Heartbeat Highlights

Here are some of the Canadian highlights from the past week in sports:

New Canadian High Jump Record

Olympic bronze medallist, Derek Drouin broke the Canadian record in the high jump at the Prefontaine Classic. It's a shame that Canadian broadcasters weren't covering the Diamond League meet this past weekend. Although NBC showed a few of the jumpers, they didn't show Drouin's bronze medal performance (or I missed it).

Here's the video of his record-breaking jump:



Click here for his post event interview.

Sheila Reid posted a personal best time of 4:02.96 while coming in 6th in the 1500m final and reaching the A standard. It's her first time running faster than 4:07. Click here for the race video and here for an informative and entertaining post race interview.

In the 800m National final, Melissa Bishop finished 2nd reaching the B standard. Click here for the race video and here for the post-race interview.

CanoeKayak World Cup #3

The Canadian CanoeKayak team won thirteen medals this past weekend. It was wonderful to see the coverage on Sportsnet and see (in HD) our athletes who are on the road to Rio race against some of the best in the world.

You can watch the A Finals by clicking here, then choosing the individual races (or just let the videos play back to back). Unfortunately, women's canoe and 5000m races are not televised.

Gold:

• Ben Russell and Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny - Men's C2 1000m (race video)
• Mark de Jonge - Men's K1 200m (race video)
• Laurence Vincent-Lapointe - Women's C1 200m
• Laurence Vincent-Lapointe and Sara-Jane Caumartin - Women's C2 500m
• Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny - Men's C1 5000m

Silver:

• Geneviève Beauchesne-Sévigny and KC Fraser - K2 500m (race video)
• Adam van Koeverden and Brady Reardon - K2 1000m (race video)
• Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny and Pierre-Luc Laliberte - Men's C2 200m (race video)
• Émilie Fournel - Women's K1 5000m

Bronze:

• Étienne Beauchesne, Marshall Hughes, Philippe Duchesneau and Sam Roworth - Men's K4 1000m
• Adam van Koeverden & Brady Reardon - Men's K2 500m
• Geneviève Beauchesne-Sévigny, KC Fraser, Una Lounder and Émilie Fournel - Women's K4 500 (race video)
• Geneviève Beauchesne-Sévigny and KC Fraser - Women's K2 200m (race video)

The Canadian K2 200m teams shook things up this past weekend.

At the World Cup #2, London 2012 team Ryan Cochrane and Hugues Fournel came in 7th in the K2-200m, one and a half seconds back from the winners from Russia. Etienne Morneau and Richard Dober Jr. were 3rd in the B Final.

This weekend, Cochrane teamed up with Morneau and Fournel teamed up with Dober Jr. Both teams made the A Final this time with Cochrane and Morneau winning their heat to go straight to the final. Fournel and Dober were second in their heat to the Russians then second to the Argentinians in the semi-final.

In the final it was the team of Fournel and Dober who would be the top Canadian team finishing 4th just over one second behind the powerful Russian team in a very close finish for 3rd with 0.2 seconds separating 3rd from 6th. Cochrane and Morneau could not duplicate their heat performance finishing 9th in the final.

Full Canadian results can be found here for Day1 and here for Day 2. The Canadian team are now coming back to Canada in preparation for Team Trials #2 being held in Welland on June 21-23.

Swimming U.S. Grand Prix

It was great to see our Canadian swimmers performing well at the U.S. Grand Prix in Santa Clara televised on Sportsnet on the weekend.

Top results included:

Gold:

• Audrey Lacroix - women's 200m butterfly
• Ryan Cochrane, Alec Page, Keegan Zanatta and Jeremy Bagshaw - men's 4x200m freestyle relay
• Katerine Savard - women's 100m butterfly

Silver:

• Alexa Komarnycky - women's 800m freestyle
• Alexa Komarnycky - women's 400m freestyle
• Hannah Riordan, Victoria Poon, Sandrine Mainville and Barbara Jardin - women's 4x100m freestyle
• Hassaan Abdel-Khalik, Blake Worsley, Frank Despond, Aly Abdel-Khalik - men's 4x200m freestyle relay

Bronze:

• Paige Schultz, Bridget Coley, Kennedy Goss and Heather Maitland women's 4x200m freestyle relay
• Hiilary Caldwell - women's 200m backstroke
• Ryan Cochrane - men's 400m freestyle
• Ryan Cochrane - men's 800m freestyle

Full results can be found here.

