Surf's Up For Canada's Freestyle Skiers

SUPPLIED PHOTO

Surf's up for Jennifer Heil.

Canada’s freestyle skiers couldn’t help themselves at the recent Olympic Excellence Series in Vancouver. Sure, one of the main topics of conversations was getting ready for the 2010 Winter Games, but they also had other things on their minds.

“All we did, the freestylers is talk about surfing,” said moguls coach Dominick Gauthier. “We are so tired of being on the mountains in the winter that we just look forward to being in the warm water on the beach instead of being on the cold glacier somewhere.”

Gauthier was the first freestyle to catch the surfing bug and it’s spread like wildfire since. Many of the skiers were riding the waves after another great season of performances, including Olympic moguls champion Jenn Heil, Gauthier’s girlfriend (pictured in Nicaragua), and aerials champion Steve Omischl. 

Gauthier said there’s a bit of a parallel between freestyle skiing and surfing in the balance required and finding the right place to be to generate the speed needed. He said moguls is like an “illusion sport,” where you’re trying to show the judges you’re totally control while being completely out of control.

SUPPLIED PHOTO

Jennifer Heil catches a wave.

“It’s just finding that perfect balance of knowing that everything will be fine – and you do get that on the wave,” he said. “Even though the wave could be 10 feet, if you have the right takeoff at the right moment, it just becomes so easy. It’s kind of similar to the moguls.”

Gauthier said the freestyle skiers are conservative in their approach, opting out when the waves appear a bit sketchy, although they don’t want it too easy, either.

“As long as there’s not a little fear factor attached to it, I think freestylers are bored.”

Wickenheiser Goes To Washington

We know that Hayley Wickenheiser is a great hockey player. Seems that she’s a pretty swell Mom, too.

On a recent swing through Toronto, Wickenheiser had son Noah in tow after a visit together to Washington. He’s certainly grown since people first got a peek at him as a baby when she carried him onto the ice to get her gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

He’s a charming young guy, spent much of his school year in a Swedish classroom (speaking Mats Sundin’s mother tongue!) while his Mom was playing there, and was still bubbling about the trip to D.C.

“Noah’s a big American history fan,” said Wickenheiser. “He’s studied the American presidents. He’s very interested in history in the world in general. I’m always away for his birthday during the world championships – it’s April 5 – so I said when we got back we would take a trip and he wanted to go to Washington.

“It was great to take a couple of days and tour the history of the city and walk up and down the national mall. Right after the Obama inauguration, it was pretty fresh in his mind. Just to watch his impression of everything was neat for me.”

Wickenheiser was in town to help organize the 7th annual Good As Gold Open fundraiser golf tournament for the Olympic women’s hockey team, being staged in Huntsville from June 19-21 and featuring the only Canadian performance this summer by the Barenaked Ladies.

The event has raised $750,000 for the team since it was started.

“It helps the players do things like pay the mortgage and buy food and just the basic necessities,” said Wickenheiser. “Most of the girls aren’t making what would be considered a great salary these days, so it really helps to subsidize that but it also brings a good awareness to the women’s game. That may be the most important of the two.”

Having been to the first two events when they were held at Windemere, I can say it’s a fabulous time, usually has a great cast of celebrities and is a great chance to meet the players who'll be gunning for gold in Vancouver. Details for the event can be accessed here.

Alex Harvey Dispute Doesn’t Have To Be No-Win Battle

You can understand the positions of both sides in the current dispute between rising cross-country ski star Alex Harvey and his association.

JONATHAN HAYWARD/THE CANADIAN PRESS

Alex Harvey wants to follow his own to road 2010.

From Harvey’s point of view, he’s establishing himself as a force to contend with working under a program designed by his coach Louis Bouchard in Quebec. From the Cross Country Canada viewpoint, they want the kid participating in every aspect of their program so the skiers can feed off of each other.

This is not a new problem in Canadian Olympic sport, a strong-willed athlete in a confrontation with a federation vowing to stick to its own rules. Harvey’s father, Pierre, the first Canadian to win a World Cup cross-country ski race, had his own battles with the Cross Country Canada.

History tells us that the athlete usually wins out -- and it’s hard to argue that it shouldn’t be that way when that athlete has been establishing their own pattern of success. If you’re going to succeed as a Canadian in sports like cross-country skiing, you’ve got to be strong-willed because you are definitely going against the tide.

