Canada 150: Olympic Memories

Saluting 150+ Olympians for Canada's 150th Anniversary. The final 150 post is dedicated to the Olympians who have won a medal on home soil.

109 individual athletes have won medals with eight of those athletes winning more than one medal.

68 athletes won the 26 gold medals in Vancouver and heard O Canada at a home Olympics. I was lucky enough to be in the crowd when we won our first one.



It's easy to compare the 5 medals at the 1988 Olympics to the 26 medals in 2010 and think that our Olympians are that much better but in a previous blog post, I compared the 1988 Olympics with the 2014 Olympics results. What I found is that the Olympics have changed, not necessarily our performance.

If the 2014 Olympics only had the 1988 sports, Canada would have won 5 medals - 3 silver and 2 bronze. At least at the 2010 Olympics, we would have had two gold medals on home soil. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir in figure skating and Christina Nesbitt in speed skating would have heard our national anthem on home soil. In total, the 2010 team would have won seven medals in the 1988 sports. You can read my full blog post here.

So here's to the Canadian Olympians who reached the podium at home.

1976 Montreal Olympics: 11 medals

Silver:

• Greg Joy - Athletics, High Jump
• John Wood - Canoeing, C-1 500m
• Michel Vaillancourt - Equestrian, Individual Jumping Grand Prix
• Cheryl Gibson - Swimming, 400m Individual Medley
• Stephen Pickell, Graham Smith, Clay Evans, Gary MacDonald - Swimming, 4x100m Medley Relay

Bronze:

• Nancy Garapick - Swimming, 100m Backstroke
• Nancy Garapick - Swimming, 200m Backstroke
• Shannon Smith - Swimming, 400m Freestyle
• Becky Smith - Swimming, 400m Individual Medley
• Gail Amundrud, Barbara Clark, Becky Smith, Anne Jardin - Swimming, 4x100m Freestyle Relay
• Wendy Cook, Robin Corsiglia, Susan (Smith) Kelsey, Anne Jardin - Women's 4x100m Medley Relay

1988 Calgary Olympics: 5 medals

Silver:

• Brian Orser - Figure Skating
• Elizabeth Manley - Figure Skating

Bronze: 

• Karen Percy - Alpine Skiing, Downhill
• Karen Percy - Alpine Skiing, Super-G
• Tracy Wilson, Robert McCall - Figure Skating, Ice Dancing

2010 Vancouver Olympics: 26 medals

Gold:

Alexandre Bilodeau - Freestyle Skiing, Moguls

Maëlle Ricker - Snowboard Cross

Christine Nesbitt - Speed Skating, 1000m

Jon Montgomery - Skeleton

Scott Moir, Tessa Virtue - Figure Skating, Ice Dancing

Ashleigh McIvor - Freestyle Skiing, Ski Cross

Kaillie Humphries, Heather Moyse - Bobsleigh

Ice Hockey - Women (21 players)

Charles Hamelin - Short Track, 500m

Guillaume Bastille, Charles Hamelin, François Hamelin, Olivier Jean, François-Louis Tremblay - Short Track, 5000m relay

Mathieu Giroux, Lucas Makowsky, Denny Morrison - Speed Skating, Team Pursuit

Jasey-Jay Anderson - Snowboarding, Parallel Giant Slalom

Adam Enright, Ben Hebert, Marc Kennedy, Kevin Martin, John Morris - Curling

Ice Hockey - Men (23 players)

Silver:

Jennifer Heil - Freestyle Skiing, Moguls

Mike Robertson - Snowboard Cross

Marianne St-Gelais - Short Track, 500m

Kristina Groves - Speed Skating, 1500m

Jessica Gregg, Kalyna Roberge, Marianne St-Gelais, Tania Vicent - Short Track, 3000m relay

Shelley-Ann Brown, Helen Upperton - Bobsleigh

Cori Bartel, Cheryl Bernard, Carolyn Darbyshire, Kristie Moore, Susan O'Connor - Curling

Bronze:

Kristina Groves - Speed Skating, 3000m

Clara Hughes - Speed Skating, 5000m

Joannie Rochette - Figure Skating

François-Louis Tremblay - Short Track, 500m

David Bissett, Lascelles Brown, Chris Le Bihan, Lyndon Rush - Bobsleigh

1 month to Canada 150: Olympic Memories

Counting 150 outstanding Olympic athletes for Canada's 150th birthday, the following Opening Ceremony flag bearers are athletes #9-#55. Click here to see the blog post with #1-8.

