Saturday, September 17, 2011

World Championships - Wrap Up

The Canoe Slalom World Championships are all wrapped up in Bratislava, Slovakia and everyone is safe and sound in their homelands. Canada went into these Worlds with the hopes of sealing Olympic berths and avoiding a trip to the PanAm Championships, and last chance Olympic Qualifier, in Brazil in March. Unfortunately, Canada is going to have a big team in Brazil with some serious work to do because they were unable to qualify in any of the Olympic disciplines.

Paul Manning-Hunter of Edmonton, was joined in the K1 men's Semi-Finals by John Hastings of Ottawa, and hopes were high. It wasn't their day. John cut the lines too much and incured 50sec penalties putting him at the back of the semis, while Paul had touches bumping him to 35th place. This wraps up a very consistent first season for Paul, where he place between 24th and 39th in every race (as well as a 14th in the Qualifier in the French leg of the World Cup circuit). Consistency is not something which often comes easy, but Paul has been a model for it in 2011. From Team Trials, through 4 World Cups, the Olympic test event and the World Championships he's been a rock. Add a little extra speed over the next six months...and look out!

Haley Daniels of Calgary, showed very well in her Worlds debut. She was 22nd in the C1 womens class, which is working towards inclusion at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Her team-mate Alexander McGee of Ottawa, finished 6th in the final, showing that the Canadian ladies are headed in the right direction. Haley said afterwards, that she never expected to do so well and is looking forward to a hard year of training so she can join her compatriot in the finals.

In the C2 class the Purcell Brothers from Innisfail, have the PanAms date in Brazil etched in their minds. No C2's qualified from North or South America so there is one spot up for grabs in March. They will be spending much of the winter training in North Carolina and Brazil in order to put their mark in the spot.

In K1 womens, Jessica Groeneveld was unable to hold her form of the last two World Championships (22nd, 19th) and will also be in the hunt for an Olympic berth in Brazil. She was 21st after the first runs on Wednesday, but the results were nullified and the race re-run on Friday, due to high winds. Friday was not her day, and she finished well back. Jessica has been the most consistent woman from Canada for the last three years, so she has lots of experience to draw from going into the Olympic year.

The biggest story of the 2011 World Championships was the success of the French pair of Gargaud and Levefre. Together they were 2nd in C2 & 3rd in C2 Team; Gargaud is the World Champion in C1; and Lefevre was 3rd in K1 & 2nd in K1 Team. Amongst them they medaled in 5 races!

Till Brazil...

Friday, September 9, 2011

Qualification

Sometimes it's your day, sometimes it's not.

Paul Manning-Hunter continued his consistent streak of making Semi-Finals today with a 26th place in the World Championship Qualifier. He was the top Canadian, while fellow team mate John Hastings also squeaked through to Semis in 39th place. Both will race Sunday for a berth in the Final and they will be racing to make the Nation sport for Canada at the Olympics. We need one of them to be in the top 15 countries. Who goes will be determined next April in North Carolina.

Purcell/Purcell had some great paddling today but were unable to make the top 20 semi-final. The C2 class is the hardest to qualify in recent years and today was no exception. The racing was tight and there was no room for error.

In the women's class Jessica Groeneveld was unable to repeat her performance from Wednesday (when the race was cancelled) and did not move through to the semis. Canada did not qualify an Olympic spot in K1W or C2 and will now have to race off against other countries of the 'Americas' in Brazil in March. Luckily in K1w, the Americans Did qualify a Nation spot, so we don't have to race them in Brazil.

Tomorrow, Haley Daniels makes her world Championships debut in C1w. Good Luck!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Weather Delays

The Worlds started yesterday here in Bratislava. One run was completed by the C2 and K1 women in rather the trying circumstance of gale force winds. After the run was completed it was decided to scrap the results and start over again. Today, Thursday was the planned new start, but they have again postponed till Friday 8:30am. Team runs will likely be biggest casualty of the event, as the organizers and ICF do everything possible to preserve fairness and quality for the Olympic Qualifier.

The Canadian C2's and Women enjoyed their practice runs and are ready to perform, whenever they are told to go. Jessica was 21st in the unofficial runs and Thea Froehlich of Ottawa was 29th. While those results don't count towards the final, it shows they're going in the right direction.

We'll keep you updated!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Provincial and World Championships!

Congratulations to all who competed in the Provincial Championships over the weekend! Thank you to all the vounteers and coaches who made it happen. Full results to follow shortly. Now our attention shifts to Bratislava, Slovakia.

Paul Manning-Hunter in the Big Drop - Thanks to Kelly Vanderbeek for the great shot!

Tomorrow is the beginning of the XXXIV Canoe Slalom World Championships. Canada has it's biggest team in since 1999 including 5 Alberta athletes. Paul Manning-Hunter, Jessica Groeneveld, Thomas & Daniel Purcell, & Haley Daniels, all training out of Calgary, are looking to help Canada secure Nation spots for next summer's Olympics in London. There is much to race for and Canada is ready!

Paul Manning-Hunter of Edmonton, has been consistent all year, in his first season on the National K1 Team. He qualified for the Semi-Finals in all four World Cups with a best finish of 24th. In women's kayak, Jessica Groeneveld of Innisfail has had a string of solid performances in recent years, including 22nd ('09) and 19th ('10) at the last two World Championships. This year she had a personal best World Cup finish of 20th place at World Cup #2 in France, and is now looking to crack into the top 10 finals. The Purcell brothers, also from Innisfail, are looking forward to their first World Championships since 2007 in the C2 class. With four more years of experience under their belts, they're hoping to have a solid performance and help secure an Olympic spot. Haley Daniels, the rookie of the bunch, is helping to pioneer the women's canoe class. It is the class' second World Championship and the progression of the sport has accelerated quickly.

