This week's edition of The Heartbeat include events where Canada's athletes will be competing at the World Cup Long Track Speed Skating in Calgary, Short Track Speed Skating in Montreal, Snowboard World Championships in Stoneham (QC) and Quebec City, Figure Skating National Championships in Mississauga, FIS Moguls World Cup in Calgary, Water Polo World Qualifying in Calgary, Luge World Championships in Whistler and Davis Cup Tennis in Vancouver.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
The Heartbeat
This week's edition of The Heartbeat include events where Canada's athletes will be competing at the FIS Aerials World Cup in Val Saint-Côme (QC), Curling Continental Cup in Penticton (BC), Snowboard World Championships in Stoneham (QC) and Quebec City, Figure Skating National Championships in Mississauga, FIS Moguls World Cup in Calgary, Water Polo World Qualifying in Calgary and Davis Cup Tennis in Vancouver.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Song I ♥: Every Story Has A Twist by Rosanna Tomiuk
I was compiling my list of songs I ♥ in 2012 (for my original blog My Life Is Like A Song) when I came up to Rosanna Tomiuk (while looking at my music chronologically). I have loved many of her songs (all of them?), so which one do I choose?
I saw her in concert last month and if you haven't read it yet, you can find my post about it here where I talk a little more about her music and her songs.
How do I choose one song (or two) in my year-end list? I really loved the Olympic-themed Made It, but also the songs on her EP. The new song Every Story Has A Twist that she performed at the concert really resonated with me though. Can I include a song I have heard twice, and only has a twenty second clip on her Facebook page? Do I wait for it to be released and include it in my list that year?
I took a break from making my list and went on Twitter where I see a tweet from Rosanna that she just posted a video of the song. If that's not sign enough that I should include it now, I don't know what is.
She wrote Every Story Has A Twist after getting back in the pool for the first time since the Olympic trials. The first time I heard it, it brought tears to my eyes and goosebumps on my skin. Many times songs have to grow on me, but not this one.
If you don't know Rosanna's story, she's a Team Canada water polo player. She always dreamed of being a musician. She explains in the introduction to the video for Made It (you can see it on my other blog post), if she had made the Olympic Team, she wouldn't have recorded the video for Made It for her Olympian friends to see. The video wouldn't have been shared by many. She wouldn't have been in the press (for singing - but perhaps she would have been for water polo). She wouldn't have been invited to sing for the Olympians at the Olympic Hall Of Fame Induction Gala...and her music career wouldn't have begun (in 2012 anyway).
I always say that things happen for a reason even if we don't know the reason at the time. As a past athlete who had dreams bigger than my fate, I could completely relate to the lyrics and feel of this song.
Every Story Has A Twist describes the feelings of a dream being crushed, but also the inspiring lesson of another dream beginning.
Lyrics:
Verse 1:
Visit the place
Been some days
A dream died
Up to breathe
There's a beautiful scene
But instead I cry
Verse 2:
With my face in my hands
Can't believe this is it
Look around
Ya girl, this is it
Chorus:
I think I'm ok
Then the surface breaks
Pain pours in
Think I'm ok
I guess a dream isn't fate
Every Story has a twist
Verse 3:
All those days
Were they a waste?
To chase
In faith
It would be ours
I saw her in concert last month and if you haven't read it yet, you can find my post about it here where I talk a little more about her music and her songs.
How do I choose one song (or two) in my year-end list? I really loved the Olympic-themed Made It, but also the songs on her EP. The new song Every Story Has A Twist that she performed at the concert really resonated with me though. Can I include a song I have heard twice, and only has a twenty second clip on her Facebook page? Do I wait for it to be released and include it in my list that year?
I took a break from making my list and went on Twitter where I see a tweet from Rosanna that she just posted a video of the song. If that's not sign enough that I should include it now, I don't know what is.
She wrote Every Story Has A Twist after getting back in the pool for the first time since the Olympic trials. The first time I heard it, it brought tears to my eyes and goosebumps on my skin. Many times songs have to grow on me, but not this one.
If you don't know Rosanna's story, she's a Team Canada water polo player. She always dreamed of being a musician. She explains in the introduction to the video for Made It (you can see it on my other blog post), if she had made the Olympic Team, she wouldn't have recorded the video for Made It for her Olympian friends to see. The video wouldn't have been shared by many. She wouldn't have been in the press (for singing - but perhaps she would have been for water polo). She wouldn't have been invited to sing for the Olympians at the Olympic Hall Of Fame Induction Gala...and her music career wouldn't have begun (in 2012 anyway).
I always say that things happen for a reason even if we don't know the reason at the time. As a past athlete who had dreams bigger than my fate, I could completely relate to the lyrics and feel of this song.
Every Story Has A Twist describes the feelings of a dream being crushed, but also the inspiring lesson of another dream beginning.
Lyrics:
Verse 1:
Visit the place
Been some days
A dream died
Up to breathe
There's a beautiful scene
But instead I cry
Verse 2:
With my face in my hands
Can't believe this is it
Look around
Ya girl, this is it
Chorus:
I think I'm ok
Then the surface breaks
Pain pours in
Think I'm ok
I guess a dream isn't fate
Every Story has a twist
Verse 3:
All those days
Were they a waste?
To chase
In faith
It would be ours
Rosanna Tomiuk in Toronto
Last month, I went to see Rosanna Tomiuk perform in Toronto. She performed with Jon Rosner, who will be representing Canada at the World Championships this month as Canada's #1 looper.
I first heard of Rosanna last summer when she released a song for the Canadian Olympic Team. She had hoped to be in London as a member of the Canadian water polo team (who had previously won the silver medal at the World Championships). She had started writing a song about her dream to become an Olympian but when the dream died at the Olympic trials, she stopped writing it.
As the Olympics approached, she had friends going to London who did make the Olympic Team so she decided to finish the song and post it on YouTube for them.
She almost didn't post it because the filming didn't go as well as she had hoped, but it led to a lot of wonderful things. You can read more about that experience here that culminated in her performing at the Air Canada Centre at the Olympic Hall Of Fame Induction Gala.
I especially love the album artwork with the Olympic coloured tears.
I started following her on Twitter and a couple of months later, I saw that she was going to perform in Toronto.
The first evening was at Burgundy's Bar and Restaurant at Yonge and Bloor. We were annoyed that we didn't bring our good camera because the lighting had been better the first evening for photo taking. My husband did capture a couple of shots on his iPhone including this great moment.
Just like they would the following night at Alleycatz (that happened to be a couple of blocks from my house), they started with an acoustic set that really showcased Rosanna's incredible voice and charm. Jon's guitar playing really complimented Rosanna's singing. She started the set with a cover of Under The Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers followed by Capable from her EP. Rosanna was very comfortable in front of the crowd and was not shy to introduce the songs and tell us about the songs she was singing which added to the performance.
She explained the french lyrics of Capable "Maintenant t'es dans la merde, car tu m'as montré que t'es capable". Loosely translated as "now you're in deep, because you showed me what you're capable of", it means that once you show your potential, you can't go back to mediocrity. Many of her songs are sports related that I love, but above and beyond that, her words are spoken from her soul and are very touching. This was evident in the next song Walking Dead. It is a newer song that is not released yet. She wrote it when she came back from Haiti where she witnessed people who were not only poor financially but who were poor in hope and spirit.
She continued the set with Escape You with a melancholic longing sound and lyrics that include "I can't escape you, With everyday I die, A little inside".
She then got us singing with her cover of Happy by The Daylights "Only you can make me, Only you can make me Happy".