Canada Cup Swimming in Toronto This Weekend

Are you near Toronto this week? Swimming Canada and Etobicoke Swimming are hosting a Canada Cup competition where 13 Olympians will be competing in 36 events! This is your chance to support our Canadian athletes!

I am very excited to go and cheer on our swimmers. I was fortunate enough to be a volunteer in the Olympic Heroes parade, walking along with the swimming float. You can read that post here.

I am very happy to have them compete in Toronto so that I now get to see them compete in the pool. It will be interesting to see them compete against each other though. I'll be cheering for them all.

Competitors include 2008 Olympian Jake Tapp and 2012 Olympians Heather Maclean, Savannah King, Alexa Komarnycky, Zsofi Balazs, Samantha Cheverton, Tera Van Beilen, Martha McCabe, Katerine Savard, Sinead Russell, Colin Russell, Tommy Gossland, Andrew Ford and David Sharpe.

Friday November 23 and Saturday November 24, 2012
Heats start at 10am.
Finals start at 6pm
Etobicoke Olympium

Ticket Information
All Session Passes $20.00
Preliminaries only $5
Finals only  $10.00

VIP Lounge
All Sessions $40.00
Preliminaries only $10
Finals only $20

More Info

For full list of competitors and Friday preliminaries list, click here and click here for race start times.
Click here for live results.

Click here for Saturday preliminaries list.

Toronto Olympic Parade

My day volunteering at the Toronto Olympic Parade started at a breakfast and briefing (you can read that post here). I was assigned the swim team for the Olympic parade.

Afterwards, we walked to our float where we had half an hour waiting for the parade to start, which meant posing and taking photos. With everyone's cameras out (and the athletes out in the public), I felt okay taking photos (unlike at the breakfasts which to me were private moments).

One of the best moments from the Olympic trials was the moment when Heather MacLean qualified after her sister Brittany had already qualified for London 2012.  The joy and tears that flowed were felt throughout the country. I was thrilled to get a photo of the two of them together.

Richard Weinberger (bronze in 10k swim) was a highlight during the parade ensuring he (and his bronze medal) were in every photo that fans were taking of the float. He also took every opportunity to encourage the fans to go out and "swim". He took a moment to pose before the parade.

Taking a walk along the other floats, I spotted one of my favourite Olympians Jean-Luc Brassard (1994 gold medal - moguls) who was gracious and posed for a photo.

The women's soccer team (with their bronze medals) posed with a young fan.

Five minutes before the parade, the Olympians are onboard and ready to go.

The crowd was overwhelming, it gave me goosebumps.  There were so many people cheering with flags and wearing red and white.  There were countless signs.  I especially loved that the swimmers called Richard from the other side of the float to make sure he saw this sign (I was a little late getting my camera out, but the moment was priceless).

The swim team was so much fun. I loved how the men would raise a woman who would swim in the air. 

They also sang a lot of the song Call Me Maybe which would end up on a video (more on that in a later post).  There were also countless times where the crowd came up to the float to high-five the athletes.

There were a few quiet moments when there was time for photo ops.

I thought this was a lovely spot for a photo with city hall in the background so I took a photo of the beach volleyball players who were in the truck behind us.

At one point, I realized I didn't have a photo with me in it, so I asked the other volunteer to take one (without asking the athletes to pose). There is a better one of me, but I love the energy in this one (thanks to Savannah King for making this photo memorable).

As we approach the end of the parade, my sister is in the crowd and took a couple of photos.  I especially love this one that shows pure joy in my face as I try to get back to the float.

