and my lifestyle to be able to be here. It made sense a little bit on the track to keep my leg speed. For sure, I am doing 100-200km in training, I am getting stronger in the climbs, but there’s no point to get to the finish and not be able to sprint. I don’t gain financially and I don’t get remembered for racing the track, but if you look at the fact it will benefit my road career, if it will keep my legs fast, it makes perfect sense.

298 km and the victory came down to a photo finish.....

INTACT (ING) Video Party

2009-03-22T15:02:00.005-06:00

Last night was the 2nd annual awards ceremony for the Intact Insurance (formerly ING) Speed Skating Challenge. The evening presented Canada's best speed skating video stories submitted by skaters from across the country.

Jessica Gregg was one of the judges in the contest and an honoured guest at the table of one of the finalists. Most of the Calgary short track team was on hand to enjoy the evening as Intact is known for throwing a great party.

Left to right: Richard Shoebridge, Dustin Miller, Liam McFarlane, Jessica Gregg, Gabrielle Waddell, Tyler Derraugh and Michael Gilday.

What a good looking group! I'm used to seeing them in training gear - who would've thought they could clean-up so well!

.....

After the party, we joined some friends at a local bar to see Dan Lefebvre playing with his band The Otherside (http://www.myspace.com/theothersideonline). Dan is the Short Track High Performance Advisor at Own the Podium. On this night though, he was rockin' some classic tunes and doing so in fine style.

JC

Long Track Finale

2009-03-22T14:12:00.002-06:00

So I survived the grueling 1500m at Oval Finale. My body was definitely telling me later that evening that I had put it through its paces. Luckily I forgot about the pain quickly enough to stay registered in my final two events at the Oval Finale. The 500m Open and the 5000m Duathlon. Two completely different races. The 500m is an all out sprint from start to finish while the 5000m Duathlon is truly a case of endurance and stamina.

Long track speed skating is technically demanding enough to require a significant level of respect. Simply going out in a race with 100% physical effort would be akin to trying to hit a golf ball as far as possible with no regard to technique. Only relying on pure strength is not a smart way to win at golf, or in long track.

When I approached the 500m start line for my first ever long track sprint, I had only donned the clap skates 4 times. Needless to say, I was not a refined and technically well balanced athlete on these flying machines. I figured however that I had nothing to lose. The gun went off and I put everything I had into it. My competitor from Australia pulled away from me quickly but I kept focus on my own race. I crossed the line with a respectable time of 39.41 seconds. More respectable than how I looked while racing I'm sure!

Then came the 5000m Duathlon. This race starts on short track for 20 laps and transitions onto long track for another 7 laps. Athletes must change skates during the transition from short to long track and the race is timed continuously from start to finish. I am quite proud of how I managed to finish this race with a constant effort from beginning to end. The pain set in about halfway through the short track laps and didn't let up until minutes after the race was over! I squeaked out a 9th place finish in a field of 14.

The Inaugural Duathlon Champion
The Duathlon proved to be a true test of one's ability to perform at both disciplines of speed skating. The battle for victory came down to 2 athletes; Tyler Derraugh and Philippe Riopel. Tyler's background is almost entirely short track. However, to watch him on long track you would think he spends much of his time cruising the 400m Oval. Phil's background, although based in short track, has been almost entirely long track focused for a few years. However you cut it though, both athletes were well equipped and prepared for this event.

During the short track stage, the strength in dealing with the tight corners of short track was on Tyler's side. He led with teammate Richard Shoebridge for most of the 20 laps and Phil was working hard to hang on. Phil finished the 20 laps however within short distance of Tyler and was looking very well positioned as they headed into the transition. As in many multi-sport events with transition phases, the speed skating Duathlon challenged the skaters to take of their short track skates and put on their long track as fast as possible. Riopel was incredibly fast at this and although reaching the transition in 3rd or 4th, he managed to start the long track stage in the lead. He took about a 200m lead on Tyler and Richard and from there on in would be a test of who had more left in the tank! Tyler and Richard worked together initially until they closed the gap on Phil. Then it became a showdown between Tyler and Phil as Richard faded from the lead. With 1.5 laps to go, Tyler sensed the pain in Riopel's legs and went in for the kill. A risky move with this much time left in the race but one that paid off. Tyler pulled away and Riopel wasn't able to counter.

2009 Duathlon Oval Finale Champion - Tyler Derraugh (short tracker)

JC

I Survived!

2009-03-21T11:24:00.004-06:00

It might not have been the most spectacular performance of my lifetime, but it will do! I finished the 1500m race with a time of 2:07.93. Key word in the previous sentence - finished.

About one third of the way into the race I realized that this was going to hurt. I knew before hand that it would hurt, but you never really know what that means until you experience a 1500m. My mind switched to survival mode and I was basically working to stay on my feet towards the end. The final turn could no longer be classified as "speed skating" as much as simply "getting the job done."

The photo above is of Michael Gilday on the outer start line, and yours truly on the inner. Gilday had a great race and a finishing time of 1:49.01 (achieving his goal of breaking the 1:50 mark). Other short trackers skating amazingly well were Tyler Derraugh (1:50.16) and Dustin Miller (1:52.58).

On the women's side of the competition, Jessica Gregg also skated a 1500m with a time of 2:06.91. Yes (in case you hadn't remembered my time from above) she beat me by over a second. Although I'm not shocked, surprised or even disappointed considering she's at the top of her game right now as one of the fastest female short trackers in the world!

Next on the schedule is the 500m. A significantly less painful event but none-the-less challenging. I'll have to learn to be more aggressive on the start line as I was told my 1500m start was a bit "pitiful." Ouch.

Considering I was left behind by Jessica Gregg during an acceleration in training just the other day, I'm not looking for any record breaking finishing time. I'm simply hoping to hang on to my pride.

JC

Geronimo

2009-03-20T09:03:00.003-06:00

Today I'll be participating in my first Olympic style long track race. The Oval Finale week is going on right now and skaters from all over the world are here to try and break world records, national records and get personal bests.

I'm going to give it a try. I've been on clap skates 4 times in total to prepare for my race - the 1500m.

Which race is the toughest long track race?

The 1500m.

It seems like every long track skater or coach I talk to asks me why I would do something so ridiculously tough for my first race. The 1500m is renowned for being a killer. It's too short to start off with an endurance pace and too long to just sprint all out. Basically it's a grinder of a race and it's supposed to hurt at the end. (No worries, I'll be hurting near the start!)

Oh yeah, and I'm paired with one of my skaters, Michael Gilday. (Yes, the same guy who broke the world record in the 1000m last season).

So, I figured the only way to experience the wonders of the long track world are to "grab the bull by the horns" sort of speak.

Geronimo!

JC

Taking on the World

2009-03-19T13:03:00.003-06:00

World Championships:

Vienna, Austria was the location for this season's Short Track World Championships. Jessica Gregg and Jessica Hewitt were the 2 World Championship team members from the Calgary training centre. For Gregg, this was her first time competing in the individual distances and for Hewitt, her first time at the World Championships. Kalyna Roberge and Valerie Maltais, based in Montreal joined Gregg in the individual distances. Anne Maltais, also from Montreal, was there like Hewitt, for the relay team.

This was my first World Championship coaching experience. After coaching at all 6 of the world cup events this season, this was a great opportunity for me to coach at the highest level possible. Good timing with the Olympics being just around the corner.

Vienna is a beautiful city. We were able to visit the city centre a couple of times for team meals which allowed us to appreciate the culture. I also took some time to run along the Danube and along the edge of the city centre. A great way to pass spare time in foreign land!

The competition was held in a velodrome. The ice rink was a temporary structure that was installed just for the Worlds. We were all a little skeptical at first as the ice was not freezing as fast as intended. Ultimately however, the ice turned out to be fast and safe. The races got underway without a hitch and held on right to the end.

The Jessica's also held on right to the end. For Jessica Gregg this competition proved to be the highest and most consistent performances of her career. She qualified into the semi-finals in both the 1500m and 1000m distances. She made the podium (bronze) in the 500m and lead her team onto the podium for another bronze in the relay. Three days of extremely well executed racing at the highest level possible and an overall ranking of 6th in the world.

The 500m bronze was truly Gregg's top showing of the weekend. To understand a little better, we need to take a look at how she got here. All season the top woman in the 500m was Meng Wang of China. It was clear at the beginning of the season that Wang's competitors could come close but not really challenge for the win. The tides started to change at the 5th world cup of the season when Meng Wang showed she wasn't perfect. She toed in on the start in the semi-final and Gregg proved to be the top of the field, winning gold. Now back to the Worlds in Vienna. Meng Wang stayed on her feet and did win the gold. However, she had a teammate and the Canadian Jessica Gregg right on her heals. She couldn't just skate away and win with a big gap, she was being challenged.

After her race, Gregg's comments made it clear. Her goals for 2010 are not just to be on the podium in the 500m. She wants the gold. She knows she'll have to beat Meng Wang to do it. The important thing is - now she believes she can.

For Jessica Hewitt, the racing opportunities were much fewer, but none the less important. The Canadian women's relay team is always in contention for a medal. They've done it several times this season. One of the most memorable was at the Olympic test event in Vancouver where Hewitt anchored the team to the bronze medal. This was just one of the times when Hewitt showed she could perform under pressure.

Well, she proved it again in Vienna, holding her own against the best in the world. Her speed and her skill in the exchanges earned Hewitt a spot in both the semi-final and final relay events. The only 2 races for her during the weekend. This in itself proves a challenge for any athlete in short track. After supporting her teammates during the day she needed to be prepared to race at her best. And so she did.

The entire women's team was a pleasure to coach. Kalyna Roberge had a tougher World Championships than in the past. This year in Vienna she finished 10th overall. In the past 2 years she was 3rd and 4th. Clearly a step down but for understandable reasons. She missed the beginning of the season due to injury and only made it back to the international scene at the 3rd and 4th world cups. She climbed her way back up and performed very well considering the rocky road she started out on. I have no doubt she can regain her top form in time for Vancouver.

Valerie Maltais was competing for the first time at the Worlds and was also entered in the individuals. Although she made some mistakes, she proved herself a worthy competitor. With refinement and some adjustments in her strategy and execution, she can perform at an even higher level. Overall, she placed 13th! I was very happy for her and I believe she was too.