Here's a run down of the major match ups internationally. http://canoeicf.com/icf/NewsGallery/News/Road-to-London-Bratislava.html The stage is set for an epic battle in many classes, and Bratislava is just the course for it. It's fast, technical and includes a big drop right at the end of the course. 30,000 Slovak fans are expected over the 5 days of racing so it will be an exciting and loud event.

Check the International Canoe Federation page for live streaming: http://www.canoeicf.com/icf/Aboutoursport/Canoe-Slalom.html
Results can be found at:
http://www.123result.com/
Or on your smart phone at: http://www.123result.com/Mobile.htm

The World Championships will be aired live and taped, on Rogers Sports Net in Canada at the following times:

Saturday (live)
Eastern Time
6:00 AMSportsnet ConnectedSportsnet ConnectedSportsnet Connected Sportsnet Connected2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi

Sunday (Live)
Eastern Time
6:00 AMSportsnet ConnectedSportsnet ConnectedSportsnet Connected Sportsnet Connected2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi: (90 min)
6:30 AM
7:00 AMSportsnet ConnectedSportsnet ConnectedSportsnet Connected Sportsnet Connected
7:30 AMWorld Cup of Darts

Monday (replay)
Eastern Time

4:00 PM2011 Canoe Slalom World ChampiEPL Review Show Mountain Bike World Cup2011 Canoe Slalom World ChampiPrime Time Sports w/Bob McCown
4:30 PMMountain Bike World Cup
5:00 PMPrime Time Sports w/Bob McCownMountain Bike World Cup 2011 Canoe Slalom World ChampiPrime Time Sports w/Bob McCown
5:30 PMMountain Bike World Cup
6:00 PMSportsnet Connected2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi UEFA MagSportsnet Connected
1:00 AM2011 Canoe Slalom World ChampiSportsnet ConnectedSportsnet Connected Sportsnet ConnectedPrimetime Spo

Tuesday (replay)
Eastern Time

1:00 PM2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi: (90 min)Sportsnet Connected Sportsnet Connected2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi: (60min)Premier League World

Wednesday (replay)
Eastern Time

5:00 PMPrime Time Sports w/Bob McCown 2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi: (60min)Prime Time Sports w/Bob McCown Prime Time Sp


Good Luck to all the Canadian competitors!!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

World Cup Consistency!

Paul Manning-Hunter of Edmonton, wrapped up the World Cup Final having gone 4 for 4 on making the World Cup semi-finals. Being his first year on the National Team, he exceeded his expectations. 'We really just focused on the preparation this year and weren't too worried about the outcome' said Alberta coach Mike Holroyd. 'Paul's been in the hunt for a few years and was just waiting for the opportunity compete.' The World Cup tour took the team to Slovenia, France, Germany & finally Czech.

Jessica Groeneveld of Innisfail, made the Semis in the 2nd event but finished just outside in the others. She's looking forward to longer preparation for the World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, September 7th-11th. The Worlds are also the first of the Olympic Selection events for Nation spots. Canada is hoping for multiple spots in Bratislava to lessen the number of classes needing the second chance race in Brazil in February.

Thomas and Daniel Purcell of Innisfail, raced well in the final World Cup, in the tough to qualify C2 class. This was their second ever World Cup and they too are enjoying the learning curve leading into the Olympic year.

In the only non-Olympic (yet) class, Haley Daniels of Calgary, bounced back from a rough first run in her very first World Cup with a solid run 2. The C1 women's class is two years old this year and she is excited to race in Bratislava on the very tough Danube race course.

Training is now well underway in Bratislava and all the Canadian athletes are looking good on the water and the coaching staff is optomistic about the event. We have the biggest team in years with a number of serious contenders. A number of International rivalries at the top of all classes will lead to an epic battle for World Championship medals and Olympic berths. Set your alarms to watch all the action live!

The World Championships will air on Rogers SportsNet. Check your local listing for the full schedule. http://www.sportsnet.ca/


National Championships - Kids leading the charge!


The National Championships wrapped up in Chilliwack, BC with Alberta in a dead heat with Quebec for the overall title. Congratulations go to Ontario with a final day of gusto.

Alberta held a significant lead going into the weekend and still after the Juniors held their own on Saturday. Unfortunately the Masters and Seniors were unable to backup the earlier performances and finish off the deal. With the National Team out of the country it was up to the young guns to produce. Michael Taylor (ON) in K1m, Ben Hayward (AB) & Cam Smedley (ON) in C2, Jazmyn DenHolander (BC) K1W, Julian Potvin-Bernal (PQ) C1m, and Alicia Greves in C1w.

In the Junior Class Alberta's Penner family cleaned up. Ryley had a Gold K1Jr men and Hannah a gold in K1jr women. Hayden Daniels won the C1jr men's class with Darius Ramrattan the only Cadet to give it a valiant try on the swollen Chilliwack river. Darius did better in his kayak grabbing up a bronze. Levi Severtson, Sam Hosoya, and Bradyn Jessen finished just outside the medals.

Great job to all those who competed and a huge Thanks to the organizing committee for a great event!