Mike Spracklen's boys look like they just might do it again. Canada's Men's eights started off the World Rowing Championships in Poznan Poland with a convincing victory giving them a birth in Sunday's final on the on the 30th of August.
A while the performance shouldn't come unexpected for a man who seems to win no matter what the circumstances it is truly impressive when one considers that Spraklen's Men's eight has rebuilt itself from its gold medal winning victory at the Beijing Olympic Games. Gone are cox Brian Price, Stroke Kyle Hamilton, Adam Kreek, Ben Rutledge, Kevin Light, Jake Wetzel and Dominic Seiterle and in their place come 7 athletes who didn't even compete in Beijing. But no matter. Spraklen has put his men's eight in a position where they just might win the world championships for the fourth time in the last eight years.
So what is the secret? Hard Work. Relying on the principle that the harder a person works, the more their body adjusts to the work, Spracklen squeezes every last drop of energy out of his athletes each and every day. For some, including many of Canada’s sport physiologists, it is too much, but those who compete for the man believe in him and his refinements.
“There’s no magic in it,” says athlete Jake Wetzel. “The whole time he puts us out of our comfort zone. You’re rewarded for failure, for pushing to the point where you fall apart. You’re not rewarded for mediocrity.” And so they keep pushing.
A self-obsessed rowing fan, Spracklen monitors every one of his twenty-plus weekly training sessions, ensuring that his athletes are piling up the mileage so that even on their worst day the team can walk away with the gold. It seems to be working.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
CanoeKayak Canada's Loss
Anne Merklinger director general of Canoekayak Canada announced today that she was leaving the organization she has served proudly for the last 15 years to become the director of summer sport for the Own the Podium program. And while a coup for the Own the Podium program the announcement comes at a big loss to an organization she helped resurect.
When Merklinger came to Canoekayak Canada the organization had limited funding and won a single Olympic medal from 1988 through to 1996. Since then, CanoeKayak Canada has won eight medals at the past three Summer Olympiads. And in Adam van Koeverden and Caroline Brunet, the organization has produced two of Canada’s most decorated Olympians.
An athlete in her own right first as a national team swimmer then as an elite curler, Merklinger understood that the key to a sport organization was to direct as many resources as possible towards its athletes and coaches. Today, seven coaches work with the Canadian national team while regional coaches have been hired to identify and train paddlers across the country.
The benefactor is the sport itself. Not only is canoe-kayak Canada’s most successful sport at the past three Summer Olympiads, but as Merklinger herself acknowledges, “Athletes in competitive programs have increased by twenty, or twenty-five percent. In 2003, we had forty-five clubs. Now, we have eighty. Twenty-five (of those clubs) have full-time year-round coaches. There are a lot of opportunities to be a professional canoeist and kayaker.”
`Anne is an extraordinary talent whose athletic background, business acumen and leadership skills bring immense value to our organization as Own the Podium continues to deliver the resources Canadian athletes need to excel against the world's best,'' Alex Baumann, executive director (summer), for Own the Podium said in a statement.
In her new role Anne will help bring recommendations to the senior management team, lead annual reviews, and develop new programs and policies to help Canada's summer Olympians reach their full potential. If history is any indicator Anne will thrive in her new role creating enhanced opportunities for all summer sport athletes except for maybe Canada's canoeists and kayackers who only yesterday had Anne all to themselves.
When Merklinger came to Canoekayak Canada the organization had limited funding and won a single Olympic medal from 1988 through to 1996. Since then, CanoeKayak Canada has won eight medals at the past three Summer Olympiads. And in Adam van Koeverden and Caroline Brunet, the organization has produced two of Canada’s most decorated Olympians.
An athlete in her own right first as a national team swimmer then as an elite curler, Merklinger understood that the key to a sport organization was to direct as many resources as possible towards its athletes and coaches. Today, seven coaches work with the Canadian national team while regional coaches have been hired to identify and train paddlers across the country.