We've had 25 summer and 22 winter Opening Ceremony flag bearers.

There have been 10 who competed in athletics, including our first four flag bearers and 7 who competed in hockey, including our first five flag bearers. Looking at the Olympics since the 1976 Games, athletics and canoe/kayak have yielded three flag bearers each. The winter Olympics have had three speed skating flag bearers (plus one short track speed skating).

Thirteen flag bearers won a medal in more than one Olympics.

Twenty three won a medal at the Games where they were the flag bearer; fourteen of which were gold medals.

Thirteen of the forty seven flag bearers were women. The first Canadian female flag bearer was Nancy Green in 1968. Since then, half the flag bearers have been female.

Summer Olympic Games

2016 - Rosie MacLeannan - Trampoline
2012 - Simon Whitfield - Triathlon
2008 - Adam van Koeverden - Kayak
2004 - Nicolas Gill - Judo
2000 - Caroline Brunet - Kayak
1996 - Charmain Crooks - Athletics
1992 - Mike Smith - Athletics
1988 - Carolyn Waldo - Synchronized Swimming
1984 - Alex Baumann - Swimming
1980 -  Sue Halloway - Canoe
1976 - Abby Hoffman - Athletics
1972 - Douglas Rogers - Judo
1968 - Roger Jackson - Rowing
1964 - Gil Boa - Shooting
1960 - Carl Schwende - Fencing
1956 - Bob Steckle - Wrestling
1952 - Bill Parnell - Athletics
1948 - Bob McFarlane - Athletics
1944 - none - cancelled due to World War II
1940 - none - cancelled due to World War II
1936 - Jim Worrall - Athletics
1932 - George Maughan - Boxing
1928 - Joseph Wright Jr. - Rowing
1924 - Hec Phillips - Athletics
1920 - Archie McDiarmid - Athletics
1916 - none - cancelled due to World War I
1912 - Duncan Gillis - Athletics
1908 - Ed Archibald - Athletics

Winter Olympic Games

2014 - Hayley Wickenheiser - Hockey
2010 - Clara Hughes - Speed Skating
2006 - Danielle Goyette - Hockey
2002 - Catriona Le May Doan - Speed Skating
1998 - Jean-Luc Brassard - Moguls
1994 - Kurt Browning - Figure Skating
1992 - Sylvie Daigle - Short Track Speed Skating
1988 - Brian Orser - Figure Skating
1984 - Gaétan Boucher - Speed Skating
1980 - Ken Read - Alpine Skiing
1976 - Dave Irwin - Alpine Skiing
1972 - Karen Magnussen - Figure Skating
1968 - Nancy Greene - Alpine Skiing
1964 - Ralf Olin - Speed Skating
1960 - Robert Paul - Figure Skating
1956 - Norris Bowden - Figure Skating
1952 - Gordon Audley - Speed Skating
1948 - Hubert Brooks - Hockey
1944 - none - cancelled due to World War II
1940 - none - cancelled due to World War II
1936 - Walter Kitchen - Hockey
1932 - Hack Simpson - Hockey
1928 - John Porter - Hockey
1924 - Ernie Collett - Hockey