Before finishing the first set with Christmas carols, Rosanna performed another new song called Every Story Has A Twist that she wrote after going back into the pool for the first time with her Olympic dream over (for now). As much as I love her songs, I especially loved this one and it brought tears to my eyes and goosebumps on my skin as you can feel the emotions she had. It's absolutely beautiful causing me to write a separate post dedicated to it. You can read (and listen to the song) by clicking here.
The following are shots taken by my husband at Alleycatz. You can see the full set of photos by clicking here.
The second set saw Jon bring out his looping equipment and where we really got to see his talent. The set was more upbeat and began with Strong Woman, the Olympic-themed Made It and The Path You Choose from her EP.
I often find myself singing Strong Woman with the catchy lyric, "Pick yourself back up girl, it will be alright".
Made It was as amazing live as it is on the EP and gave me shivers. It's such an inspiring song sharing the feelings of the ups and downs of the athlete's life. "The fire comes back, 'Cause you dared, Even if scared" and the final message for our Olympians "I have made it, I have done all I can so I made it". It's an amazing anthem for any up and coming athlete.
I love the vibe of The Path You Choose and once again the lyrics "'Cause the destination doesn't define you, the meaning's in the path you choose".
If you're like me and love lyrics, you can find the lyrics to the songs on the EP by clicking here.
The set ended with two songs that Rosanna co-wrote with Jon and a cover of Video by India.Arie. Maybe, Maybe and Hold Me Down really showcased Jon's amazing guitar work and looping. This second set also showed Rosanna's versatility and had a different vibe than the acoustic set did. I loved both of them and feel that the two sets complimented each other.
Like she sings in Video, Rosanna showed that she's "not your average girl" and definitely worth seeing perform live if you get the chance.
Here's Rosanna's set list (thanks for giving it to me!):
I first heard of Rosanna last summer when she released a song for the Canadian Olympic Team. She had hoped to be in London as a member of the Canadian water polo team (who had previously won the silver medal at the World Championships). She had started writing a song about her dream to become an Olympian but when the dream died at the Olympic trials, she stopped writing it.
She almost didn't post it because the filming didn't go as well as she had hoped, but it led to a lot of wonderful things. You can read more about that experience here that culminated in her performing at the Air Canada Centre at the Olympic Hall Of Fame Induction Gala.
I especially love the album artwork with the Olympic coloured tears.
I started following her on Twitter and a couple of months later, I saw that she was going to perform in Toronto.
Just like they would the following night at Alleycatz (that happened to be a couple of blocks from my house), they started with an acoustic set that really showcased Rosanna's incredible voice and charm. Jon's guitar playing really complimented Rosanna's singing. She started the set with a cover of Under The Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers followed by Capable from her EP. Rosanna was very comfortable in front of the crowd and was not shy to introduce the songs and tell us about the songs she was singing which added to the performance.
She explained the french lyrics of Capable "Maintenant t'es dans la merde, car tu m'as montré que t'es capable". Loosely translated as "now you're in deep, because you showed me what you're capable of", it means that once you show your potential, you can't go back to mediocrity. Many of her songs are sports related that I love, but above and beyond that, her words are spoken from her soul and are very touching. This was evident in the next song Walking Dead. It is a newer song that is not released yet. She wrote it when she came back from Haiti where she witnessed people who were not only poor financially but who were poor in hope and spirit.
She continued the set with Escape You with a melancholic longing sound and lyrics that include "I can't escape you, With everyday I die, A little inside".
She then got us singing with her cover of Happy by The Daylights "Only you can make me, Only you can make me Happy".
Before finishing the first set with Christmas carols, Rosanna performed another new song called Every Story Has A Twist that she wrote after going back into the pool for the first time with her Olympic dream over (for now). As much as I love her songs, I especially loved this one and it brought tears to my eyes and goosebumps on my skin as you can feel the emotions she had. It's absolutely beautiful causing me to write a separate post dedicated to it. You can read (and listen to the song) by clicking here.
The following are shots taken by my husband at Alleycatz. You can see the full set of photos by clicking here.
The second set saw Jon bring out his looping equipment and where we really got to see his talent. The set was more upbeat and began with Strong Woman, the Olympic-themed Made It and The Path You Choose from her EP.
I often find myself singing Strong Woman with the catchy lyric, "Pick yourself back up girl, it will be alright".
Made It was as amazing live as it is on the EP and gave me shivers. It's such an inspiring song sharing the feelings of the ups and downs of the athlete's life. "The fire comes back, 'Cause you dared, Even if scared" and the final message for our Olympians "I have made it, I have done all I can so I made it". It's an amazing anthem for any up and coming athlete.
I love the vibe of The Path You Choose and once again the lyrics "'Cause the destination doesn't define you, the meaning's in the path you choose".
If you're like me and love lyrics, you can find the lyrics to the songs on the EP by clicking here.
The set ended with two songs that Rosanna co-wrote with Jon and a cover of Video by India.Arie. Maybe, Maybe and Hold Me Down really showcased Jon's amazing guitar work and looping. This second set also showed Rosanna's versatility and had a different vibe than the acoustic set did. I loved both of them and feel that the two sets complimented each other.
Like she sings in Video, Rosanna showed that she's "not your average girl" and definitely worth seeing perform live if you get the chance.
Here's Rosanna's set list (thanks for giving it to me!):
Thursday, January 3, 2013
The Heartbeat
Happy New Year! With 400 days to go to the Sochi Olympics, our winter athletes are in full swing in the hopes of representing Canada in 2014!
This week's edition of The Heartbeat include events being held in Calgary, Thunder Bay, Stoneham (Quebec), Quebec City, Mississauga and London, Ontario.
The Snowboard World Championships are being held in Stoneham and Quebec and the World Figure Skating World Championships are being held in London.
Sports being televised or streamed include cross-country skiing, bobsleigh, skeleton, alpine skiing, and snowboarding.
Events to meet athletes are being held in Canmore.
This week's edition of The Heartbeat include events being held in Calgary, Thunder Bay, Stoneham (Quebec), Quebec City, Mississauga and London, Ontario.
The Snowboard World Championships are being held in Stoneham and Quebec and the World Figure Skating World Championships are being held in London.
Sports being televised or streamed include cross-country skiing, bobsleigh, skeleton, alpine skiing, and snowboarding.
Events to meet athletes are being held in Canmore.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Tears and Goosebumps in 2012
As 2012 comes to an end, it's time to reflect on the sports moments that had an impact on me this year. This is not a list of THE "best" moments, you can read the major newspapers and watch sports stations for those. This is a list of moments that brought tears to my eyes and goosebumps on my skin.
I'll start on a sad note with those who left the sports world in their prime.
Much more than a sports reporter to Canada's amateur athletes, Randy Starkman was the fan's looking glass into the athletes' world of training and competition. Husband, father, colleague and writer, he will be missed for years to come. He was remembered this past week in the Toronto Star. You can read the article here.
Canada also lost two Olympic hopefuls in 2012.
Sarah Burke was a pioneer of ski halfpipe. She was the best at her sport and successfully fought for ski halfpipe to be added to the 2014 Olympics. Winning the first gold medal for Canada was almost a sure thing, until she died doing what she loved to do. Click here to read the article that Randy Starkman wrote after her death.
Nic Zoricic died while racing in a ski-cross race in Switzerland. Since leaving alpine skiing to join ski-cross in 2009, he was climbing up the rankings with two World Cup podiums. Click here to read the article that Randy Starkman wrote after his death.
