Tag Archive | "turkey"

Canada’s Comeau and Richards Score Top-20 Results in Junior Worlds Skiathlon

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February 24, 2012 (Erzurum, Turkey) – Canada’s Anne-Marie Comeau and Geoffrey Richards posted impressive top-20 results in their respective skiathlon races at the Junior World Championships in Erzurum, Turkey on Friday. In the women’s 5km classic + 5km freestyle event, Comeau skied solidly in both techniques – 21st in classic, 20th in freestyle – and had one of the fastest transitions (6th) in the competition, eventually finishing in 18th. Comeau’s performance is all the more impressive in that she is one of the youngest competitors at the these championships.

The women’s skiathlon event was won by Slovenia’s Nika Razinger. Canada’s Dahria Beatty also had a good result finishing 23rd. Teammates Emilie Stewart-Jones and Janelle Greer placed 41st and 47th respectively.

Americans Mary O’Connell and Corey Stock finished in 42nd and 43rd, respectively, followed by Emily Hannah in 51st. Stephanie Kirk was a DNF.

In the men’s 10km + 10km event, Richards shook off a weak classic leg (42nd), and after a quick transition, powered his way up into 20th position overall after skiing the 14th fastest skate leg. The USA also fielded a number of competitors in today’s skiathlon events with Logan Hanneman posting a solid 23rd result. Today’s men’s race was won by Russia’s multi-medalist Sergey Ustiugov.

Also racing today was Canada’s Alexis Turgeon in 31st while Knute Johnsgaard was 49th. For the USA Michael Vigers finished in 54th, followed by Will Wicherski (57th) and Forrest Mahlen (72nd).

Women’s skiathlon results HERE.
Men’s skiathlon results HERE.

Jessie Diggins Update: Some Ups and Downs, But Mostly Ups

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February 24, 2012 (Erzurum, Turkey) – XC ski fans have been wondering why young phenom Jessie Diggins has not been listed in the results at the U23 World Championships in Turkey. Unfortunately, the medal hopeful picked up a bug during her travels and was forced to sit out some races at the big events. She hopes to be well and on form for tomorrow’s 7.5k C/7.5k F Skiathlon event. We join the ski community in wishing Jessie a speedy recovery and good luck for the rest of her season. Continue reading for Jessie’s latest blog update.

Here’s a little update on what’s going on – there’s definitely been some awesome times in Poland, and some rough travel getting to Turkey!

Poland was really fun – the fans there were nuts over Kowalczyk, and were singing and hiking around the course to cover all the tough hills, which was super cool. Sprint day saw some gutsy racing by Kikkan and Devon – Kikkan fell in the final, but charged ahead, made up lost ground and still placed 3rd! Devon won the men’s race, blasting by a Russian who had started to celebrate, thinking he’d won. Lesson of the day? Nothing is ever set in stone.

The sprint was okay for me – I qualified well in 12th place but my body felt super tired in the heats and I didn’t ski the final corner well, getting boxed in and losing my momentum. Sadly, that was the last skate sprint of the year, so I’ll have to wait a while before trying it again, but this year I feel like I learned so much! Every single race has been a different experience and chance to figure out a way to get faster on the World Cup.

I didn’t race the 10km classic the next day, opting to cheer instead since the day after I’d be traveling all day to Turkey and didn’t want to get super tired out right before U23′s. So Chandra and I cheered as Kikkan placed 8th and Ida skied into her first distance points with a 26th place!

That was really cool to see, and the next day some of our athletes entered the World Uphill competition, which isn’t a World Cup event but is super tough; 4km up and 4km down on a super sketchy downhill (so I’m told – I never got to see the course, and our athletes didn’t get to preview it either!) Liz got 3rd, Chandra placed 9th, Tad got 6th and Newell finished 12th. Amazing efforts all round!

So now you’re probably wondering what the “downs” are about, after Poland was clearly super inspiring with North America kicking butt right and left. Here it is: I made it to Turkey, but not all in one piece… I started getting sick on the flight over, which was pretty much the one thing I was scared of. I was super dizzy and couldn’t even walk straight down the plane aisle, and you don’t want any more details than that.

But 24 hours later I started to feel better and I went outside for the first time today. And Turkey is absolutely beautiful! Our hotel is very nice and is right at the bottom of a mountain, so I’ve been watching alpine skiers fly through powder (and crash) while recovering.