Look at Myriam Bedard. She used to talk about her mother saying she told her that she had a “tête de cochon” -- that she was pigheaded. And it was that iron determination that produced two Olympic gold medals in biathlon for Canada at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. Bedard had incredible fights with her association over everything, but she fought for what she felt she needed to win.

That’s what Harvey’s doing right now. He wants to be on snow in September in Austria testing skis for the Olympic season, not in Mammoth Mountain, Calif., with the team doing dry land training.

He’s not saying he won’t take part in any team training camps. He’s prepared to go to most of them, but he and his coach have their own ideas of what he needs to be ready for the 2010 Winter Games.

Cross Country Canada is afraid of looking wishy-washy if they cave in to Harvey, but they were the ones who set the guidelines, not Harvey. If there is no flexibility in them, that’s not Harvey’s fault.

The thing is that former star Beckie Scott trained mostly on her own with her own coach outside the team leading to the 2006 Turin Olympics. That’s not to say Harvey is of that stature, but a precedent has been set.

These things don’t have to be acrimonious. They should look at the structure set up by the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association, headed by CEO Peter Judge. He’s been able to work out an agreement with coach Dominick Gauthier, who guides moguls stars Jenn Heil and Alex Bilodeau, where they have their own program but still work seamlessly with the team.

Gauthier, who is one of the brightest young minds in Canadian Olympic sport, said the sports system has to recognize the importance of looking at each individual’s needs.

“We treat our sports like speed skating and skiing like they’re team sports, but it’s an individual sport and we run it as a team because it’s financially the only way to do it,” he said. “Sometimes one individual can be lost in the system and it’s not that the system’s necessarily wrong but it doesn’t suit what the athlete in this case needs.”

Gauthier said Judge has been open minded and worked with them to make sure everyone is getting what they need.

“I want to be with them and they want to be with me and we all know how we work together. It’s the perfect environment. I know I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

It’s hard to think Harvey and Cross Country Canada are going to come to such a cheery arrangement, but something needs to get done – and fast – so it doesn’t hamper a promising athlete’s preparation for the 2010 Games.

Luger Is Buoyed By Company She Keeps at Olympic Team Builder

As Canada’s top luger, Alex Gough is used to making like a human torpedo racing down an icy track. But for the past few days, she’s been making like a sponge.

Gough has been part of the Olympic Excellence Series in Vancouver, a four-day gathering of many of the country’s top athletes, coaches and officials to help them prepare for the big show next February.

JEFF MCINTOSH/THE CANADIAN PRESS

Alex Gough: Human Torpedo.

It’s a good initiative by the Canadian Olympic Committee that they began before the 2006 Turin Olympics. It allows coaches and officials to brainstorm and athletes to listen to the experiences of some of the country’s past Olympics greats and compare notes with one another. It’s also used as a team building exercise.

Many athletes have found it to be beneficials, although it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Some give it a wide berth, reckoning it might distract them and take up precious time where they could be training or resting. Some find it a bit too regimented.

Hey, whatever works for you.

But for Gough, who was attending one for the first time, it was a valuable exercise, both for learning that even of the Olympic greats of the past had their doubts and endured extremely tough days, and also to get to know some of her teammates from other sports.

The Calgary native made a huge jump in women’s luge last season, finishing fourth at the world championships. Just getting invited to the event in Vancouver was a big indication of her change in status.

“After this year, I saw that I could be there. I surprised myself,” said Gough. “Just knowing that pushes me to try harder and then being invited to this where I’m sitting next to Warren Shouldice or Jeremy Wotherspoon, it makes you realize ‘Okay, maybe I am part of this group and I could be to my sport what these guys are.’”

The German women have dominated her sport, but Gough’s fourth at the worlds combinted with a win by American Erin Hamlin showed that the luge world order can be changed.

“I do believe I can get in there. It’s not going to be easy. They’re extremely strong and it’s tough to beat them, especially on a lot of their home tracks. Well, this is our home track. … In Lake Placid, it showed they’re not invincible. We can be there, whether it’s myself or an American or someone. That was huge for our sport to see someone do that. It motivates everyone to try harder.”

Hopfner-Hibbs Not Missing A Beat At UCLA

Olympic gymnast Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs of Toronto is on a roll as she enters the NCAA championships this week with UCLA.

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs goes for a spin in Beijing.

It’s been quite a rookie year for Canada’s first ever women’s world championship medallist, as she was selected Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. She’s second on the UCLA women’s team in wins with 11, plus 30 top-three finishes.

