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Post by musicalmom on Aug 26, 2009 8:33:50 GMT -8
Thanks Lori, for posting my reports here. As an American living in Vancouver I have a dual perspective I think. I'm kind of a North American cheerleader. However, this will be really difficult at the Olympics in situations where the U.S. and Canada are both in contention for the same medals. It's 9:30 a.m. pacific time, and the final announcement of the Canadian Olympic Team is due on CTV at 10am. this morning. I"ll be back to post results as soon as I have them. Musical Mom
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Post by musicalmom on Aug 26, 2009 9:52:01 GMT -8
CANADIAN OLYMPIC TEAM JUST ANNOUNCED:Women's Team:
KALYNA ROBERGE JESSICA GREGG MARIANNE ST-GELAIS TANIA VICENT VALERIE MALTAIS- selection committee Men's Team:
CHARLES HAMELIN GUILLAME BASTILLE OLIVIER JEAN FRANCOIS HAMELIN-selection committee FRANCOIS LOUIS TREMBLAY-reg. choice (medical bye?) Interesting ...they announced that Valerie and Francois Hamelin were picks of high performance committee...and Francois Louis Tremblay was announced as picked by trials( he wasn't there) so I'm confused.
Unfortunately, most of live announcement was in French, so I didn't hear reasons why Valerie Maltais was chosen..they only translated part of comments in English..so disappointed that Amanda Overland was not selected as committee choice.
Coaches announced: 1. Sebastion ? 2. Derrick Campbell 3. Steven Duff 4. Jonathan Cavar
first 3 from Montreal Training Program, 4th from Calgary program
They walked in as announced and were given an Olympic jacket to put on. Hard to see, so many cameramen in way. All men on team were present, Jessica Gregg & Tania Vicent missing from the women .
So it begins...
Your eyes on the Canadian Ice, Musical Mom
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Post by musicalmom on Aug 26, 2009 10:03:47 GMT -8
Brother act going to Vancouver CTVOlympics.caBy John Marchesan, CTVOlympics.ca Posted Wednesday, August 26, 2009 1:07 PM ET RelatedNews Fully Focused: Charles Hamelin Charles Hamelin is Vancouver-bound Video Road to Vancouver: Hamelin Brothers Countries Athletes :
Charles Hamelin François Hamelin François-Louis Tremblay Olivier Jean Guillaume Bastille Kalyna Roberge Tania Vicent Jessica Gregg Valérie Maltais Marianne St-Gelais
Brothers Charles and Francois Hamelin will have a chance to make their Olympic dream come true. Both have been named to the 2010 Canadian short track speed skating team which will compete at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Speed Skating Canada unveiled the 10 member squad Wednesday following a 10-day Olympic selection camp held in Vancovuer.
Charles Hamelin, who was part of the 2006 Olympic team, earned an automatic berth last March after finishing third in the overall World Cup standings. In 2006, he won a silver medal in the men's relay and finished fourth in the 1,500m. Over the last three seasons, he has collected no less than 29 medals and is the current world champion at the 500m distance and holds the world record in the 1,000m event.
Brother Francois was one of two discretionary picks made by the High Performance Short Track Committee following a solid performance in the three distances he competed in at the selection camp.
François-Louis Tremblay was the other discretionary pick after he was granted a medical exemption from the selection camp while recovering from an ankle injury. He captured a silver medal in 2006 in the 500m and is a three-time World Cup champion at that distance.
The other members of the men's squad who had previously secured their position at the camp were Olivier Jean and Guillaume Bastille. Both will be making their Olympic debut in 2010.
On the women's side, Kalyna Roberge will lead a strong group of veteran and young skaters into the Olympics. Roberge solidified her spot on the team by winning the 1,000m and 1,500m races at the selection camp.
Tania Vicent will be making her fourth Olympic appearance for Canada after winning three medals in the relay.
Jessica Gregg and 19-year-old Marianne St-Gelais had also previously secured their spot on the team. St-Gelais is the current World Junior Champion and World Junior Record holder in the 500m event.
The fifth member of the women's team, selected by the High Performance Short Track Committee is Valérie Maltais. She's a young and talented skater who competed in both the junior and senior World Championships last season, winning a bronze medal at each event.
"An Olympic selection process doesn't last only 10 days, but a full three years," explained Yves Hamelin, Olympic Team Leader for short track speed skating.