And while I’m super bummed at not being able to race the sprint (and most likely having to sit out the 10km classic as well), since I was really gunning for a medal this year… this stuff happens! Travel, getting sick and moving on with it is just a part of life as an athlete. And though it sucks, there’s nothing I can do except get better and hope to race by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to getting to know the rest of the team, and once I get a chance to get to the venue I’ll definitely put up pictures!

Canada’s Beatty and Greer Crack Top 30 in Junior Worlds 5km Classic Race

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February 22, 2012 (Erzurum, Turkey) – Canada’s Dahria Beatty and Janelle Greer, both of Whitehorse, cracked the top 30 in Wednesday’s women’s 5km classic race at the Junior World Championships in Erzurum, Turkey. Beatty finished the race in 25th and just over a minute back of the winner, Russia’s Natalia Zhukova. Greer was close behind Beatty in 28th. Also racing for Canada were Anne-Marie Comeau (39th) and Emilie Stewart-Jones (42).

The USA contingent consisted of three skiers in this morning’s race including Corey Stock (40th), Mary O’Connell (54th), and Stephanie Kirk (61st). Emily Hannah did not start.

In the men’s race, which was won by Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov, Canada’s Alexis Turgeon posted the top North American result finishing in 33rd place, followed closely by the USA’s Logan Hanneman in 35th. Also suiting up for the USA were Will Wicherski (61st), Michael Vigers (68th), and Cole Morgan (78th).

Canada’s Geoffrey Richards (41st) and Knute Johnsgaard (73rd) also raced today.

Full women’s results HERE.
Full men’s results HERE.

Canada’s Greer Leads North Americans w/Top 30 in FR Sprints at Junior Worlds in Turkey

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February 21, 2012 (Erzurum, Turkey) – The 2012  Junior/U23 World Championships kicked off in Erzurum, Turkey on Monday with freestyle sprints for the Juniors. Canada’s Janelle Greer of Whitehorse, YK, led a youthful contingent of North Americans, finishing 28th in the women’s skate-sprint event. After finishing 26th in the qualification run, Greer was eliminated in her quarterfinal heat.

No other Canadian or American athletes qualified for the heats. This was Greer’s third trip to the Junior Worlds as Sweden’s Stina Nilsson won the women’s sprint.

Also representing Canada in the women’s event were Dahria Beatty (48th), Emilie Stewart-Jones (55th), and Anne-Marie Comeau (57th), all of whom are among the youngest competitors in the race.

Canada’s Alexis Turgeon narrowly missed qualifying in the men’s sprint placing 33rd in qualification. Teammates Knute Johnsgaard and Geoffrey Richards were 51st and 52nd respectively. Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov won the men’s gold.

“We are a very young team and there is a huge learning curve for these athletes,” said national team coach, Eric de Nys, in team release. “These athletes are skiing at altitude for the first time, which is a whole new experience. These are the best athletes in Canada for their age, and for some it is the first time they’re racing against the top athletes in the world, so they also learn it is time to get their work boots on.”

Eight American athletes also competed in the Monday’s junior sprints, although none qualified for the heats. Competing in the women’s event were Corey Stock (41st), Emily Hannah (49), Stephanie Kirk (51st) and Mary O’Connel (58th). Reese Hanneman narrowly missed the heats, qualifying in 34th position, followed by teammates Cole Morgan (35th), Will Wicherski (72nd) and Forrest Mahlen (87th).

Women’s Qualifications HERE.
Men’s Qualifications HERE.
Women’s final results HERE.
Men’s final results HERE.

Aussie XC Ski Team – Oslo 2011, Canberra National Rollerski Event

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March 24, 2011 – The general feedback on the 2011 World Championship in Oslo was that it was the biggest most spectacular World Championship ever held. Over 100,000 spectators were in the stands or out around the track each day for the last weekend of competition, and even the qualification race the day before the first official World Championship medal event had a bigger crowd than most World Cup events in central Europe. Seven Australian athletes competed – Esther Bottomley, Ben Sim, Callum Watson, Ewan Watson, Nick Grimmer, Mark van der Ploeg and Chris Darlington. The competition highlights for the Australian Team were Esther Bottomley’s 44th place in the Sprint Freestyle, the 19th place of Ben Sim and Callum Watson in the Team Sprint, and the 10km qualification race in which Mark van der Ploeg and Ewan Watson finished 4th and 6th. The lowlight was the overlapping of the men’s relay team before Mark van der Ploeg had a chance to start to the final leg. Waxing conditions were the most challenging the team has experienced probably since the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, not with grip waxing as can often be the case but from the glide perspective. The overall summary: Great atmosphere, incredible event, some solid results, it would have nice to have some faster skis and higher results in a couple of the distance events.

