Bobsleigh & Skeleton in Whistler this weekend

Are you near Whistler this week? The Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup is being held November 23 and 24 at the Whistler Sliding Centre. It's your chance to cheer for Canada and support our Canadian Olympians and national team members.

Competitors include Olympic medallists Jon Montgomery, Kaillie Humphries, Lyndon Rush, Lascelles Brown and Canadian Olympians Melissa Hollingsworth and Justin Kripps as well as Christopher Spring who competed for Australia at the 2010 Olympic games, but now represents Canada.

It's an exciting time for the Canadian Team with the season starting with great successes.

Olympic gold medallist Kaillie Humphries has won the first two races this season in women's bobsleigh bringing her total to five consecutive races going back to last season.  Humphries and Chelsea Valois won the season opener in Lake Placid two weeks ago and followed it up with another win at Park City, Utah last weekend. Can they keep it going at home?

Sarah Reid and Melissa Hollingsworth took the first two spots of the skeleton podium in Lake Placid November 9th. Cassie Hawrysh just missed the podium at Park City last weekend in only her second career World Cup race. Can they sweep the podium in Whistler?

Click here to read Melissa's blog post about the Lake Placid race.  Cassie wrote a great blog post about her first World Cup race. You can read it here.

The men haven't been as successful this season...YET! Is Whistler the race that will see them on the podium?

Who can forget Jon Montgomery's amazing skeleton gold in Whistler in 2010? Can he bring those memories back to get to the podium or will John Fairbairn and Eric Neilson who have fared better so far this season be our top Canadian?

The bobsleigh teams are pushing each other with Team Rush (Canada 1) leading the Canadians at the first World Cup in 2-man and 4-man bobsleigh and Team Spring (Canada 2) being the top Canadian team at the second race in 2-man and 4-man.  Canada 3 is led by Olympian Justin Kripps. Click here for full list of bobsleigh team.

Team Kripps' Justin Kripps and Jean-Nicolas Carriere as well as Team Spring have interesting blog posts that you can read here.

If you're in Whistler this weekend, wear your red and white and cheer extra loud for me. As an added bonus, Whistler/Blackcomb opened early for the season and have numerous special events planned this week. Click here for details. It has been too long since my last trip to Whistler. I'm sure that since the Olympics, it's bigger and better than it was the last time I was there. Wish I was there this weekend to catch the World Cup and hit the slopes.

To see the past World Cup performances or to watch the events live online, click here for the skeleton YouTube channel and click here for the bobsleigh YouTube channel. To see it on television, Sportsnet will be broadcasting the events.  Check your local listings for the times.

Here is the schedule for this weekend:

Friday 23rd
Women's Skeleton:  10am
2 Man Bobsleigh:  3pm
Women's Bobsleigh:  6:30pm

Saturday 24th 
4 Man Bobsleigh:  6:30pm
Men's Skeleton:  3pm

Presale General Admission tickets available via Whistler.com for $10. Click here. VIP tickets are $75 and include a gondola pass.
Day of tickets are available at Whistler Blackcomb's ticket kiosk at the base of the Excalibur gondola, or the Whistler Sliding Centre.


Click here for more information.

Go Canada Go!

The Heartbeat

This week's edition of The Heartbeat includes events in Calgary (long track speed skating, bobsled, skeleton), Toronto/Etobicoke (swimming, beach volleyball), Gatineau (national team volleyball), Richmond (fencing) Lake Louise (men's skiing) and Whistler (bobsled, skeleton).

Sports being televised include bobsled, skeleton, figure skating, curling, alpine skiing, London 2012 defining moments and Canadian medal performances.

Events to meet athletes are being held in Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto and Ancaster.

If you are participating in or know of an event that could be featured in The Heartbeat, please contact me:  suzanne[at]sportcafe[dot]ca or via Twitter @olympichearts.

Enough Already!

I can't wait for the NHL lockout* to be over. It's not because I want to see hockey or I want the NHL cities' economies to stop suffering - those are valid reasons.

I can't wait for the NHL lockout to be over because it is driving me crazy to turn on Sportsnet and anytime from 6:00am to 4:00pm one of the Sportsnet stations is showing Hockey Central. On TSN/TSN2, That's Hockey gets almost as much air time.

They talk about hockey every single day, when there is no hockey being played!

Hockey is not my favourite sport but that's not to say that I hate it. I have been to and loved Toronto Maple Leafs games. I travelled to Buffalo for the World Junior Championships a couple of years ago. If the Leafs ever make the playoffs (a girl can dream), I will 100% jump on the band wagon.  So when there is hockey being played, I have no issue with hockey being first on the highlight shows or talk shows dedicated to hockey, even if it's not my thing. Most Canadians love hockey.

