March 23, 2008
Canadian selection #3, day 3 results
1000m Women A final
1. Nita Avrith
2. Marianne St. Gelais
3. Jessica Hewitt
4. Marie-Andree Mendes-Campeau
B final
1. Valerie Lambert
2. Gabrielle Waddell
3. Sabrina Bourgela
4. Anne-Sophie Grenon
Selection #3 overall - women
1. Nita Avrith
2. Marianne St. Gelais
3. Marie-Andree Mendes-Campeau
4. Valerie Lambert
5. Jessica Hewitt
6. Laurie Marceau
7. Ivanie Blondin
8. Andrea Do-Duc
1000m Men A final
1. Remi Beaulieu
2. Michael Gilday
3. Guillaume Bastille
4. Alex Boisvert-Lacroix
B final
1. Francois-Louis Tremblay
2. Cory Rasmussen
3. Mathieu Turcotte
4. Charle Cournoyer
Selection #3 overall- men
1. Francois-Louis Tremblay
2. Michael Gilday
3. Remi Beaulieu
4. Cory Rasmussen
5. Mathieu Turcotte
6. Guillaume Bastille
7. Alex Boisvert-Lacroix
8. Liam McFarlane
9. Olivier Jean
Posted by noelle at 3:29 PM | Comments (16)
Canadian Trials #3, day 2
Women's 500m A final
1. Nita Avrith
2. Marianne St. Gelais
3. Valerie Lambert
4. Laurie Marceau DQ
Marceau attempted to pass Lambert with 3 to go, who was leading. Both fell exiting the turn.
B final
1. Andrea Do-Duc
2. Marie-Andree Mendes-Campeau
3. Anne-Sophie Grenon
4. Annie-Claude Rivest
Men's 500m A final
1. Cory Rasmussen
2. Francois-Louis Tremblay
3. Alex Boisvert-Lacroix
4. Liam McFarlane
McFarlane was 2nd off the start behind Rasmusen but fell with 2.5 to go.
B final
1. Michael Gilday
2. Guillaume Bastille
3. Remi Beaulieu
4. Michael Friesen
Posted by noelle at 9:13 AM | Comments (0)
March 21, 2008
Canadian selection #3
Results from day 1 in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec:
Women's 1500m A final
1. Ivanie Blondin
2. Marie-Andree Mendes-Campeau
3. Jessica Hewitt
4. Valerie Lambert
5. Nita Avrith
6. Laurie Marceau
7. Sabrina Bourgela
A crash mid-race in the straight took out Avrith, Marceau and Bourgela.
Men's 1500m A final
1. Mathieu Turcotte
2. Francois-Louis Tremblay
3. Michael Gilday
4. Remi Beaulieu
5. Tyler Derraugh
6. Olivier Jean
Posted by noelle at 4:57 PM | Comments (7)
January 23, 2008
Jo Guilmette announces his retirement
Radio Canada reports that perennial fan favorite Jonathan Guilmette will retire from short track after 11 seasons with the national team and 3 Olympic medals among his many accomplishments. His final competition will be Canadian trials #3 in March.
Thanks for all the memories, Jonathan and best wishes to you in the future! We'll miss you.
Posted by noelle at 11:35 AM | Comments (87)
January 20, 2008
Canadian trials results, day 3
Congratulations to Canadian champions Kalyna Roberge and Francois Hamelin!
Per Speed Skating Canada, Canada's team for World Cups 5 and 6:
Kalyna Roberge, Tania Vicent, Anne Maltais, Amanda Overland, Jessica Gregg and Valérie Lambert; Charles Hamelin, Marc-André Monette, Steve Robillard, Jean-François Monette (2 remaining men's spots TBA)
Canada's World Championship team:
Roberge, Vicent, Maltais, Overland, and Gregg; Hamelin (not clear which one), the Monette brothers, Robillard (1 men's spot TBA)
Check out Peter Doucet's photos from the Canadian Championships here.
Men's 1000m A final
1. Steve Robillard
2. Francois Hamelin
3. Alex Boisvert-Lacroix
4. Guillaume Bastille
5. Marc-Andre Monette
Bastille and Monette crashed with 4 laps to go.
B final
1. Charles Hamelin
2. Jean-Francois Monette
3. Michael Gilday
Jean-Francois Monette
photo by Junko
Women 1000m A final
1. Kalyna Roberge
2. Amanda Overland
3. Anne Maltais
4. Tania Vicent
Start of women's 1000m A final
photo by Junko
Overall results - women
1. Roberge
2. Vicent
3. A. Maltais
4. Overland
5. Jessica Gregg
6. Valerie Lambert
7. Nita Avrith
8. Valerie Maltais
Posted by noelle at 4:21 PM | Comments (21)
January 19, 2008
Canadian trials results, day 2
Thanks again to Lewis Kazagger for sending the results, and to Junko for the photos, taken at the start of the men's and women's A finals.
Men's 500m
A final
1. Charles Hamelin
2. Jean-Francois Monette
3. Guillaume Bastille
4. Steve Robillard
5. Remi Beaulieu
B final
1. Francois Hamelin
2. Gagnon
3. M-A Monette
C final
1. Tremblay
2. Turcotte
3. McFarlane
4. Boisvert-Lacroix
D final
1. Bean
2. Shoebridge
3. Fortin
4. Friesen
Women's 500m
A final
1. Kalyna Roberge
2. Jessica Gregg
3. Valerie Lambert
4. Anne Maltais
B final
1. St. Gelais
2. V Maltais
3. Kraus
4. Bourgela
C final
1. Vicent
2. Mendes-Campeau
3. Avrith
4. Blondin
D final
1. Waddell
2. Hewitt
3. Truchon
4. Rivest
E final
1. Marceau
2. Do-Duc
3. Gagnon
4. Carrier
5. Dier
Amanda Overland was dq'ed for 2 false starts in her 500m heat. Andrea Do-Duc was eliminated as well.