On a cheerier note, here are the moments that had me cheering, gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes:
2012 Olympics
Choosing favourite Olympic moments is so difficult because I was thrilled with each and every medal that Canada won. Above and beyond that, I loved seeing the personal bests whether that meant a medal, making a final or semi-final or going faster, farther or higher. I was also proud of the Olympians who came home disappointed that the best they had to offer that day wasn't the best they had hoped for whether that meant finishing a triathlon in tears or on the pavement, flopping on a last dive, stepping on a line, running out of steam or finding the conditions or pressure too tough to handle.
I am proud of all our Olympians but here's an attempt at some of my favourite moments:
Leading the Team
One of my favourite Olympians, Simon Whitfield led Canada into the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Watching Canada walk in is always one of my highlights and recognizing so many of our athletes walking into the stadium in 2012 was amazing.
The Sprinters
Brent Hayden 100m freestyle bronze and Mark de Jonge 200m kayak bronze
Short distances are exciting because everything has to be perfect. There's no time to come back from a poor start. It's all out for the full distance and we won bronze in the water and on the water.
The Long Distance Swimmers
Ryan Cochrane 1500m freestyle silver and Richard Weinberger 10k bronze
The beauty of the long distance swimmer (cyclist, runner, skater or skier) is that a surprise is harder to come by. If you're one of the best, you have a lesser chance of not winning a medal. So although Ryan and Richard didn't surprise me with their medal wins, it's amazing to see them maintain their positions as some of the best in the world.
Meeting Silver Expectations On The Water
Adam van Koeverden, Men's Eight Rowing and Women's Eight Rowing
Winning a medal wasn't a sure thing as anything can happen in sport as we saw many of our favourites stumble so it was wonderful to see our successful rowing tradition continue along with Adam winning his fourth Olympic medal.
Overcoming adversity
THE call during the Women's soccer team's semi-final was a pivotal play that sometimes overshadowed Christine Sinclair's amazing hat-trick against the United States. Overcoming the letdown of their dream being crushed by a referee's call put them in our hearts. They could have also lost that bronze medal match, but they didn't. They kept fighting to the last whistle and came home heroes with a last minute goal by Diana Matheson. Christine Sinclair would be named flagbearer for the Closing Ceremony.
Our First Gold
Rosie MacLennan won our first and what would be our only gold medal at the Olympics becoming our golden girl for 2012.
Give Your Everything
Clara Hughes didn't win her 7th Olympic medal, but she was the epitome of Give Your Everything when she led the road race in the first half of the race and then finished a wonderful 5th in the time trial. Clara's Olympic career will be remembered for her medals but also for her smile as well as her grit and determination.
Thrill of Victory and Agony of Defeat
4x100m relay - even if we didn't get to keep the bronze, the moment when I realized Justyn Warner was going from 5th, to 4th and finally to 3rd down the final straight of the relay had me jumping up and down with excitement. Watching Gavin Smellie, Seyi Smith, Jared Connaughton and Justyn Warner celebrate was an amazing moment that I will not forget. Click here for a blog post I wrote about the race and their journey. Click here to see an early celebratory reaction.
The Reactions
There are moments that stick in your mind for the athletes' reactions. My favourites were:
Mark Oldershaw's shocked hand on his mouth look when he realized that he won the bronze medal in the 1000m canoe. Click here.
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)
Antoine Valois-Fortier's tearful celebration when he won the bronze medal in Judo. Click here.
Diana Matheson scoring the winning goal giving them the bronze medal and the celebration happening in front of my husband's parents and uncle and aunt. Click here for a photo that includes his uncle (in white shirt and Tilley hat) and aunt and mother partially blocked by Christine Sinclair. Great seats!
Brittany MacLean hugging her sister Heather at the Canadian Olympic trials when Heather qualified in her last race and would join Brittany at the London Olympics who had qualified earlier.
2012 Paralympics
The television coverage for the Paralympics was disappointing but the team's performance wasn't as the competition at the Paralympics gets tougher and tougher.
Although the major networks made it difficult to catch the action, there were still some amazing moments for our Canadian Paralympians.
Leading the Team
As mentioned above, nothing gets the tears in my eyes like watching Canada enter the Opening Ceremony. Garett Hickling, a five-time Paralympian in wheelchair rugby led the team in 2012. His team would go on to win the silver medal.
Veteran and Rookie Success in the Pool
Benoit Huot won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal in 2012 with three personal bests and a world record. The three medals increased his overall total to 19 Paralympic medals including 9 golds for his four Paralympic Games.
At her first Paralympic Games, Summer Mortimer won two gold, one silver and one bronze. What will her total count be when she has competed at her fourth Paralympics?
Basketball Gold
Winning gold at basketball isn't something Canada does at the Olympics, but at the Paralympics, Canada won gold in 2000, 2004 and now 2012.
Milestones
I have a special place in my heart for the Olympics, but 2012 saw Canadians achieve some amazing milestones and firsts. Here are some of them:
Ryder Hesjedal (cycling)
1st Canadian to win a Grand Tour when he won the Giro d'Italia. Click here and here to read my posts. He also won Male Athlete of the Year.
Jean-Philippe Le Guellec (biathlon)
1st Male Canadian to win a biathlon World Cup. Watch the race here.
Eugenie Bouchard (tennis)
First Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles championships when she won the Junior Wimbledon Championships.
Filip Peliwo (tennis)
First Canadian to win Junior Wimbledon and U.S. Open. He was finalist at Australian Open and French Open ending the year ranked #1, a first for a Canadian singles player. The future for Tennis Canada is very bright.
Kaillie Humphries (bobsleigh)
Streak of 8 wins, including the World Championships, started at the end of the 2011-2012 season with Jennifer Ciochetti and continued with new partner Chelsea Valois.
I can't imagine 2013 being as wonderful as an Olympic year, but I look forward to seeing the Winter Olympians gear up for the 2014 Games as well as following the summer athletes' journey for the next three and a half years.
Happy New Year!
I'll start on a sad note with those who left the sports world in their prime.
Much more than a sports reporter to Canada's amateur athletes, Randy Starkman was the fan's looking glass into the athletes' world of training and competition. Husband, father, colleague and writer, he will be missed for years to come. He was remembered this past week in the Toronto Star. You can read the article here.
Canada also lost two Olympic hopefuls in 2012.
Sarah Burke was a pioneer of ski halfpipe. She was the best at her sport and successfully fought for ski halfpipe to be added to the 2014 Olympics. Winning the first gold medal for Canada was almost a sure thing, until she died doing what she loved to do. Click here to read the article that Randy Starkman wrote after her death.
Nic Zoricic died while racing in a ski-cross race in Switzerland. Since leaving alpine skiing to join ski-cross in 2009, he was climbing up the rankings with two World Cup podiums. Click here to read the article that Randy Starkman wrote after his death.
On a cheerier note, here are the moments that had me cheering, gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes:
2012 Olympics
Choosing favourite Olympic moments is so difficult because I was thrilled with each and every medal that Canada won. Above and beyond that, I loved seeing the personal bests whether that meant a medal, making a final or semi-final or going faster, farther or higher. I was also proud of the Olympians who came home disappointed that the best they had to offer that day wasn't the best they had hoped for whether that meant finishing a triathlon in tears or on the pavement, flopping on a last dive, stepping on a line, running out of steam or finding the conditions or pressure too tough to handle.
I am proud of all our Olympians but here's an attempt at some of my favourite moments:
Leading the Team
One of my favourite Olympians, Simon Whitfield led Canada into the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Watching Canada walk in is always one of my highlights and recognizing so many of our athletes walking into the stadium in 2012 was amazing.