Most of the team athletes are now back in Australia, with the exception of Esther Bottomley who finished a very creditable 14th in the Engadin Ski Marathon two weeks ago and plans to race the Swiss Championship next weekend.

More details from the World Championship can be viewed on the AUS XC Website HERE.

National Rollerski Event, Canberra, April 23-24
On the Easter weekend of April 23-24 Ski Australia is organising some rollerski events in Canberra. While there are still some details to be sorted out with ACT Roads and the land managers, the preliminary schedule of events is as follows:

Saturday April 23
– 10:00 am – 3.3km Uphill Classic Time Trial – Mt Stromlo Road
– 2:00 pm – Freestyle Criterium – Canberra Institute of Technology, Bruce
Saturday April 24
– 10:00 am – 3.3km Uphill Freestyle Event – Mt Stromlo Road

More details will be available soon on the AUS XC Website.

2011 Winter Universiade – Team Canada Roundup and Results

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February 02, 2011 (Erzurum, Turkey) – Canadian athletes resumed competition in curling, alpine skiing, biathlon and snowboarding on Tuesday at the 25th Winter Universiade. In men’s curling, the Queen’s University rink led by skip Jon Beuk of Kingston, Ont., improved to 4-3 with two preliminary matches remaining thanks to a 6-5 win over the United States. Canada scored two points in each of the second, fourth and seventh ends to build what looked like a comfortable 6-2 lead but the Americans refused to quit and scored twice in the eighth and once more in the tenth to make it a one-point affair.

Canada completes round-robin play Wednesday with matches at 2 a.m. ET (9 a.m. local) against South Korea (6-1) and at 12 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local) against Turkey (0-7).

After capturing Universiade gold in 2003 in Tarvisio, Italy, the Canadian men are coming off back-to-back sixth-place finishes in 2007 and 2009.

It was a different day on the ice for the Canadian women, Universiade champions in 2007 and silver medallists in 2009. The University of Regina foursome led by skip Brooklyn Lemon fell to 3-5 with one round-robin match left following losses to Germany, 8-4, and Russia, 4-3.

Against the Germans, Canada led 2-1 after four ends but saw their rivals score seven times over the next five ends, including three points in the fifth and another three in the eighth. The duel with Russia was much closer but despite erasing an early 2-0 deficit, the Canadians came up just short in the end.

Canada (3-5) completes the preliminary round Wednesday at 7 a.m. ET (2 p.m. local) against Turkey (0-8).

In biathlon, the finals of the women’s 7.5 km sprint and men’s 10 km sprint were contested on Tuesday.

Kathryn Stone also of Camrose, Alta., was the top Canadian female finishing 29th in a time of 28:29.2. On the men’s side, Jon Skinstad led the Canadian effort with a time of 33:10.1, good for the 30th position.

In alpine skiing, after a one-day delay due to poor weather, competitors were able to complete the first of two runs in the super combined event. Kendall Brown of Toronto was the top Canadian female in the slalom and stands in 26th place thanks to a time of 49.91, while Philippe Rivet of Greenfield Park, Que., crossed the finish line in 48.68 and is 24th after the men’s slalom.

In snowboarding, no Canadians advanced past the elimination round in the men’s parallel giant slalom. Calgary native and University of Calgary student Dylan Riley finished in 22nd place with a time of 1:19.04.

Both the Canadian women’s and men’s hockey teams were off on Tuesday but the women’s squad held a joint practice with Great Britain. The 30 minutes of ice time saw the red-and-white share drills and routines from a skill development perspective.

“We’re going to learn so much from this,” commented British head coach Simon Manning. “This gives our team so much energy as we’ve developed immensely and now these 28 girls have an opportunity to practice and develop with Canada.”

The reigning Universiade champion Canadian women (4-0) wrap up round-robin play Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET (8 p.m. local) against host Turkey (0-4).