Flag Bearer Medals Won 

Summer Olympic Games

2016 - Rosie MacLeannan - Trampoline
         - Gold (2016, 2012)
2012 - Simon Whitfield - Triathlon
         - Gold (2000); Silver (2008)
2008 - Adam van Koeverden - Kayak
         - Gold (2004); Silver (2012, 2008); Bronze (2004)
2004 - Nicolas Gill - Judo
         - Silver (2000); Bronze (1992)
2000 - Caroline Brunet - Kayak
         - Silver (2000, 1996); Bronze (2004)
1996 - Charmain Crooks - Athletics
         - Silver (1984)
1992 - Mike Smith - Athletics
1988 - Carolyn Waldo - Synchronized Swimming
         - Gold (2x1988); Silver (1984)
1984 - Alex Baumann - Swimming
         - Gold (2x1984)
1980 -  Sue Halloway - Canoe
            (chosen but did not participate due to Canada's boycott of the Games)
         - Silver (1984); Bronze (1984)
1976 - Abby Hoffman - Athletics
1972 - Douglas Rogers - Judo
         - Silver (1964)
1968 - Roger Jackson - Rowing
         - Gold (1964)
1964 - Gil Boa - Shooting
         - Bronze (1956)
1960 - Carl Schwende - Fencing
1956 - Bob Steckle - Wrestling
1952 - Bill Parnell - Athletics
1948 - Bob McFarlane - Athletics
1944 - none - cancelled due to World War II
1940 - none - cancelled due to World War II
1936 - Jim Worrall - Athletics
1932 - George Maughan - Boxing
1928 - Joseph Wright Jr. - Rowing
         - Silver (1928)
1924 - Hec Phillips - Athletics
1920 - Archie McDiarmid - Athletics
1916 - none - cancelled due to World War I
1912 - Duncan Gillis - Athletics
         - Silver (1912)
1908 - Ed Archibald - Athletics
         - Bronze (1908)


Winter Olympic Games

2014 - Hayley Wickenheiser - Hockey
         - Gold (2014, 2010, 2006, 2002); Silver 1998
2010 - Clara Hughes - Speed Skating
         - Gold (2006); Silver (2006); Bronze (2010, 2002)
         - plus 2 summer Bronze (1996)
2006 - Danielle Goyette - Hockey
         - Gold (2006, 2002); Silver 1998
2002 - Catriona Le May Doan - Speed Skating
         - Gold (2002, 1998); Bronze (1998)
1998 - Jean-Luc Brassard - Moguls
         - Gold (1994)
1994 - Kurt Browning - Figure Skating
1992 - Sylvie Daigle - Short Track Speed Skating
         - Gold (1992); Silver (1994)
1988 - Brian Orser - Figure Skating
         - Silver (1988; 1984)
1984 - Gaétan Boucher - Speed Skating
         - Gold (2x1984); Silver 1980; Bronze (1984)
1980 - Ken Read - Alpine Skiing
1976 - Dave Irwin - Alpine Skiing
1972 - Karen Magnussen - Figure Skating
         - Silver (1972)
1968 - Nancy Greene - Alpine Skiing
         - Gold (1968); Silver (1968)
1964 - Ralf Olin - Speed Skating
1960 - Robert Paul - Figure Skating
         - Gold (1960)
1956 - Norris Bowden - Figure Skating
         - Silver (1956)
1952 - Gordon Audley - Speed Skating
         - Bronze (1952)
1948 - Hubert Brooks - Hockey
         - Gold (1948)
1944 - none - cancelled due to World War II
1940 - none - cancelled due to World War II
1936 - Walter Kitchen - Hockey
         - Silver (1936)
1932 - Hack Simpson - Hockey
         - Gold (1932)
1928 - John Porter - Hockey
         - Gold (1928)
1924 - Ernie Collett - Hockey
         - Gold (1924)

Grand Slam of Curling in Toronto

Ryerson University's Mattamy Athletic Centre located in the old Maple Leaf Gardens is hosting the Players Championships this week.

The draw schedule is here.
To buy tickets, click here.
The tv schedule is here.

It's a great compact venue where you can watch up to five matches at a time. It can be difficult to keep up with that many so focusing on one or two will give more enjoyment for those wanting to follow the strategy.

With the draw schedule released before the tournament starts, it's easy to choose the best viewing area for the match that is most interesting to you.

Although the compactness of the venue is great for the fans to be closer to the action and view the matches, there is not much room for the athletes between

The East grandstands provide the best view for Sheet B and C. It is closest to Sheet A giving the best view of the players, but the house is partially obstructed so rocks closest to the stands are not visible, especially if seated closer to the rink. There is glass around the stairs areas that also disrupts the view from the lower rows. The best seats are in the middle of rows away from the stairs.

If you want to view as much as possible, the higher rows are best. If you want to be as close as possible to the action and don't mind missing some of the action, lower rows are best.

This is the view from section E4, Row B Seat 8. As you can see Sheet A is half obstructed, but it's still a great seat to hear the strategy and see the athletes close-up.

Photos shared are taken with my iPhone. The shots I got last year with my camera are much better. There are great shots to be had when you're this close to the action.