Posted by noelle at 6:39 PM | Comments (11)
January 18, 2008
Canadian trials results, day 1
Thanks to our Canadian operative Lewis Kazagger for sending the results and to Simon P for the photos!
***
Overall standings after day 1 (combined with results of trials #1 earlier this season):
Women
1. Roberge
2. Vicent
3. Overland
*4. Maltais
*5. Avrith
* Maltais was originally mistakenly listed as 5th overall and Avrith as 4th overall.
Men
1. M-A Monette
2. C. Hamelin
3. Gilday
4. J-F Monette
5. Boisvert-Lacroix
There was some really good racing today by the athletes. Unfortunately there were a couple of questionable decisions by the referees which may have cost a few skaters a chance to race in the appropriate final.
Men's 1500m
A Final
1. Marc-André Monette 2:14.53
2. Michael Gilday 2:14.65
3. Francois Hamelin 2:14.78
4. Guillaume Bastille 2:14.98
5. Jean-Francois Monette 2:15.07
6. Charles Hamelin DQ
Dq for cross track at the finish.
Francois Hamelin
Charles Hamelin
B Final
1. Francois-Louis Tremblay 2:19.30
2. Guillaume Blais-Dufour 2:20.11
3. Alex Boisvert-Lacroix 2:21.48
4. Maxime Fortin 2:24.01
5. Dustin Miller 2:43.80
6. Vincent André DQ
C Final
1. Tyler Derraugh 2:19.29
2. Steve Robillard 2:19.40
3. Corey Rasmussen 2:19.41
4. Jonathan Guilmette 2:19.63
5. Liam McFarlane 2:21.63
6. Michael Friesen 2:28.51
D Final
1. Mathieu Turcotte 2:18.57
2. Remi Beaulieu 2:18.59
3. Nicolas Bean 2:18.88
4. Vincent Cournoyer 2:18.99
5. Mathieu Richer 2:20.42
6. Richard Shoebridge 2:23.84
7. Allyn Gagnon DQ
Women's 1500m
A final
1. Kalyna Roberge 2:22.70
2. Tania Vicent 2:23.51
3. Amanda Overland 2:23.58
4. Nita Avrith 2:23.68
5. Laurie Marceau 2:24.48
6. Jessica Hewitt 2:26.23
7. Valerie Maltais 2:49.26
B Final
1. Marianne St. Gelais 2:31.05
2. Marie-Andrée Mendes-Campeau 2:31.07
3. Jessica Gregg 2:31.18
4. Valerie Lambert 2:31.29
5. Andrea Do-Duc 2:36.22
C Final
1. Anne Maltais 2:36.80
2. Alanna Kraus 2:36.90
3. Vanessa Békanger-Marceau 2:37.76
4. Megan Aksenchuk 2:38.57
5. Elisabeth Dier 2:38.61
6. Annie-Claude Rivest DQ
D Final
1. Ivanie Blondin 2:32.60
2. Anne-Sophie Grenon 2:32.97
3. Melanie Gagnon 2:33.21
4. Jill Gilday 2:33.69
5. Caroline Truchon 2:33.86
6. Gillian Richmond 2:33.97
7. Sabrina Bourgela 2:34.44
Posted by noelle at 5:05 PM | Comments (7)
December 16, 2007
Canadian Championships Announcement
On behalf of Speed Skating Canada and Federation de patinage de vitesse du Quebec, CODEM is pleased to invite you to attend the "2008 Canadian Open Championships" that will take place at the Maurice-Richard Arena, in Montreal, QC, Canada on January 18-19-20, 2008! World class Canadian skaters will compete to earn the title!! Races will start on Friday, Jan 18 at 2.30 PM on 1500m distance. 500m will take place on Saturday, Jan 19 at 1.30 PM; and finally, 1000m and relays will start on Sunday, Jan 20 at 9.30 AM!
Tickets available at the door: $10.00 per day / 3 day pass $25.00 for adults
6 to 17 year olds: $5.00 per day / 3 day pass: $12.00
Under 6: Free
Pascal Archambault - President
CODEM
Posted by noelle at 6:40 PM | Comments (10)
September 23, 2007
'A grand moment in Canadian skating history'
New Brunswick native Jeff Scholten today announced his retirement from short track speed skating. A veteran of the team, Jeff has competed at the national and international levels for many years and is a former world record holder in the 500m. Last year Jeff starred in the T. Rowe Price commercial featuring several Canadian skaters.
Jo Guilmette and Mathieu Turcotte flank Jeff Scholten immediately after his final race
photo by David Gilday
At the end of the competition, Jeffrey Scholten (Fredericton, NB) announced that he was retiring from competition. The crowd was behind him for the final race of his long speed skating career, which he won. “I was stressed before the race, knowing it was my last, but the crowd’s energy and cheering gave me what I needed to have a good last race. I’ve always had good success in Calgary, so I wanted to finish my career here”, said an emotional Scholten shortly after his good-bye race.
Writes Davild Gilday: "The officials, the skaters, and the crowd gave Jeff a great ovation to the start the race. It was a grand moment in Canadian skating history."
Thanks for the memories, Jeff and best wishes!
