Winter Sports

On Tuesday, Cross Country Canada announced that, Canada will host a pair of World Cup cross-country ski events in 2012.

In the 2012-13 competitive seasons Canada is on the World Cup schedule for at least 4 events. While the Canmore Nordic Centre, which is the home to Canada’s national cross-country team, will follow with a mid week race followed by a pair of weekend races, Quebec City will host its first World Cup race at a downtown venue with a weekend of racing in December 2012. The races in Quebec City would be held at a downtown venue for the first time.

For a new crop of talented Canadian skiers to shine on home soil, the return of World Cup action to Canmore provides the opportunity. Hometown athletes have taken full advantage of opportunity to perform for their fans as the 2012 events will mark the fourth time that the World Cup has visited Canmore since 2005. For a score of young Canadians looking to use the event as a spring board to international success, the events will also mark the World Cup debut.

Leading to an event hosting agreement, the Alberta World Cup Society will begin discussions with Cross Country Canada. With the mission of hosting international cross-country ski events to Alberta, the Alberta World Cup Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 2004.

Officially known as the XXII Olympic Winter Games, the 2014 Winter Olympics will be held from February 7 to February 23, 2014, in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia. This will be the first time that the Russian Federation will host the Winter Olympics; the Soviet Union hosted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow.

To host the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sochi is going to have more than 200 facilities, including new automobile and railway roads, as well as the most sophisticated sports facilities on the Black Sea coast near Imeretinskaya Valley and Krasnaya Polyana mountain village.

Including those for biathlon and ski races, the largest object combines 20 different facilities: 15 ski tracks, two ropeways and an Olympic village, which is to open at the end of this year and welcome first biathletes as part of the Cup of Russia in early 2012.

Including a coastal cluster in Sochi and a mountain cluster in Krasnaya Polyana, the Games will be organized within two clusters. In June 2006, three candidate cities were selected by the IOC Executive Board as Candidate cities for the 2014 Winter Games: Sochi (Russia), Salzburg (Austria) and Pyeong Chang (South Korea).

Including women’s ski jumping, six new events will make their debuts at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, the International Olympic Committee announced on Wednesday. The other events are the ski half pipe for men and women, team figure skating, team luge and biathlon mixed relay, meaning an extra 150 athletes will participate in the Russian Black Sea resort city.

The International Olympic Committee pronounced that for the Sochi Games in 2014, it would add women’s ski jumping to the program. For athletes who had fought for inclusion for years, it is a triumph.

In the Winter or Summer Games, the only sports that did not present events for women were Ski jumping and Nordic combined, which consists of ski jumping. To contend at the 2010 Vancouver Games, female ski jumpers had gone so far as to file a court case. The lawsuit travelled all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, where it was declined to hear an appeal.

Four crowd-pulling disciplines will now feature in the Sochi 2014 freestyle skiing programme, with the addition of Ski Halfpipe. Also enduring on the bill are aerials, moguls and ski cross. At the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, these games had made their debut outing.

With the declaration that men’s and women’s ski and snowboard slopestyle have yet to be accepted onto the Olympic programme, there is however a harsh aftertaste to the news. Before an ultimate judgment is made, both sports will have to experience further viability studies.

For British slopestyle athletes, the suspense will be hard including snowboarder Jenny Jones and freestyle skier James Woods. On the international stage at events such as the Winter X Games Europe, both have attained success.

The triumphant halfpipe skier in the world, Simon Dumont said that, after having won European Open, X Games, Gravity Games, etc, he feels that he has achieved a lot in his career. For Olympic gold, it has always been a dream to contend and he added that for freeskiing, this is unquestionably a big day.

Canada’s Brian McKeever triumphs in the men’s visually impaired distance race at the International Paralympic Committee cross-country skiing world championships and he remained in his ultimate best after battling through demanding circumstances.

To win the men’s 20-kilometre classic-ski race in 53 minutes, 26.7 seconds, the Canmore, Alta., athlete and his new guide and childhood friend Erik Carleton, with altering conditions testing the best wax technicians, powered through the five centimeters of new snow and difficult winds.

With Nikolay Polukhin and Andrey Tokarev finishing second in 54:10, the Russians took the final two steps on the podium, while in third were Alexei Toropov and Sergey Maksimov in 58:42.2.

Mark Arendz, of Springton, P.E.I., was 10th in the men’s 20-kilometre classic-ski standing race, while in the women’s standing 15-kilometre classic-ski race, Jody Barber, of Smithers was fourth. In the opening pursuit race at the IPC worlds, 21-year-old, who was fourth clocked a time of 1:01:33.1. Jody Barber, of Smithers clocked a time of 57:24.4. She has won five World Cup medals all the way through her career. After clocking-in at 50:43.1, Oleksandra Kononova, of the Ukraine, won the women’s standing division.