The benefactor is the sport itself. Not only is canoe-kayak Canada’s most successful sport at the past three Summer Olympiads, but as Merklinger herself acknowledges, “Athletes in competitive programs have increased by twenty, or twenty-five percent. In 2003, we had forty-five clubs. Now, we have eighty. Twenty-five (of those clubs) have full-time year-round coaches. There are a lot of opportunities to be a professional canoeist and kayaker.”
`Anne is an extraordinary talent whose athletic background, business acumen and leadership skills bring immense value to our organization as Own the Podium continues to deliver the resources Canadian athletes need to excel against the world's best,'' Alex Baumann, executive director (summer), for Own the Podium said in a statement.
In her new role Anne will help bring recommendations to the senior management team, lead annual reviews, and develop new programs and policies to help Canada's summer Olympians reach their full potential. If history is any indicator Anne will thrive in her new role creating enhanced opportunities for all summer sport athletes except for maybe Canada's canoeists and kayackers who only yesterday had Anne all to themselves.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Running Away
What if you held a track & field meet and no one showed up? In the case of Canada's track & field team Athletics Canada seems prepared to do its very part in testing that theory at the 2009 World Track & Field Championships.
Consider the following:
Consider the following:
- There are no Canadian women in the distance events, once one of Canada's biggest strengths on the track.
- There is one Canadian man running in an invididual sprint event;
- Aside from the hurdles there are no Canadian woman running in an individual sprint event.
From injuries, to restrictive standards, to coaching changes and even fatigue answers vary as to why Canada isn't sending athletes in individual track events. Excuses aside, however, the team - or lack thereof - that will represent Canada at the 2009 World Track & Field Championships shows just how far the sport has fallen in recent years.
A sport that once was Canada's most prolific at the Summer Olympics has won just 1 medal at the last three Olympic Games. Household names within the sport are non-existent, while membership levels within the sport are falling perhaps explaining why Canada will have only 5 athletes run an individual track event in Berlin.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Brain Drain
The overwhelming consensus of a recent study conducted by the Canadian Coaching Association of Canada was that Canada's coaches need to be paid more. Amongst the findings was that
more than half the men and women training Canada's current and future Olympians earn less than $20,000 annually from their primary coaching job, and another 15 per cent are volunteers.
Amongst a series of options "that might improve the situation for high performance coaches," was to pay them more.
Recognizing the dire financial straits placed upon Canada's coaches it is with little wonder that Canada's best young coaches are leaving the country for greener pastures.
In January of 2009 Kevin Tyler - arguably Canada's brightest track & field coach having led famed sprinters Tyler Christopher, Adam Kunkel and Caroline Muir to world stardom - accepted a job with UK Athletics as the strategic head of coaching and development. Some 6 months later Derek Everly - Tylers replacement in Canada - followed suit by accepting a job with UK Athletics. But don't think the exodus stops with the sport of Athletics. Triathlon coach Joel Filliol, who guided Simon Whitfield to a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, was hired as Britain's head triathlon coach, while Peter Eriksson, who helped wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc to five gold medals at the Paralympics in Beijing, was also scooped up by the British.
However, not everyone in Canadian sport is concerned. Gary Lunn, the federal minister for sport, noted "I don't think it's always just about money,(referring to the lack of money paid to Canadian Coaches). I've had these conversations with Alex (Baumman) and he completely supports me, that sometimes we need to find a better way." Maybe so, but in the meantime it appears anyways that Money talks and Canada's coaches are starting to listen.
more than half the men and women training Canada's current and future Olympians earn less than $20,000 annually from their primary coaching job, and another 15 per cent are volunteers.
Amongst a series of options "that might improve the situation for high performance coaches," was to pay them more.
Recognizing the dire financial straits placed upon Canada's coaches it is with little wonder that Canada's best young coaches are leaving the country for greener pastures.