Posted by noelle at 8:46 PM | Comments (14)
Canadian trials #1 conclude - overall classification
Top 10 men overall:
1. HAMELIN, Charles 2,632
2. ROBILLARD, Steve 1,492
3. MONETTE, Marc-André 1,473
4. BOISVERT-LACROIX, Alex 1,437
5. GIROUX, Mathieu 1,290
6. GILDAY, Michael 1,269
7. MONETTE, Jean-François 1,005
8. GUILMETTE, Jonathan 853
9. TURCOTTE, Mathieu 810
10. BEAULIEU, Rémi 666
Speed Skating Canada officially announced the teams that will take part in the first 4 World Cups of the season:
- Mathieu Giroux
- Alex Boisvert-Lacroix
- Charles Hamelin
- Steve Robillard
- François-Louis Tremblay
- Marc-André Monette
Tremblay could not skate this weekend due to an injury, but he was granted a bye.
Top 10 women overall:
1. ROBERGE, Kalyna 3,000
2. MALTAIS, Anne 2,075
3. VICENT, Tania 1,875
4. OVERLAND, Amanda 1,500
5. LAMBERT, Valérie 1,339
6. DO-DUC, Andréa 1,034
7. GREGG, Jessica 799
8. AVRITH, Nita 754
9. MALTAIS, Valérie 666
10. HEWITT, Jessica 651
Historic achievement by Kalyna Roberge this weekend - according to Speed Skating Canada:
Roberge once again swept all three events this weekend, becoming the first ever Canadian women to win all 9 events in three National Team Selections in a row (NT 1 in Calgary, last fall, Canadian Championships in Sudbury, last winter, and this weekend in Calgary). “Martin [Gagné, her coach] told me before the final that I could become the first to win 9 events in a row in selections, so that really pushed me to skate harder in the final”, explained Roberge. “I felt really tired after the semi-final, but it gave me the little bit of energy I needed.” Even better, she broke the Canadian record in her semi-final race with a time of 1:29.870, skating lower than the World Record (1:30.037).
Women’s team for the first two World Cups (Harbin, Oct. 19-21 and Kobé, Oct. 26-28):
- Kalyna Roberge
- Anne Maltais
- Tania Vicent
- Amanda Overland
- Andréa Do-Duc
- Jessica Gregg
Gregg will be replaced by Valérie Lambert for the 3rd and 4th World Cups (Heerenveen, Nov. 23-25 and Torino, Nov. 30 to Dec. 2).
Congratulations to all the skaters!
Rankings courtesy of patinagevitessecourtepiste.blogspot.com (detailed results from all 3 days available there and the Calgary Olympic Oval web site)
Posted by noelle at 8:21 PM | Comments (3)
Canadian trials day 3 results
Sorry for the late updates... here's the quick and dirty: Charles Hamelin got his win today in the 1000m and thus secured his place on the World Cup team. Kalyna Roberge remained perfect and swept all the distances. Congratulations to all the skaters!
Men's 1000m A final results:
1. Charles Hamelin
2. Marc-Andre Monette
3. Michael Gilday
4. Remi Beaulieu
Highly ranked Steve Robillard and Friday's 1500m winner Mathieu Giroux were eliminated early on with crashes in the 1000m quarter finals.
Women's 1000m A final results:
1. Kalyna Roberge
2. Amanda Overland
3. Tania Vicent
4. Andrea Do-Duc
Earlier:
Heading into the final day of racing, here's how things stand in the overall classification - Boisvert-Lacroix, Giroux and Roberge have assured themselves spots on the World Cup team as a result of their individual distance victories. The remaining team members will be determined later today, but even if he doesn't win today, Charles Hamelin is assured a spot if he remains in 1st overall.
Men top 10 overall after 2 events
1. HAMELIN, Charles - 1,632 points
2. ROBILLARD, Steve - 1,332
3. BOISVERT-LACROIX, Alex 1,241
4. GIROUX, Mathieu 1,160
5. MONETTE, Marc-André 657
6. GILDAY, Michael 603
7. MONETTE, Jean-François 562
8. GUILMETTE, Jonathan 558
8. MCFARLANE, Liam 558
10. TURCOTTE, Mathieu 448
Women top 10 overall after 2 events
1. ROBERGE, Kalyna 2,000
2. MALTAIS, Anne 1,632
3. VICENT, Tania 1,209
3. LAMBERT, Valérie 1,209
5. OVERLAND, Amanda 684
6. GREGG, Jessica 603
7. DO-DUC, Andréa 491
7. HEWITT, Jessica 491
9. KRAUS, Alanna 408
10. AVRITH, Nita 392
Lots more results and info are at patinagevitessecourtepiste.blogspot.com
Posted by noelle at 8:25 AM | Comments (4)
September 22, 2007
Canadian trials day 2 results
Newcomer Alex Boisvert-Lacroix joins Kalyna Roberge and Mathieu Giroux who have now earned spots for themselves on Canada's World Cup team as a result of their victories in the individual distances raced so far.
In the best 'that's short track' fashion, there was a huge upset on the men's side today...
Men's A final results:
1. Alex Boisvert-Lacroix
2. Charles Hamelin
3. Steve Robillard
4. Jean-Francois Monette
Patinage de vitesse courte piste describes the race as 'spectacular' and reports that development team member Alex took the lead from the start. Charles passed him on the 3rd lap, but Alex took back the lead a little later with a very tight pass.
Women's A final results:
1. Kalyna Roberge
2. Anne Maltais
3. Tania Vicent
4. Valerie Lambert
Earlier, Charles Hamelin reportedly skated 40.95 in his 500m semi - well under world record time.
Earlier:
Skating gets underway today at noon in Calgary with 500m heats. Start lists are posted at patinagevitessecourtepiste.blogspot.com.
In the meantime, some links:
Vancouver Sun | Kraus off to slow start at short track nationals
The two-time Olympic medallist from Abbotsford, who sat out last season because of tendinitis in her right Achilles tendon, could do no better than 16th in the women's 1,500 metres at national team trials in Calgary. "Coming into this is a little bit scary," Kraus told reporters in Calgary. "The competition is so early and I don't really feel prepared and am just trying to get back to where I was."