Russia’s Kirill Mikhaylov won the men’s standing category with a time of 53:53.0. In the middle distance cross-country ski races, Canada had a stellar day, with two athletes also concluding fourth and one in sixth place.

America’s original celebrity pro-am ski event revisits Vail, with ski-racing action, along with off hill-festivities as the Korbel American Ski Classic commemorates its 29th anniversary.

Vice president of sales and operations for the Vail Valley Foundation, Michael Imhof said that the Korbel American Ski Classic is the foremost event of the ski season and they are looking forward for the solidarity that has long been the foundation of this event and for another enormous year of the competition.

The 2011 on-hill competitions will include Ford Cup celebrity team racing; the Future Legends Race; the Volvo Legends Giant Slalom and the second installment of the Conway Cup Community Team Race.

There will be the weekly Bud Light Street Beat free concert, off the race course featuring Robert Randolph & the Family Band; auction and the Legends of Skiing Banquet and the Hold ‘Em for Hope benefit dinner.

In memory of Dan Conway, today’s Conway Cup is named and run. At all levels right through the Vail Valley, Conway is a great friend to ski racing and it will feature competition in a dual-race format among the 45 four-member teams of local racers, with one team earning the right to go forward to a spot in the Ford Cup celebrity team competition.

Maui Jim, Inc. today pronounced that to its roster of distinguished Ambassadors, it would add two-time Olympian, Andy Mill and renowned alpine U.S. Ski Team Racer. At the American Ski Classic this week at Vail Mountain, March 23-27, Mill will make his first appearance as an Ambassador.

Showdown from Lindsey Vonn and Maria Riesch is geared up for the overall World Cup title. After 31 races, if Vonn triumphs her fourth straight title or Riesch, the current leader, wins an elusive first, four more at the World Cup finals will without doubt decide their stands.

This season, the competition between the best friends has risen to new heights and this is their closest contest yet for the giant crystal globe trophy. With their strongest event (downhill), start the finals, while it will conclude on Saturday with their weakest (giant slalom).

In the giant slalom, Vonn finished a career-best third and she is currently skiing better than she has all season. On Thursday, the schedule in Lenzerheide persists with the super-G, the slalom on Friday and on Saturday it will be the giant slalom, after the opening downhill. Vonn and Riesch have each won three times this season in downhill events.

Riesch, 26 is aiming to become the first German to win the crystal globe. It was previously won by Katja Seizinger in 1998. She has 1,678 points to Vonn’s 1,655. This year, Vonn has progressed in the technical events (slalom, giant slalom), while Riesch has looked up in the speed events (downhill, super-G).

246 was Vonn’s average final margin of success during her last three overall titles, with 155 points that eventually separated her and Riesch last year, being the closest race of the three. To set a new recent standard for close conclusions, this contest has a strong chance.

On the freestyle skiing World Cup tour, Andreas Matt of Austria and Marte Hoeie Gjefsen of Norway triumphed skicross races. The Olympic silver medalist, Matt thrashed Jouni Pellinen of Finland, with Canadian Christopher Delbosco third and John Teller of the United States fourth in the men’s final. Matt has been outstandingly dependable this season, though it was just his second win of the season making the final foursome in seven of his eight 10 ski cross World Cups this season. In finals, when John Teller and Christopher DelBosco took each other out, Matt took the benefit and this left Matt to beat Jouni Pellinen for the win. Journi Pellinen ended second.

With five skiers concluding in the top 10, Canada’s men dominated qualification. Only Del Bosco made it through to the final, while other Canadians were clustered together in the bottom half of the draw. At the semi-final stage, Whistler’s Davey Barr was eliminated in a heat won by Del Bosco. Barr finished seventh overall. In the quarterfinals, Dave Duncan and Toronto’s Nik Zoricic went out and finished ninth and 11th, respectively. Brian Bennett was 17th. He was the second quickest in qualification.

In the standings over Delbosco was Matt’s second victory and sixth podium finish of the season extended his authoritative lead. Ahead of Ophelie David of France, Gjefsen earned her second career World Cup win. Heidi Zacher of Germany was third and fourth was Swiss racer Fanny Smith. In the season standings, Serwa still sits second, 72 points back of Zacher. On Sunday, the World Cup skicross circuit will go on at nearby Meiringen.