TEAM CANADA RESULTS: Tuesday, February 1

ALPINE SKIING

Women’s Super Combined Slalom (Run 1 of 2)
1. Barbora Lukacova, Slovakia, 45.42

26. Kendall Brown, Toronto, Ont., 49.91
28. Nicole Poleschuk, Winnipeg, Man., 50.33
Maëlle Bergeron, Quebec City, Que., did not finish
Rebecca Nadler, Ottawa, Ont., did not finish
Marie-France Tessier, Montreal, Que., did not finish

Men’s Super Combined Slalom (Run 1 of 2)

1. Calle Lindh, Sweden, 46:18; 24. Philippe Rivet, Greenfield Park, Que., 48.68; 33. Olivier Lacaille, Montreal, Que., 49.27; Simon Mannella, Montreal, Que., 50.54; 48. Braden Long, Clarksburg, Ont., 50.92; Louis Morin, Montreal, Que., did not finish.

BIATHLON

Women’s 7.5km Sprint Final
1. Vita Semerenko, Ukraine, 23:29.5
2. Evgeniya Sedova, Russia, 24:18.7
3. Emilia Yordanova, Bulgaria, 24:27.4

29. Kathryn Stone, Camrose, Alta., 28:29.2
32. Lauren Brookes, Halifax, N.S., 30:20.9
35. Jennifer Paterson, St. Albert, Alta., 32:24.5
36. Elizabeth Mawdsley, Fort Smith, N.W.T., 32:58.2

Men’s 10km Sprint Final

1. Artem Pryma, Ukraine, 28:25
2. Sergii Semenov, Ukraine, 28:31.7
3. Evgeniy Garanichev, Russia, 28:38.9

30. Jon Skinstad, Camrose, Alta., 33:10.1
39. Kai Skinstad, Camrose, Alta., 35:15.8
40. Johnny Forward, Corner Brook, Nfld., 35:16.2
43. Jaime Robb, Hay River, N.W.T., 37:01.4

CURLING

Women’s Preliminary Round

Game 7 of 9

Germany 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 3 1 X – 8
Canada 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 X – 4

Game 8 of 9

Russia 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 X – 4
Canada 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 X – 3

Canada (3-5) completes the preliminary round Wednesday at 7 a.m. ET against Turkey (0-8).

Men’s Preliminary Round

Game 7 of 9

Canada 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 – 6
USA 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 – 5

Canada (4-3) completes the preliminary round Wednesday with matches at 2 a.m. ET against South Korea (6-1) and at 12 p.m. ET against Turkey (0-7).

SNOWBOARDING

Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom Elimination
1. Sebastian Kislinger, Austria, 1:14.14

22. Dylan Riley, Calgary, Alta., 1:19.04, did not advance
26. Frédéric Laurin-Lalonde, Montreal, Que., 1:30.46, did not advance
30. Mackenzie Carter, Maryhill, Ont., 1:25.63, did not advance
38. Antoine Laurin-Lalonde, Montreal, Que., 45.37, did not advance

Team Canada website HERE.
2011 Winter Universiade website HERE.

2011 Winter Universiade – Canada Sends 102 Athletes to Turkey

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January 26, 2011 (Ottawa, ON) – A delegation of 102 student-athletes and 39 officials will represent Canada at the 2011 Winter Universiade in Erzurum, Turkey, from January 27 to February 6. The opening ceremonies of the 25th Winter World University Games are set for 8 p.m. local time (1 p.m. Eastern) on Thursday.

The two Canadian hockey teams will be in action on opening day, both at 4 p.m. local. The women begin the defence of their Universiade title against Finland while the men – silver medallists in 2009 – kick off the tournament against Slovenia.

“Our group of athletes is going to be competitive,” said Canadian chef de mission, Beth Ali. “We’ve seen success over the years in curling, hockey and speed skating and we hope to see similar results here in Turkey.”

“The athletes’ village is beautiful with the ski jumping venue visible from most residences including our own,” added University of Toronto’s Director of Intercollegiate and High Performance Sport, who arrived in Erzurum on Saturday. “The staff and volunteers have been great and we look forward to what promises to be an outstanding Games.”

In addition to hockey, Canada will be competing in alpine skiing, biathlon, cross country skiing, curling, short track speed skating and snowboarding over the next two weeks.