La Tribune | Mathieu Turcotte revient à la compétition reposé
Mathieu discusses his 'sabbatical' year and says he's not expecting to earn a spot on the World Cup team at this event. Instead, he's taking the opportunity to get his feet wet in competition again.
Posted by noelle at 8:38 AM | Comments (7)
September 21, 2007
Canadian trials day 1 results
They're skating the 1500m today in Calgary. The patinage de vitesse - courte piste blog has the results of the women's and men's heats and sem--finals.
Men's A final results:
1. Mathieu Giroux - 2:10.93
2. Charles Hamelin - 2:10.98
3. Steve Robillard 2:11.08
4. Jonathan Guilmette
DQ Marc-Andre Monette
DQ Michael Gilday
Charles is mortal, after all...! Eliminated early on: Jean-Francois Monette fell in his heat and didn't advance while Mathieu Turcotte stripped an edge in his.
Women's A final results:
1. Kalyna Roberge
2. Anne Maltais
3. Valerie Lambert
4. Tania Vicent
5. Amanda Overland
6. Nita Avrith
Some bad luck struck, as Amanda and Nita fell in the straightaway with a lap and a half to go, while sitting 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Women's B final results:
1. Andrea Do-Duc
2. Valerie Maltais
3. Jessica Hewitt
4. Jessica Gregg
5. Anne-Sophie Grenon
6. Ivanie Blondin (fell)
Posted by noelle at 3:51 PM | Comments (4)
Canadian trials #1 begin today in Calgary
They'll be skating the 1500m today. Francois-Louis Tremblay and Marianne St-Gelais join Olivier Jean on the injured list and won't be skating.
I'm hoping to get some periodic updates with results from the rink - in the meantime, there's great coverage over at patinagevitessecourtepiste.blogspot.com with the opening 1500m heats listed so you can see who's skating against whom. Also, check out the training photos from the past few days. Those athletes have been working hard!
It's all in French, but most things should be self-explanatory.
The guys are exhausted after a hard a training session:
photo courtesy patinagevitessecourtepiste.blogspot.com
Posted by noelle at 12:26 PM | Comments (9)
March 12, 2007
Results from Canadian Trials #3
This got overlooked with the frenzy of Worlds, but last weekend Canada held its 3rd and final set of national team trials for the season. Here are overall classifications - detailed results are available from Speed Skating Canada.
Overall classification below the jump...
trials #3 overall - women
1. MALTAIS, Valérie
2. GREGG, Jessica
3. LAMBERT, Valérie
4. BLONDIN, Ivanie
5. DO-DUC, Andréa
6. HEWITT, Jessica
7. ST-GELAIS, Marianne
8. MENDES-CAMPEAU, Marie-Andrée
9. GAUTHIER, Valérie
10. GAGNON, Mélanie
Trials #3 overall - men
1. ROBILLARD, Steve
2. BEAULIEU, Remi
3. HAMELIN, François
4. BASTILLE, Guillaume
5. GUILMETTE, Jonathan
6. BEAN, Nicolas
7. BOISVERT-LACROIX, Alex
8. GILDAY, Michael
9. FORTIN, Maxime
10. ANDRÉ, Vincent
Posted by noelle at 11:57 PM | Comments (22)
March 7, 2007
Charles Hamelin sets sights on World Championship title
La Presse | Charles Hamelin voit grand
Galvanized by excellent results on the World Cup circuit this season, Charles Hamelin envisions nothing less than first place in the overall classification at this weekend's World Championships in Milan. 'I'm versatile. I've demonstrated that I can win medals at every distance. So my objective is to return home as World Champion.'The return to competition of Apolo Anton Ohno could mess up his plans but Hamelin isn't losing sleep over it. 'I don't know what he's going to do, but I'm not afraid of him. It's he who should be afraid of us. There must be a reason he didn't skate any World Cups this season.'
On the women's side, [Canadian] hopes rest on Kalyna Roberge, who finished 3rd overall at last year's World Championships in Minneapolis. Roberge will be especially wary of the Korean skaters, who don't mind making illegal passes, as they did at the last World Cup in Budapest.
Posted by noelle at 10:10 AM | Comments (124)
December 1, 2006
Pregnancy puts an end to Anouk Leblanc-Boucher's season
Speed Skating Canada sent out a press release last night with the news! Anouk is about 6 weeks along now and due to the risks inherent in short track, she will necessarily end her competitive season now, though she intends to keep training with the team and resume her competitive career after the birth.
Anne Maltais will take Anouk's place on the Canadian team for next week's World Cup event in Montreal.
Congratulations and best wishes to Anouk! Complete text of the press release is below the jump...
Pregnant, Anouk Leblanc-Boucher Puts an End to her Season
She is still planning to vie for a spot on the 2010 Olympic Team
After being told by Anouk Leblanc-Boucher that she was six weeks pregnant, Speed Skating Canada (SSC) is announcing that for obvious medical reasons she will not participate in competition with the national short track speed skating team for the rest of the season.
“I’m very happy. Of course, this unexpected news puts an end to my season, but I’m planning to keep skating,†declared Anouk Leblanc-Boucher. “A post-olympic year is good to take time for myself. I am planning to stay in as good a shape as possible in order to get back on the ice for the 2007-08 season, and to prepare for the 2010 Olympic games. Given the personal nature of this event, I would rather not comment more in order to live it with my partner and my family. I am convinced that members of the media will respect this decision and I thank them in advance for their understanding.â€
Following the happy news, the medical group of the national team got together in order to help Anouk both on the medical side and in establishing an adapted training program that she can follow during her pregnancy. For the time being, the skater is still a member of the National Team.