To talk about the women's relay team and not mention the efforts of Anne Maltais would be a major mistake. She was solid in the semi-final, ensuring the team would have their shot at a medal. Not only that, but Anne is a team leader and strong spirit of the women's team. There is always someone that doesn't get to skate the relay and at this Worlds it was Anne. That didn't deter her from helping prepare her team for the final. She's a strong supporter of her teammates and I can honestly say that they were stronger for having her under their wings.

World Team Championships:

We moved on the next weekend to Heerenveen, Netherlands to compete at the World Team Championships. The format of the World Teams is much different than the individuals. All of the skaters can compete in a series of races to win points for the team. Strategy can be used by the coach to place certain skaters in certain races, but sometimes it comes down to luck. Several times I was forced to play my cards first and select a skater before the other countries. Other times I was able to strategize and place our top skaters against specific opponents.

The great thing about the World Teams is that it provides high level racing for the entire team. It creates the real desire to race for the win and individual losses can be absorbed by the overall performance of the team. Ultimately it comes down to being consistently good. On this occasion, Canada was tied for 3rd with the USA going into the relay final. It came down to this last race to determine who would make the podium. Unfortunately for our team, a crash about halfway through the relay took us out of the running. The team recovered but couldn't catch up in time to finish better than fourth. A somewhat disappointing finish to the weekend but all was not lost.

Desire was created in defeat. Sometimes you have to lose to find the internal drive again to win. I saw the disappointment in the eyes of my skaters after not stepping on the podium in Heerenveen. I know however that the fire inside has only been turned up several degrees. I believe that the experiences on the road to 2010 will always present us with the lessons we need to learn in order to be successful. With that in mind, be it in victory or defeat, we must learn how to win and keep winning.

Tough as Nails

2009-02-19T20:37:00.005-07:00

I have to say that Jessica Hewitt is tough. She can really take a hit. She was taken down in the Women's relay semi-final in Dresden, Germany and slid into the mats - head first! Luckily she came away from the crash with no injuries, just a stiff neck.

The semi-final was as far as the women made it this time. They were disqualified for impeding on the Italian team. Their DQ was one of 95 handed out during the weekend. I'm not sure if that's a record or not, but it is most certainly not typical.

This was no typical weekend in any sense. Canada has been used to winning several medals per world cup event. This last one in Dresden, we took home but 1 bronze. In the 1500m Men's final, we had 3 Canadians racing, and Remi-Beaulieu was the only one to reach the podium. The top 3 Canadian men and women were not racing in Dresden, the final stop on the world cup circuit. They had all returned home to prepare for the World Championships. The job in Germany was up to the rest of the team to pull-in some hardware.

The buzz on the coach's bench was that this last world cup event was not well refereed. There seemed to be many calls (disqualifications) which were simply off the mark. It can be a tough sport at the best of times, but when the refs aren't on the ball, it's a hard pill to swallow. For some athletes it changed the outcome of their entire weekend. For others, it was just simply disappointing.

There were some honorable mentions for the team however. Along with Remi, 3 other individuals made A-finals; Michael Gilday, Marc-Andre Monette and Marie-Eve Drolet. The Men's relay team was also in the top final. Jessica Hewitt, Valerie Lambert and Marie-Andree Mendes-Campeau qualified for B-finals.

This final world cup event did turn out to be a great learning experience. There are always opportunities when competing against the rest of the world. Now the lessons have to be put to good use. For some it will be at the World Championships in Vienna. For the rest it will be in Montreal at the last National Selection competition. The Selection meet will be used to complete the National Team and Development Team ranking as well as the athletes eligible for Olympic Trials. That's the big one. Only 16 men and 16 women will be invited to try out for the Olympic Team, so there is a lot is riding on this end-of-season racing.

To qualify, the skaters will need to show how tough they really are.

JC

Keen Sense of Smell

2009-02-08T13:00:00.002-07:00

Well Marie-Eve Drolet, you have a keen sense of smell! Yesterday she said it: "I smell gold!" Today, gold is all that Canada pulled in. Four in total.

For Marie-Eve, the gold came in the women's relay, which all of her teammates also participated in. A shared effort by all six women. This was a great display of team cohesion and spirit. The girls really came together as a group and worked well to take advantage of their strengths.

Women's relay team: Jessica Gregg, Kalyna Roberge, Anne Maltais, Jessica Hewitt, Marie-Eve Drolet and Laurie Marceau(first ever world cup).

The men's relay team also pulled in gold. The Korean's fell near the middle of the race as the Canadians started to apply pressure with their speed. From there on in, it was Canada the whole way. Great speed and great exchanges are a winning combination.

Men's relay team: Olivier Jean, Charles Hamelin, Francois Hamelin, Francois-Louis Tremblay, Marc-Andre Monette and Guillaume Bastille.

The gold rush today started with the women's 500m A-Final. Jessica Gregg has been in this race a few times and has stepped on the podium before. This time she was on top. Meng Wang, considered the favourite in the distance, didn't make it past the semi-final. She toe'd in on the start while up against Gregg. Possibly the pressure that the Canadian women put on her started to throw her off her game. Wang is also not used to starting from the 2nd position on the line, which was thanks to the fast time that Gregg posted in the previous round. Kalyna Roberge was also in the A-Final but unfortunately went down in the first corner after bumping with Italian skater Arianna Fontana.

The men's 500m was the other individual medal of the day. Francois-Louis Tremblay skated a fast and strong race to take the gold. He edged within tenths of the world record in previous rounds as well.

Sofia proved to be profitable for the Canadian team. The Calgary crew took their share of the loot and reaped in a great deal of experience as well. Another productive step on the way to the world championships this year and ultimately, Vancouver 2010.

JC

Adapt & React

2009-02-07T13:17:00.004-07:00

The ability to adapt and react to your opponents is necessary in short track. Building on the lessons from the past world cups and bringing new elements to your performance can also bring success. The women skating in Sofia have shown that they've been adapting. The videos below also show that their reactions are pretty sharp too!

In the video below, Kalyna Roberge has to react quick and avoid a potential disaster...

In the next video, Jessica Gregg needs to be agile to keep Canada in the race...

The women skated fantastic, maintained composure and advanced to the A-Final by winning the semi-final. They will be up against Japan, Italy and the United States.

Jessica Gregg skated some very smart 1000's to get herself into the B-Final. With a 2nd place finish she earned herself the 6th rank for the distance. It was a step in the right direction for her racing strategy and execution to be competitive in the semi's and finals. She is showing the ability to adapt and learn from her past world cup events.

Jessica Hewitt was en-route to a great showing the semi-final 1500m when she bumped with another skater and went down. It was at a point in the race where she was ready to make a move and attack. She has adapted well from her past experience and adjusted her racing to match.

Marie-Eve Drolet made her re-introduction to the World Cups a positive one with a 2nd place finish in the B-Final 1500m. She was just shy of making the A-Final and adapted quickly and effectively from race to race in order to finish well in her final.

Meanwhile back in Canada, Gabrielle Waddell has discovered she will join the Canadian team at the University Games! She joins Tyler Derraugh, Liam McFarlane and Richard Shoebridge from the Calgary training centre. This is going to be a great opportunity for them to gain experience at a high level competition and participate in a mult-sport games.

Tomorrow here in Sofia, the 500m and 1000m(2) will take place along with the Relay Finals. In the words of Marie-Eve: "I smell gold!"

JC

It's Crunch Time

2009-01-25T18:04:00.004-07:00

The World Championship selections are done and the ink has settled on the team lists for Canada's upcoming events. How did our western national training center fair in the storm? Quite well indeed. Four skaters will be attending the final set of world cups #5 & #6: Jessica Gregg (5 only), Jessica Hewitt & Marie-Eve Drolet (5&6) and Michael Gilday (6 only). Jessica Gregg will be skating in the individual distances at the World Championships and Jessica Hewitt will be at the Championships for her first time. Three of our skaters will also be attending the FISU games in China. Richard Shoebridge, Tyler Derraugh and Liam McFarlane will be experiencing the wonders of multi-sport games at a short track meet that has proven in the past to attract some of the best from around the world.

To get to this point, the most recent competition had the usual ups and downs for a team of individual athletes. Each skater performing, or not, and then dealing with the results. Their ability being dictated by their physical and mental preparation. An ever changing and challenging dynamic for a coach to try and understand. Probably one of the reasons I love my job so much but also one of the reasons that our national competitions are three stressful days of roller-coaster-like emotions. I can't help but love it.

It was a competition like any other short track meet, which is to say it was like no other. There is always something that sets it apart for each skater and likewise for our team. Marie-Eve Drolet returned to the national scene for the first time since 2002. Marie-Eve was racing with an over-sized glove on her right hand that had the 4th and 5th fingers sewed together. During an innocent looking fall in training, Marie-Eve broke her 5th metacarpal and needed to wear a small brace to protect her hand. It didn't seem to bother her at all and clearly didn't affect her ability to compete. She handled the stress like a pro and showed that not only can she compete with the top women in Canada, but that she has more to prove.

Jessica Gregg was a force to be reckoned with in all three distances, especially surprising some people in the 1500m. Jessica Hewitt needed to rebound from a slow start on the first day and came through strong to ensure her spot on the World Championship team. Michael Gilday skated incredibly well considering the amount of missed training due to injury. He showed that he is still National team caliber even when not operating at full capacity.

For others on the team it might have been a less glorious battle with victories and defeats, but many lessons are learned in the trenches. Liam McFarlane made his return to the racing scene after missing almost the entire Fall Selections due to a concussion. His return was not headline making but it proved that he is a more refined skater. Tyler Derraugh battled in the trenches and showed moments of greatness. His potential masked in this latest performance and looking for the next opportunity to show itself. Dustin Miller, showing one of his highest competition rankings in his career can also look in the rear-view and see the potential for more. Cory Rasmussen, one of the fastest in the sport, kept a low profile especially in the 500m, his trademark event. Gabrielle Waddell showed her ability to mix it up with the best, despite not having the ranking and the points to demonstrate her real ability.

Herein lies the wonders of short track speed skating. There is more talent in the pool and more unknown before the gun then in any sport I know. You have to be fast, smart, agile, adaptable and unpredictable. At moments however it's best to be slow, lucky, true to course, uncompromising and even predictable. It's a mix of events that plays out in one of the most exciting displays of athleticism. Most of the time anyway.

I can say that I am very proud of my team. Every member. They've grown and become better skaters and as the season works its way to the end, it's time to put everything on the line. It's crunch time. It's time to put all of their learning's, tricks, skills and assets to the test. We have 6-7 weeks until the season is wrapped up for the entire team and hardly any of them (in a group of 10) are on the same travel schedule. They will be forced to deal with skaters coming and going from the group each week. The training dynamic changing almost constantly. They will be forced to be even more productive in an environment that demands both independence and team support.