At the last Winter Universiade in Harbin, China, in 2009, Canada tallied six medals including one gold (women’s hockey), four silver (men’s hockey, women’s curling, short track men’s 1000m, short track men’s 5000m relay) and one bronze (short track women’s 3000m relay).

Canada’s best showing at the Winter Universiade came in 1985 when Canadian student-athletes returned from Belluno, Italy, with 18 medals including five gold. An exceptional short track speed skating team featuring numerous Olympic medallists such as Susan Auch, Maryse Perreault, Louis Grenier and Michel Daignault accounted for 17 of those podiums and all five first-place finishes.

Canada also hit double digits in 2003 in Tarvisio, Italy, amassing 10 medals including two gold, five silver and three bronze.

The first Winter Universiade were held in 1960 in Chamonix, France. Canada claimed its first medal in 1968 at the fifth biennial Games in Innsbruck, Austria, when the men’s hockey team skated to a third-place finish. The first Canadian gold medal came four years later in Lake Placid, NY, when alpine skier Lisa Richardson won the downhill race.

Websites and Links
– Team Canada website HERE.
– Team Canada schedule by sport HERE.
– Team Canada schedule by day HERE.
– Official Universiade website HERE.

Following is a complete list of student-athletes and officials representing Canada in Erzurum (listed by sport).

TEAM CANADA STUDENT-ATHLETES

Alpine Skiing
– Maëlle Bergeron Cegep F.-X.-Garneau Quebec City, Que.
– Kendall Brown Westminster College Toronto, Ont.
– Catherine Morel Cegep F.-X.-Garneau Quebec City, Que.
– Rebecca Nadler Harvard University Ottawa, Ont.
– Nicole Poleschuk University of Nevada Reno Winnipeg, Man.
– Marie-France Tessier University of Montreal Montreal, Que.
– Philippe Crête Belzile Laval University Cap-Rouge, Que.
– Olivier Lacaille University of Montreal Montreal, Que.
– Braden Long Dartmouth College Clarksburg, Ont.
– Simon Mannella Laval University Montreal, Que.
– Louis Morin Laval University Montreal, Que.
– Philippe Rivet Champlain College Greenfield Park, Que.

Biathlon
– Lauren Brookes University of Alberta (Augustana) Halifax, N.S.
– Elizabeth Mawdsley University of Alberta (Augustana) Fort Smith, N.W.T.
– Jennifer Paterson University of Alberta (Augustana) St. Albert, Alta.
– Kathryn Stone University of Alberta (Augustana) Camrose, Alta.
– Johnathon Forward University of Alberta (Augustana) Corner Brook, Nfld.
– Jaime Robb University of British Columbia Hay River, N.W.T.
– Jon Skinstad University of Alberta (Augustana) Camrose, Alta.
– Kai Skinstad University of Alberta (Augustana) Camrose, Alta.

Cross Country Skiing
– Adele Lay Carleton University Eden Mills, Ont.
– Alexia Pichard-Jolicoeur Laval University St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que.
– Zoe Roy University of Utah Bracebridge, Ont.
– Mary Thompson Laurentian University Woodstock, Ont.
– Maja Zimmermann University of Alberta (Augustana) Edmonton, Alta.
– Colin Abbott Carleton University Whitehorse, Yukon
– Benjamin Hébert Laval University Montreal, Que.
– Jesse Heckrodt University of British Columbia Enderby, B.C.
– Anthony Killick University of Calgary Fort McMurray, Alta.
– Vincent Ruel Laval University Charny, Que.

Curling
– Brooklyn Lemon University of Regina Maryfield, Sask.
– Chelsey Peterson University of Regina Estevan, Sask.
– Ashley Green University of Regina Yellowknife, N.W.T.
– Nicole Lang University of Regina Regina, Sask.
– Sarah Watamanuk University of Regina Crane Valley, Sask.
– Jonathan Beuk Queen’s University Kingston, Ont.
– Andrew Inouye Queen’s University Ottawa, Ont.
– Chadd Vandermade Queen’s University Ottawa, Ont.
– Scott Chadwick Queen’s University Marysville, Ont.
– William Francis Queen’s University Toronto, Ont.