This is the view from the top (standing above the top row of seats). Behind the scoreboards (on the left) is the Pinty's zone where fans can eat wings and drink while watching the games - although understand that you'll probably be on television when you take that big bite ;-)

During the week is a great time to get autographs as many players paused before leaving the rink. Most fans got autographs at the north end of Sheet A as or centre ice as you can see from this photo. Players can also be seen arriving and leaving the venue or talking in the hallways. Most are very accommodating to talk to fans.

If you remember Maple Leaf Gardens, make sure to look up at the rafters where pennants used to hang.

If you're interested in seeing how they transform the venue into a curling venue, check out this video.

150 days to Canada 150: Olympic Memories #1-8

With 150 days until Canada Day when our country will celebrate its 150th anniversary, I thought it was a good time to look back on Canadian Olympic memories.

Although Canada is very successful in some sports, I'll focus this post on athletes who have won the only gold medal for their sport.

Click on the athletes' names to be directed to their websites.

1. Sylvie Bernier - Diving 1984

Canada has had many incredible divers and two World Champions in the 3m and 10m Olympic events: Alexandre Despatie (2003 - 10m; 2005 - 3m) and Émilie Heymans (2003).

At the Olympics though, only Sylvie Bernier has had the honour of standing at the top of the podium.

Bernier served as Assistant Chef de Mission for the Canadian Olympic Team at the 2006 Winter Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics and Chef de Mission for the 2012 London Olympics.



To see the full competition, click here.

2. Lori Fung -  Rhythmic gymnastics 1984

Rhythmic gymnastics was added as an Olympic sport at the 1984 Olympic Games with Lori Fung winning the only gold medal awarded for the individual all-around. This is also the only medal Canada has won in the sport. Fung was a seven time Canadian champion and continued her career in gymnastics as a coach and director.




 3. Simon Whitfield - Triathlon 2000

Triathlon made its Olympic debut in Sydney at the 2000 Games. Simon Whitfield was the winner of the first men's race that you can re-watch by clicking here.

The following are highlights from the run. Whitfield would follow up this gold medal eight years later by winning silver in Beijing. These two medals are Canada's only medals in the triathlon.

Whitfield was the Canadian Opening Ceremony flag bearer for the 2012 London Olympics. He is now an ambassador and mentor for CIBC Team Next.




4. Sébastien Lareau and Daniel Nestor - Tennis Men's Doubles 2000

Canada won its only tennis medal in Sydney at the 2000 Summer Olympics when they beat the Australian home favourites Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge in the final.

Lareau was the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam title by winning the US Open in 1999, but it is Daniel Nestor who has had the longevity and record-breaking success for Canada.

Nestor has achieved the Golden Slam by winning the Olympics as well as all four of the Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open). In total he has won eight doubles Grand Slam titles and 91 career titles. This past month, at age 44 Nestor and his 38 year old doubles partner, Radek Štěpánek became the oldest team to reach a Grand Slam men's doubles final at the Australian Open.


5. Kyle Shewfelt - Artistic Gymnastics 2004

The only medal won in artistic gymnastics was the gold medal won by Kyle Shewfelt on the floor exercise at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

At the 2008 Olympics, he completed a new vault which was named the Shewfelt vault. He is a guest commentator for CBC Television's Olympic coverage and a mentor for CIBC Team Next.




6. Lori-Ann Muenzer - Track Cycling 2004

Lori-Ann Muenzer was 38 years old and the oldest cyclist in the sprint at the Olympic Games. In the final, she faced a 21 year old while racing with wheels that were borrowed from the French and Australian teams. Being a self-funded athlete, she only had one set that were wrecked in training mishaps.

Click here to watch a video on Lori-Ann's website that includes her gold medal winning race and medal ceremony.

Muenzer is still very involved in the cycling community introducing children to competitive cycling and teaching spin classes.

Click here to read a Toronto Star article about her induction into Canada Sports Hall of Fame.

7. George Lyon - Golf 1904

There were 77 athletes who competed in the 1904 Olympics. Three were from Canada and 74 were from the U.S. Lyon was the reigning Olympic champion for over 100 years with golf not being contested at the Games until 2016.

An interesting story about Lyon, golf and the Olympics was published in Golf Digest. You can read it here. There were plans for golf to be in the 2008 Olympics in Great Britain. George Lyon arrived to defend his Olympic title only to find out that the competition was cancelled.