"It all started right after the 2006 Turin Olympic Winter Games, with a four-year plan designed to optimize our preparation for 2010. Every day, I see talented and dedicated athletes and coaches working hard and together with one goal in mind: contributing to the optimal preparation of our Olympic team.
"Today, I am proud to introduce you to the ten athletes who will be representing us in Vancouver, and I am confident that they will offer great performances and will once again give everything they can on the ice of the Pacific Coliseum in February 2010."
The athletes will continue to train in their respective training centres for the next two weeks before heading to Asia for the first two World Cup events of the season.
The team will be back in Canada at the end of September, preparing for the third stop of the World Cup Circuit in Montreal. That event, and the one after that, will be of significant importance as the results will confirm how many berths skaters will have for each individual distance at the Olympic Winter Games.
Wow, I got my news up before the first article came up. Here is the CTV news coverage. Musical Mom
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Post by mtnme on Aug 26, 2009 19:00:44 GMT -8
Thanks mm for the update. I'm happy for Flou and Francois, but sad for Michael Gilday. So close and yet so far.....
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Aug 26, 2009 22:08:07 GMT -8
Yes, my heart breaks for Michael - and for Liam (a new favorite), and for Amanda Overland as well. I'll echo some of Susie's sentiments - if I'm this torn up about the Canadians, I'm really going to be needing the Kleenex in Marquette...
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Post by musicalmom on Aug 26, 2009 22:39:36 GMT -8
Thanks Lori and Mntme for your sentiments. I'm in total agreement.. Particularly sad for Michael, Liam and Amanda...(all out of the Calgary training program I might add)..if you notice, all but Jessica GRegg are out of the Montreal program...since I finally figured out that they gave Flou a medical bye, and that Francoise was chosen by the high performance committee, I have more questions than I would otherwise....Michael actually won some of his trial races, whereas Francoise came second several times...he also seems to my eye to take lots of chances and get dq'd more often ( both at trials and during the world cups). I would have thought that the committe would have chosen Michael...both Francoise and Liam do have future chances as they are quite young. Regarding the selection of Valerie Maltais over Amanda Overland....Amanda had higher overall scores for the trials but she missed last year's world cup season...thought she did awesome at the trials considering she had just come back...She would have offered more seasoning to the team...this is the one committee choice that really makes me wonder...so much of the administrative structure of short track in Canada comes from Quebec, including coaches, judges, heads of high performance, Cnd. speed skating....very apparent in the announcement ceremony on CTV today..this is supposed to be a bi-lingual country...but so much of what was presented was in French, with only minimal English translation...also the announcement ceremony took place in Quebec and therefore Jessica Gregg was not present...neither was Tania Vicent and if they explained why, I missed it in the French conversation. I have no facts but just get the feeling that there is some heavy weighting from the French quarter. I want to aplaud those that represent western Canada for an awesome showing considering the somewhat limited resources..: Amanda Overland, Jessica Gregg, Michael Gilday, Corey Rassmussen, Dustin Miller, Liam McFarland , Jessica Hewitt...they put everything they had into the trials and held nothing back. REading Michael Gildays latest blog made me admire him even more though it also saddened me. Amanda has overcome so many challenges this past year and made an awesome showing in spite of this. I too was particularly torn up about her being left off the team,especially considering her previous Olympic experience. And yes, I too will likely need lots of Kleenex in Marquette. So many deserving skaters and so few places. I guess as I become more familiar with the stories of each individual skater, both Canadian and U.S., I have more emotionally vested in the results. It's hard to want to be everybody's cheerleader! Only 168 days left til the Olympics, but about 1 week til the U.S. Oly Trials... Question: with the new rules about what is legal to video and blog, will we get Tony's coverage as usual? I understand there will be no web cam so I'm guessing he will be our best source for up to the moment info? Will ISU list times etc. like at world cups? So many questions. But thanks to you all, I am beginning to understand the qualification process and the complicated formulas for choosing the final team. ?- will they leave 1 or 2 spaces to fill at the 2nd Olympic Trials in Dec? Thanks for making me feel welcome enough to ask what may be dumb questions. Musical Mom
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Post by musicalmom on Aug 27, 2009 8:59:26 GMT -8
sorry, I was inaccurate in my first report because I couldn't see the skaters at the table due to pack of photographers. The 2 women who weren't at the ceremony were; Jessica Gregg and Valeris Maltais ( the newest pick) Tania Vicent was there. My apologies. Musical Mom
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Post by musicalmom on Aug 27, 2009 16:55:23 GMT -8
Here's an article that explains my confusion...