Europe - Calgary - Asia - Calgary - Europe - Montreal.

We'll be everywhere. No matter where, it's crunch time.

JC

Snowshoeing in the Rockies

2009-01-09T21:06:00.009-07:00

We went on a post world cup altitude training camp in the Canadian Rockies. Scott Maw put together a fantastic trip to Canmore with some great locations for snowshoeing in the mountains. The goal was to recover, focus on the aerobic side of fitness and have a great team building weekend. Unfortunately the timing didn't work out for Scott to be able to join us but we had a blast anyway.

It started out cold...

...but it was well worth it!

We were able to spend several hours over the two days snowshoeing between 1800m and 2200m. Although cold, walking around in deep snow and climbing up mountain sides keeps you warm and cozy.

We saw a moose and it's calf on the second day while following a trail on Mount Shark.

Then met up with another moose in the parking lot who was licking the salt from our cars. This moose wasn't too shy and stayed relatively close as we approached.

2 days of truly enjoying the wilderness in the Rockies.

"Wilderness is a place where trees grow that were not planted, and a man can walk and he is not trespassing."

-Frances Zaunmiller

Fall World Cup Summary

2009-01-07T22:52:00.003-07:00

One of my fellow coach's reminded me that the "results speak for themselves." I couldn't agree more. The fall world cups have been a fantastic roller coaster ride of excitement and silence, laughter and tears, crowds roaring and empty seats, fist pumping victories and hands raised in wonder. The highs and lows of short track have been packaged nicely into the first 4 world cups of the season. (Imagine all of that emotion and stress delivered ever so neatly within the 17 days of Olympic competition in 2010 - all except the empty seats of course).

So I've decided to let the results speak. Here's what they have to say...

Jessica Gregg:

Medals

Bronze-500m (SLC), Bronze-Relay (SLC), Bronze-Relay (Vancouver), Bronze-Relay (Nagano)

Additional Highlights

-Set Canadian record in 500m with a time of 43.405 (SLC)

-Ranked 5th in the 500m (B-final) in Nagano

-Ranked 8th in the 500m (semi-finals) in Beijing

-Ranked 9th in the 500m (quarter-finals) in Vancouver

-Was a key member in the success of the women's relay as the starter in all relay finals and participating in all but one of the relay rounds

Jessica Hewitt:

Medals

Bronze-Relay (SLC), Bronze-Relay (Vancouver), Bronze-Relay (Nagano)

Additional Highlights

-World cup rookie

-Ranked 10th in the 1000m (quarter-finals) in SLC

-Anchored the women's relay team to the bronze medal in Vancouver during the Olympic test event, arguably the most stressful environment she's had to deal with so far

Michael Gilday:

Medals

Bronze-Relay (SLC), Silver-1000m (Vancouver), Silver-Relay (Vancouver), Silver-Relay (Beijing)

Additional Highlights

-First individual medal at a world cup came in the 1000m in Vancouver (the distance in which he holds the current world record)

-Ranked 6th in the A-final 1500m in Beijing

-Ranked 8th in the 1000m (4th B-final) in SLC

-Ranked 9th in the 500m (semi-finals) in Beijing

-Ranked 10th in the 1500m (3rd B-final) in SLC

Richard Shoebridge:

Medals

Silver-Relay (Beijing), Gold-Relay (Nagano)

Additional Highlights

-World cup rookie

-Ranked 7th in the 500m (2nd B-final) in Nagano

-Ranked 11th in the 1500m (5th B-final) in Beijing

Ultimately a great set of world cups for the skaters from the west. What I find most exciting however, is that the potential to perform even better is evident. Their abilities and training have been put to the test and now they're gaining the experience that will help them to be even more successful in the future.

Nagano World Cup Wrap-up (finally)

2009-01-07T22:23:00.003-07:00

It has been awhile since I've taken the time to update. A lot has happened since the fall world cups however I'd like to start with where I left off; the end of world cup #4.

The final day saw Jessica Gregg and Richard Shoebridge competing in the 500m and Jessica Hewitt in the 1500m(2). The day was short for Hewitt in the distance as she was disqualified in the semi-final. Gregg and Shoebridge both went on to B-finals in the 500's with Gregg taking the win for 5th overall in the distance and Shoei taking 2nd to rank 7th overall (5 skaters were in the A final for the men).

The relay finals were probably one of the biggest highlights of the weekend. On the men's side, Canada took gold, edging out Korea, China and Germany for the win in an exciting and unpredictable race. The women's final was equally exciting as the Canadian women took bronze. This race for the women proved that they can stay within reach of the Chinese and Korean teams.

Nagano became not only a great world cup experience for our team but also a great little town in Japan to visit. Our time there was well worth it and I would jump at the chance to go back!

Nagano World Cup #4

2008-12-06T17:32:00.002-07:00

The preliminary day and the first day of world cup racing have come and gone. One day of racing left in the fall series of world cups. The start of this world cup went smoothly for Jessica Hewitt and Richard Shoebridge as they qualified through the prelims to the world cup rounds.

Jessica Gregg went smoothly through to the world cup in the 500m but had some trouble in the 1000m. An inside pass she started was forced extremely inside by a Russian skater and Jessica was stuck with little room to move. She clicked skates with the Russian and fell, also taking out a Korean and earning a DQ in the process.

The first world cup day ended up being short for both Hewitt and Shoebridge as they were both eliminated in the quarter-finals. Although race strategies were being executed very well by both skaters, their races proved to be just too fast. In Hewitt's race, Chinese skater Liu Quihong and Korean Yang Shin-Young kept the pace quick from the start, not allowing Hewitt or Ekaterina Belova from Russia the chance to move.

Richard was skating very well in his quarter-final against American J.R. Celski, French skater Thibault Fauconnet and Korean Lee Ho-Suk. Well positioned with only a couple of laps to go, Shoei was overtaken by some crafty moves on Lee Ho-Suk's part. Celski also took advantage and the rounds ended there unfortunately for Shoebridge.

Shoebridge and Gregg are both in the 500m events today and Hewitt in the second 1500m of the weekend. Both Canadian teams are in the relay A-Finals as well.

This morning, the skaters and team members not at the rink for the repechage rounds are going through their typical routines of breakfast and visiting the lobby for more reliable internet access. I think one benefit of wireless internet in the lobby; people stay less stuck in their rooms and tend to mingle and socialize more. Besides, the rooms are small and even non-claustrophobics would want to get out of the room for a bit.

In my free-time I've been walking around town in Nagano. I really like how the people make you feel welcome when you enter their stores or restaurants. The feeling in Beijing was completely different. Almost as if it didn't matter that you were there. I'm guessing the rather large population in Beijing was the main reason for the lack of interaction with the locals. In Nagano, it really feels like a city where you can enjoy the lifestyle and the company without feeling the need to simply jump from one tourist attraction to the next.

Two more hours and we head to the rink. One more chance to walk around the city and explore before getting down to the business of sport.

JC

Beijing to Nagano

2008-12-03T00:51:00.005-07:00

We traveled from Beijing to Nagano on the 1st of December. An interesting flight to Tokyo as the gentlemen next to me got sick during landing. He was quite discrete about it but I noticed he left the barf bag in the seat-back pocket!

We took a bus from Tokyo to Nagano, a 4 hour trip that went by fairly quick. It's quite amazing here in Nagano. It has a great view of the mountains, whose trees are turning all sorts of fall colours. There are traditional Japanese houses, zen-like yards and temples around town. We visited a national treasure today, the Zenkoji Temple.

The temple is Buddhist, but it welcomes any person of any religion. I wish we had tour guide while visiting the temple grounds. I'm sure there are many interesting facts that will stay completely unknown to me now.

For the most part the team is looking good. Gilday is having some back troubles and has taken some time off. Whether or not he skates this weekend in Japan will depend on how he feels tomorrow and Friday morning. It's odd in a way. Last year when Gilday didn't qualify for the first 4 world cups, he was brought to Japan as a replacement for someone injured. This time in he's the one that may miss the opportunity to race. Life has a funny way of unfolding I guess.

Racing this weekend will begin as usual with the preliminary races on Friday. Jessica Gregg will be skating a 500m and 1000m. Jessica Hewitt with race the 1000m and 1500m. Richard Shoebridge is entered into the 500m and 1000m while Gilday will race the 1500m twice.

Sayonara for now.

JC

Beijing World Cup - Day 3

2008-11-30T07:09:00.003-07:00

The final day was a rough day for the Calgary crew in Beijing. Falls and disqualifications were seemingly more common than usual.

After skating well in the quarter-final 500m, Jessica Gregg was disqualified in the semi-final for stepping inside the blocks on the start. It's pretty tough when battling with the Chinese girls off the start to keep your ground but that's just what Gregg will have to figure out how to do.

Michael Gilday had a similar experience on the start, getting forced inside the first block, however he was advanced. This landed him in the semi-final 500m where he unfortunately was disqualified for interference. Two guys passing at the same time and meet at the same place in the corner. This time it was Gday that got the DQ and the other guy the advancement.

Jessica Hewitt's day started in the 1000m quarter-final but was short lived. While making an inside pass she got pushed on the hip by a Chinese skater and went down on the straight-away. No DQ or advancement on this one, just a slide down the ice.

Richard Shoebridge had a great opportunity to advance to the semi-final 500m but just missed out on the next round by one spot. He was skating very well, just couldn't find the timing to get around the one skater keeping him from moving on in the competition.

The relays were exciting but didn't finish as we would have hoped. In the women's relay there was some confusion after a few errors and the last exchange happened after the finish line with 2 laps to go - not allowed. We ended up with a late exchange that led to confusion as to who was the active skater on the track. It ended up that Canada didn't finish the relay.

On the men's side, Korea was out of the running with about 30 laps to go after a missed exchange and the other countries took advantage. Canada led almost the rest of the way with the USA and China in pursuit. In the end, Canada made errors on the last 2 exchanges and the USA took the lead and the win. On a positive note, Michael Gilday skated in his first A-final relay. From my point of view he really skated well and held his own amongst the team.

Early to bed tonight as we have to be up early to head to Nagano, Japan for the second half of this trip. Looking forward to the next weekend. It's an opportunity for redemption.