Hockey (men)
– Scott Aarssen Western Ontario University London, Ont.
– Kevin Baker Western Ontario University Georgetown, Ont.
– Ryan Berard Carleton University Niagara Falls, Ont.
– Matt Caria Lakehead University Sault St. Marie, Ont.
– Francis Charland U of Quebec at Trois-Rivières Victoriaville, Que.
– Marc-André Dorion McGill University St-Hubert, Que.
– Yashar Farmanara Western Ontario University West Vancouver, B.C.
– Anthony Grieco Western Ontario University Brampton, Ont.
– Dominic Jalbert University of Ottawa Hull, Que.
– Geoff Killing Western Ontario University Embro, Ont.
– Thomas Kiriakou University of Guelph Richmond Hill, Ont.
– Maxime Langelier-Parent McGill University Montreal, Que.
– Brandon MacLean Carleton University Burlington, Ont.
– Matthieu Methot University of Ottawa Ottawa, Ont.
– Tim Priamo University of Guelph Guelph, Ont.
– Chris Ray University of Waterloo Kelowna, B.C.
– Jean-Michel Rizk Wilfrid Laurier University Durham, Que.
– Jordan Smith Lakehead University Sault St. Marie, Ont.
– Kyle Sonnenburg University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ont.
– Keaton Turkiewicz Western Ontario University Brantford, Ont.
– Evan Vossen McGill University Swift Current, Sask.
– Jim Watt University of Windsor Edmonton, Alta.

Hockey (women)
– Ann-Sophie Bettez McGill University Sept-Iles, Que.
– Andrea Boras University of Alberta Calgary, Alta.
– Beth Clause Brock University Hamilton, Ont.
– Kim Deschênes University of Montreal Saint-Quentin, N.B.
– Jenna Downey StFX University Stratford, Ont.
– Suzanne Fenerty StFX University Cole Harbour, N.S.
– Breanne George University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Sask.
– Carly Hill McGill University Dorval, Que.
– Andrea Ironside Wilfrid Laurier University Collingwood, Ont.
– Liz Knox Wilfrid Laurier University Stouffville, Ont.
– Erin Lally Concordia University Calgary, Alta.
– Jocelyn Leblanc Dalhousie University Moncton, N.B.
– Alicia Martin Wilfrid Laurier University Etobicoke, Ont.
– Addie Miles University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Man.
– Mariève Provost University of Moncton Laval, Que.
– Ellie Seedhouse Western Ontario University Whitby, Ont.
– Jacalyn Sollis University of Guelph West Vancouver, B.C.
– Candice Styles Wilfrid Laurier University Orangeville, Ont.
– Courtney Unruh York University Fort St. John, B.C.
– Kelsey Webster York University Duncan, B.C.
– Jessica Zerafa University of Guelph Mississauga, Ont.

Short Track Speed Skating
– Gabrielle Waddell University of Calgary Red Deer, Alta.
– Andrea Do-Duc Concordia University Montreal, Que.
– Sabrina Bourgela Maisonneuve College Pointe-aux-Trembles, Que.
– Valérie Lambert U of Quebec at Montreal Montreal, Que.
– Kristy Shoebridge University of Calgary Calgary, Alta.
– Gabriel Chiasson-Poirier U of Quebec at Montreal Sherbrooke, Que.
– Allyn Gagnon U of Quebec at Montreal Montreal, Que.
– Pier-Olivier Gagnon Cegep Rosemont Quebec City, Que.
– Liam McFarlane University of Calgary Calgary, Alta.
– Vincent Cournoyer Cegep Édouard-Montpetit Boucherville, Que.

Snowboarding
– Anne-Frédérique Grenier Laval University Beaupré, Que.
– Justine Côté Laval University Petite-Rivière-St-François, Que.
– Antoine Laurin-Lalonde École de technologie supérieure Montreal, Que.
– Dylan Riley University of Calgary Calgary, Alta.
– Frédéric Laurin-Lalonde University of Montreal Montreal, Que.
– Mackenzie Carter Carleton University Maryhill, Ont.
– Pierce Smith Humber College Caledon, Ont.
– Rob Ritchie University of Calgary Calgary, Alta.
– Taylor Ronsky University of Calgary Calgary, Alta.