SHORT-TRACK SPEED SKATERS INTRODUCED TheStar.com | Olympics | Speedy Canucks set for Games Speedy Canucks set for Games CHRISTINNE MUSCHI/REUTERS Short-track speed skaters are announced to the Vancouver 2010 Canadian Olympic team in Montreal, August 26, 2009. Back row from left to right are Olivier Jean, Guillaume Bastille, Francois-Louis Tremblay and Francois Hamelin. Front row left to right are Kalyna Roberge, Marianne St-Gelais, Tania Vicent, and Charles Hamelin.
Aug 27, 2009 04:30 AM DAVE FESCHUK Sports columnist
MONTREAL–When the 10 members of Canada's Olympic short-track speed-skating team were announced yesterday, the skaters in attendance were called to a riser in the front of a small conference room to be presented with a team jacket.
Such is the popularity of the sport in Quebec that the path to the coveted jacket was blocked by a frothing pack of photographers and TV cameramen. At least a couple of the athletes, momentarily flummoxed by the crush of attention, couldn't find their way to the podium. As pre-Olympic imagery goes, some six months away from an Olympics at which Canada has vowed to "own" the medal podium, perhaps it wasn't ideal. But never mind the optics. There are those who'll tell you that Canada's short-track squad could become the darlings of Vancouver come February.
The sport, with its wont for dramatic wipeouts and head-scratching officiating, always promises compelling viewing. And Canada's team appears possessed of the potential to snag its fair share of the 20 possible short-track medals (including two relay events) on offer at the Pacific Coliseum.
"Our best-ever performances was six medals in Salt Lake (in 2002). Certainly it's a number that's on our radar as being achievable this time," said Brian Rahill, Canada's high-performance and Olympic program director. "That's roughly what we're looking for. Anything above (six medals) will be a bonus ... but we think we have the team for (six) to be a realistic goal."
Led by 2006 silver medallist Charles Hamelin of Levis, Que., the reigning 500-metre champion and world-record holder in the 1,000 metres, and Kalyna Rogerge of St. Etienne de Lauzon, Que., who finished fourth in Turin in the 500 at age 19, nine of the team's 10 athletes hail from La Belle Province.
Edmonton's Jessica Gregg, the daughter of ex-Oilers stalwart Randy Gregg and his Olympic speed-skating wife, Kathy, is the only non-Quebecer on the roster.
Hamelin is joined on the five-strong men's team by his younger brother, Francois, Olivier Jean, Guillaume Bastille and three-time Olympic medallist Francois-Louis Tremblay. The women's team is rounded out by Marianne St. Gelais, the reigning world junior champion at 500 metres, Valerie Maltais and three-time Olympic medallist Tania Vicent, who will be competing in her fourth Games at age 34.
The competition in Vancouver will not include many pushovers. China has emerged as a power. The U.S. is a formidable foe. And blocking the way to the top of any given short-track podium, never mind the phalanx of home-country cameras hungry for a good-news story, will be athletes from South Korea, winners of 10 medals at the Turin Olympics, six of them gold, and the sport's undisputed powerhouse.
"It's their national sport," said Bastille of the South Koreans. "Everybody is playing hockey here when they're young. There, they're doing speed skating. ... But we are strong and we are going there to beat them."
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Post by musicalmom on Aug 27, 2009 19:31:50 GMT -8
And yet another article. This one discussing that Yves Hamelin, father of Charles and Francoise had no say in selection committee regarding them.
Skate team full of brotherly love Father says he had no influence on decision process By Terry Bell, The ProvinceAugust 27, 2009 StoryPhotos ( 1 )
Charles Hamelin (left) will skate with younger brother Francois on Canada's Olympic team. Photograph by: Getty Images,
The Province
During the 2006 Olympics in Turin Francois Hamelin sat by the television set at home in Montreal and watched his brother Charles help Canada win a silver medal in the short track speed skating relay.
He won't get to do that during the 2010 Games in Vancouver. This time the brothers will be skating together on Canada's Olympic team.
Francois, 22, earned a discretionary spot from a Speed Skating Canada high performance selection committee and was officially named
to Canada's 10-member Olympic team on Wednesday, a week after Olympic selection trials ended at the Pacific Coliseum.