JC

Beijing World Cup - Day 2

2008-11-29T17:01:00.002-07:00

Day 2 here in Beijing was an exciting day for the boys from the west. Michael Gilday made it into the A-final 1500m along with Olivier Jean, while Richard Shoebridge skated into the B-Final 1500m.

Richard's performance was a great start to his world cup racing. The 1500m is not his strong suit but he raced it extremely well. His semi-final taught him to be patient and ready to move at the right moment. In the B-final he really gave it everything he had to be on top, with a strong move to the lead with 6 laps to go, everything was looking great. Unfortunately the pace was a little too much for Shoei to handle in the last few laps. The end result is a 11th place rank in the distance and a very happy sprinter. With the 500's today, Shoei is really ready to take on the competition.

Michael's semi-final 1500m was a display of veteran style racing. He made a smooth and well-timed pass to the top, exchanged the lead with Korean skater Park Jin-Hwan, then pulled away for the win by a couple of meters. The final proved to be a little more challenging. After sitting comfortably in 4th, Gday made a move on the outside just as the race really picked up speed. This was a costly error that sucked the energy out of his legs and forced him back to 6th place.

Jessica Gregg started and finished early in the 500m on Day 2. She was disqualified in the quarter-final while attempting a pass on Liu Quihong of China. While the result is disappointing for Jess, it was a step in the right direction that will help her to learn what it takes to win. This is the type of mistake that happens when you don't settle for second. As we move towards the big show in 2010, it's obvious that she's not going to settle for anything.

The semi-final relays went well for Canada and 3 members of our group were on the ice. Gilday in the men's relay and the Jessica's in the women's semi-final. The men's team out-skated their opponents easily while the women qualified in second place behind the Chinese team.

The overall day was quite exciting as Canada came away with 3 medals:
Charles Hamelin - 500m Gold
Francois-Louis Tremblay - 500m Silver
Olivier Jean - 1500m Silver

We also saw Meng Wang of China skate to a 42.60 500m world record. That broke her previous mark by over half of a second. Quite remarkable in the sprint distance.

The ice here in Beijing has proven itself worthy and the competition clearly has shown that it's not easy to win. Canada will be looking for more medals today in Day 3. We're capable of better and the Calgary crew will also be looking for places on the podium.

JC

World Cup #3 Preliminaries

2008-11-28T18:50:00.005-07:00

The preliminary racing day proved to be the long endurance day we've come to expect. The support staff spent about 13 hours at the rink from warm-ups and racing to the end of the relays. The skaters took opportunities to head back to the hotel when they had enough time. Otherwise they managed to sneak in a 15 minute power nap on the stretching mats in the weight room.

The day was a rather successful day for my skaters. Other than a disqualification in the 1500m for Jessica Hewitt, all of them qualified through to the world cup rounds. This is important for the skaters as they can avoid the early morning repechage rounds and rest up for the world cup in the afternoon. All of them are gunning for A-finals and medals, so this gives them the best chance at doing so.

Hewitt came back in the 1000's making the adjustments necessary in her preparation to be competitive. She skated smart and executed well during her races. When she's pumped up and ready to race, she's definitely world class.

It was a great start to Richard Shoebridge's world cup debut. Racing in the 1500m in the morning, he showed patience and skill as he worked his way into qualifying position. He's skating very smooth and confident. Sometimes skaters show the stress of being at the world level but Shoei seems to be handling things very well. He showed everyone his quick start and speed in the 500m and passed easily into the world cup rounds.

Jessica Gregg also showed off her quick starts yesterday. She's entered in both of the 500m events this weekend. In one start, she toed in twice, almost 3 times and still managed to win the start and pull away from her opponents.

Michael Gilday had a great day of racing, skating with confidence and ease as he made passes to the front of the pack with good timing. He showed very calm reactions as one of his passes up the outside took him to the lead only in the last lap. With improved starts in the 500m as well, he'll be much more in contention, which makes for some exciting racing.

Here's Jeroen Otter taking in the view from our hotel restaurant on a clear day.

Outside the arena, there's a couple of banners with the Chinese team posing, advertising the world cup event. Our Canadian women's team decided it would be great to have some fun with it and dress up for their own photo shoot! Below is the result, which we quickly printed and posted just outside our change room at the rink! The Chinese team loved it and asked for a copy to keep. Our change room was the most popular for awhile yesterday as every team came by to check this out!
Team Canada in this photo (from left to right): Annik Plamondon, Valerie Lambert, Michael Gilday, Jessica Gregg, Jessica Hewitt, Anne Maltais and Kalyna Roberge.

As usual, the Canadian team is willing to have a little fun. Now the focus shifts to racing again as we get ready to improve on our results from the first 2 world cups.

JC

Preparing for World Cup #3

2008-11-24T16:36:00.008-07:00

We've made it to Beijing, China for the 3rd world cup of the season. The flight here was uneventful, in a good way. It's nice when things go as planned. Most of the team slept well the first night here and they all looked good their first day on-ice.

This is the 3rd Olympic city we've been to since the start of the season. We're planning on visiting some Olympic venues tomorrow afternoon. The Bird's Nest, the Water Cube and hopefully the Olympic village. We've seen these great buildings on television and heard great stories about the experience in August but now we'll get to see them in person.

Here is a view of the city from the revolving restaurant at the top of our hotel this morning:

It's a smoggy morning but it seems to be slowly looking better than when we first arrived. It will be interesting to see what the smog trend is while we're here. I'm told that industries which were halted during the month of August are now all up and running again.

Here is a view of the rink we're competing at (square building to the left of the tower):

The rink is about 10 minutes away from the hotel by foot. It's a great facility with a newly renovated weight room and interior. It was the Olympic venue for volleyball at the summer Olympics. The inside of the building, now set-up for short track of course, looks like it will be a great place for the world cup event.

Below you can see the familiar Beijing Olympic logo close to the ice and our World Cup banner on the wall above the stands. The coaches are discussing in the middle of the rink; myself with Martin Gagne and Derrick Campbell (hidden behind Martin), while the skaters are warming up.

Meanwhile back in Calgary...

...6 skaters in our top group are training to keep on track for National Selections in January. Two of them are competing this weekend in Calgary at the National Qualifier in order to earn their spots in the National Selections. Dustin Miller and Marie-Eve Drolet should make short work of the competition as they are both skating extremely well.

Gabrielle Waddell, Tyler Derraugh, Liam McFarlane and Cory Rasmussen round out the crew that are keeping things rolling on the short track rink at the Olympic Oval in Calgary. Thanks to the help of Al McIlveen and the other coaches; Yuka Kamino, Li Jiajun and the IST, I'm sure they'll be very well supported.

From Beijing, I'll keep in touch with home via Skype. It's a great thing as long as you have a consistent internet connection, which luckily, we do.

Ni hao

JC

One Step at a Time

2008-11-08T07:10:00.003-07:00

Now that the hype and excitement of the Vancouver World Cup has begun to fade into memory, it's time to refocus. The media attention is focussed on what's to come in 2010 and it can be difficult to keep a grasp on the short-term goals. Even though we're only 461 days from the opening ceremonies, this is not yet the final sprint. There is time to be patient and it's even more important to keep to the plan.

In 14 days the Canadian team will be traveling to Asia for the next set of World Cups. In order to be better prepared we have to take a look at the parts of the plan that are important right now. We're reevaluating races from the first set of World Cups to analyze our strengths and weaknesses. We're looking for ways to win.

We've also taken the training plan to the next step. Progressing the physical, mental and emotional preparation of our skaters. It's a time of the season where the skaters can take a short break from the intensity of competition and put their energy into the little things. After all, it's the little things that usually make the big difference!

We have some great results from the first World Cups, which brings confidence that podium results are possible. Now it's necessary to use that as a springboard for improvement at each event this season. By proving that we can repeat podium performances we will show that we are podium contenders at the Olympics.

The short-term goals, implemented step by step, will make possible the dream. Keep your eyes on each step. Keep your heart on the dream. Believe in the plan.

Over 5000 fans!

2008-10-28T16:44:00.002-06:00

The final day of the Vancouver world cup attracted more than 5000 fans. The atmosphere was amazing in the Pacific Coliseum and the cheers for the Canadian team provided heart-pounding energy. There were strong cheering sections from Korean and US fans, as well as great noise for any of the amazing passes and spectacular racing that was going on, regardless of nation.

The Calgary crew finished off the second world cup strong. Michael Gilday pulled in his first world cup individual medal, a silver in the 1000m. This was a not only a great final for Michael but a great series of races. His calmness and commitment to race strategy was key to his success. The semi-final was a breakthrough for him as he was 3rd entering the last corner but stole the last spot in the A-final from US skater J.R. Celski within the last meter. In the A-final, Michael stayed in 3rd for most of the race until executing a well timed, strong pass on US skater Apolo Anton Ohno to take silver behind Korean skater Lee Jung-Su. I think the most impressive thing about Michael's 1000m performance was his preparation. He really learned from his previous races and actions, developed his plan and executed it well.

Jessica Gregg had a tougher morning in her 500m race. In the quarter-final she kicked blades with the Korean skater right off of the start line and went down "superman" style. The race was restarted but her blades were no longer as ready for the race as she was. She lost some bend in her left and it was apparent she wasn't getting the most out of it. The quarter-final was the last round for her this time.

Jessica Hewitt didn't compete in the individual races on the last day due to a disqualification in the preliminary rounds. Although this is usually quite disappointing, it was not entirely the case. Hewitt was skating well in her 1000m prelims and made an aggressive move from 3rd to get into a qualifying position. The move earned her a disqualification in a tough race against Korean, Chinese and Japanese skaters.

In the women's relay, Canada kept the Jessica-Jessica connection going from the semi-final. (In the semi-final, one of the most exciting relays in a long time, the Canadians beat the US women's team to take a spot in the A-final. It was back and forth for the last few laps but the Gregg-Hewitt relay connection was a strong finish for the Canadian team). So, into the A-final with 5 teams due to an advancement: Canada, China, Korea, Netherlands and Italy. Canada stayed close to the Korean and Chinese teams for most of the race. Near the end of the race, the Dutch team was closing in on the Canadians. The last exchange was another strong exchange from Gregg to Hewitt and kept them in 3rd. Hewitt finished strong to ensure the bronze. The entire team was skating well and showed that the first weekend in Salt Lake City was not just some chance medal.