One of my favourite Olympians Simon Whitfield was just a couple of trucks behind me.  I had seen him at both breakfasts (and lunch) but had kept my distance. As we approach the bottle neck at the end, I walked back to take a photo...just to prove that I had seen him (and Paula Findlay).

There was a large crowd waiting at Maple Leaf Square where some of the athletes would be interviewed onstage.

With my volunteer duties finished, I managed to catch the end of the parade where Mark Tewksbury and Sylvie Bernier were in a convertible just ahead of the Hall Of Fame float.

One more photo of Jean-Luc Brassard with Rory Bushfield (Sarah Burke's husband).

I stayed in the square to hear some interviews where I saw Adam van Koeverden on stage, another favourite Olympian of mine, and interestingly the first time I had seen him in my two days of volunteering.  When a friend had said to me that I might see him (before I volunteered), I had replied that since I had seen him race last year, and seen him with his 2012 silver medal at a store appearance a few weeks ago, he wasn't top priority. I was hoping to see Olympians I had never seen before. So I found it funny that I didn't end up seeing him up close.

I left with a huge smile on my face not believing that I had spent the last two days volunteering with the Canadian Olympic team.  I'm hoping that it won't be my last.

Olympic Volunteer Day #2

After an incredible day volunteering at the Olympic Heroes Tour (you can read that post here), I was back with Olympians for the Toronto Olympic Parade.

The day started at a breakfast and briefing where once again Olympian spotting was at its best.  I kept my distance and respected their space; but I was smiling on the inside (and perhaps on the outside too). There were a few instances where saying hello or congratulations to some of my favourites was possible and I did take advantage of those moments.

There was an awkward moment for me though, not involving an Olympian but in our volunteer duties.  The day before we were assigned Olympians for the school tours.  Today, the head of our group asked us who we wanted to be assigned to for the parade and wouldn't you know it, I was the first who was asked.

Just like at the Olympic Block Party in June when I was interviewed by a journalist (who would later write - I'm including the whole segment for context, but the important part is the highlighted lines):

With her signature freshly scrawled on the board, Suzanne Sewell walked away and smiled to herself. To say she is an enthusiastic supporter of Canada's athletes would be an understatement.
"The Olympics are every day for me," said the Toronto woman.
She was first bit by the Olympic bug in 1988 and since then has turned the Games from a pastime into a passion.
"I'm here to support the Canadian team and wish them luck. I'll be watching every minute," said Ms. Sewell, who attended the Vancouver Winter Games in 2010.
To prove her passion, Ms. Sewell was asked to name her favourite Canadian athlete.
"Just one," she asked, before listing five.
Ms. Sewell follows the highs and lows of Canada's amateurs day-in and day-out, keeping track of their personal bests and following them on Twitter. She's even got her own Olympic-themed handle: olympichearts.

I couldn't pick "just one".  Names rattled in my head and I couldn't name one knowing I was not saying another. Next thing I know, the other volunteers pick up the signs we had brought over that said which athletes were in which groups.  There it was, I hesitate and I don't have a group.

I still felt okay, because there were volunteers who really wanted a specific group, so I was happy that they were getting the ones they wanted. When they were looking for a second volunteer for athletics, I raised my hand along with another volunteer. When she was picked, she gave me her sign that said "swimming".

How serendipitous that I was "assigned" swimming. I watched every moment of the National Championships on television in the spring that were held at the Montreal Olympic Pool. I was so excited for the swimmers who made the Olympic team and at the same time so sad for those who didn't. I was almost more emotional about the Olympic trials than I was for the Olympics. Athletics would have been cool as well since I saw many of them compete in Toronto before the Olympics (you can read that post here), but back to swimming.

Knowing I was going to a small town 30 minutes from Montreal in the summer for a family reunion, I vowed to go to swim (and dive) in the Olympic pool.

I had previously visited the Olympic pool, but had never been in it. The week before the London 2012, I arrived at the Montreal Olympic Pool (on my birthday).