Charles had pre-qualified for the team last March after finishing third overall at world championships in Vienna.
"We talked about it a lot before the trials," Francois said Wednesday in a telephone interview from Montreal.
"I thought it would be the greatest thing that could happen to us. Now it's going to happen and I'm really, really happy."
"It's the best feeling that I've had in my life," said the 25-year-old Charles, whose girlfriend, Marianne St. Gelais, was named to the women's team Wednesday. "For him, I knew it was one of the hardest things to do."
Their father, Yves Hamelin, is short track's national team program director.
The younger Hamelin was chosen by the committee on the strength of his international results and his performance at selection trials, a series of 500, 1,000 and 1,500 metre races that were held on the Olympic ice at the Pacific Coliseum from Aug. 9 to 18.
The Hamelins will be joined by Montrealer Francois-Louis Tremblay, who was granted a medical bye after an injured ankle prevented him from skating at trials.
Olivier Jean of Lachenaie, Que., and Guillaume Bastille of Riviere du Loup, Que., won spots at trials.
Besides Montreal's St. Gelais, the women's team will have Montrealer Kalyna Roberge, Valerie Maltais, of La Baie, Que., Edmonton's Jessica Gregg and Tania Vicent of Laval, Que.
Maltais got the one available women's discretionary spot.
Six skaters have been listed as possible replacements should any of the 10 be injured or perform poorly in the 2009-10 World Cup season.
Named to that list were Liam McKenzie of Medicine Hat, Alta., Michael Gilday of Yellowknife, NWT, Marc-Andre Monette of Montreal, Valerie Maltais's sister Anne, Amanda Overland of Cambridge, Ont., and Marie-Eve Drolet of Calgary.
Drolet, who didn't get the discretionary spot, has asked for an appeal. Her request will be reviewed this week by Speed Skating Canada officials.
Yves Hamelin likes the look of the team. And not just because two of his sons are part of it.
In fact, as high performance director he's in a sticky spot. Some might wonder if he doesn't influence decisions within the sport that could benefit his sons.
Francois Hamelin got the discretionary spot over skaters like Gilday and McFarlane.
McFarlane was disqualified at trials in a 500 that he appeared to win. It was a close call. Had he not been disqualified, he would have secured an automatic spot on the team and forced the committee to pick between Charles Hamelin and Tremblay.
But Hamelin says he removes himself from all decisions involving his sons.
"When it involves either one of them I declare a conflict of interest and I need to quit the meeting," he said. "I was not part of the discretionary process for these spots.
"It's a transparent [selection] process. We have two athletes on the committee, all of the coaches and the formal committee members are on the committee. We're pretty at ease with how we do things."
Francois Hamelin helped the Canadian relay team win the overall World Cup title last season and was on the silver medal relay team at 2008 world championships. McFarlane has no international experience.
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
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Post by musicalmom on Aug 27, 2009 20:32:53 GMT -8
The previous article explains a lot.
NEWS !!! ***"6 Skaters have been listed as possible replacements should any of the 10 be injured or perform poorly in the 2009-10 World Cup season."
***Named to that list are:
Liam McKenzie of Medicine Hat, Alberta Michael Gilday of Yellowknife, NWT Marc-Andre Monette of Montreal
Anne Maltais - Valerie's sister Amanda Overland of Cambridge, Ontario Marie-Eve Drolet of Calgary
***Drolet, who didn't get the discretionary spot, has asked far an appeal. Her request will be reviewed this week by Speed Skating Canada officials.
Interesting developments...as is the article, considering my earlier concerns.
Your eye on the Canadian Ice Musical Mom
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Aug 27, 2009 21:07:17 GMT -8
Verrrry interesting articles, MM. Two things confuse me here: A) Francois Hamelin got the discretionary spot over skaters like Gilday and McFarlane.
McFarlane was disqualified at trials in a 500 that he appeared to win. It was a close call. Had he not been disqualified, he would have secured an automatic spot on the team and forced the committee to pick between Charles Hamelin and Tremblay.Might they have meant ' Francois Hamelin and Tremblay'.(?) I thought CHARLES was a given...(?) Secondly: Six skaters have been listed as possible replacements should any of the 10 be injured or perform poorly in the 2009-10 World Cup season.[/b] Huh? So can this committee totally flip the results from Canadian Trials based on performance at the World Cups? Not that I would mind Liam, Michael or Amanda getting a shot at the team, but I repeat... HUH? I'm confused - I can totally understand injury issues, but performance? Is there still more to the selection process?