Hibbs has been a steadying influence on the team, nailing 40 of her last 41 routines without a fall. She had a streak of 24 in a row ended by a fall on the beam and has since began another streak of 16 heading into the NCAA championships, where UCLA is ranked seventh going in.

Hopfner-Hibbs is one of three Canadians on the team – Marci Bernholz of Unionville and Aisha Gerber of Cambridge are the others.

Great Opportunity: With Ontario Coaches week beginning this weekend, there’s a great opportunity for parents of young athletes as well as aspiring coaches on Monday, April 20, from 7-9 p.m. at the North Toronto Memorial Community Centre (200 Eglinton Ave West).

Veteran coaches Andy Higgins and Dave Ross will be sharing their insights on such topics as:

* Everything Parents Need to Know About Coaching

* How Sport Parents Can Stand Out From The Crowd

* Choosing the Right Sport Program for Your Child

* Beyond the Starting Line Up

* Long Term Athlete Development Model

Higgins coached former world silver medalist decathlete Michael Smith as well as Olympic bronze medalist Dave Steen. Ross is the Obi-Wan Kenobi of trampoline coaches, having guided Karen Cockburn to three straight Olympic medals and Jason Burnett to a silver medal in Beijing.

They both obviously have plenty to share. Best part?  It's free, put on by the Coaching Association of Ontario.  

Heather Moyse’s Road to 2010 … Thru the Potato Warehouse

RICK MADONIK/TORONTO STAR

Heather Moyse with her nephew Charlie after winning a silver medal at a World Cup in Whistler with driver Kaillie Humphries.

We’re going to give bobsledder Heather Moyse the gold medal this season for determination to train through any obstacle.

As Moyse relates on her blog, she was back home in Summerside, PEI, for a while before the world championships in Lake Placid to attend her grandmother’s funeral and spend some time with her mother.

She still had to train and her coach suggested that she find a car to push. Well, there’d been a freezing rainstorm and then snow, so finding a good place wasn’t going to be easy – so she called the mayor.

The mayor put her in touch with the guy who runs the potato warehouse, who supplied a dry place to push, and her brother supplied the car.

We’ll let Heather tell the rest in this excerpt from her blog:

“Only in PEI. Having the Mayor of the city hook me up with the inside man of the warehouse, signing a liability waiver for access, and then pushing my brother’s car while in neutral with my brother and nephew sitting in the front seats, cheering me on (with “Eye of the Tiger” blaring from the radio)! Although inspired by the music, pushing and accelerating a car for 25 metres is actually harder than you might think! But REALLY funny for those watching! Only in PEI! I love it!”

We love it, too! Way to go, Heather!

Catching up with … Canadian freestyler Kristi Richards

STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

Kristi Richards is one of Canada's freestyle stars.

Kristi Richards arrived in Japan for the 2009 World Freestyle Ski Championships as the defending women’s moguls champion, but she’d have to be excused if that stunning victory over teammate Jenn Heil two years ago seems like ancient history now.

This has been Richards’ annus horribulis, a season where nothing has seemed to go right for the 27-year-old from Summerland, B.C,, who has only been in the top-10 in one of seven World Cup events and has finished back in the 30s twice.

“It’s definitely been a different season for me,” said Richards from Japan this week. “I’m definitely not getting the results that I wanted and hoped for this year. For me, it’s just going back to basics and making sure that I’m on my technical goals, just trying to stay focused and not letting what’s happened so far bother me.”

It’s hard for Richards to pinpoint what exactly has been wrong this season. At times, she has been undone by technical mistakes, on other occasions by mental ones. She has been serious about keeping a journal and trying to learn from every single mistake and every single experience.

She does know the pressure that comes with the 2010 Winter Olympics looming has been a factor.

“I think definitely there’s some more stress this year with Olympics,” she said. “That could have played a part. The other things I’m not sure.

“I’m definitely an athlete that puts pressure on myself. I don’t get bothered with the external pressure, but definitely on myself, the personal expectations and those things. It’s been a tough season for sure, but a lot of learning so that’s good.”

Richards has a lot on her plate. She founded the Supporting the Dream Legacy Fund in the fall of 2007, which grants bursaries of $1,500 to up and coming athletes.

“I love doing that stuff, I love being connected with the community, especially with the kids. I think that stuff actually for me makes it easier. It gives me a ground to kind of go back to and realize how important sharing is and how important support is. Even if you are not getting the results and you’re having a rough season, those people are still there. It’s awesome.”

New WADA “whereabouts” testing system – WADA joke!