In January of 2009 Kevin Tyler - arguably Canada's brightest track & field coach having led famed sprinters Tyler Christopher, Adam Kunkel and Caroline Muir to world stardom - accepted a job with UK Athletics as the strategic head of coaching and development. Some 6 months later Derek Everly - Tylers replacement in Canada - followed suit by accepting a job with UK Athletics. But don't think the exodus stops with the sport of Athletics. Triathlon coach Joel Filliol, who guided Simon Whitfield to a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, was hired as Britain's head triathlon coach, while Peter Eriksson, who helped wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc to five gold medals at the Paralympics in Beijing, was also scooped up by the British.
However, not everyone in Canadian sport is concerned. Gary Lunn, the federal minister for sport, noted "I don't think it's always just about money,(referring to the lack of money paid to Canadian Coaches). I've had these conversations with Alex (Baumman) and he completely supports me, that sometimes we need to find a better way." Maybe so, but in the meantime it appears anyways that Money talks and Canada's coaches are starting to listen.
The Emergence of Canadian Swimming?
A world record coupled with three medal winning performances by Canada’s National Swim Team at the recent 2009 FINA World Aquatic Championships evoked memories of its glory days in the mid 80’s and early 90’s.
In an era where world record swims and gold medal winning performances seemed like a daily occurrence, Canada’s swim program fell upon hard times in the late 90’ and on into the 21st Century. Hitting rock bottom at the 2004 Olympic Games where no Canadian swimmer placed higher than fifth and only two Canadian swimmers posted best times Canada’s swim program was in need of new blood.
Following those now disastrous games, Swimming Canada hired internationally acclaimed Pierre Lafontaine with the sole purpose of restoring Canada’s swimming lore. A Canadian with a history of success in both the United States and Australia, Lafontaine brought energy and direction into a program that was rudderless in Athens.
Since 2004 Lafontaine has helped restore Canada’s club and national team while at the same time increasing the visibility of the sport to Corporate Canada. Cheerleader, ambassador, enforcer, and leader, Lafontaine is a man who seems to wear every hat imaginable within the organization. Couple that with an energy level that rivals that of a five year old child - Lafontaine’s imprint is starting to show.
Consider that Mike Brown won Canada’s first gold medal in over eight years in the sport of swimming at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. In 2007 Brent Hayden won Canada’s first swimming world championship in over 21 years. In 2008 Ryan Cochrane won Canada’s first Olympic medal in over eight years with a bronze medal swim in the 1,500m. And now at the 2009 World Aquatic Championships Canada finished the week long event with 2 silver medals, 1 bronze medal and a world record – not bad for a sport that many considered un-reparable only 5 years ago.
In an era where world record swims and gold medal winning performances seemed like a daily occurrence, Canada’s swim program fell upon hard times in the late 90’ and on into the 21st Century. Hitting rock bottom at the 2004 Olympic Games where no Canadian swimmer placed higher than fifth and only two Canadian swimmers posted best times Canada’s swim program was in need of new blood.
Following those now disastrous games, Swimming Canada hired internationally acclaimed Pierre Lafontaine with the sole purpose of restoring Canada’s swimming lore. A Canadian with a history of success in both the United States and Australia, Lafontaine brought energy and direction into a program that was rudderless in Athens.
Since 2004 Lafontaine has helped restore Canada’s club and national team while at the same time increasing the visibility of the sport to Corporate Canada. Cheerleader, ambassador, enforcer, and leader, Lafontaine is a man who seems to wear every hat imaginable within the organization. Couple that with an energy level that rivals that of a five year old child - Lafontaine’s imprint is starting to show.
Consider that Mike Brown won Canada’s first gold medal in over eight years in the sport of swimming at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. In 2007 Brent Hayden won Canada’s first swimming world championship in over 21 years. In 2008 Ryan Cochrane won Canada’s first Olympic medal in over eight years with a bronze medal swim in the 1,500m. And now at the 2009 World Aquatic Championships Canada finished the week long event with 2 silver medals, 1 bronze medal and a world record – not bad for a sport that many considered un-reparable only 5 years ago.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)