The spirit within the Canadian women's team was amazing. It was motivating just to watch them warm-up together as they developed their own routine and bond. Marianne St-Gelais, Marie-Andree Mendes-Campeau, Valerie Maltais and Anne Maltais were all great in the relays. As a team they had strong exchanges and they worked well together to correct errors from previous relays. Even the girls that weren't skating the relay supported the team during warm-ups and race preparations.

The men's relay was missing some typical competitors as the Koreans failed to qualify. They fell in the last few laps of their heat and couldn't catch up before the end of the race. This final was a dog-fight between the Canadian and US teams. Canada had control for most of the race but the US skaters came on strong at the end and finished by taking the lead and the gold from the Canadians. We settled for silver.

Medal count for the Calgary skaters in the 1st & 2nd world cups:

Jessica Gregg - 500m bronze (SLC), Relay bronze (SLC), Relay bronze (Vancouver)

Jessica Hewitt - Relay bronze (SLC), Relay bronze (Vancouver)

Michael Gilday - Relay bronze (SLC), 1000m silver (Vancouver), Relay silver (Vancouver)

Up next is the Asian set of world cups. Beijing, China and Nagano, Japan. Richard Shoebridge will be joining the team for these world cups in late November and early December. After a short recovery from the first world cups, the team will begin training again to be even better prepared for the next trip. As I'm sure every country is doing.

Vancouver World Cup

2008-10-25T00:10:00.002-06:00

The preliminary races for the Vancouver world cup are complete. All of the countries present have gotten a taste of what it might be like at the Games in 2010. Although the aesthetics will have more pizazz during the Olympics and the pressure will certainly be substantially increased, it feels like something more than just a world cup.

For starters, the number of volunteers walking around the building seems to outnumber the skaters, coaches and officials put together. Everywhere you turn there is someone wearing a blue Vancouver world cup vest. Some of the faces are familiar from the skating community, but most of them are foreign to me. They all seem to be incredibly happy to be in their volunteer posts though, even if they're stuck in some small out of the way corner of the building without a view of the racing.

Almost our entire program from Calgary is here to support, watch and learn from this world cup. They took the long bus ride on Thursday to be able to see all of the race days. The ride home will be the kicker as they leave at the end of the racing and drive right through the night. I guess Monday is a write-off!

Today's racing started off well for the Calgary group as Jessica Hewitt skated a great 1500m race to qualify for the world cup competition. She made some adjustments to her race strategy based on what she learned in Salt Lake City and it paid off. Unfortunately her fearlessness caught up to her in the 1000m and she was disqualified while trying to pass from 3rd to 1st. A tough lesson to learn as Hewitt won't be able to skate in the repechage on Sunday to get back into the world cup. Her only events now are the 1500m and the relay.

Jessica Gregg had a tougher start to this weekend than last. She was eliminated in the 1000m and will have to go through the repechage early Saturday morning. She was in qualifying position until the last corner when she wasn't able to shut down an inside pass. Shortly after that her 500's went according to plan and Gregg has advanced to the world cup competition.

Michael Gilday also had some rough going this morning as his 1500m came up just short. Again he found himself in qualifying position until the very end of the race. He took some time to refocus at the hotel and came back with some more composed skating in the 1000m event and qualified for the next rounds.

Both the men's and women's relay teams advanced to the semi-finals. It's important to note however that on the men's side, both the Koreans and the Chinese did not advance. Falls caused both teams to be upset after only the quarter=finals. This will make for an interesting final as Canada's toughest competition left in the hunt is the USA. The team from south of the border is skating quite well and just beat out Canada last weekend in Salt Lake City for the silver. Canada's eyes are definitely on the gold.

The crowd today was slim. but this is not unusual for a Friday. Tomorrow's attendance is suspected to be over three thousand. Considering how loud the fans were today, tomorrow should be very intense! I think they will play a big role in pumping up our team and providing a lot of energy in the building.

The world cup portion of the racing tomorrow will be the next step in this Olympic test event. There will be increased media coverage, immediate interviews and streaming video all over the building. Cameras will be in the athletes faces almost everywhere they turn. For those of us that haven't been to an Olympic Games (including myself) it helps us to imagine what it is going to be like. I'm looking forward to it!

JC

Back in Vancouver

2008-10-21T21:10:00.002-06:00

We're back in Vancouver and it feels like home. It feels normal to be at the hotel here in the city center and to walk around the streets as if they were the ones I take everyday.

The city is pretty much the same but the energy at the rink has increased immensely. The setup and volunteer presence is very close to what it will be like at Games time. Access to certain areas is more restricted. We have tighter security checks all over the building and we have to have our ID cards around our neck everywhere we go. We're using this event as an Olympic Games test event, so it has to mimic what will happen in February 2010 as best as possible.

We had our first on-ice practice today since arriving from Salt Lake City. The team was still recovering from the first world cup and the long day of travel but the practice went well.

The morning started early for Jessica Hewitt and Michael Gilday however as they had interviews with the local media. For Hewitt, it was a live television interview on Global, one of Vancouver's most popular morning shows. It was her first live show and likely not to be her last. She handled herself incredibly well. Gilday was also on a live morning show, except his interview was with the comedic hosts of Jack FM radio. It was a fun interview to listen to as the hosts were trying to convince Michael to crack a walnut with his massive thighs! It didn't happen though. I'm guessing no walnuts were available. Kudos to you Michael for getting the studio to demonstrate the "slow clap" cheer on live radio!

The media blitz continued as our skaters had a taste of how the media can be a demanding force. Some local media and some media from Quebec were present to interview the skaters after our ice session. Although it was supposed to be short things sort of got carried away. More and more athletes were being asked for interviews and more time was being taken out of their day. Although we appreciate and need the media attention to promote our sport, our athletes and the event, we have to keep an eye on managing how this happens. It was a rather small inconvenience this time, but I noticed on the ride home that Michael went into a low energy phase. He kept himself activated and energetic for television interviews following the training session and it was clear that this took a toll on him. The lesson I learned today was that it's important to know when to say no.

The entire team had an autograph session at The Bay downtown. Tomorrow there is a media event following our on-ice training which all of the media agencies are invited to. (Jessica Hewitt will be at the head table). Then in 2 days there will also be some one-on-one interviews at the hotel for some key athletes. Then the competition starts and the skaters will have post-race commentary and post event interviews. It's easy to see how this can get overwhelming and over-stimulating. We've done some training to help improve their skills during interviews and I think after watching Jessica Hewitt and listening to Michael Gilday this morning, it's paying off. Now we'll see how they handle the shear volume of media attention that they are exposed to during this test event. It will be a learning experience for all of us and the right time for the Canadian team to use their acquired knowledge and experiences from Olympics gone by.

All of this activity is really building up the excitement for the weekend of racing. If the crowd is behind us the way we anticipate, it's going to be an energy packed 3 days!

JC

Salt Lake City World Cup Final Day

2008-10-20T09:58:00.002-06:00

The last day of the world cup in SLC started early. Jessica Hewitt had 3 rounds of 1500m races to get through in order to get back into the world cup part of the event. After a straight forward first round, she squeaked out a nail-bitting semi-final to qualify for the repechage final by only 3 one-hundredths of a second! Talk about giving me a stress attack! In the final, she skated like a pro, dodged some falling skaters and made it on again to the world cup.

In the semi-final of the world cup 1500's, Jessica was skating the race of her life. She was in control, confident and executing a strategy that was clear she was going for the win. Unfortunately, the fatigue from the morning rounds took a toll and she was missing the energy to finish as strong as she started. It was clear however that she was not intimidated by anyone.

Jessica Gregg was competing in the 500m on the final day. Her fast start and quick speed earned her a spot in the A-final and a new Canadian record as well! In the A-final she was slightly outnumbered, up against 3 Chinese skaters. The race started fast and Gregg slipped into 3rd around the first corner. 2 laps later, an attempt by the 3rd Chinese skater to pass came up short as Gregg strongly closed "the door" and the Chinese skater was disqualified. Gregg earned a bronze medal in the race, her second individual world cup medal of her career. Meng Wang of China broke the world record in this race as well as taking the gold.

Michael Gilday was competing in the 1500m semi-final and was executing an extremely well planned race. Easy passing, smooth speed and a great awareness of his opponents had him in qualifying position with a lap to go. A slight tightening up of his track in the last lap allowed J.R. Celski of the US to work his way by Gilday on the outside and sneak the last spot in the A-final from Gilday. It was a spectacular race that just came up short in the last moments of the race. Michael was also a part of the relay team in the heats, and thus picks up another relay bronze that the Canadians earned in the A-final, just behind the Koreans and the US team.

The Jessica's went on to race the A-final of the 3000m relay. The race also started incredibly fast and the Canadians found themselves in 3rd place cruising along not far from the Koreans and Chinese. The pressure and speed seemed too much for the US team to handle as they went down near the middle of the race. Canada held strong, making great exchanges and working very well as a team. They won bronze in the relay, earning first-time world cup medals for Jessica Hewitt, Marianne St-Gelais, Marie-Andree Mendes-Campeau and Valerie Maltais.

Final Day summary:
Jessica Gregg - Bronze in the 500m, Bronze in the relay
Jessica Hewitt - 13th in the 1500m, Bronze in the relay
Michael Gilday - 10th in the 1500m, Bronze in the relay

On to Vancouver!

JC

Salt Lake City World Cup cont'd

2008-10-18T23:55:00.002-06:00

Today's world cup events were full of mixed emotions for my Calgary skaters. The end results finished up with some promising numbers however. Overall in the 1000m Jessica Hewitt finished 10th, Jessica Gregg finished 14th and Michael Gilday finished 8th.

Hewitt had a fantastic quarter-final. She made a crafty pass up the inside to move into second place. She held off a Korean, Sae-Bom Shin until the reach for the line. It was a heart pounding race that Hewitt showed incredible control, patience and strength. The only downside was a mistimed reach for the line which cost her a place in the semi-finals.

Gregg's 1000m quarter-final performance didn't live up to her potential. She didn't execute the race plan that she had prepared which would have helped her take advantage of her strengths. It was one of those races that starts off poorly and just doesn't seem to gain any ground as it moves along. She self-critiqued her race very well and showed she learned from her experience with her great skating in the women's semi-final relay. Jessica led the Canadian team off to a flying start with an 11.6 second opening lap. Probably one of her best ever. Along with the other girls, she skated some low 9's and the team finished comfortably in second place behind the Koreans to qualify for the A-final.