It was a quiet Friday afternoon, so there was no problem taking photos (they don't allow other people in your photos so if it was busy, we would not have been able to take photos).

I can't remember the last time I was on a diving board so I was pretty nervous at first. I jumped in from the end of the board (the water is so warm and the pool is painted this beautiful deep blue colour). So many times in my diving days and even years later, I would dream that I missed the board on my last hurdle. I was a little nervous taking those steps for the first time, but eventually, it came back to me.

We almost forgot to document me swimming in the pool, but luckily did for my last couple of laps (we could only swim the width of the pool, not the length).

A happy girl in the Montreal Olympic Pool.

Before the Olympics, I had planned to post about the athletes and when they were competing.  I posted about the swim team (you can read it here), naming every Olympian with their races (including predictions) but then got too busy watching the Olympics and reading about them to post any more.  So once again, it's funny that this is the team I ended up with for the parade.

Well, that was quite the tangent I went on, but I think it was just to explain that although I didn't end up with one of my five all-time favourite Canadian athletes, I was thrilled to spend the day with the Canadian swim team.  Silver medallist Ryan Cochrane wasn't there, but bronze medallists Brent Hayden and Richard Weinberger were.  I was also thrilled to be surrounded by so many Olympians, because for me, realizing the dream to attend an Olympic Games is as valuable as winning a medal.

This post is long enough, so I will continue the parade part in a separate post.

Canadian Swimmers at 2012 Olympics

Wondering who will be swimming for Canada and in which events in London?

Here is a list of our swimmers, their events and the date. If there is more than one date, the medal race will be on the last day with preliminaries and/or semis on the first day.

Our medal hopes include Ryan Cochrane, Brent Hayden, Richard Weinberger, Martha McCabe and Erica Morningstar. Other swimmers could follow Mark Tewksbury's lead saying "Why Not Me?" and be surprise medallists as well.


Brent Hayden
50 m freestyle - August 2-3
100 m freestyle - July 31 - Aug 1

Blake Worsley
200 m freestyle Aug 29-30

Ryan Cochrane
400 m freestyle - July 28th
1500 m freestyle - August 3-4

Charles Francis
100 m backstroke - July 29th-30th

Tobias Oriwol
200 m backstroke - August 1-2

Scott Dickens
100 m breaststroke - July 28-29
200 m breaststroke - July 31-August 1

Joe Bartoch
100 m butterfly - August 2-3

David Sharpe
200 m butterfly - July 30-31

Andrew Ford
200 m individual medley - August 1-2

Alec Page
400 m individual medley - July 28th

Thomas Gossland
Brent Hayden
Richard Hortness
Colin Russell
4×100 m freestyle relay - July 28th

Tobias Oriwol
Alec Page
Colin Russell
Blake Worsley
4×200 m freestyle relay - July 31st

Joe Bartoch
Scott Dickens
Charles Francis
Brent Hayden
4×100 m medley relay - August 3-4

Richard Weinberger
10 km open water - August 10


Victoria Poon
50 m freestyle - August 3-4

Julia Wilkinson
100 m freestyle - August 1-2

Samantha Cheverton
200 m freestyle - July 30-August 1

Barbara Jardin
Savannah King
400 m freestyle - July 29

Brittany MacLean
Savannah King
800 m freestyle - August 2-3

Alexa Komarnycky
Sinead Russell
100 m backstroke - July 29-30

Julia Wilkinson
Hilary Caldwell
200 m backstroke - August 2-3

Sinead Russell
Jillian Tyler
100 m breaststroke - July 29-30

Tera van Beilen
Martha McCabe
200 m breaststroke - Aug 1-2

Tera van Beilen
Audrey Lacroix
100 m butterfly - July 28-29

Katerine Savard
200 m butterfly July 31-August 1

Erica Morningstar
200 m individual medley - July 30-31

Julia Wilkinson
Stephanie Horner
400 m individual medley - July 28

Samantha Cheverton
Heather MacLean
Victoria Poon
Julia Wilkinson
4×100 m freestyle relay - July 28th

Samantha Cheverton
Barbara Jardin
Brittany MacLean
Amanda Reason
4×200 m freestyle relay - August 1st

Victoria Poon
Sinead Russell
Katerine Savard
Jillian Tyler
Tera van Beilen
Julia Wilkinson
4×100 m medley relay - August 3-4

Zsofia Balazs 10 km open water - August 9th

Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials

The Olympic Swimming Trials were held last week in Montreal at the 1976 Olympic Pool and broadcast every evening on Sportsnet.