TEAM CANADA PERSONNEL AND COACHES

Mission Staff
– Chef de Mission: Beth Ali (University of Toronto)
– Assistant Chef: Mary MacDonald (CIS)
– Communications Manager: Ari Grossman (Wilfrid Laurier University)
– Operations Manager: Elizabeth Kiraly (CIS)
– Chief Medical Officer: Dr. Devin Nielsen
– Chief Therapist: Andrea Prieur (University of Toronto)
– Physician: Dr. Taryn Taylor (Carleton University)
– Therapist: Jacques Lavergne (Laval University)
– Therapist: Vicky Wiltshire (Queen’s University)

Alpine Skiing
– Head Coach / Team Leader: Vincent Lavoie (Laval University / Quebec City, Que.)
– Coach: David Côté (McGill University / St-Hubert, Que.)

Biathlon
– Team Leader: Joan Skinstad (University of Alberta – Augustana / Camrose, Alta.)
– Coach: Hans Skinstad (University of Alberta – Augustana / Camrose, Alta.)

Cross Country Skiing
– Team Leader: Mary Waddell (Wahnapitae, Ont.)
– Head Coach: Mark Tierney (Corner Brook, Nfld.)
– Coach: Sara Nielsen (University of Alaska Anchorage / Whitehorse, Yukon)
– Coach: Kirk Potter (Whitehorse, Yukon)

Curling
– Team Leader: Wendy Morgan (Burlington, Ont.)
– Coach (women): Travis Brown (Loreburn, Sask.)
– Coach (men): Richard Henderson (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
– Team official (women): Alison Fisher (Regina, Sask.)

Hockey (men)
– General Manager: Brian Bourque (University of Waterloo)
– Head Coach: Clarke Singer (Western Ontario University)
– Assistant Coach: Kevin Figsby (Concordia University)
– Assistant Coach: Shawn Camp (University of Guelph)
– Equipment Manager: Bob McLeod (Western Ontario University)
– Therapist: Gunner Obrascos (University of Guelph)
– Video Coordinator: Cam O’Donnell (Western Ontario University)

Hockey (women)
– Head coach: Les Lawton (Concordia University)
– Assistant coach: Stacey Colarossi (York University)
– Assistant coach: Mandi Duhamel (Carleton University)
– Therapist: Marcel Charland (University of Toronto)
– Doctor: Patti Galvin (University of Guelph)

Short Track Speed Skating
– Team leader: Jennifer Cottin (Montreal, Que.)
– Coach: Paul Hunter (Calgary, Alta.)
– Coach: Jon Cavar (Calgary, Alta.)
– Coach: Jeff Scholten (Mascouche, Que.)

Snowboarding
– Team Leader: Nadia M’Seffar (Vancouver, B.C.)
– Coach: Patrick Gaudet (Montcalm, Que.)

2011 Winter Universiade – Canadian XC Skiing and Biathlon Teams Announced

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December 21, 2010 – Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) announced Monday the student-athletes and coaches who will represent Canada in cross country skiing and biathlon at the 2011 Winter Universiade in Erzurum, Turkey. The 24th Winter World University Games will run from January 27 to February 6. The cross country skiing events get under way on Jan. 28, with the biathlon competitions kicking off a day later.

Heading the Canadian cross country skiing delegation in Erzurum will be Mary Waddell, who will act as team leader for the third straight Universiade. The coaching staff is comprised of head coach Mark Tierny and coaches Sara Nielsen and Kirk Potter.

The five-member women’s squad is made up of Carleton University’s Adele Lay, Laval’s Alexia Pichard-Jolicoeur, Utah’s Zoe Roy, Laurentian’s Mary Thompson and Alberta Augustana’s Maja Zimmermann.

Pichard-Jolicoeur of St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., and Thompson of Woodstock, Ont., are both veterans of the 2009 Games in Harbin, China. Pichard-Jolicoeur had her best individual showing – a 37th place – in the 15 km mass start and also finished 40th in the 10 km pursuit, 41st in the sprint, 44th in the 5 km freestyle race and 12th in the team relay. Thompson was 44th in the pursuit, 45th in the mass start and 50th in both the sprint and freestyle.

On the men’s side, Canada is also sending five competitors including Laval teammates Benjamin Hébert and Vincent Ruel, Carleton’s Colin Abbott, UBC’s Jesse Heckrodt and Calgary’s Anthony Killick.

Canada won its lone Universiade medal in cross country skiing back in 1985 in Belluno, Italy, when the foursome of Alain Masson, Wayne Dustin, Owen Spence and Benoit Létourneau claimed bronze in the men’s 4×10 km relay.

In biathlon, most of the Canadian roster comes from the University of Alberta’s Augustana campus, including team leader Joan Skinstad and coach Hans Skinstad.