The Sprinters
Brent Hayden 100m freestyle bronze and Mark de Jonge 200m kayak bronze
Short distances are exciting because everything has to be perfect. There's no time to come back from a poor start. It's all out for the full distance and we won bronze in the water and on the water.
The Long Distance Swimmers
Ryan Cochrane 1500m freestyle silver and Richard Weinberger 10k bronze
The beauty of the long distance swimmer (cyclist, runner, skater or skier) is that a surprise is harder to come by. If you're one of the best, you have a lesser chance of not winning a medal. So although Ryan and Richard didn't surprise me with their medal wins, it's amazing to see them maintain their positions as some of the best in the world.
Meeting Silver Expectations On The Water
Adam van Koeverden, Men's Eight Rowing and Women's Eight Rowing
Winning a medal wasn't a sure thing as anything can happen in sport as we saw many of our favourites stumble so it was wonderful to see our successful rowing tradition continue along with Adam winning his fourth Olympic medal.
Overcoming adversity
THE call during the Women's soccer team's semi-final was a pivotal play that sometimes overshadowed Christine Sinclair's amazing hat-trick against the United States. Overcoming the letdown of their dream being crushed by a referee's call put them in our hearts. They could have also lost that bronze medal match, but they didn't. They kept fighting to the last whistle and came home heroes with a last minute goal by Diana Matheson. Christine Sinclair would be named flagbearer for the Closing Ceremony.
Our First Gold
Rosie MacLennan won our first and what would be our only gold medal at the Olympics becoming our golden girl for 2012.
Give Your Everything
Clara Hughes didn't win her 7th Olympic medal, but she was the epitome of Give Your Everything when she led the road race in the first half of the race and then finished a wonderful 5th in the time trial. Clara's Olympic career will be remembered for her medals but also for her smile as well as her grit and determination.
Thrill of Victory and Agony of Defeat
4x100m relay - even if we didn't get to keep the bronze, the moment when I realized Justyn Warner was going from 5th, to 4th and finally to 3rd down the final straight of the relay had me jumping up and down with excitement. Watching Gavin Smellie, Seyi Smith, Jared Connaughton and Justyn Warner celebrate was an amazing moment that I will not forget. Click here for a blog post I wrote about the race and their journey. Click here to see an early celebratory reaction.
The Reactions
There are moments that stick in your mind for the athletes' reactions. My favourites were:
Mark Oldershaw's shocked hand on his mouth look when he realized that he won the bronze medal in the 1000m canoe. Click here.
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)
Antoine Valois-Fortier's tearful celebration when he won the bronze medal in Judo. Click here.
Diana Matheson scoring the winning goal giving them the bronze medal and the celebration happening in front of my husband's parents and uncle and aunt. Click here for a photo that includes his uncle (in white shirt and Tilley hat) and aunt and mother partially blocked by Christine Sinclair. Great seats!
Brittany MacLean hugging her sister Heather at the Canadian Olympic trials when Heather qualified in her last race and would join Brittany at the London Olympics who had qualified earlier.
2012 Paralympics
The television coverage for the Paralympics was disappointing but the team's performance wasn't as the competition at the Paralympics gets tougher and tougher.
Although the major networks made it difficult to catch the action, there were still some amazing moments for our Canadian Paralympians.
Leading the Team
As mentioned above, nothing gets the tears in my eyes like watching Canada enter the Opening Ceremony. Garett Hickling, a five-time Paralympian in wheelchair rugby led the team in 2012. His team would go on to win the silver medal.
Veteran and Rookie Success in the Pool
Benoit Huot won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal in 2012 with three personal bests and a world record. The three medals increased his overall total to 19 Paralympic medals including 9 golds for his four Paralympic Games.
At her first Paralympic Games, Summer Mortimer won two gold, one silver and one bronze. What will her total count be when she has competed at her fourth Paralympics?
Basketball Gold
Winning gold at basketball isn't something Canada does at the Olympics, but at the Paralympics, Canada won gold in 2000, 2004 and now 2012.
Milestones
I have a special place in my heart for the Olympics, but 2012 saw Canadians achieve some amazing milestones and firsts. Here are some of them:
Ryder Hesjedal (cycling)
1st Canadian to win a Grand Tour when he won the Giro d'Italia. Click here and here to read my posts. He also won Male Athlete of the Year.
Jean-Philippe Le Guellec (biathlon)
1st Male Canadian to win a biathlon World Cup. Watch the race here.
Eugenie Bouchard (tennis)
First Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles championships when she won the Junior Wimbledon Championships.
Filip Peliwo (tennis)
First Canadian to win Junior Wimbledon and U.S. Open. He was finalist at Australian Open and French Open ending the year ranked #1, a first for a Canadian singles player. The future for Tennis Canada is very bright.
Kaillie Humphries (bobsleigh)
Streak of 8 wins, including the World Championships, started at the end of the 2011-2012 season with Jennifer Ciochetti and continued with new partner Chelsea Valois.
I can't imagine 2013 being as wonderful as an Olympic year, but I look forward to seeing the Winter Olympians gear up for the 2014 Games as well as following the summer athletes' journey for the next three and a half years.
Happy New Year!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
The Heartbeat
This holiday edition of The Heartbeat is the last one for 2012. With the Christmas holiday, there aren't any live events to attend in Canada.
Sports being televised or streamed include ski-cross, cross-country skiing, bobsleigh, alpine skiing, snowboarding and year end review.
Events to meet athletes are being held in Ancaster, Oakville and Regina.
Friday, December 14, 2012
The Heartbeat
This week's edition of The Heartbeat includes events in Panorama (alpine skiing) and Canmore (cross-country skiing).
Sports being televised or streamed include cross-country skiing, bobsleigh, skeleton, alpine skiing, biathlon, swimming, soccer, London 2012 Olympics and snowboarding.
Sports being televised or streamed include cross-country skiing, bobsleigh, skeleton, alpine skiing, biathlon, swimming, soccer, London 2012 Olympics and snowboarding.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
The Heartbeat
This week's edition of The Heartbeat includes events in Québec City (cross-country skiing), Nakiska, AB (ski-cross) and Canmore (cross-country skiing).
Sports being televised or streamed include cross-country skiing, bobsleigh, skeleton, alpine skiing, figure skating, swimming and snowboarding.
Events to meet athletes are being held in Halifax, Ancaster and Québec.
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.
Sprint Québec Coupe du Monde de Ski de Fond
(Cross-Country Skiing World Cup)
7-9 décembre, 2012
Québec, QC
Plus d'infos
More info
Competitors include: Alex Harvey, Devon Kershaw, Len Valjas, Chandra Crawford, Perrianne Jones and Dasha Gaiazova Click here for full list of Canadian competitors.
Cross-Country Skiing World Cup
December 13-16, 2012
Canmore, Alberta
More info
Competitors include: Alex Harvey, Devon Kershaw, Len Valjas, Ivan Babikov, Chandra Crawford, Perrianne Jones and Dasha Gaiazova Click here for full list of Canadian competitors.
Ski Cross
FIS Ski Cross World Cup - Nakiska Snowdown
December 8, 2012
The first event of the ski cross World Cup season will consist of 190 of the best skiers from 25 nations.
Among the competitors: Marielle Thompson, Kelsey Serwa, Danielle Sundquist, Dave Duncan, Brady Leman and Tristan Tafel.
The Canadian team unveiled a "blue jean inspired Descente race suit" in memory of Nik Zoricic this week. (Photo from Alpine Canada website)
You can read more about the unveiling here.