I turned on the television a couple of weeks ago while preparing my lunch and started watching Sportsnet. It's a few minutes past twelve and they're talking about the New York City Marathon and whether it should get cancelled or not. I'm quite impressed to be watching a show that is talking about a timely event.  Less than five minutes later, the one host says "I'm so tired of talking about the NYC Marathon" so he ends the conversation. They move on to the next topic which is, you guessed it HOCKEY!

I almost yelled at the television set "aren't you 'so tired' of talking about hockey (when there's no hockey being played)?"

There is a hurricane that hit New York a week before a yearly event, 45000 athletes travel from around the world to compete/participate and there is a debate going on as to whether to hold the race or not. There is so much that could be discussed that is fresh and new, yet the host says "I'm so tired of talking about the NYC Marathon". The host can talk about hockey every day during an 80 game season, but he can't talk for more than five minutes on an event that happens once a year?

I so need a new sports channel that showcases more than the NHL, NFL, NBA and MLB. It's not that I don't love those sports. I watch my fair share of games/highlights/playoffs but there's more to the sporting world than four sports. It's frustrating to see our Canadian athletes competing around the world every weekend with little or no mention on our multiple sports channels.

As the lockout continues, it drives me even more crazy to go to a sports channel and hear them continue to talk about hockey. What can they possibly be talking about? There's a lockout going on. There is no hockey being played. Some days the owners and the players aren't even talking.

So enough already!

Let me know when it's resolved and let's talk about something else until then.

*An earlier version of this blog post called the lockout a strike which has now been corrected. Thx to @EricMacKenzie for pointing it out.

The Heartbeat

This week's edition of The Heartbeat includes events in Victoria (rowing), Toronto/Etobicoke (taekwondo, swimming, beach volleyball), London (boccia) and Lake Louise (men's skiing).

Sports being televised include the ESPN films, bobsled, skeleton, figure skating, curling and London 2012 defining moments.

Events to meet athletes are being held in Toronto and Ancaster.

If you are participating in or know of an event that could be featured in The Heartbeat, please contact me:  suzanne[at]sportcafe[dot]ca or via Twitter @olympichearts.

It's About The Journey

Last week, TSN2 showed a 30 minute program about the 4x100m relay at the London 2012 Olympics.  In a post in August, I explained why I didn't blog during or following the Olympics. You can read it here. I had a lot of thoughts, but once the Olympics were over, I thought it was too late.

Seeing the relay again last week, I was compelled to write my thoughts. It was one of the highlights of London 2012 for me.

I was so excited that Canada qualified for the final. Not to take anything away from the team, but with Canada having only one runner (Justyn Warner) competing in the 100m event, I didn't realize how great our team could be.  I remembered Jared Connaughton from the 2008 Olympics and had seen Gavin Smellie, Seyi Smith and Justyn compete at the Toronto International Track & Field Games in July. You can read the post about that here.

It's sometimes difficult in a 400m race to really know who's leading. You look at the staggers between the lanes to see if there's a runner making up a stagger, but it really only shows the difference between those lanes.

With Canada on the lane to the inside of the Jamaican team, it was difficult to gauge how well they were doing. Jamaica are so strong that they were pulling away from Canada on the back straight, but where was Canada overall?

As Jared Connaughton makes the final turn and passes the baton to Justyn Warner who finishes the turn, we realize that Canada are in about 5th. I was so excited and then Warner passes 4th and is running down the runner in 3rd.  I was jumping up and down watching his incredible run.

For those minutes when we thought they won the bronze, I was so excited. When the disqualification was announced, my heart went out to them and for days and weeks later.

I have often thought of this race since.  You wonder why it happened the way it did.  When I do, I am reminded of the quote: "everything happens for a reason, even if we don't understand the reason at the time".

I also find it ironic that if they had won the bronze medal, there probably wouldn't have been a 30 minute special about the race.  Sportsnet Magazine wouldn't have run a full page story on Connaughton (see November 5th issue).

But then, this is sports: "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat". This is what makes sports so compelling.

The reason we compete in sports and the reason that the Olympics are so special is that the winner is not determined until we compete. The Olympics are every four years.  Dozens of athletes want to win and believe they can medal in dozens of sports. Only three medals are won in each one.  This means heartbreak for hundreds of athletes.

At the Olympic Heroes parade this fall, I was speaking to a swimmer who downplayed his celebrity status. We were discussing whether he wanted to be on the float or walking beside.  I commented that on the float, both sides of the street could see him. If he walked, he should try to be visible on both sides so that if someone is in the crowd was wanting to see him, they would. He made a joke about who would be wanting to see him in particular because he came in 17th.

So much attention is given to medals at the Olympics, but to me (and countless others) it's more than the medals. Each person on Team Canada is an Olympian!! There are millions of people who dream or have dreamed of becoming an Olympian who never did or never will.

People who lined the streets of Toronto to cheer our Olympians' homecoming came to see our Olympic Team, not just our medallists.