Maria Riesch claimed victory in the super-combined in Are and thereby took an additional stride towards the overall World Cup title. The German set a combined winning time of 1 minute 58.60 seconds. On home snow in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, she lately missed out on a gold medal. Over American Lindsey Vonn, her lead in the overall season-long standings has been broadened to 216 points due to this triumph.

From the distress of the world championships at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the success at the super-combined in Are allowed Olympic champion Riesch to pull through. In the super-combined, a virus thwarted the Bavarian from making an impact. In the overall standings, the win also enabled Riesch to pull further away from her only contender.

In the morning’s super-G, Vonn had started the day by recording the best time, 0.16 second ahead of Riesch. In the slalom, Riesch effortlessly made up the difference. Between the gates, Vonn struggled to hold her line. Maze and Gorgl continued their fine form to finish on the podium. They were the two stars of the world championships. Austria’s Anna Fenninger finished at ninth place. She was the one who tasted victory in the super-combined in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Riesch finished in 1 minute, 59.60 seconds, followed by Tina Maze of Slovenia in second, 0.4 seconds behind. In third was Elisabeth Goergl of Austria 0.66 seconds behind. At the Swedish venue, home favorite Anja Paerson took fourth place while Austria’s Michaela Kirchgasser completed the top five.

In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, it was Vonn’s first official race since she pulled out of the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in Feb. 14 to recuperate from a concussion sustained in a training crash at the beginning of the month. She had told reporters in Garmisch that the injury made it difficult for her to focus, although the American won a silver medal in the downhill.

Lindsey Vonn, Olympic downhill champion cited a head injury and announced to withdraw from the remaining events at the Alpine skiing world championships. After a training accident two weeks ago, the American history maker, who just recovered from concussion, won silver in the downhill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany last weekend. She will now miss the team event, the giant slalom and slalom.

Vonn decided to concentrate on winning her fourth successive overall World Cup title instead, after consulting with U.S. women’s team head physician William Sterett. Vonn wrote on her Facebook page that her plan was to race in all of the events, coming into this championship, but she had decided to pull out of all the remaining events here in Garmisch. She will take some time off and she will try to get 100 percent healthy again.

In Are, Sweden, Vonn expects to return to World Cup racing Feb. 27. To defend her World Cup overall title, she is in a battle with Germany’s Maria Riesch. Vonn trails Riesch by 156 points in the overall chase, although she is leading in the downhill, super-G and super combined standings. To ski through a badly bruised shin at Whistler last year was one thing, but the risk of ski racing through the aftereffects of what was called “a mild concussion” is another.

The week before the championships, while training in Austria, Vonn fell on her head but news reports out of Germany noted she “was clearly not her normal self’ in opening events. She said she felt like she was “skiing in a fog.” She had 100 percent confidence in the medical advice, she had been provided. She believes they have made the right decisions; it has been a difficult few weeks.

A wave of criticism was drawn by Vonn, even though she was cleared to ski. A second impact can have life-altering effects before someone completely gets over an initial concussion.

The 2011 Lynn Hetherington Memorial competition was held at the Island Savings Centre January 28 to 30. Athletes from the Duncan Skating Club were among some of the best in that event.

Including one gold, the club claimed six medals at the event, and put on a fantastic show at Vancouver Island’s largest annual figure skating competition. In Group 1 of the Elementary 8-10 class, Hannah Kushner captured gold, while teammate Kyra Gurski took ninth in the same event.

In the Senior Silver Women class Silver was awarded to Danielle Seeliger. While Anna Brancato and Caitlyn Luckhurst were fourth and eighth, respectively, also finishing second was Natalie Pollock, who was also named Most Artistic in Pre-Preliminary 12 and Over Group 1. Ji-Won Kim placed third In Pre Preliminary 12 and Over Group 2.

In Pre Preliminary Women 11 and Over Group 2, Baylee Hopwo placed third and was named Most Artistic, and teammate Kelly Carleton finished 12th. Camryn Visscher received bronze in Canskate Solo Group 8, and DelRae Olson placed fifth in the same class.

For Duncan skaters, there were several other impressive results. In Junior Bronze 13 and Over, Carolyn Walter placed 21st and Kyla Kay was ranked 22nd and named Most Artistic. In Preliminary Women 11 and Over Group 1, Courtney Vanderstap placed 13th. Samantha MacLean finished seventh in Group 2 of the Pre-Preliminary 9-11 class. Jenna Batty placed 10th in Elementary 8-10 Group 2.

Port Alberni skaters Angel Magnussen and Kennedy Lavertu also took part in the 2011 Lynn Hetherington Memorial competition. For Magnussen it was a whole new experience as she made her debut in the pre introductory interpretive category with her new coach, Natalie Golbeck.