More info
Olympic Sports On Television/Internet
World Cup Cross-Country Skiing
CBC Bold (and cbcsports.ca)
Friday December 7 1:55pm Team Sprint from Quebec
Saturday December 8 1:05pm Men's and Women's Sprint Finals from Quebec
CBC
Saturday December 8 1:00pm
Men's and Women's Team Sprint Finals (repeat Monday 1:00am)
Saturday December 8 3:00pm
Men's and Women's Sprint Finals
CBC Bold (and cbcsports.ca)
Thursday December 13 12:50pm Women's 10km from Canmore
Thursday December 13 2:20pm Men's 15km from Canmore
Saturday December 15 2:20pm Men's and Women's Sprint Finals - Canmore
Sunday December 16 12:50pm Women's 15km Skiathlon - Canmore
Sunday December 16 2:20pm Men's 30km Skiathlon - Canmore
Ski-Cross World Cup from Nakiska
Saturday December 8 1:00pm on cbcsports.ca
Sunday December 9 1:00pm on cbcsports.ca S
unday December 9 2:00pm on CBC
Monday December 10 1:00am on CBC
Figure Skating Grand Prix Finals
Saturday December 8 4pm on CBC
Women Free and Pairs Free Programs
Saturday December 8 8pm on CBC
Men Free and Dance Free Programs
Alpine Skiing
Snowtime Highlighting latest news from World Cup skiing circuit every week
Friday 1:30pm; replay Saturday 12:00am; replay Sunday 3:30pm CBC Bold
According to Brian Stemmle: "Too much snow in Val d'Isere caused a schedule change Sat Dec 8 men's SL @cbcsports Sun Dec 9 GS on @Sportsnet. Women's SG on @Sportsnet Sat"
It may be better to watch live rather than trusting your PVR.
Following is the original schedule to give an idea of timing.
Men's Giant Slalom Val d'Isere
Saturday 2:00pm CBC
Men's Slalom Val d'Isere
First Run live Saturday December 8 3:55am cbcsports.ca
Second Run live Sat Dec 8 6:55am on cbcsports.ca
Saturday on Sportsnet (check local listings)
Women's Super-G St. Moritz
Saturday 5:00pm Sportsnet ONE (repeat midnight on Sportsnet and Sunday)
Follow live results here.
Bobsleigh/Skeleton
Women's and men's skeleton
Friday December 7 Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet (check local listings)
Women and Men Bobsleigh
Saturday December 8 Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet (check local listings)
Swimming Short Course World Championships
Instanbul, Turkey
Representing Canada: Martha McCabe, Tera Van Beilen, Katerine Savard, Brittany MacLean, Noemie Thomas, Chantal van Landegham and Heather MacLean. Zach Chetrat, Luke Peddie, Andrew Poznikoff, Jake Tapp, Warren Barnes, Coleman Allen and Tommy Gossland.
More info
Live streaming
FIS Snowboard Magazine
Monday 8:30pm EST Sportsnet ONE repeated Thursday 8pm EST Sportsnet ONE
Meet/Support Canada's Athletes
Déjeuner des Championnes Rapides et Radieuses
Marie-Eve Croteau (paralympique - cyclisme), Andréanne Pichette (vélo de montagne), Elise Marcotte (nage synchronisée), Audrey Lacroix (nage), Kristina Valjas (volleyball de plage)
Matinée inspirante pour les filles sportives de 9 à 19 ans
9 décembre, 2012
Québec, QC
Plus d'infos
Olympic Bronze Women's Soccer
Christine Sinclair, Karina Leblanc, Rhian Wilkinson and Diana Matheson
Dec 7, 8, 9, 2012
Halifax, Nova Scotia
More info
Melissa Tancredi
December 22, 2012 - hour long playing session for boys and girls age 9-14
December 23, 2012 - speech and autograph/photo session
Ancaster, Ontario
More Info
Sports being televised or streamed include cross-country skiing, bobsleigh, skeleton, alpine skiing, figure skating, swimming and snowboarding.
Events to meet athletes are being held in Halifax, Ancaster and Québec.
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.
Sprint Québec Coupe du Monde de Ski de Fond
(Cross-Country Skiing World Cup)
7-9 décembre, 2012
Québec, QC
Plus d'infos
More info
Competitors include: Alex Harvey, Devon Kershaw, Len Valjas, Chandra Crawford, Perrianne Jones and Dasha Gaiazova Click here for full list of Canadian competitors.
Cross-Country Skiing World Cup
December 13-16, 2012
Canmore, Alberta
More info
Competitors include: Alex Harvey, Devon Kershaw, Len Valjas, Ivan Babikov, Chandra Crawford, Perrianne Jones and Dasha Gaiazova Click here for full list of Canadian competitors.
Ski Cross
FIS Ski Cross World Cup - Nakiska Snowdown
December 8, 2012
The first event of the ski cross World Cup season will consist of 190 of the best skiers from 25 nations.
Among the competitors: Marielle Thompson, Kelsey Serwa, Danielle Sundquist, Dave Duncan, Brady Leman and Tristan Tafel.
You can read more about the unveiling here.
More info
Olympic Sports On Television/Internet
World Cup Cross-Country Skiing
CBC Bold (and cbcsports.ca)
Friday December 7 1:55pm Team Sprint from Quebec
Saturday December 8 1:05pm Men's and Women's Sprint Finals from Quebec
CBC
Saturday December 8 1:00pm
Men's and Women's Team Sprint Finals (repeat Monday 1:00am)
Saturday December 8 3:00pm
Men's and Women's Sprint Finals
CBC Bold (and cbcsports.ca)
Thursday December 13 12:50pm Women's 10km from Canmore
Thursday December 13 2:20pm Men's 15km from Canmore
Saturday December 15 2:20pm Men's and Women's Sprint Finals - Canmore
Sunday December 16 12:50pm Women's 15km Skiathlon - Canmore
Sunday December 16 2:20pm Men's 30km Skiathlon - Canmore
Ski-Cross World Cup from Nakiska
Saturday December 8 1:00pm on cbcsports.ca
Sunday December 9 1:00pm on cbcsports.ca S
unday December 9 2:00pm on CBC
Monday December 10 1:00am on CBC
Figure Skating Grand Prix Finals
Saturday December 8 4pm on CBC
Women Free and Pairs Free Programs
Saturday December 8 8pm on CBC
Men Free and Dance Free Programs
Alpine Skiing
Snowtime Highlighting latest news from World Cup skiing circuit every week
Friday 1:30pm; replay Saturday 12:00am; replay Sunday 3:30pm CBC Bold
According to Brian Stemmle: "Too much snow in Val d'Isere caused a schedule change Sat Dec 8 men's SL @cbcsports Sun Dec 9 GS on @Sportsnet. Women's SG on @Sportsnet Sat"
It may be better to watch live rather than trusting your PVR.
Following is the original schedule to give an idea of timing.
Men's Giant Slalom Val d'Isere
Saturday 2:00pm CBC
Men's Slalom Val d'Isere
First Run live Saturday December 8 3:55am cbcsports.ca
Second Run live Sat Dec 8 6:55am on cbcsports.ca
Saturday on Sportsnet (check local listings)
Women's Super-G St. Moritz
Saturday 5:00pm Sportsnet ONE (repeat midnight on Sportsnet and Sunday)
Follow live results here.
Bobsleigh/Skeleton
Women's and men's skeleton
Friday December 7 Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet (check local listings)
Women and Men Bobsleigh
Saturday December 8 Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet (check local listings)
Swimming Short Course World Championships
Instanbul, Turkey
Representing Canada: Martha McCabe, Tera Van Beilen, Katerine Savard, Brittany MacLean, Noemie Thomas, Chantal van Landegham and Heather MacLean. Zach Chetrat, Luke Peddie, Andrew Poznikoff, Jake Tapp, Warren Barnes, Coleman Allen and Tommy Gossland.