Part of the Olympic experience is the journey that gets you there.  I recently thought we had messed up my son's course selection. It looked like he may not get his bilingual certificate at graduation (without some reshuffling of courses). My first thought was, imagining all those years of french courses and he doesn't get the certificate, but it didn't take me long to correct myself. It's not the certificate that's important, it's that he learned a second language. Which brought my thoughts to the Olympic experience.

Competing and training for an Olympic Games is a journey. It's pushing yourself and seeing how great you can be. It's the lessons learned along the way. Being an Olympian is a huge achievement. Performing your best at the Olympics is amazing. Winning a medal is rare and stupendous.

The 4x100m relay team from Canada crossed the finish line 3rd. The disqualification took away the bronze medal, but it doesn't take away the achievement or the journey.

The Heartbeat

This week's edition of The Heartbeat includes events in Calgary (speed skating), Victoria (rowing), Toronto/Etobicoke (swimming) and Lake Louise (men's skiing).

Sports being televised include the NYC marathon, the Steve Nash directed documentary Into The Wind about Terry Fox, The Canada Sports Hall of Fame gala, internet stream of swimming and London 2012 defining moments.

Events to meet athletes are being held in Toronto, Ottawa and Winnipeg.

Keep reading for more detail.

If you are participating in or know of an event that could be featured in The Heartbeat, please contact me:  suzanne[at]sportcafe[dot]ca or via Twitter @olympichearts.

Flip a Coin

Alexandre Despatie posted the following on Twitter today:

"When in doubt.. Flip a coin! Once it's in the air you will know what side you're hoping for!! #lovethisquote"

How true!

Basically, follow your heart (or your gut)!

I have never heard this quote but will definitely try it next time I am grappling with a decision.

The Heartbeat

This week's edition of The Heartbeat includes events in Montreal (short-track speed-skating), Windsor (figure skating), Whistler (skeleton) and Calgary (long track speed skating).

Sports being televised include triathlon, short-track speed skating, figure skating and Olympic rebroadcasts (men's hockey and women's soccer).

I've added a feature which includes opportunities to meet past, current and future Olympians. Events are being held in Toronto, Ottawa and Winnipeg.

Keep reading for more detail.

If you are participating in or know of an event that could be featured in The Heartbeat, please contact me:  suzanne[at]sportcafe[dot]ca or via Twitter @olympichearts.

The Heartbeat

This week's edition of The Heartbeat includes events in Vancouver (rowing testing), Calgary and Montreal (short-track speed-skating), Niagara Falls (running) and Windsor (figure skating).

Sports being televised include triathlon, short-track speed skating, figure skating and Olympic rebroadcasts (men's hockey and women's soccer).

The Heartbeat

This is the first edition of The Heartbeat which will be a regular feature where I will list upcoming competitions being held in Canada where you have the chance to see our amateur and Olympic athletes in action.

I will keep an updated list on the right side of my blog while giving more details in the blog posts.

I will also include television and internet listings for amateur or Olympic sports events and programs.

Heading to Algonquin Park

It was a year ago that I read an article written by the late Randy Starkman about Adam van Koeverden's love of Algonquin Park.  You can read the article by clicking here.

Accompanying the article, was a video of the beautiful scenery and Adam talking about his days spent at his cabin in Algonquin Park.


Something he said in the video hit me at the time:

"If you've never been up here before in the fall, then you're missing out because it's pretty spectacular"

How have I not been to Algonquin Park before?  I am originally from Northern Ontario but when I drive on Highway 11 from Toronto to go home, it's normally to get from point A to point B not necessarily wanting to add to the 9 hour drive.  Those trips were normally in the summer though.

I am in awe of the fall colours in Toronto.  I love walking around in my neighbourhood looking at the trees or driving down Bayview Avenue or the Don Valley Parkway and seeing the changing colours. When Adam says, "it's not the Don Valley Parkway" it makes me want to see "what I've been missing" - although I don't think Adam was envisioning the fall colours along the Don Valley Parkway when he made that comment.

That's not to say that I have only seen the colours in Toronto.  I have gone on scenic drives to see the fall colours, going as far north as Collingwood, but these were day trips. The 400Eleven website is great for getting fall colour routes.

This year, my love for the Olympics (hence seeing the Randy Starkman article) combined with my love of Tom Thomson (and the Group of Seven) is resulting in a Thanksgiving weekend trip to Algonquin Park.

I may even ride a canoe or kayak if the weather cooperates, but more Tom Thomson-style...not Olympic style.

I can't imagine seeing picture perfect scenery like Randy Risling of the Toronto Star captured.

 I will be blown away if I do.

Call Me Maybe

In my last post, I mentioned that the Swim team sang a lot of the song Call Me Maybe while on the parade float for the Toronto Olympic Parade.  You can read that post here.

The result of this singing was a video posted on YouTube by the Canadian Olympic Team.

On a personal note, I have to add that I did make the final cut of this video by singing "But here's my number" at the 1:57 mark.  Pretty memorable for an Olympic enthusiast to be in a video with the Canadian Olympic team.