“Anouk obviously can’t compete anymore because of the risks associated to short track speed skating, but as long as her pregnancy progresses normally, she will train with the rest of the team until the end of the seasonâ€, explained the medical team. “We will just need to adjust her training program in order to avoid all risks.â€
At Speed Skating Canada, the news were well received. “From our stand point, we want to congratulate Anouk and to wish her the best of luck,†said Jean R. Dupré, Director General of SSC. “It’s an important part of our feminine team that will be away from competition, but this will allow our young developing skaters to get more international experience while we skate towards 2010.â€
The postpartum training will be evaluated by the skater’s doctor along with the national short track speed skating medical team. “With those measures, we will ensure that Anouk’s pregnancy goes well while minimizing the impacts of this inactivity period on her speed skating carreer,†ended the medical team.
Anouk Leblanc-Boucher will therefore not skate in the World Cup that will be held in Montreal from December 8 to 10 because of the risks. She will be replaced by Anne Maltais, who is already skating in the Saguenay stop of the World Cup from December 1 to 3.
Posted by noelle at 8:38 AM | Comments (6)
November 26, 2006
Kalyna Roberge in Flare magazine
It seems like the Canadian guys get all the attention (here and in general) but Kalyna Roberge shows they have no lock on either looks or talent up in the frozen northland.
Fresh off her sweep of the Canadian team trials in Calgary, Kalyna was recently featured in Canadian fashion magazine Flare (photo below). Kalyna is indeed tiny, as the caption states, but she looks like a superhero out there on the ice and has a brilliant career ahead of her. For those going to Montreal World Cup, she's one of the most exciting skaters you'll see out there!
Click photo to enlarge:
Doesn't she look gorgeous? Thanks to Amanda Overland for sending this to us!
Posted by noelle at 3:38 PM | Comments (23)
November 24, 2006
Mathieu Turcotte going on sabbatical
A report out of Canada says that feeling he lacked 'competitive fire', Mathieu Turcotte informed his coaches on Tuesday that he has decided to take the rest of the year off. In doing so, he declined the invitation to compete in World Cup 4 in Montreal.
After a long and decorated career (including 3 Olympic medals over the course of 2 Olympic Games) it's easy to see how 29-year old Turcotte would feel the need for some time away. I guess you can't underestimate the lure of a home-soil Olympics, as Turcotte states that his goal is to continue training at low intensity this year, and gradually build up towards his dream of winning an individual medal at the 2010 Games in Vancouver.
Otherwise, Turcotte will devote his time to his boot company Apex Racing Skates. In addition, he'll attend the Saguenay World Cup in the role of athlete representative to the ISU's short track technical committee in order to gather more information on how the new World Cup format is working out.
Also, Speed Skating Canada has now announced the full lineup for World Cups 3 and 4.
Women:
Jessica Gregg
Annik Plamondon
Anne Maltais (World Cup 3 only)
Anouk Leblanc-Boucher (World Cup 4 only)
Kalyna Roberge, Amanda Overland and Ivanie Blondin had already been named to the team based on their performance at last week's trials.
Men:
Marc-Andre Monette
Michael Gilday
Jeff Scholten
Charles Hamelin, Francois-Louis Tremblay and Olivier Jean had already been named to the team based on their performance at last week's trials.
Congratulations to all!
Posted by noelle at 10:10 AM | Comments (56)
November 18, 2006
Canadian trials - day 2 results
From Calgary (complete results here):
Kalyna Roberge and Charles Hamelin are dominating so far. Both skaters earned their second victories today by winning the women's and men's 500m, respectively.
[update] Speed Skating Canada reports that Hamelin set a new Canadian record time of 41.151 in his 500m quarter final. However, the SSC web site lists the current 500m Canadian record as 41,035 (also held by Hamelin) -- so I'm a bit baffled, but anyway, the ice is fast!
Hamelin and Roberge repeat winners at national team trials in short track speed skating
Men 500m A final
1. Charles Hamelin
2. Francois-Louis Tremblay
3. Jeff Scholten
4. Mathieu Turcotte
Men 500m B final
1. Marc-Andre Monette
2. Liam McFarlane
3. Guillaume Blais-Dufour
4. Alex Boisvert-Lacroix
Women 500m A final
1. Kalyna Roberge
2. Jessica Gregg
3. Anne Maltais
4. Andrea Do-Duc
Women 500m B final
1. Anouk Leblanc-Boucher
2. Marianne St-Gelais
3. Melanie Gagnon
4. Valerie Gauthier.
Top 10 overall after 2 days:
Top 10 Women
1 ROBERGE, Kalyna 2 000 points
2 LEBLANC-BOUCHER, Anouk 986
3 MALTAIS, Anne 907
4 GREGG, Jessica 902
5 BLONDIN, Ivanie 862
6 OVERLAND, Amanda 846
7 DO-DUC, Andréa 562
8 ST-GELAIS, Marianne 558
9 PLAMONDON, Annik 549
10 AVRITH, Nita 386
Top 10 Men
1 HAMELIN, Charles 2 000 points
2 TREMBLAY, François-Louis 1 259
3 MONETTE, Marc-André 1 109
4 SCHOLTEN, Jeffrey 862
5 JEAN, Olivier 835
6 TURCOTTE, Mathieu 613
7 GUILMETTE, Jonathan 589
8 GILDAY, Michael 558
9 MCFARLANE, Liam 362
10 BOISVERT-LACROIX, Alex 347
Posted by noelle at 7:56 PM | Comments (25)
November 17, 2006
Canadian trials - day 1 results
Canada is selecting their team this weekend for the next World Cups. Competition got underway today in Calgary with the 1500m.
From what I've read, the top 3 male and female finishers will automatically get spots on the World Cup team. The remaining 3 men and women will be named based on discretion of the high performance committee, which is looking to expose up-and-coming 2010 Olympic hopefuls to international competition.