Gilday's 1000m event started off with a solid victory over Anthony Lobello of the USA and Jialiang Han of China. Again Michael showed his speed and great passing ability. The semi-final proved to be a little bit tougher as he was up against two Koreans; Ho-Suk Lee and Yoon-Gy Kwak, as well as Lobello. A slight error on Michael's part caused him to lose some speed as Lee was passing on the outside and Gilday finished up in 3rd. On to the B-final and he was up against Lobello again, along with Ye Li of China and fellow Canadian Francois Hamelin. The race started well but quickly turned sour as Francois and Michael ended up in the mats, both without any serious injuries, but having to settle for 3rd and 4th place respectively.

When all was said and done at the end of Saturday's racing, only one Canadian stood on the podium. Charles Hamelin took silver in the 1500m and it was an exciting race to watch. I think our team from Calgary has had a good taste of what is possible and they'll be fired up for the last day of this Salt Lake City world cup.

JC

Salt Lake City World Cup

2008-10-18T14:36:00.002-06:00

It was a great start to the world cup weekend for Jessica Gregg and Michael Gilday. The preliminary races on Friday were handled very well by the two skaters from our team in Calgary who both already have world cup experience.

Jessica Gregg advanced through her two 1000m rounds with some very smart racing and also showed in the 500m event that she is one of the fastest in the world. Michael handled his 1000m rounds with some smart moves and effective passing. He also qualified through the 1 round of 1500m preliminaries with veteran style skating. Gregg & Gilday were both able to enjoy a restful Saturday morning in preparation for the world cup events which only begin at 6pm tonight.

For Jessica Hewitt, her world cup debut was a learning experience. Although skating confident all week during training, her performance in the 1000m and 1500m events fell short of qualifying for the world cup competition. From a coaching point of view, her skating is at world cup level, but her international racing experience is just starting to be developed.

Hewitt entered this morning's 1000m repechage and methodically advanced through each round (4 in total) to qualify for the world cup this evening. She skated each race with more confidence and sharper race strategy execution. She learned very fast and made adjustments equally fast to earn her position with the rest of the team. I believe this is a great example of why the repechage format is effective. Hewitt has taken advantage of this opportunity and her experience already from Salt Lake City will help her to learn more and improve before the weekend is over.

The entire Canadian team is skating very well. Three skaters on the women's team are rookies to the world cup circuit and are showing that they can race at this level. The men's team, with 1 world cup rookie is also skating extremely well. Although a crash yesterday in the 1000m has left Francois-Louis Tremblay with a sore ankle, he still showed his quick speed by qualifying through the 500m preliminaries. Both of Canada's relay teams have qualified for the semi-finals which will be raced at the end of today's events.

It's probably the most beautiful day in Salt Lake City since we arrived. The sky is clear and the view of the mountains is incredible. So why is it that I can't wait to get back inside the Utah Olympic Oval? Oh yeah, to kick some butt.

JC

Michael Wins a Bet

2008-10-15T13:55:00.003-06:00

We're in Salt Lake City adapting to our environment. The ice is fast, the skaters seem to like it and are adapting to it very well. They are also adapting well to the altitude and dry environment and showed it today in their quick lap times during training. Things are moving in the right direction for this team as we prepare to race on Friday.

Things are also looking up for Michael Gilday as he won a bet just yesterday which landed him some nice cash. (Most of it mine). Jessica Hewitt started to dare Michael to run through a water fountain, offering him $5 if he did it. Jessica Gregg jumped in with $5 and my big mouth offered whatever I had in my pocket. (It turned out I had $32 US and $15 Cdn)
Upon hearing this Michael jumps at the chance and asks Jeff Scholten to pull the van over so he can take us up on this bet.
...
Let me take you back to the end of last season, during which Michael and I had a bet about what lap time he would hit during the last exchange of a 5000m relay. He lost that bet and it landed me a nice home made lasagna, delivered to my door by Michael.
More recently, you may have read on Michael's blog that it was a bet (which he lost while qualifying for world cups - a good one to lose!) that got him rolling on the creation of his blog.
...
So back to Salt Lake City. If you can picture it, Michael leaping out of a van, with his shirt off already and heading towards this rather large fountain. A woman on the street is yelling at him to "take off his pants too!" Well, the shoes came off but the pants stayed on.

Here's Michael winning (earning) his cash!

He won his bet, won his cash and had to explore some of the Salt Lake City countryside with pants as wet as if he jumped in a pool.

Luckily he also had some great teammates to keep him warm in the van ride after his water show!

JC

Day by Day

2008-10-09T21:29:00.004-06:00

Being a coach is a very exciting and non-traditional job. It's not so much a job as a way of life. I have an office, but I don't have to sit at a desk 24/7. I get to work in many different settings, all over Canada and around the world. It's an emotionally charged lifestyle that keeps me on my toes and challenges me to be creative.

Now I would usually continue my writing to expand on something skating related. But this post isn't really about what I do, or how I do it. Nor is it about my skaters. It's about how I get through each day. More importantly it's about who gets me through each day.

My number one supporter is Véronick. (We were married 4 years ago today). She's the one person that keeps me going during the tough times and celebrates with me on all of my little victories and major accomplishments.

She has more faith in me and my abilities than anyone else close to me. She is my biggest "high five" when things go well and also the timely foot kicking my butt when she knows I can do better. She helps me focus on what's important and challenges me to be better at what I do. She has become a true fan of my skaters and lives their victories and defeats as personally as I do.

As is often par for the course in this lifestyle, we're spending this occasion in different cities. Véronick travelled to Ottawa 2 days ago for work and she returns the day after I leave for a world cup in Salt Lake City. I've missed holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and many events with friends and family. I was even in Romania of all places while Véronick celebrated her birthday & New Year's day, then she went home to find the basement flooded a foot deep!

So really, my journey as a coach is actually our journey. Day by day Véronick keeps me grounded and enables me to do what I do.

Athletes & the media

2008-10-07T22:17:00.002-06:00

It's apparent that the Olympics are just around the corner. Media events are getting more frequent and athletes are required to be available more often for television and radio interviews. Sports like short track speed skating relish in this Olympic media energy. Our skaters who are somewhat relatively unknown to the general public are gaining attention and airtime. The names of our future Olympic heroes are getting initiated and introduced to the media activity that will only increase as we get closer to the Games.

Today several of our skaters as well as myself were interviewed rink-side by CTV news. One of our skaters, Jessica Hewitt will be the athlete of the week on CTV sports while we're in Vancouver for world cup #2. Michael Gilday and athletes from all of the Olympic winter sports were involved in a media event hosted by Own The Podium (OTP) where they were exposed to several media agencies. Jessica Gregg was also interviewed on AM 770 radio this evening regarding the upcoming world cup season. A busy media day for the Calgary based short track team!

Tomorrow it continues as there will be more media stopping by the Olympic Oval to interview our top skaters.

It was great to listen to Jessica Gregg on the radio this evening. She was confident and spoke very well. Only a year ago she was more timid and shy to be speaking about herself and her abilities. Today she spoke very highly of her team from Calgary and Montreal and came across as a self-assured, confident elite athlete.

It's important for our skaters and athletes to be comfortable in front of the camera or microphone. Their ability to stay composed in these stressful public situations can be a reflection on their ability to stay composed and focused on race day. Practicing good media presence also serves as training to properly use mental and emotional energy.

Let this be just the start of the relationship between our short track skaters and the media. As we head off to world cups, we know that good results will also keep the media coming back for more.

(Thanks to Bridget Cox at the Olympic Oval for helping promote our team!)

Keeping fit, got bit!

2008-10-05T15:12:00.003-06:00

So I've decided to really commit to this lifestyle of commuting to work by bicycle. Primarily my motivation is to keep up a certain level of physical activity. I'm not in my best shape and I find it tough to get in workouts. This way my workout is accounted for and I get to appreciate some beautiful scenery riding through Nose Hill Park on my way to and from work. Not only that but I hurt the environment less and save money on gas!

Unlike the other morning rides this week, today was somewhat different. I was bit by a dog, a Doberman, right on the thigh! Okay, so it wasn't a serious open gash or a bloody wound that would require a trip to the emergency room or even stitches, but he bit me none the less. The dog was off-leash and clearly not in control by his owner. Apparently, the owner says, he likes to chase people on bikes! Not to turn this into a rant on how owners need to take care of their pets, but this guy needs to control his dog. I was lucky to get to bike away from it with nothing more than a couple of small scratches and bruising from his teeth.

Otherwise my rides to work are rather uneventful. They are worth it though as I get time to clear my head, enjoy the view of the Rocky Mountains and the whole of downtown Calgary. It's quite an amazing view, when you don't have a Doberman chomping on your leg!

World Cup Preparation

2008-10-04T17:37:00.004-06:00

We leave for Salt Lake City on the 12^th of October. World cup #1 is on the radar and we’re preparing for a new season of international competition.

The most important piece of information or experience I can deliver to my athletes would be this: have fun and race with passion. I think the biggest mistake skaters make when jumping into world cups is that they forget to just race. It’s really the reason they’re in this sport anyway, to race, to feel the excitement of competition and to win!

Of course we will be doing all of the important race preparation drills that are required to win against the rest of the world. We need to figure out our opponents’ strengths and weaknesses while enhancing our strengths and minimizing our weaknesses. Physical and mental preparation will be addressed as is always a necessity and we’ll have our equipment ready to go. The relentless pursuit of excellence is always a driving force in everything we do.

But, and there’s always a ‘but’, the perfect preparation is one of those magical pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. You can never really find or achieve the perfect preparatory sequence; there are just too many variables.

The real difference comes from the athletes’ ability to perform on demand, regardless of preparation. This is when perfection happens on autopilot. Pulling skill and knowledge together with perfect timing. Executing the right pass, at the right moment. Reading opponents and reacting instinctually. In my opinion this only comes together when a skater can go out on the ice and just let it happen.

Just have fun and race with passion. Trust that your preparation has given you the skills you need to succeed and that you can use them when required.

WC Selections Summary

2008-09-28T14:28:00.002-06:00

The world cup selection competition came to a close on the 18^th in Vancouver. We had some very exciting racing and the Calgary team qualified 4 skaters for the fall world cup circuit: Jessica Gregg, Jessica Hewitt, Michael Gilday and Richard Shoebridge.

Jessica Gregg and Michael Gilday have both spent time at world cups in the past but this will be the first experience for Jessica Hewitt and Richard Shoebridge. As a coach with a small group of athletes training in Calgary, this is very exciting to see their hard work paying off. We have a great facility, an awesome group of support team professionals helping us out and great support from the other coaches and athletes.