More info
Live streaming
FIS Snowboard Magazine
Monday 8:30pm EST Sportsnet ONE repeated Thursday 8pm EST Sportsnet ONE
Meet/Support Canada's Athletes
Déjeuner des Championnes Rapides et Radieuses
Marie-Eve Croteau (paralympique - cyclisme), Andréanne Pichette (vélo de montagne), Elise Marcotte (nage synchronisée), Audrey Lacroix (nage), Kristina Valjas (volleyball de plage)
Matinée inspirante pour les filles sportives de 9 à 19 ans
9 décembre, 2012
Québec, QC
Plus d'infos
Olympic Bronze Women's Soccer
Christine Sinclair, Karina Leblanc, Rhian Wilkinson and Diana Matheson
Dec 7, 8, 9, 2012
Halifax, Nova Scotia
More info
Melissa Tancredi
December 22, 2012 - hour long playing session for boys and girls age 9-14
December 23, 2012 - speech and autograph/photo session
Ancaster, Ontario
More Info
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Heartbeat Highlights
After almost two months of reporting on what amateur sports events are coming up in The Heartbeat, it's time to expand to include what happened in the world of amateur sports.
Biathlon World Cup Win
Jean-Philippe Le Guellec became the first Canadian male to win a World Cup Biathlon race on Saturday when he won the 10km Sprint. His best previous finish was 6th at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
You can watch the full race here. The race starts at the 10 minute mark of the video. There is not much coverage of Jean-Philippe until he takes the lead after the second shooting. I believe the first glimpse of him is at the 45 minute mark and the award ceremony is at 1:36.
Watch the post race interview here. Jean-Philippe's part of the interview starts at the 6:55 mark. It's so great to see his reaction and to put a face to the name (for those who have not been watching biathlon).
The following day, Jean-Philippe would wear number 1 as the other racers chase him in the 12.5km pursuit. You can watch that race here. The race starts at 19:30 mark of the video.
You can follow him on Twitter at @JeeP_LeGuellec and check out his very cool shooting-themed blog here.
Beach Volleyball World Cup Trials
The Hangar at Downsview Park in Toronto was the venue where four new pairings were vying for a chance to represent Canada at the World Cup Final in Brazil in January. This tournament was announced only a month ago. With the 2012 teams splitting up, Canada decided to have the top four teams compete for the lone Canadian men's spot.
In the semi-finals on Friday night, our 2012 Olympians Josh Binstock and Martin Reader with new partners lost their respective semi-finals.
In the first semi, Christian Redmann and Matt Zbyszewski won their match against Binstock and Maverick Hatch 2-1 (21-18, 19-21, 15-12).
In the second semi-final, Chaim Schalk and Ben Saxton defeated Reader and Sam Schachter 2-0 (21-16, 21-14)
You can watch the semi-finals here.
I couldn't make it to the semi-finals but did attend the finals on Saturday night. There were quite a few friends/family/fans in attendance. Most of the crowd were behind the video camera so the video doesn't show the support that the players had.
Redmann and Saxton had a very successful pairing in the past which included competing at the Pan Am Games in 2011. They also qualified for the 2012 Olympics but with Canada only having one spot, they had a playoff that they lost to Binstock and Reader. This time, Redmann and Saxton were on opposite sides of the net.
It was a very close and exciting match. Schalk and Saxton had a 3 point lead half-way through the first set only to have Redmann and Zbyszewski win four points in a row to take the lead. The match then see-sawed until Redmann and Zbyszewski had set point leading 20-18. They couldn't convert however and Schalk and Saxton won the first set 24-22.
The second set was just as close but in the end, Schalk and Saxton pulled off the match win with a 21-18 finish in the second set.
You can watch the final here.
I had a great talk with Christian Redmann the next day. Although he was understandably disappointed, he seemed satisfied with his team's effort. He and Matt had only practiced together half a dozen times since this World Cup trial was announced. He also explained that they are not normally match fit at this time of year. Their performance should give them a lot of confidence for the upcoming season once they get more practice together.
Schalk and Saxton were more match ready having played a Norceca tournament in September that they won winning the five matches they played.
Good luck to Chaim Schalk and Ben Saxton at the FIVB World Cup Final January 9-13.
Speed Skating
Christine Nesbitt won gold in the 1500m at the Long Track Speed Skating World Cup in Kazakhstan. Teaming up with Ivanie Blondin and Brittany Schussler, they won the team pursuit.
Charles Hamelin won the silver medal in the 500m Short Track Speed Skating World Cup in Japan. He has been on the podium for all six of his races this fall, but has yet to reach the top spot.
Canada Cup #1 was held in Québec City over the weekend with national team and development team members competing. The following were the race winners:
Tamara Oudenaarden - 500m (2 races)
Kate Hanly - 1000m (2 races)
Josie Spence 1500m, 3000m and 5000m
Laurent Dubreuil - 500m and 1000m.
Guillaume Blais-Dufour - 1000m and 1500m
Alec Janssens - 5000m and 10000m
Kyle Parrot - 500m (tied) (second 500m race)
Muncef Ouardi - 500m (tied) (second 500m race)
You can read more news and results about all of these speed skating events at the Speed Skating Canada website here.
FIS World Cup in Lake Louise
Larisa Yurkiw and Marie-Michelle Gagnon gave the home crowd something to cheer about when they finished in the points in 25th and 28th respectively in the Super-G on Sunday.
You can watch Larisa's run here and Marie-Michelle's here. CBC also have interviews with them on the site.
I can't talk about the Lake Louise event without mentioning Lindsey Vonn who dominated the whole weekend winning all three races. I have watched her second downhill run a few times now in awe that she actually won after a scary moment that looked like she would crash. She was skidding towards the safety nets and off balance on one ski but she managed to stay on her feet and make up the lost speed and time. She still won by over half a second. You can watch that race here. Sunday's Super G win was the seventh win in a row for Vonn at Lake Louise and 14th overall.
FIS World Cup at Beaver Creek
Canada had four men in the points in the downhill race on Friday. Erik Guay was 15th, Benjamin Thomsen 16th, Jan Hudec 24th and Manuel Osborne-Paradis 28th.
On Saturday Jan Hudec was the top Canadian in 10th followed closely by Erik Guay in 11th.
Biathlon World Cup Win
Jean-Philippe Le Guellec became the first Canadian male to win a World Cup Biathlon race on Saturday when he won the 10km Sprint. His best previous finish was 6th at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
You can watch the full race here. The race starts at the 10 minute mark of the video. There is not much coverage of Jean-Philippe until he takes the lead after the second shooting. I believe the first glimpse of him is at the 45 minute mark and the award ceremony is at 1:36.
Watch the post race interview here. Jean-Philippe's part of the interview starts at the 6:55 mark. It's so great to see his reaction and to put a face to the name (for those who have not been watching biathlon).
The following day, Jean-Philippe would wear number 1 as the other racers chase him in the 12.5km pursuit. You can watch that race here. The race starts at 19:30 mark of the video.
You can follow him on Twitter at @JeeP_LeGuellec and check out his very cool shooting-themed blog here.
Beach Volleyball World Cup Trials
The Hangar at Downsview Park in Toronto was the venue where four new pairings were vying for a chance to represent Canada at the World Cup Final in Brazil in January. This tournament was announced only a month ago. With the 2012 teams splitting up, Canada decided to have the top four teams compete for the lone Canadian men's spot.