If I thought I am emotional at the Olympic Games, that is nothing compared to the emotions of the swimming trials where one race determines your destiny.

Unlike in other sports where there are sometimes multiple chances to beat the Olympic qualifying times in order to qualify, these trials meant win the race and go to the Olympics (or be second and faster than the qualifying time). There were a few exceptions where swimmers had pre-qualified according to their placement at the World Championships lat year but overall, it was an emotional meet.

For me, these trials were heart-warming and heart-wrenching. There were some broken dreams with athletes who were expected to qualify and even compete for a medal at the Olympics who didn't perform on the day.

One of those was Annamay Pierse who held the World Record in the 200m breaststroke, but ended a disappointing 5th after struggling with illnesses in the past couple of years that hurt her training efforts. Two of her teammates qualified under the qualifying time to punch their tickets to London. It was difficult not to be excited for 18 year old Tera Van Beilen who won the race (as well as the 100m breaststroke) and Martha McCabe who qualified in 2nd and dreamed of going to the Olympics since the days of the "McCabe Olympics" held at their family's cottage.

There was heartbreak for Mike Brown who missed a medal at the 2008 Olympics by 9/100th of a second. After the 2010 Olympics, he decided to make a comeback and attempt to redeem himself at the 2012 Olympics. That dream died when he finished 4th in his race.

There was redemption for Scott Dickens who qualified in the 100m breaststroke after failing to make the team in 2008.

We did get some expected results with Julia Wilkinson, Brent Hayden and Ryan Cochrane winning their races and representing Canada once again.

It was especially exciting when the judge would put up four fingers meaning that we had qualified a relay team. The race would end with the winner knowing she was going to the Olympics, but when those four fingers went up, celebration erupted in the pool and in the crowd.

The best moment of the trials for me was the moment when Heather McLean qualified in the 4x100m freestyle relay after finishing third. Her younger sister had already qualified in the 400m freestyle and the 4x200m freestyle relay. In her last race of the week, Heather joined her sister on the team to London. It was impossible to keep a dry eye watching the two sisters hugging and celebrating after the race.

This week was an emotional roller coaster. It really reminded me that the Olympic Games is not only about the medals, but about the journey to get there. For some of these athletes, walking into the Opening Ceremonies and getting to race at the Olympics is the dream. Hopefully they're now dreaming bigger, training hard and quoting Mark Tewksbury saying to themselves "Why Not Me?" (Read the full quote here)

The full list of qualified swimmers can be seen on the Canadian Olympic Committee website.

Why Not Me

During an interview at the Canadian Swimming Olympic trials, Mark Tewksbury was asked to give advice to our Olympians. I loved his quote:

"Leave no stone unturned now because, I think when you get to the Games, the best place to be is 'I've done everything possible...Why Not Me' to win a medal and when you get that kind of confidence and sureness, anything can happen"

Great advice from the 1992 Olympic Gold Medal Winner (backstroke).

FINA World Aquatic Championships 2011

The Aquatics Championships are being held this week.

Schedule:

Diving: July 16-24

Synchro: July 17-23

Swimming (Open Water): July 19-July 23

Swimming: July 24-31

Water Polo: July 17-30

In Canada, CBC is showing a highlights show every evening at 11:30pm. Highlights can also be seen on their website www.cbc.ca

Olympic Memorable Moments (part one)

Originally posted on My Life Is Like A Song on August 22, 2008

I will write about my Canadian moments for now. I am saving up my international highlights for next week.