1500m Final A women
1. Kalyna Roberge
2. Amanda Overland
3. Ivanie Blondin
4. Anouk Leblanc-Boucher
5. Annik Plamondon
6. Nita Avrith
1500m Final A men
1. Charles Hamelin
2. Olivier Jean
3. Marc-André Monette
4. Jonathan Guilmette
5. Francois-Louis Tremblay
6. Michael Gilday
7. Nathaniel Therrien
Roberge and Hamelin strike first at short track speed skating national team trials
Plus: Very interesting article about Yellowknife's Michael Gilday:
Canada.com | Yellowknife's Gilday to test his mettle against Canada's best short-trackers
Thanks to Stephen Gough for the results!
Posted by noelle at 7:15 PM | Comments (17)
October 19, 2006
'Shock therapy' for Team Canada
Jae Su Chun, the Korean coach now working with the Canadians, has really been shaking things up. Anouk Leblanc-Boucher recently revealed on the TV program 'Au dessus de la melee' that Chun said they all skate poorly and has introduced a new and heavier volume of technical training. He also struck a nerve when he told Francois-Louis Tremblay that he skated a lot better 4 years ago than he does now.
This piece from La presse features frank talk from several Canadian skaters: 'Shock therapy for short track'
Excerpts:
Jae Su Chun has a master's degree in speed skating (!) from the University of Seoul, where he specialized in lactic acid tolerance. This expertise is 'exactly what we need in this sport,' according to Jonathan Guilmette.'I didn't necessarily agree with the decision to let Guy Thibault go,' Flou remarked, 'but I did want there to be radical changes [to the program]. Everyone knew it was necessary. The Koreans opened a lot of people's eyes in Torino. We can win at some distances, like the 500m and the relay, but we come up short in the longer distances.'
The return of Derrick Campbell to coach in Canada was particularly well received. 'Derrick has traveled, he coached Apolo Ohno, he's seen what goes on elsewhere,' said Tremblay. 'His expertise isn't just specific to Canada -- we can't always stay centered around ourselves.'
Guilmette lived through some intense experiences with Thibault -- such as when he broke his back at the 2004 World Championships in Sweden. Thibault stayed by his side in the hospital for 10 days.
'He didn't have to do it,' said Jo. 'He had his family back in Canada after all, and my then-girlfriend had stayed with me in Sweden. I think Guy would have fit into the new team structure, but the federation made their decision.'
The Koreans feared Tremblay 4 years ago. The studied his technique, hoping to learn his secrets. But in Chun's eyes, Tremblay's fluid, apparently effortless strokes have slowly withered away.
'What do you mean, I don't skate well!' was Tremblay's reaction when Chun confronted him. 'I did much better last year than 4 years ago. But he was saying my technique was no good. I don't know why. You change your coach, you concentrate less on technique. It's not something that happens consciously.'
After trial and error that was at times 'demoralizing' the 25 year old skater has begun enjoying the fruits of his labors for the past month. 'He'll never turn us into Korean skaters. We need to play to our strengths. Canadians' strengths have always been pure speed, explosiveness, and the relays. The idea is to look at what other countries do best and make it work for us.'
Plus: Globe and Mail | Canadian short-track team long on experience
Posted by noelle at 1:47 PM | Comments (27)
October 12, 2006
Canadian team update
[update] For all you connaisseurs of Canada's national team skinsuits, this is for you. Here's the 06-07 collection.
Andrea Do-Duc, in the Montreal-International skinsuit, Annik Plamondon of the national team and Valérie Lambert from the development team
photo by Tuan Do-Duc
They're never boring, are they?
***
There has been a steady stream of short track-related news ... the latest is on Canada's short track team. I guess the season is really here! Like the U.S., Canada is sending a mix of veterans and new faces to this month's World Cups in China and South Korea:
Women: Amanda Overland, Anouk Leblanc-Boucher, Kalyna Roberge, Raphaele Lemieux, Anne Maltais and Nita Avrith
Anne Maltais, Nita Avrith, Raphaele Lemieux and Amanda Overland
Men: Steve Robillard, Francois-Louis Tremblay, Charles Hamelin, Matthieu Giroux, Marc-Andre Monette and Olivier Jean
Francois-Louis Tremblay, Olivier Jean, Marc-Andre Monette and Charles Hamelin
(photos by RYAN REMIORZ / CP)
Tania Vicent and Alanna Kraus are both sitting out the early part of the season with injuries (in Tania's case, a hip injury; in Alanna's tendonitis).
There's also a new article here: Short-track speed skaters already looking ahead to 2010 Games in Vancouver
"I'm anxious already and the way our seasons go, they fly by so fast, I look at it that it's not that far away," Amanda Overland said Thursday. "And come that Olympic year, we're skating earlier because the trials are earlier, we have to ready. It's right there for me, especially because it's in our own country."
I believe both the Canadian and U.S. teams depart for China tomorrow. Good luck and safe travels to all the skaters!
Posted by noelle at 9:14 PM | Comments (67)
August 9, 2006
Eric Bédard hangs up his skates
Eric Bédard announced at a press conference today that he's decided to retire from a decade-long career at the top of Canadian and international short track.
Eric -- who has won Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals over the course of three Winter Olympic games -- said he feels it's the right time to move on and make room for the next generation of skaters.
Congratulations to Eric on a brilliant career -- and on his new position as coach of Montréal-International, an elite club which has produced many of Canada's national and Olympic team members.