My team skated with focus, guts, and heart, which made it all worthwhile. Richard came off a rather difficult year last season. His objective was clear – have fun. And have some fun he did! It’s amazing to watch someone race who’s fully committed to the performance in the moment and able to leave the ice with a huge smile. Richard probably caught many of his competitors off-guard. Now he’s off to world cups to have more fun!

Michael really put together a great overall performance and showed that he has matured in his ability to manage himself in competition. The stress put on athletes when everything is on the line is immense. We ask them to perform on demand and we expect results. Maintaining a connection with the process though is key to performance. This was Michael’s biggest accomplishment from a coaching perspective. He showed that he could maintain composure and focus on what he was doing and prepare well for what was to come regardless of success or failure in a given event. When it comes to performance on demand, this is truly what makes the difference. It’s like being able to stare a grizzly in the face and have the awareness to reach for your bear spray without crapping your pants!

As for the women, what is there to say about clutch performances and Jessica Hewitt? It came down to the last event and Hewitt had yet to completely solidify her place on the team. Well, a win in the A final 1000m on the last day was more than what she needed, but she did it anyway! I’ve come to know Jess Hewitt as a clutch performer. When she’s focused and determined, she’s really amazing to watch.

And then there’s Jessica Gregg. She was the only woman in the competition to race in every A final. A 500m specialist who decided it was time to show what she’s got in every distance. She’s got what it takes to be the best 500m skater in the world. She showed in last year’s world cups that she’s also competitive in the 1000m. I guess she decided not to exclude the 1500m now too!

The first four world cups are in cities that have held (or will hold) the Olympics. (Salt Lake City 2002, Vancouver 2010, Beijing 2008 and Nagano 1998). My sister, Valerie, was a member of the ‘98 short track team in Nagano, Japan. Her experience was inspirational for me as it brought the Olympics closer to home. With the performances of my team at this most recent competition, it’s a step in the right direction for them to be Olympic bound as well. And these Olympics are truly close to home.

1500m Day 2

2008-09-17T19:02:00.005-06:00

Women: 1st Marie-Andree Mendes-Campeau, 2nd Anne Maltais, 3rd Valerie Maltais, 4th Annik Plamondon, 5th Marianne St-Gelais, 6th Jessica Gregg, 7th Nita Avrith, 8th Laurie Marceau, 9th Jessica Hewitt, 10th Andrea Do-Duc, 11th Valerie Lambert, 12th Ivanie Blondin, 13th Gabrielle Waddell, 14th Sabrina Bourgella

Men: 1st Charle Hamelin, 2nd Olivier Jean, 3rd Remi Beaulieu, 4th Francois Hamelin, 5th Mathieu Giroux, 6th Michael Gilday, 7th Guillaume Bastille, 8th Alex Boisvert-Lacroix, 9th Allyn Gagnon, 10th Marc-Andre Monette, 11th Cory Rasmussen, 12th Steve Robillard, 13th Francois Louis Tremblay, 14th Tyler Derraugh, 15th Richard Shoebridge.

JC

1000m Day 2

2008-09-17T19:02:00.002-06:00

Women: 1st Anne Maltais, 2nd Jessica Hewitt, 3rd Laurie Marceau, 4th Jessica Gregg, 5th Valerie Maltais, 6th Marianne St-Gelais, 7th Gabrielle Waddell, 8th Annik Plamondon, 9th Nita Avrith, 10th Marie-Andree Mendes-Campeau, 11th, Andrea Do-Duc, 12th Ivanie Blondin, 13th Valerie Lambert, 14th Sabrina Bourgela.
Men: 1st Charle Hamelin, 2nd Francois-Louis Tremblay, 3rd Remi Beaulieu, 4th Michael Gilday, 5th Olivier Jean, 6th Mathieu Giroux, 7th Francois Hamelin, 8th Guillaume Bastille, 9th Richard Shoebridge, 10th Marc-Andre Monette, 11th Tyler Derraugh, 12th Alex Boisvert-Lacroix, 13th Steve Robillard, 14th Cory Rasmussen, 15th Allyn Gagnon.

JC

Summary Day 1 WC Selections

2008-09-16T19:24:00.002-06:00

The Calgary crew started the competition off with some great racing. Jessica Gregg started the ball rolling by winning her 1500m semi-final. Hewitt followed up with a great semi, finishing second with some great moves to qualify as well for the A final. Gabby started off with some hesitation and finished 5th her semi.
Drama was the story in the 1500m A final for the women. With 1 lap to go, Hewitt was well positioned in the lead and Gregg was in 3rd. A charge up the inside by Laurie Marceau took out 4 skaters in the second last corner. Hewitt went on to win while Gregg was left to pry her blades from under the mats. Gregg finished up in 5th.
Waddell had the always exciting 2 person C final. Which she won with by shutting the door on Sabrina Bourgela.

The men followed up with some excitement as well. Tyler Derraugh and Richard "Shoie" Shoebridge skated their way into the B final 1500m with strong racing. Michael Gilday worked his way into the A final 1500m with a race full of multple attempts to get well positioned. Eventually it payed off and he finished his semi in 2nd to qualify. Cory Rasmussen was in the same race as Michael and his sprinter legs didn't keep him in the hunt. Liam McFarlane, also a sprinter, held in close in his semi but came up a little short as the pace was quick.
The men's A final 1500m had drama as well as the lead changed numerous times during the race. Gilday was mixing it up the whole way and eventually took advantage of some mistakes and used his own good timing to move up into 3rd with only a couple to go. He held onto 3rd at the finish. Tyler and Richard skated very well in their B final 1500m, earning 3rd and 5th spots respectively. Cory had a more competitive race in the B final compared to his semi and finished up in 6th. Liam skated the C final, got mixed up with Francois Hamelin and got the short end of the stick you could say. Liam finished 4th in the race.

The 500m quarter finals started off great for the Calgary women (aka JC's Angels). All three made it out of the first round to move into the top 2 semi-finals. Waddell had a solid effort, shutting down an inside pass from Nita Avrith to earn her place in the next round.
The semi-finals proved to be very exciting and a little wild. While Jessica Gregg made it through to the A final with a convicing win over her opponents, the other races had more X factor. The second semi-final had a disqualification, a race stoppage, a restart and another disqualification. In the end, Hewitt made it through to the A final and Gabby Waddell earned a DQ in the effort.
The A final with Gregg and Hewitt was pretty quick on the slightly softening ice surface. Gregg pulled in the win and Hewitt was held to 4th place.

On the Men's 500m, Richard, Cory and Liam all advanced to the top tier of semi-finals. Gilday had taken out Liam in their quarter-final which earned Liam an advancement. Unfortunately it also earned Gilday a DQ and Liam a slight concussion. Liam didn't skate the rest of the distance and had to settle for 9th place points. Cory went on to race very well in his semi-final, earning himself a spot in the big race, the A-final. Tyler, although not a 500m specialist, skated some great efforts in his races and worked his way to a 3rd in the C final against some well proven 500m skaters (1st Francois-Louis Tremblay, 2nd Alex Boisvert-Lacroix and 4th Francois Hamelin). Gilday continued on in the 500m but must of had his bell rung as well as he skated tentatively in the D final. In the finals, Cory was mixing it up very well until the last lap, he slipped down from 2nd to 4th, finishing behind Charle Hamelin, Olivier Jean and Marc-Andre Monette. Richard skated to a 3rd place in the B final which looked more like an effort by all of the racers just to stay on their feet. The ice was getting a little soft and wasn't holding the pressure these guys put into it at top speed.

Day 1 done. I really enjoyed watching our skaters perform today. Days like this, even though mixed with some great racing and some disappointment, are what sport is all about. Victory and defeat. Our Calgary skaters handled all of it today and will no doubt come to the rink tomorrow determined for more.

JC

500m Day 1

2008-09-16T18:10:00.002-06:00

Women: 1st Jessica Gregg, 2nd Valerie Lambert, 3rd Anne Maltais, 4th Jessica Hewitt, 5th Marie-Andree Mendes Campeau, 6th Gabrielle Waddell, 7th Sabrina Bourgela, 8th Valerie Maltais, 9th Marianne St-Gelais, 10th Nita Avrith, 11th Laurie Marceau, 12th Annik Plamondon, 13th Andrea Do-Duc, 14th Ivanie Blondin

Men: 1st Charle Hamelin, 2nd Olivier Jean, 3rd Marc Andre Monette, 4th Cory Rasmussen, 5th Steve Robillard or Allyn Gagnon, 7th Richard Shoebridge, 8th Mathieu Giroux, 9th Liam McFarlane, 10th Francois-Louis Tremblay, 11th Alex Boisvert-Lacroix, 12th Tyler Derraugh, 13th Francois Hamelin, 14th Guillaume Bastille, 15th Remi Beaulieu, 16th Micheal Gilday

JC

1500m Day 1

2008-09-16T15:26:00.002-06:00

Women: 1st Jessica Hewitt, 2nd Valerie Maltais, 3rd Annik Plamondon, 4th Nita Avrith, 5th Jessica Gregg, 6th Laurie Marceau, 7th Marie-Andree Mendes Campeau, 8th Marianne St-Gelais, 9th Ivanie Blondin, 10th Anne Maltais, 11th Valerie Lambert, 12th Andrea Do-Duc, 13th Gabrielle Waddell, 14th Sabrina Bourgela

Men: 1st Charle Hamelin, 2nd Olivier Jean, 3rd Micheal Gilday, 4th Marc-Andre Monette, 5th Mathieu Giroux, 6th Francois-Louis Tremblay, 7th Remi Beaulieu, 8th Steve Robillard, 9th Tyler Derraugh, 10th Alex Boisvert-Lacroix, 11th Richard Shoebridge, 12th Cory Rasmussen, 13th Guillaume Bastille, 14th Francois Hamelin, 15th Allyn Gagnon, 16th Liam McFarlane.

JC

WC Selections Results

2008-09-15T23:41:00.002-06:00

I will try to use Blogger Mobile to post the results of the competition each day. Stay connected to find out what happens right away!

JC

World Cup Selections, Vancouver

2008-09-15T23:30:00.000-06:00

The competition to select our fall world cup team starts September 16^th. It will last 3 days and include 2 distances each day. My team from Calgary (consisting of 3 women and 5 men) is prepared and ready to race. The top 16 Canadian women and men are going to battle it out for 6 world cup positions.