PHOTO COURTESY OF SIMON WHITFIELD

Simon Whitfield walking with his daughter: "Hey, is there someone following us....?"

Canadian triathlon ace Simon Whitfield made a desperate plea on his blog nearly two months ago after trying to fill out the new forms that the World Anti-Doping Agency created for out-of competition testing, also known as the “whereabouts” rule.

“I Simon Whitfield volunteer to pay for and wear a GPS tracking unit so that CCES, WADA and any other acronym totting organization can track me down at any minute of the day and make me pee in a bottle while taking blood from my arm. Seriously I do. I'll start tomorrow if only to not have to fill out this insane form. I have nothing what so ever to hide. You can track my whereabouts via GPS to your hearts content.”

Whitfield wasn’t kidding. In hindsight, he was the canary in the coal mine on this "whereabouts" issue which is causing consternation to athletes around the world, from the likes of tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams to ski star Lindsey Vonn and American hurdler Lolo Jones.

WADA is under fire – and rightly so – for an ill conceived system that now forces athletes to provide three months’ notice of their location an an hour each day for seven days a week between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. for testing.

Even beyond the unwieldiness of such a program and its restrictions on right to privacy, Canadian athletes like Whitfield and Olympic speed skating champion Clara Hughes have found the computer system set up to monitor the program ridiculously hard to navigate. It has cost them hours in time trying to register – with “trying” being the operative word, as they wind up having to give up in frustration.

Wrote Hughes on her blog: “It has become an absolute nightmare. It’s been revamped and I strongly believe the individual who created the new format should be fired. It’s virtually impossible to fill out accurately, and after over six hours of trying this past time I gave it the ‘as good as it’s gonna get’ seal and gave up.”

You know the crazy thing? Athletes like A-Rod, who make gazillions of dollars, don’t have to go through anything like this. (A-Rod would probably get his cousin to fill out his form). They can test positive, we don’t hear about if for years – if at all – and their livelihood isn’t affected at all.

Olympic athletes like Whitfield and Hughes have to fill out forms notifying pee collectors of their every move three months in advance using forms so complex that their livelihoods are put at risk if they get it wrong.

What a farce. WADA joke.

Jenn Heil Goes A Little Glam But Knows What Matters

PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNIFER HEIL

Olympic moguls champion Jenn Heil has unveiled a flashy new website on the road to Vancouver 2010.

It’s a site worthy of an athlete of her calibre, whose off the slope endeavours are even more impressive than her incredible achievements as a skier.

One prominent area on the site is titled “What Matters” and notes her involvement in such projects as B2ten, which she and boyfriend/coach Dominick Gauthier helped found to support other Canadian athletes shooting for the podium who haven’t previously enjoyed the same support she has.

As well, Heil works with the David Suzuki Foundation, Plan Canada, and the Edmonton charity Kids Kottage, which helps out families in times of distress and provides support to get them on a good path. As Heil notes, “While I am working hard at my training it is nothing compared to what Edmontonians do to make Kids Kottage an important and enduring place.”

If you want to see a bit of the glamour side as we approach the Olympics, check out this video of Heil getting ready for a photo shoot with one of her sponsors, the Montreal-based Marcelle Cosmetics. Nice to see a Canadian company backing one of our own. They say they're proud to sponsor her -- and it shows.

Taye Gibson: Watch Skeleton Team's Secret Weapon In Action

Okay maybe he's only two years old but Taye Gibson is an athlete to watch for the future.  Ditto for his older brother Geidion.  You read it here first.

The favourite part of a swing out west at the start of this pre-Olympic winter campaign was getting a chance to drop in on 2006 Olympic skeleton champion Duff Gibson, his wife Jen and their sons, Geidion (right) and Taye.

Duff and Jen adopted Geidion and Taye last spring, travelling to Ethiopia to bring the brothers home to Calgary. The boys are an absolute delight, real charmers with smiles that could melt the steeliest heart.

Been meaning to post this video of Taye making like Dad on the skeleton run for a while now.

Both Geidion and Taye are game to try anything, do want to try skeleton some day and are working on their skating at the moment. They’re sports minded, a good thing considering Duff tried something like 47 sports before the Scarborough native made his mark in skeleton.

“We think Taye is going to be a linebacker and Geddy will be an endurance athlete,” joked Jen.

These guys don’t mind a bit of roughhousing, though Duff got more than he bargained for while wrestling around with Geidion one day.

“While you were toughing me, I tooted,” Geidion told him with a big grin. Serves him right, eh.