[update]
This is really nice! Many of Eric's current and former teammates turned out to support him at his retirement announcement Wednesday:
Eric at center, with (behind him) Marc Gagnon, Steve Robillard, Jean-Francois Monette, Jonathan Guilmette and (in front) Mathieu Turcotte and Francois-Louis Tremblay
Cyberpresse.ca | "Un coach dans l'âme"
Radio-Canada | Éric Bédard tire sa révérence
L'hebdo | «Je tourne la page sans aucun regret»
Cyberpresse.ca | Le patineur Éric Bédard prend sa retraite
Posted by noelle at 6:25 PM | Comments (21)
June 3, 2006
Canadian news update
The news of Guy Thibault's departure as Canada's head ST coach has hit the press:
Canadian Press | Short-track head coach Guy Thibault let go
Speed Skating Canada boss Jean Dupre said a team of four coaches will run the squad, but there would be no head coach. "When you change the direction of a program that drastically, sometimes it's necessary to replace certain people," Dupre said.
Since short track rumors often prove true, don't be surprised if news comes soon that Derrick Campbell is leaving USS to return north. Eric Bedard, who has coaching experience, is also rumored to be under consideration for one of the 4 coaching positions up north.
Then again, the Francophone press also has Francois-Louis Tremblay paying homage to Apolo Ohno, in a premature report that Apolo has retired.
In a French-language article, Bedard says of Thibault: "I learned a lot from him. He taught how to win and how to lose," and he credits Thibault with his return to the top last season.
As previously noted, Yves Hamelin -- father of skaters Charles and Francois and head coach of the Montreal International club -- has been named director of the short track program for Speed Skating Canada.
Posted by noelle at 10:44 AM | Comments (33)
May 29, 2006
Canadian news, part 1
updated 6/1 Also reported on Eric Bedard's blog is the news that Yves Hamelin, head coach of the Montreal International club (and father of skaters Charles and Francois) has been named director of the short track program for Speed Skating Canada. Congratulations!
Stunning news from up north: Long-time national coach Guy Thibault is out as head coach for team Canada after Speed Skating Canada decided not to renew his contract (originally reported on Eric Bédard's blog). Canada is said to be planning a new coaching format, with 4 coaches total (2 for the men, 2 for the women) who will be overseen by a sport director.
So far, assistant coaches Martin Gagné and Janos Englert will return, but there is no word on who will fill the remaining coaching positions. Speculation is rampant that current U.S. Short Track Managing Director Derrick Campbell may well be one of them. Derrick has reportedly been weighing his options but has yet to announce a decision.
Right now Team USA is coachless and losing Derrick would be a further blow to the program. No word if Guy likes to live dangerously enough to consider filling one of the vacancies south of the border!
Posted by noelle at 9:47 PM | Comments (21)
Canadian news, part 2
Fredericton, New Brunswick (whose club produced Stephen Gough and Jeff Scholten) is building several new ice surfaces but has cancelled plans to build an Olympic-size one when no sports except for speed skating expressed interest in such a facility.
While the Olympic-size ice surface wouldn't prevent other sports from using the facility, the lack of such a surface does prevent the youth of the region from practicing short track in a safe environment and poses a significant hurdle in the development of elite skaters and the sport in general. Supporters hope to persuade the city to reverse its decision and they welcome any constructive suggestions you may have to help them make their case. Please send suggestions to stephen@bont.com...
Posted by noelle at 9:28 PM | Comments (52)
May 11, 2006
Summer Holiday In Montreal
Canadian skater Rémi (Rene L'Oiseau) Beaulieu writes in to say:
As the sun shines down on montreal city, skaters are enjoying summer times and holidays at its best. Riding bikes, inlining in the streets, playing soccer, everything is a good reason to get together and enjoy life. As the last season have been pretty much long and intense for most of the skaters, it is cool to just do activities without any purpose of training.
Here we have Travis (Theo) Jayner and Joel (Minou) Mineau getting "prepared" to play some soccer game as the sun goes down on the island.
Thanks for sharing, Rémi - next time make sure you get in the picture too!
A very happy belated birthday to Travis Jayner, a great skater and an even better person! This is gonna be your year, man.
Posted by noelle at 7:24 PM | Comments (36)
April 25, 2006
Honors for Amanda Overland
Congratulations to Canada's Amanda Overland (one of the friendliest people in short track!) who won athlete of the year honors from her home region in Ontario:
Waterloo (ON) Record| Overland wins top honour
Following in the footsteps of two older siblings, sister Cindy and brother Kevin, Overland came into her own on the international scene last year and was a silver medallist in the 3,000-metre relay in her first Olympics in Turin.The 24-year-old who trains in Montreal is already thinking ahead to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
Posted by noelle at 5:40 PM | Comments (13)
February 15, 2006
Canadians protesting outcome of women's 500m [updated Friday]
Well well well... it wouldn't be the Olympics without a controversy and a protest, now, would it? Thanks to commenter Bob for bringing this to our attention:
[new links]
A spokeswoman for the Bulgarian Olympic Committee says that the Canadian appeal doesn't stand a chance of succeeding.
Bloomberg |
AP | Canada protests women's 500 short track race
The Canadian Olympic Committee filed a complaint Thursday with the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the finish of the women's 500-meter short track final. CAS will hold a hearing Friday and is expected to announce its decision Saturday.
CP | LeBlanc-Boucher wins bronze in 500m
Anouk Leblanc-Boucher of Prevost, Que., avoided an illegal move by a Chinese skater to capture a bronze medal in the women's 500-metre short-track speedskating event at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday.And if Canadian coach Guy Thibault has his way, Leblanc-Boucher could end up with a silver and her teammate could join her on the podium.
Thibault has filed a formal complaint alleging silver medallist Evgenia Radanova of Bulgaria raised her right skate as she crossed the finish line.
"I don't know if we have a chance of winning the appeal, but its worth trying," Thibault said. "That's the way Marc Gagnon won a bronze medal in the 1,500 metres in Salt Lake."