In the semi-finals on Friday night, our 2012 Olympians Josh Binstock and Martin Reader with new partners lost their respective semi-finals.
In the first semi, Christian Redmann and Matt Zbyszewski won their match against Binstock and Maverick Hatch 2-1 (21-18, 19-21, 15-12).
In the second semi-final, Chaim Schalk and Ben Saxton defeated Reader and Sam Schachter 2-0 (21-16, 21-14)
You can watch the semi-finals here.
I couldn't make it to the semi-finals but did attend the finals on Saturday night. There were quite a few friends/family/fans in attendance. Most of the crowd were behind the video camera so the video doesn't show the support that the players had.
Redmann and Saxton had a very successful pairing in the past which included competing at the Pan Am Games in 2011. They also qualified for the 2012 Olympics but with Canada only having one spot, they had a playoff that they lost to Binstock and Reader. This time, Redmann and Saxton were on opposite sides of the net.
It was a very close and exciting match. Schalk and Saxton had a 3 point lead half-way through the first set only to have Redmann and Zbyszewski win four points in a row to take the lead. The match then see-sawed until Redmann and Zbyszewski had set point leading 20-18. They couldn't convert however and Schalk and Saxton won the first set 24-22.
The second set was just as close but in the end, Schalk and Saxton pulled off the match win with a 21-18 finish in the second set.
You can watch the final here.
I had a great talk with Christian Redmann the next day. Although he was understandably disappointed, he seemed satisfied with his team's effort. He and Matt had only practiced together half a dozen times since this World Cup trial was announced. He also explained that they are not normally match fit at this time of year. Their performance should give them a lot of confidence for the upcoming season once they get more practice together.
Schalk and Saxton were more match ready having played a Norceca tournament in September that they won winning the five matches they played.
Good luck to Chaim Schalk and Ben Saxton at the FIVB World Cup Final January 9-13.
Speed Skating
Christine Nesbitt won gold in the 1500m at the Long Track Speed Skating World Cup in Kazakhstan. Teaming up with Ivanie Blondin and Brittany Schussler, they won the team pursuit.
Charles Hamelin won the silver medal in the 500m Short Track Speed Skating World Cup in Japan. He has been on the podium for all six of his races this fall, but has yet to reach the top spot.
Canada Cup #1 was held in Québec City over the weekend with national team and development team members competing. The following were the race winners:
Tamara Oudenaarden - 500m (2 races)
Kate Hanly - 1000m (2 races)
Josie Spence 1500m, 3000m and 5000m
Laurent Dubreuil - 500m and 1000m.
Guillaume Blais-Dufour - 1000m and 1500m
Alec Janssens - 5000m and 10000m
Kyle Parrot - 500m (tied) (second 500m race)
Muncef Ouardi - 500m (tied) (second 500m race)
You can read more news and results about all of these speed skating events at the Speed Skating Canada website here.
FIS World Cup in Lake Louise
Larisa Yurkiw and Marie-Michelle Gagnon gave the home crowd something to cheer about when they finished in the points in 25th and 28th respectively in the Super-G on Sunday.
You can watch Larisa's run here and Marie-Michelle's here. CBC also have interviews with them on the site.
I can't talk about the Lake Louise event without mentioning Lindsey Vonn who dominated the whole weekend winning all three races. I have watched her second downhill run a few times now in awe that she actually won after a scary moment that looked like she would crash. She was skidding towards the safety nets and off balance on one ski but she managed to stay on her feet and make up the lost speed and time. She still won by over half a second. You can watch that race here. Sunday's Super G win was the seventh win in a row for Vonn at Lake Louise and 14th overall.
FIS World Cup at Beaver Creek
Canada had four men in the points in the downhill race on Friday. Erik Guay was 15th, Benjamin Thomsen 16th, Jan Hudec 24th and Manuel Osborne-Paradis 28th.
On Saturday Jan Hudec was the top Canadian in 10th followed closely by Erik Guay in 11th.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
The Heartbeat
This week's edition of The Heartbeat includes events in Québec City (long track speed skating and cross-country skiing), Lake Louise (alpine skiing), Toronto (beach volleyball) Nakiska, AB (ski-cross) and Gatineau (national team volleyball).
Sports being televised include alpine skiing, curling and snowboarding.
Events to meet athletes are being held in Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Ancaster, Hamilton and Québec.
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.
Alpine Canada
Women's Downhill and Super-G
November 30-Dec 2, 2012
Lake Louise, Alberta
Admission is free.
More info
Competitors include: Larisa Yurkiw, Marie-Michèle Gagnon and Marie-Pier Préfontaine.
Friday, Nov. 30: Ladies’ downhill (12:30 p.m. MT)
Saturday, Dec. 1: Ladies’ downhill (12:30 p.m. MT)
Sunday, Dec. 2: Ladies’ super-G (11 a.m. MT)
Long Track Speed Skating - Canada Cup
November 30-December 2, 2012
Gaetan-Boucher Oval
Quebec, QC
Among the competitors: Kevin Jagger, Suzanne Hamilton, Alexandra Ianculescu, Dustin Miller, Laurent Dubreuil, Muncef Ouardi, Scott Bickerton, Kate Hanly, Alec Janssens, Léo Landry, Richard MacLennan, Lauren McGuire, Tamara Oudenaarden, Kyle Parrott, Tori Spence and Justin Warsylewicz.
Click here for full list of entries and events
More info
Beach Volleyball World Cup Trials
Semi-Finals
Friday November 30th
7:30pm
Olympian Josh Binstock & Maverick Hatch vs Christian Redmann & Matt Zbyszewski
8:30pm
Olympian Martin Reader & Sam Schachter vs Chaim Schalk & Ben Saxton.
Finals Saturday December 1st
6:30pm
The Hangar, Downsview Park
Toronto, ON
More info
Ski Cross
National Championships
December 1, 2012 Nakiska, Alberta
More info
Among the competitors: Kelsey Serwa, Georgia Simmerling and Danielle Sundquist.
FIS Ski Cross World Cup - Nakiska Snowdown
December 8, 2012
The first event of the ski cross World Cup season will consist of 190 of the best skiers from 25 nations.
More info
Team Canada Volleyball
Intra-squad match at Full Time Training Centre
November 30, December 21
Centre Sportif de Gatineau
More info
2012-2013 Roster
Sprint Québec
Coupe du Monde de Ski de Fond
(Cross-Country Skiing World Cup)
7-9 décembre, 2012 Québec, QC
Plus d'infos
More info
Olympic Sports On Television/Internet
FIS Snowboard Magazine: Season Preview
Monday November 26th 8:30pm EST Sportsnet ONE
repeated Thursday 8pm EST Sportsnet ONE
Canada Cup of Curling
Wednesday November 28th 10am and 3pm EST TSN
Thursday November 29th 10am, 3pm and 8pm EST TSN
Friday November 30th 10am, 3pm and 8pm EST TSN
Saturday December 1st 1:30pm TSN women's semi-final
Saturday December 1st 7:30pm TSN men's semi-final
Sunday December 2nd 3:00am and 6:00am TSN2 women's and men's semi
Sunday December 2nd 10:30am TSN women's final
Sunday December 2nd 3:30pm TSN men's final
Alpine Skiing
Snowtime
Highlighting latest news from World Cup skiing circuit every week
Friday 1:30pm; replay Saturday 12:00am; replay Sunday 3:30pm CBC Bold
Alpine skiing schedule on CBC, click here for schedule.