The Calgary Training Center Team:

Women: Jessica Gregg (National Team), Jessica Hewitt (Development Team) & Gabrielle Waddell (2014 Talent Squad)

Men: Michael Gilday (National Team), Liam McFarlane (Development Team), Cory Rasmussen, Richard Shoebridge & Tyler Derraugh (2014 Talent Squad)

Experience

Jessica Gregg was a member of last years World Championship team and has won individual medals at World Cups as well as relay medals at World Cups and World Championships.

Michael Gilday also has World Cup experience and a relay team medal. He is the current World Record holder in the 1000m.

Cory Rasmussen skated under the World Record in the 500m last season setting a track record at the Olympic Oval in Calgary. (The competition was not sanctioned to enable the setting of World Records).

The balance of the Calgary crew has international experience while competing in Harbin, China last season during the Conematic sponsored international exchange.

World Cup Schedule

Salt Lake City, USA
Vancouver, CAN
Beijing, CHN
Nagano, JPN

The qualifying format for our World Cup team is focused on individual distance performances. This allows skaters to be more specialized in one event or another. The Calgary team is composed of skaters that have considerable strengths in speed and/or endurance. It will be an exciting three days of racing!

The Olympic City

2008-09-10T23:33:00.001-06:00

I have officially fallen in love with Vancouver. It has in abundance everything that I could possibly want in a city. Everything seems possible and within reach. It’s the doorstep to everything an outdoor enthusiast could want with all of the benefits of a bustling metropolis.

I must say that I am primarily attracted to the wilderness side of the Vancouver lifestyle. Hiking, mountain biking and skiing in the Rockies or kayaking and sailing in the Pacific Ocean tempts me more than city life. However, I can’t help but enjoy the idea of being so close to major sporting events, a variety of cultural events, the night life and the energy that exists in the concrete network of this big city.

My new infatuation with Vancouver is based partly on seventeen incredibly warm, sunny and comfortable summer days. Apparently this is not typical west coast weather. My thoughts about this town might change if (or most likely when) I experience what is normal weather. I hope sincerely though that my love affair doesn’t dwindle.

I have visited parts of Vancouver Island, by car, on foot, on surf board and by kayak. I have been swimming in the powerful ocean waves and toured up the west coast of the mainland on a boat cruise. I have experienced the “hurry up and wait” of the BC Ferries. I have driven the sea to sky highway. Although I have yet to ski the big mountain, I have strolled around the village in Whistler. With all that I have done, I haven’t really done much at all. And that is really exciting. There is so much potential here for adventure, exploration and new experiences.

Seventeen days of great experiences for this city are now only seventeen months away.

Winning

2008-09-07T19:10:00.002-06:00

Some of the greatest displays of athleticism unfolded before our eyes in Beijing. Olympians put everything on the line and attempted to perform at levels they had yet to experience. Some fell flat and came up short. Others performed at par with expectations, limited by what they’ve done in the past. Some took their performance to another level.

What is it that separates the ones who reach their potential from the ones who don’t?

We watched as Michael Phelps won more medals than most countries. We were impressed again by Usain Bolt’s ability to run faster than any other person on the planet. We cheered on Priscilla Lopes-Schliep as she went from being the #3 Canadian hurdler to being #3 in the world. Simon Whitfield showed us that it’s possible to come back from being down and out. The Canadian men’s 8 rowing team showed us that redemption is sweet. Carol Huynh went from underdog to Canada’s hero by exceeding our expectations.

It’s easy to watch the Olympics and be entertained. I enjoyed watching them while trying to see the subtle behaviors demonstrated by the best athletes in the world. They all show similar traits. They’re calm, content and they walk assuredly. They speak with passion, humor and great confidence. Often they’re excited and happy and yet focused on what they are about to do. Win.

Their body language sets them apart from the crowd. They walk a little taller, the weight of the world not on their shoulders. The pressure to win is definitely present, however they carry it with ease. They’re light on their feet and enjoying every moment of the experience.

As Canada moves closer to hosting the Olympics in Vancouver, I encourage all athletes to take a look back on the biggest victories in sporting history. Don’t watch the events for the drama, but watch them for all of the things you missed the first time. The subtle intricate details of how Phelps walks onto the pool deck. How happy Usain Bolt is, always. Listen to how Priscilla Lopes-Schliep responds to media pressure about winning a medal.

Taken from a news article by Elliotte Friedman of CBC, speaking with Priscilla Lopes-Schliep; I asked her if she visualized winning a medal. It was the third time at these Games I’d asked that question of an athlete. The first one said, “no way.” The second said, “I try not to.” Her answer was basically, “You shouldn’t bother coming if you don’t.”

If an athlete wants to win in Vancouver, they need to learn how to win. Learn from those who do.

Highwood Pass

2008-06-19T06:48:00.003-06:00

Highway 40, the highest paved highway in Canada, cuts through Kananaskis Country in western Alberta. At 2206 meters of elevation, Highwood Pass divides the mountains offering some incredible views of the Rockies.

This was our training grounds for 4 days. 4 days of cycling at altitude in order to create the physiological changes necessary to increase performance. Day 1 went by without a hitch. The athletes were getting familiar with their environment; the roads, scenery and of course, the altitude. The weather stayed reasonable for us with mostly sunny skies. We stayed dry and comfortable for our ride and managed to set up camp before any rain fell.

…..

Days 3 and 4 were both great days of riding. The weather was treating us well. Blue skies and bright sun lasted throughout the entire training sessions. On day 4 however, the mountains did let us in on a little bit of magic. The everlasting headwind! North or south on Hwy 40 didn’t matter, there was a headwind. Although this added to the level of difficulty, it made more for a humorous topic of conversation.

Every day proved to be an eyeful of scenery and wildlife. Big horn sheep were plentiful. Deer were often jumping back into the woods as we rode by. A few lucky members of the group even caught a glimpse of a grizzly bear and its cub.

…..

Before I return to Day 2 of our altitude camp, let’s take a short trip back to the spring of 2007. It was a typical spring day in Calgary; unpredictable weather and seemingly the coldest city in Canada, on a day when some cities were enjoying an early summer. My short trackers gathered for an early season training session of what I call “boot camp” training. Physically tough, mentally tough and gruelingly long, it’s designed to work all parts of the body for strength while challenging aerobic and mental endurance. Unfortunately for the skaters, it was go-time regardless of the weather. And snow was on the menu for this particular day.

The skaters began the boot camp training reluctantly. It was cold, dark and dreary and it was clear that everyone just wanted to go inside. “It’s unsafe.” “This is ridiculous!” “What’s the point?” These were some of the comments I received before, during and after the training.

Yes, they needed to be toughened up.

…..

Spring forward to one year later, we find ourselves starting day 2 of our Highwood Pass altitude training. The drive in to our meeting point alone would have turned aside anyone squeamish of storms. The wind and rain, snow and sleet could only be described as torrential. Those less determined would have turned back assuming simply that training was cancelled. There was no way the weather would allow for 4 hours of cycling, or so they would have thought.

Everyone showed up.

The weather did calm down for the start of the ride. Everyone was dressed appropriately for the slight rain and cold of the day, not knowing what was in store. As the ride progressed and the athletes reached higher and higher into the mountains, it was clear that the weather at the top was not like that at the bottom of the 21km hill. The snow was beginning to come down, along with the temperature. As long as the athletes were climbing, they could keep warm. On the descents however, it was another story. Face-stinging cold and icy snow was hitting their faces as they tried not to go too fast. Feet and hands were wet and cold. Body shivers started to appear, giving the impression of ‘speed wobbles’ at only 30km/h. The only relief from the cold was to climb again and build the body heat from the inside out.

And that’s what they did. 4 hours of climbing to get warm only to be followed by the shivering descents when they couldn’t climb any higher.

Complaints? None.

At the end of the training when the coaching team sounded the whistle for everyone to turn back home, still they rode. “One more time.” Two athletes had it in them for another ascent towards the Pass knowing what it was going to feel like to come down again.

They stand stronger now then I’ve ever seen them before. Independent in many ways and yet collectively moving forward with a great momentum.

Highwood Pass - check.

See you in Vancouver.

Excellence

2008-05-08T23:30:00.001-06:00

The goal, the dream, the end result, is to achieve excellence. As my athletes pursue their Olympic dream, they are guided by the thought of achieving excellence. They relentlessly pursue it. They are chasing it down daily to ensure that when the time comes, they will be ready to capture it, hold it high and claim it as their own.

There are many definitions and descriptions of excellence. None so far have inspired me as much as the quote below.

“Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical and expecting more than others think is possible.” Author unknown (by me anyways)

Anything is possible, potential is limitless and success, or excellence, is within reach. That’s what it says to me. That’s what I want to pass on to my athletes and my support team. It is possible. We will achieve excellence.

But what does that mean in short track speed skating? What does excellence look like? Well it’s not always pretty. It can be rough and wild. It’s all about performing in an environment that is completely unpredictable. And yet it can also be extremely elegant. It can be fluid and seemingly effortless. Victory can come in many ways. Excellence can come in many ways.

What it really comes down to is being first across the line. The clock is secondary. Short track is a head to head battle. It takes creativity as much as it takes speed. Agility is as important as endurance. Strength goes hand in hand with power. Strategy is unfolding side by side with pure luck. It’s in the moment, spontaneous and spectacular. Performance on demand is taken to the next level. That’s short track speed skating.

My skaters don’t speak of being excellent. They speak of winning. To win, it’s about being excellent each day.

Care more, risk more, dream more and expect more.

Six hundred fifty nine

2008-04-24T20:07:00.000-06:00

659 days until the opening ceremonies in Vancouver. Summer training is just starting and our athletes are being asked to step onto the ice 2 months earlier than normal. No time to waste when preparing for the Olympic Games. Each day needs to be used to its fullest potential.

Motivation is high right now and the skaters seem to feed off of each other when it comes to pushing each other in training. They'll need this energy to continuously improve and to get past the days when improving seems impossible.

The relentless pursuit of excellence. Relentless. I love that word. It gives me the shivers. When I think of victories won simply because someone decided that they would not give up.

One of my skaters was asked during a training camp why he didn't give up during a hill climb on his bike. His response: "That was an option?" And with his answer it was clear. Giving up, quitting, losing or providing anything less than everything are not options at all.

676. The number of days I'm concerned with. You'll recognize this as the number of days until the closing ceremonies at the Olympic Games in Vancouver. I see opportunity. The opportunity to be relentless 676 more times.

JC