Really - Gagnon won bronze on an appeal? I don't remember...
Were the appeal to succeed, which it won't, because they never do, Kalyna Roberge would be the skater elevated to bronze.
"Kalyna didn't want us to file the appeal," Thibault said. "She was saying she wanted to beat the skaters on the ice and it's for her honour. But for me, I'd really like two medals and the rules are there to be respected."
Yeesh. I haven't seen the race yet -- but ugh, is there to be no end of Olympic protests?
Posted by noelle at 10:00 PM | Comments (48)
January 30, 2006
Quebec Elite Circuit #3
This past weekend three Americans competed in Montreal: Travis Jayner, Jordan Malone and Ryan Bedford. Travis won his division by sweeping the 1500m, 500m and 1000m A finals. He also finished 3rd in the 3000m. Way to go Gervais!
Jordan was 3rd overall, winning the 500m B final and 2nd in the 1000m A final. Ryan finished 5th overall in their division with a win of the 1000m B final and 2nd in the 3000m A final. Congrats, guys! (Caveat - this is based on my shaky interpretation of the official results.)
The Americans were segregated in the 2nd division of skaters, reportedly so they wouldn't 'interfere with the Canadian skaters' standings.' Sounds dodgy to me, but what do I know!
By the way, Jordan and Ryan are spending the next weeks while most of their coaches and teammates are in Italy training with the Montral-International club, which is also Travis's home club when he's in Montreal. Jordan and Travis will continue on to Lake Placid for this week's USA-Canada showdown.
Posted by noelle at 7:44 PM | Comments (6)
News from up north
London Free Press | One-track mind
Francois-Louis Tremblay flies under the radar compared to his teammates. And yet, he came closer to winning the World Championships (last year in Beijing) than any Canadian male has since Marc Gagnon. Anyway, this article in an Ontario newspaper talks about his Olympic experiences in 2002 and 2006 and predicts 2 medals for him in Torino.
Also, as McDonalds sponsors Apolo here at home, McDonald's of Canada is sponsoring three Canadian short trackers aiming for Vancouver 2010: Guillaume Bastille, Kalyna Roberge and Charles Hamelin. Roberge and Hamelin will of course also compete in Torino. You can see their profiles on the McDonalds 2010 web site.
Posted by noelle at 4:58 PM | Comments (0)
January 20, 2006
Eric Bedard article
Montreal Gazette | 'If they ask me, my answer is yes'
(via Eric's blog)
[Four years ago in Salt Lake City] the veteran of the Canadian short-track speed skating team had just been told by coach Guy Thibault that he was being replaced in the final of the men's 5,000-metre Olympic relay, to be held a couple of hours later.Bedard wept, as did Francois-Louis Tremblay, who would replace him. But Bedard left the 15-minute meeting, dried his tears and screamed himself hoarse at rinkside that night, cheering Canada to the gold medal. The team of athletes he'd come to know as brothers was more important than his own crushed dream.
I dare you not to shed tears -- it's a very moving piece.
After learning the other day that several Canadian Olympians asked not to be chosen to carry the Olympic flag in the Opening Ceremonies, we find out that Speed Skating Canada has nominated Eric for the honor. Congratulations to him on his nomination, it's a well-deserved honor!
Posted by noelle at 1:02 PM | Comments (7)
November 6, 2005
Canada gets a new world record in Bormio
More evidence of the stunning depth of talent on the Canadian bench -- congratulations to Canada's Mathieu Giroux, who set a new 3000m record of 4 minutes 32.193 seconds at the Alta Valtellina Trophy competition today in Bormio. Mathieu shaved half a second off the mark set two years ago by Hyun-soo Ahn at a World Cup in China. Details
With an all-Canadian 3000m, they decided to go for the record and it paid off! Team Canada was embarrassingly dominant in Bormio, winning 19 of the 24 medals available.
Bormio now boasts 2 world records (2 seasons ago Jiajun Li set the existing mark at 1000m there). It's cool to see it happen outside of a World Cup or World Championships.
Posted by noelle at 7:01 PM | Comments (2)
September 12, 2005
Presenting the Canadian Olympic team
[Update] Toronto Star | Skaters primed for Turin
"It's the toughest competition for these guys," said Guy Thibault. "Every four years, they have to compete with their friends like they are their fiercest rivals at a level of intensity that's even harder than the Olympic Games. They risked everything out there."
Happy, relieved skaters!
top: Mathieu Turcotte, Charles Hamelin, Eric Bedard, Jonathan Guilmette, F-L Tremblay
bottom: Alanna Kraus, Kalyna Roberge, Tania Vicent, Anouk Leblanc-Boucher, Amanda Overland
photo by Lori Bayne
Posted by noelle at 9:35 AM | Comments (8)
August 9, 2005
Amelie Goulet-Nadon to skip Olympics
TSN.ca | Short track skater Nadon to miss Olympics
Sad news from Canada -- Amelie Goulet-Nadon has withdrawn from Canada's Olympic trials scheduled for September 1-11, ending her dreams of competing in Torino. She's been suffering from a motor skill problem that seems to have created a disconnect between her mind and her body, hampering her ability to skate and endangering her safety on the ice:
Since she was 12-years-old skating came as naturally to Goulet-Nadon as breathing. Now it's like walking on coals, each step calculated, deliberate and sometimes painful. 'It would be like tomorrow if you forgot how to walk with your left foot,' she explained. 'It's like the switch is off in your brain. You see people walking, you know how to do it, but you just cannot apply it at the moment.'
'I've gone from being one of the best skaters in the world to not being able to follow the girls in training," she said.
Best wishes to Amelie for a complete recovery!
[UPDATE:] More info on Amelie's condition via Speed Skating Canada
Posted by noelle at 9:50 PM | Comments (16)