The women set to wear the maple leaf uniform are Augustana’s Lauren Brookes, Elizabeth Mawdsley, Carly Shiell and Kathryn Stone, while their male teammates will be Jonathan Forward, Alex Frost and Jon Skinstad, all of Augustana, as well as UBC’s Jaime Robb.

Stone of Camrose, Alta., and Forward of Corner Brook, Nfld., both have previous Universiade experience. Stone competed in 2009 in China and finished eighth in the mixed relay, 35th in the individual 15 km, 38th in the 10 km pursuit and 39th in the 7.5 km sprint. Forward was 41st in the 12.5 km pursuit and 48th in the 10 km sprint in 2007 in Turin, Italy.

Canada has never medaled at the Universiade in biathlon.

Canada’s participation in the Universiade is managed by the CIS International Programs.

Team Canada website HERE.
2011 Winter Universiade website HERE.

Team Canada XC Skiing Roster and Schedule

Athletes
– Colin Abbott – Carleton University – Whitehorse, Yukon
– Benjamin Hébert – Laval University –
– Jesse Heckrodt – University of British Columbia – Enderby, B.C.
– Anthony Killick – University of Calgary – Fort McMurray, Alta.
– Vincent Ruel – Laval University – Charny, Que.
– Adele Lay – Carleton University – Eden Mills, Ont.
– Alexia Pichard-Jolicoeur – Laval University – St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que.
– Zoe Roy – University of Utah – Bracebridge, Ont.
– Mary Thompson – Laurentian University – Woodstock, Ont.
– Maja Zimmermann – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Edmonton, Alta.

Staff
– Team Leader: Mary Waddell, Laurentian University (Wahnapitae, Ont.)
– Head Coach: Mark Tierney (Corner Brook, Nfld.)
– Coach: Sara Nielsen, University of Alaska Anchorage (Whitehorse, Yukon)
– Coach: Kirk Potter (Whitehorse, Yukon)

Schedule (local time)
– Jan. 28 (10:00): Women’s individual 5 km
– Jan. 28 (11:00): Men’s individual 10 km
– Jan. 29 (9:00): Women’s & Men’s sprint (qualifications)
– Jan. 29 (11:00): Women’s & Men’s sprint (finals)
– Jan. 31 (10:00): Women’s pursuit without break (5 km classic & 5 km freestyle)
– Jan. 31 (10:00): Men’s pursuit without break (7.5 km classic & 7.5 km freestyle)
– Feb. 2 (11:00): Women’s relay 3 x 5 km (classic, freestyle, freestyle)
– Feb. 2 (12:00): Men’s relay 4 x 10 km (classic, classic, freestyle, freestyle)
– Feb. 3 (10:00): Mixed team sprint
– Feb. 5 (10:00): Women’s 15 km mass start (freestyle)
– Feb. 5 (11:00): Men’s 30 km mass start (freestyle)

Team Canada Biathlon Roster and Schedule

Athletes
– Jonathan Forward – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Corner Brook, Nfld.
– Alex Frost – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Edmonton, Alta.
– Jaime Robb – University of British Columbia – Hay River, N.W.T.
– Jon Skinstad – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Camrose, Alta.
– Lauren Brookes – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Halifax, N.S.
– Elizabeth Mawdsley – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Fort Smith, N.W.T.
– Carly Shiell – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Camrose, Alta.
– Kathryn Stone – University of Alberta (Augustana) – Camrose, Alta.

Staff
– Team Leader: Joan Skinstad, University of Alberta – Augustana (Camrose, Alta.)
– Coach: Hans Skinstad, University of Alberta – Augustana (Camrose, Alta.)

Schedule (local time)
– Jan. 29 (10:00): Men’s individual 20 km
– Jan. 29 (13:00): Women’s individual 15 km
– Feb. 1 (10:00): Men’s sprint 10 km
– Feb. 1 (13:00): Women’s sprint 7.5 km
– Feb. 2 (10:00): Men’s pursuit 12.5 km
– Feb. 2 (12:00): Women’s pursuit 10 km
– Feb. 4 (10:00): Mixed relay (2 x 6 km women & 2 x 7.5 km men)
– Feb. 5 (10:00): Men’s mass start 15 km
– Feb. 5 (12:00): Women’s mass start 12.5 km