Alpine skiing schedule on Sportsnet, click here for schedule.
Follow live results here.
Women's Alpine from Lake Louise
Downhill #1
1:00pm Saturday CBC (live Friday 2:25pm on CBC Bold and cbcsports.ca)
Downhill #2
5:00pm Saturday CBC (live Sat 2:25pm on CBC Bold and cbcsports.ca)
Super-G 3:00pm Sunday CBC local (live 12:55pm on CBC Bold and online www.cbcsports.ca)
Men's Alpine from Beaver Creek, USA
(not seeing television coverage of downhill or Super-G)
Giant Slalom 7pm and 11:30pm Sunday Sportsnet ONE
(also various times on Sportsnet Ont/East/West/Pac)
Meet/Support Canada's Athletes
Simon Whitfield - Barrie Shepley McMaster Tri Clinic
70 min Seminar
Talk Seminar & 1 Morning Clinic
Full Day Tri Clinic including Seminar Talk
Saturday December 1st, 2012
Hamilton, ON
More info
Special Olympic Presentation
Adam van Koeverden and Mark Oldershaw
will discuss their path to Olympic glory as well as dragonboat training and racing strategies.
Toronto, ON
Sunday December 2, 2012
More info
Déjeuner des Championnes Rapides et Radieuses
Marie-Eve Croteau (paralympique - cyclisme), Andréanne Pichette (vélo de montagne), Elise Marcotte (nage synchronisée), Audrey Lacroix (nage), Kristina Valjas (volleyball de plage)
Matinée inspirante pour les filles sportives de 9 à 19 ans
9 décembre, 2012
Québec, QC
Plus d'infos
Olympic Bronze Women's Soccer
Christine Sinclair, Karina Leblanc, Rhian Wilkinson and Diana Matheson
Two hour training sessions for young players
Dec 4 and 6, 2012
Ottawa, Ontario
More info
Dec 7, 8, 9, 2012
Halifax, Nova Scotia
More info
Melissa Tancredi
December 22, 2012 - hour long playing session for boys and girls age 9-14
December 23, 2012 - speech and autograph/photo session
Ancaster, Ontario
More Info
Sports being televised include alpine skiing, curling and snowboarding.
Events to meet athletes are being held in Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Ancaster, Hamilton and Québec.
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.
Alpine Canada
Women's Downhill and Super-G
November 30-Dec 2, 2012
Lake Louise, Alberta
Admission is free.
More info
Competitors include: Larisa Yurkiw, Marie-Michèle Gagnon and Marie-Pier Préfontaine.
Friday, Nov. 30: Ladies’ downhill (12:30 p.m. MT)
Saturday, Dec. 1: Ladies’ downhill (12:30 p.m. MT)
Sunday, Dec. 2: Ladies’ super-G (11 a.m. MT)
Long Track Speed Skating - Canada Cup
November 30-December 2, 2012
Gaetan-Boucher Oval
Quebec, QC
Among the competitors: Kevin Jagger, Suzanne Hamilton, Alexandra Ianculescu, Dustin Miller, Laurent Dubreuil, Muncef Ouardi, Scott Bickerton, Kate Hanly, Alec Janssens, Léo Landry, Richard MacLennan, Lauren McGuire, Tamara Oudenaarden, Kyle Parrott, Tori Spence and Justin Warsylewicz.
Click here for full list of entries and events
More info
Beach Volleyball World Cup Trials
Semi-Finals
Friday November 30th
7:30pm
Olympian Josh Binstock & Maverick Hatch vs Christian Redmann & Matt Zbyszewski
8:30pm
Olympian Martin Reader & Sam Schachter vs Chaim Schalk & Ben Saxton.
Finals Saturday December 1st
6:30pm
The Hangar, Downsview Park
Toronto, ON
More info
Ski Cross
National Championships
December 1, 2012 Nakiska, Alberta
More info
Among the competitors: Kelsey Serwa, Georgia Simmerling and Danielle Sundquist.
FIS Ski Cross World Cup - Nakiska Snowdown
December 8, 2012
The first event of the ski cross World Cup season will consist of 190 of the best skiers from 25 nations.
More info
Team Canada Volleyball
Intra-squad match at Full Time Training Centre
November 30, December 21
Centre Sportif de Gatineau
More info
2012-2013 Roster
Sprint Québec
Coupe du Monde de Ski de Fond
(Cross-Country Skiing World Cup)
7-9 décembre, 2012 Québec, QC
Plus d'infos
More info
Olympic Sports On Television/Internet
FIS Snowboard Magazine: Season Preview
Monday November 26th 8:30pm EST Sportsnet ONE
repeated Thursday 8pm EST Sportsnet ONE
Canada Cup of Curling
Wednesday November 28th 10am and 3pm EST TSN
Thursday November 29th 10am, 3pm and 8pm EST TSN
Friday November 30th 10am, 3pm and 8pm EST TSN
Saturday December 1st 1:30pm TSN women's semi-final
Saturday December 1st 7:30pm TSN men's semi-final
Sunday December 2nd 3:00am and 6:00am TSN2 women's and men's semi
Sunday December 2nd 10:30am TSN women's final
Sunday December 2nd 3:30pm TSN men's final
Alpine Skiing
Snowtime
Highlighting latest news from World Cup skiing circuit every week
Friday 1:30pm; replay Saturday 12:00am; replay Sunday 3:30pm CBC Bold
Alpine skiing schedule on CBC, click here for schedule.
Alpine skiing schedule on Sportsnet, click here for schedule.
Follow live results here.
Women's Alpine from Lake Louise
Downhill #1
1:00pm Saturday CBC (live Friday 2:25pm on CBC Bold and cbcsports.ca)
Downhill #2
5:00pm Saturday CBC (live Sat 2:25pm on CBC Bold and cbcsports.ca)
Super-G 3:00pm Sunday CBC local (live 12:55pm on CBC Bold and online www.cbcsports.ca)
Men's Alpine from Beaver Creek, USA
(not seeing television coverage of downhill or Super-G)
Giant Slalom 7pm and 11:30pm Sunday Sportsnet ONE
(also various times on Sportsnet Ont/East/West/Pac)
Meet/Support Canada's Athletes
Simon Whitfield - Barrie Shepley McMaster Tri Clinic
70 min Seminar
Talk Seminar & 1 Morning Clinic
Full Day Tri Clinic including Seminar Talk
Saturday December 1st, 2012
Hamilton, ON
More info
Special Olympic Presentation
Adam van Koeverden and Mark Oldershaw
will discuss their path to Olympic glory as well as dragonboat training and racing strategies.
Toronto, ON
Sunday December 2, 2012
More info
Déjeuner des Championnes Rapides et Radieuses
Marie-Eve Croteau (paralympique - cyclisme), Andréanne Pichette (vélo de montagne), Elise Marcotte (nage synchronisée), Audrey Lacroix (nage), Kristina Valjas (volleyball de plage)
Matinée inspirante pour les filles sportives de 9 à 19 ans
9 décembre, 2012
Québec, QC
Plus d'infos
Olympic Bronze Women's Soccer
Christine Sinclair, Karina Leblanc, Rhian Wilkinson and Diana Matheson
Two hour training sessions for young players
Dec 4 and 6, 2012
Ottawa, Ontario
More info
Dec 7, 8, 9, 2012
Halifax, Nova Scotia
More info
Melissa Tancredi
December 22, 2012 - hour long playing session for boys and girls age 9-14
December 23, 2012 - speech and autograph/photo session
Ancaster, Ontario
More Info
Thursday, November 22, 2012
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.
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.
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