8. *Unofficial* Christine Girard - Weightlifting 2012

It's not official but with sample re-testing resulting in positive drug tests for the gold and silver medallists, it looks like Christine Girard's bronze medal at the 2012 Games will be upgraded to gold.

In 2012, I included Girard as one of the athlete reactions that stuck in my mind. I a blog post I wrote:

"Christine Girard coming off the stage after missing her last lift thinking she was not on the podium to reading her lips say "J'ai une médaille?" and her reaction afterwards. (translated as "I have a medal?" I am going by memory of what she said since I can't find a video of that moment)"

To read the Globe and Mail article celebrating her historic bronze medal, click here.

Girard continued her weightlifting career by co-founding the Kilophile Weightlifting Club in Surrey, BC with her husband.

Cross Country Skiing World Cup Finals in Quebec City

It was recently announced that Quebec City will host the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Finals March 17-19th 2017. Click here to read Cross-Country Ski Canada's announcement.

I visited Quebec City in March 2014 and it was incredible. With this event on the second weekend of March Break, it's a great time to visit this charming city and see the world's best cross-country skiers compete on the Plains of Abraham in the final competition of the season.

Alex Harvey and Len Valjas just won a World Cup sprint race. Click here to read CBC's article about their win.

"With double the points up for grabs, hosting the World Cup Finals will bring huge advantage for hometown boy, Alex Harvey, and his Canadian teammates’ quest to charge up the overall standings.
“You always have a small advantage when racing at home so it is really exciting that we will be coming back to Quebec City for the Finals,” said Harvey, who sits fourth in the overall standings with a gold and bronze under his belt in 2017."  

[Source: Cross-Country Ski Canada]

When I first heard, I was so tempted to go that I looked at flight and hotel prices. Flights from Toronto were just over $300 while great hotels were $120-$150 per night with the legendary Chateau Frontenac $250 per night.

Although not cheap, the prices were still a lot more reasonable than I imagined. I wonder if prices will go up now that the announcement is made and hotels start filling up. I return from Mexico on March 16th so I can't commit to going yet but I wish I could.

There is so much history and beauty in Quebec City which makes this event even more enticing.

The Plains of Abraham may not be as calm as when I last visited. The cross-country trails were quiet and beautifully groomed. There was so much snow, the park benches were buried. I can just imagine the excitement of a World Cup event.

Photo credit: Phil Sewell

There are many sights to see in the city and surrounding area.

Quebec City's oldest stairs (Breakneck stairs/Escalier Casse-Cou) built in 1635 are worth climbing.

Photo credit: Phil Sewell

The Chateau Frontenac is visible from many different angles. From the quaint Quartier Petit Champlain, you can take the Escalier Casse-Cou or the Funicular (visible in this photo) up to the Chateau Frontenac.

Photo credit: Phil Sewell

One of my favourite places was the pub L'Oncle Antoine. It's located in the stone cellar of Maison Marie-Anne Barbel dated 1754. We went for an afternoon drink since kids were not allowed in for lunch. Even if I wasn't exactly hungry, I couldn't resist trying the French Onion Soup which was amazing.

Photo credit: Phil Sewell

I decided to post the following photo thinking that perhaps I didn't want our favourite photo of the two of us possibly being used by others. I have seen some of our photos shared on websites without permission or credit given.

Photo credit: Phil Sewell

I then searched on google maps to find the name of the pub and this is what popped up.

It took me a second to realize that this was not my personal search page, but the actual google maps page that included that photo of the two of us. I guess I didn't need to worry since that photo is already out there.

Although watching the world's best cross-country skiers is amazing, extending the holiday to include winter activities like ice skating, cross-country skiing or downhill skiing would make the holiday complete. March is also the ideal time to visit a sugar shack. 

Visiting or staying overnight at Hôtel de Glace would be a unusual experience and it is only a 40 minute drive from Québec City. You can read more about our day visit to Hôtel de Glace here.

Photo credit: Suzanne Sewell

The Chutes Montmorency are incredible in the winter in their frozen wonder. They are twice the height of Niagara Falls and can be enjoyed from many viewpoints.

Photo credit: Phil Sewell

Photo credit: Phil Sewell