So here goes:

Carol Huynh (wrestling gold) on the podium - when she put her hand over her mouth - overwhelmed by emotion.

"and the anthem all Canadians have been waiting to hear"

This is one of my most vivid memories of the Olympics.

A hand on the face going from ecstasy to agony.

(not my photo)

When I saw this reaction by Adam van Koeverden this morning, I wanted to cry.  I woke up one morning this week relieved that I had only dreamed that he didn't win a medal in his race (seriously, I did). I thought it was inconceivable for him to not win two medals. I was in shock as I watched him fade at the end of his race. You could feel his pain and dejection as he was interviewed afterwards. He wore his heart on his sleeve especially when he looked in the camera and said "I'm sorry". This is one of the moments in this Olympics that has brought very strong emotions in me. There were such high hopes for him. He was one of our biggest hopes for medals. He knew it. The country knew it. I thought he could win a medal in his sleep (but would have to be awake for gold). Hopefully he puts it behind him and wins gold tomorrow in the 500. I refuse to believe in the flagbearer curse.

Another memorable moment for me was watching the gutsy run by Simon Whitfield in the triathlon. Man, as optomistic as I like to be, I thought he was done (a number of times) but especially when three runners start to pull away from him near the end. The commentator says that Simon had just said the other day that he did not want to be 4th. I'm thinking...ahh man - there isn't even anyone around to pass him so he can be 5th...lol.

Then, I see him throw his hat down. My first reaction is that he's annoyed that he's going to be 4th (has nothing left in the tank) or he's p*$#'d off and decides to go for it...ok, I was a little dramatic - perhaps he always takes his hat off for his final sprint, but that image is ingrained in my brain of seeing him throw his hat. Unfortunately, only those watching in HD could see this. I was recording in non-HD and it's not visible, so I'm glad I watched it live.

So I go from thinking he won't get a medal to thinking he's got it, he's going to win gold, to the final realization that he wins the silver...so moving...so exciting...what a roller coaster ride...definitely a highlight.

To see the video (although not in HD so you don't see him toss his hat) go to http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/ondemand/ You have to scroll to "day 11 triathlon highlights". It's at the 5 minute mark. [video no longer exists]

To add to the triathlon excitement, was to see Colin Jenkins finish the triathlon...jumping up and down like if he was the one who won a medal. What a great teammate. He was instrumental in Simon winning the medal (well, instrumental in ensuring he didn't lose it).

Actually Simon said something very interesting. The choice of Jenkins to the Olympic team was criticized in the media because he wasn't our 3rd fastest. He was chosen to help Simon in the first two legs (by staying near the front and keeping an eye on athletes who would make a charge and run away from the pack and letting Simon know). Then, at the Olympics, the media complains that Canada is not winning enough medals. So should we have sent 3 triathlon athletes to compete individually and none win a medal or should we have sent someone to help our best hope to win a medal?

Ryan Cochrane...winning our only swimming medal in the 1500m when we thought Canada's hopes of a swimming medal were over. Hadn't I read a few days earlier that Mike Brown had been our last hope at a swimming medal (when he finished 4th)?

Donovan Bailey's excitement about Usain Bolt. Can't help but smile when he's talking about him.

Ron McLean explaining that his mother passed away two hours earlier and that he's going home. He spoke so eloquently and my heart went out to him.

Luan Jujie...such an inspiring story of a 50 year old returning to her native China to compete for Canada...her adopted country (and winning one of her matches in fencing).

Ian Millar finally winning a medal in show jumping (after 9 Olympics) only a few months after his wife has passed away.

The determination and sheer grit of the men's 8 in rowing. When they received their gold medals, they showed such passion singing the national anthem (especially Adam Kreek) that Simon Whitfield wrote Sing Like Kreek on the handlebars of his bike.

Later edit: I found the video of O Canada.



Of the Olympics that I have seen, these have been my Canadian memorable moments so far. What about you?

You can read part two here.