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Post by musicalmom on Aug 27, 2009 23:45:29 GMT -8
Excellent questions Lori. I was a bit shocked by that whole article. And yes, I'm sure he meant Francoise not Charles. Also, if Drolet has appealed and the committee meets this week, what can they do? Overturn someone in the current selection? I can't see them doing that and unless they were willing, why even allow an appeal at this late date. Would have thought the appeal would have had to be considered immediately and before the team was announced. Puzzling for sure. I too was shocked at the word PERFORMANCE in that sentence. I understand injury, but find it shocking that they would alter the team due to performance at the world cups...unless they don't qualify their distances...but then isn't it too late to qualify someone else for the distances ? None of this seems to be covered in any qualification rules I've seen. Will see what I can find out from some of the people I met at the trials. Maybe Tony would know.
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Post by mtnme on Aug 28, 2009 0:32:58 GMT -8
Whoa, sounds like the Canadians are pretty serious about that whole 'own the podium' thing. Are we to gather that if the skaters don't rake 'em in at WC's, they're gonna be outta there. (spot) YIKES!!! No pressure there.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Aug 28, 2009 9:04:43 GMT -8
Canada's short-track speedskating team ready for Olympic actionBy Jennifer Ditchburn (CP) – August, 2009Canadian Olympic medalist Charles Hamelin smiles during a training session in Montreal, Friday, July 31, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
MONTREAL — Zipping up the Olympic sweater with 'CANADA' emblazoned in bold across the back brought a certain kind of relief to Canada's top short-track speedskaters Wednesday. Although there were few surprises as to who would be listed on the final roster, the news conference to announce the Olympic team signalled the true lead-up to the 2010 Winter Games. "The trials are so important and such a big step you don't want to think about the Olympics, but now we can focus on the real goal," said team member Olivier Jean. Canada's short-track speedskaters are expected to make several trips to the podium at the Vancouver Olympics. At the 2006 Games in Turin, Canada collected four short-track medals (three silver, one bronze). The team is a tight group of fun-loving but fierce athletes, who say they all work and play hard together. Seven members of the team had already been selected prior to Wednesday's announcement at Montreal's Maurice Richard Arena, one of the sport's national training centres. Charles Hamelin, the 500-metre world champion and silver medallist in the 5,000-metre relay at the Turin Games, pre-qualified because of his third-place finish in the overall world championship standings. The 25-year-old from Levis, Que., says he's personally aiming for at least two medals in Vancouver. Jean, the reggae-loving skater with a wild crop of dreadlocks tied up behind his head, secured a spot at the Olympic trials in Vancouver earlier this month, as did Guillaume Bastille. Hamelin's fresh-faced younger brother Francois, and three-time Olympic medallist Francois-Louis Tremblay were two of Speed Skating Canada's discretionary picks for the team. Tremblay expressed relief the team was finally announced. He sat on the sidelines at the trials, frustrated by a bad ankle injury that he says is now behind him. "It was a really hard summer for me because I didn't know what was going to happen next," said the 29-year-old from Alma, Que. "I didn't know if I was going to the Olympics and I probably won't go to the next one. "When I found out, it was one of the best feelings I've had." On the women's side, there is "grandma" Tania Vicent, the 33-year-old veteran who has three Olympic relay medals in her collection, Olympic first-timer Marianne St-Gelais, and Kalyna Roberge, fourth overall at last year's world championships. "I think in Vancouver (at the trials) I didn't really realize it, but now I do and I'm really excited and happy to be here," said Roberge. Edmonton's Jessica Gregg, ranked No. 1 in Canada this year, is the only member of the team from outside Quebec. Her mother Kathy is a former Olympian, as was father Randy - a ex-Oiler. Valerie Maltais was the final discretionary choice for the team after the Vancouver trials. She's also a newcomer to the Games. Former Olympian Nathalie Lambert, Canada's chef de mission for the Games and a former speedskater herself, admitted that she would be paying extra-close attention to the fortunes of this team. "I don't want to miss anything," said Lambert, who won medals in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. "That big rush of adrenaline, there's nothing that compares to that." The team now heads towards World Cup competitions in Asia, the United States and Canada. The competitions will determine how many spots Canadian athletes will secure at the Olympics.
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Post by Laura (Lori) on Aug 28, 2009 12:47:54 GMT -8
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