Change of Face

Never one to come to the defence of the Canadian Olympic Committee, this time around this blogger has no choice.

In today's Vancouver Sun writer John Korobanic talks about the social injustices associated with the bonus program that pays Olympic athletes for medal winning performances but doesn't do the same for Paralympic Athletes. www.vancouversun.com/sports/Funding+Forest+major+concern+after+bringing+home+five+medals/2717097/sto

ry.html

This blogger has the greatest of respect for our Paralympic athletes. They are incredible athletes and should be compensated in the same manner for their Olympic medal winning performances as were our able athletes. However, the basis of their facts and henceforth their anger is completely off base.

The Canadian Olympic Committee is responsible for Canada's participation at the Olympic Games. Meanwhile the Canadian Paralympic Committee is responsible for Canada's participation at the Paralympic Games. The distinction between the two programs is important.

It was the Canadian Olympic Committee who came forward with the bonus program that compensated our Olympic medal winning athletes to the tune of $20,000 for Olympic Gold, $10,000 for Olympic Silver and $5,000 for Olympic Bronze. Meanwhile, when it comes to our Paralympic athletes the decision to implement a bonus program their very own is at the discretion of the Canadian Paralympic Committee who decided to forgo the program all together.

Our Paralympic athletes should not be crying wolf over the perceived injustices of an Olympic bonus program but rather ask their very own Olympic Committee as to why they didn't follow the Canadian Olympic Committee's lead.

And if someone ever says it is on account of money, lets not forget that the Canadian Paralympic Committee was given $10 million dollars in the latest federal budget. The Canadian Olympic Committee's take was $0.

Top Six!

In a recent interview Alex Baumann - Executive Director of the Own the Podium program said that he would like to see Canada finish in the top six at the Summer Olympics. http://www.troymedia.com/?p=9257. This blogger agrees and goes a step further than does Baumann by saying that Canada has the ability to fullfil this lofty goal.

The Secret? Follow the path to success of Canada's Winter Olympic program.

Contrary to the belief of many - Canada's Winter Olympic program has not always been successful. In fact in the 1970's and early 1980's Canada Winter and Summer Olympic programs were following similar paths of futility. In fact at the 1984 Winter Olympics Canada won 3 Olympic medals. Today, Canada's winter athletes are among the most celebrated and recognized in the entire world winning a record 14 Olympic gold medals in Vancouver by following a simple but proven three point plan.

1) Creation of a Sport Institute - Canada may not have won Olympic gold in 1988 but the Calgary Olympics left an indeliable legacy on Canada's Winter Olympic Program. The Games led to the creation of a Winter Sports Institute where all of Canada's Winter Sport Organizations are now based in Calgary. No wonder then that 13 of the 26 Olympic medals that Canada won in Vancouver were won by athletes living and or training in Calgary. Unfortunately, no such facility exists for Canada's Summer Sport Organizations. Today Canada's Summer Sporting bodies are in locales all across this country.

2) Partnerships. Canada's Winter Sport Organizations have created partnerships with a number of agencies in Calgary who have greatly assisted in the success of Canada's Winter Athletes. For example - Speed Skating Canada has partnerships with the Canadian Sport Centre - Calgary who assists in providing the organization with nutritional services, life services, regeneration facilities and so forth. The partnerships don't end there. Speed Skating Canada works hand and hand with the Olympic Oval in Calgary who assists with coaching and development. And then there is the University of Calgary who assists with funding and many other related matters. With the implementation of the Own the Podium program, partnerships within Canada's Summer Sport Organizations are improving - in certain sports - but they still have a long way to go.

3) Be inclusive not exclusive. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Canada's Winter Athletes won medals in 10 of 15 disciplines. In Vancouver our athletes won medals in 9 of 15 Olympic disciplines. Meanwhile when it comes to the Summer Olympics Canada's sporting leaders want to focus on improving medal winning opportunities in a select few sports. The fact is that if Canada wants to finish in the top 6 at a Summer Olympiad it needs to win medals in a number of different Olympic disciplines.

Canada's Winter Sports organizations proved that Canada can finish in the top 6 of a Summer Olympics. Lets just hope they follow their lead.

The Fix

.............."Canada has the second best university sport system in the world. Unfortunately we live right next to the best," notes Swimming Canada CEO Pierre Lafontaine.

Acknowledging the strength of the Canadian University System there is no need to overhaul what is currently in place. What needs to be done is to strengthen the system so that it isn't perceived as the lowly alternative to an American juggernaut. Some minor changes will ensure that this is done.

The first of which is the age. With the exception of football - there isn't an age limit in CIS Sport. Comparatively NCAA Division I sport has an age limit of what is essentially 25 (there are some exceptions). An upper age limit ensures that the CIS system is focused on athlete development as opposed to a sporting alternative for athletes long past their expiry date. Too often in CIS Sport we find athletes who are past their prime but use CIS Sport to live out their playing days. An age restriction of 25 would help create a system that is focused on developing athletes.

Prohibit professional athletes from playing Collegiate Sport. NCAA is often mocked for the restrictions it places on its athletes but there is little argument that it is effective. NCAA Division I sport is seen as a stepping stone into professional sport leagues and Olympic teams. Comparatively, the Canadian system allows professionals and carded amateur athletes to compete in CIS sport. The result is that the focus on athlete development is blurred. Allowing 30 something carded amateur athletes to compete in CIS Sport does nothing to develop 18-22 year athletes in the training to compete stage of the long term athlete development model.

Compete - too often athletes are lured south by a big American media glamorizing U.S collegiate athletics as being a far superior product. The facts are that aside from Basketball and Football - Canadian universities have shown themselves capable of competing against their American counterpart time and time again. Increased cross border competition would emphasize to our athletes that you don't necessarily have to go south to find strong competition.

Scholarships - Another reason athletes go south is the glamour of a big U.S Scholarship. Athletes, however may be surprised to hear that Canadian Universities offer scholarships that cover the cost of tuition and books. There is no doubt that Canadian universities must offer more in terms of scholarship opportunities but educating athletes of the scholarship incentives offered here Canadian may reduce the exodus south.

Market - Market - Market. As opposed to staging the CIS Basketball championship on the same weekend as the NCAA Tournament why not have a CIS Championship weekend in one locale in early March. Having a CIS Championship weekend where the national championships for Basketball, Volleyball, Track & Field, Wrestling, Hockey, Swimming and Gymnastics are all contested in the same weekend in the same city would create a buzz that is seriously lacking in CIS sport today.

There are of course other changes that could be implemented but these small changes would go along way to restoring the CIS Sporting System.......

Canadian University Sport - Anyone Care?

What a weekend of Basketball. St,Mary's a 10 seed beat #2 seed Villanova today and a 9 seed from Northern Iowa shocked #1 seed Kansas. Then there were the buzzer beaters that seemed to be commonplace throughout the weekend. Or how about the braket buster victories from the likes of #11 seed Old Dominion on day 1 of the tounnament. The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has begun!

And if the over 50 hours of television coverage on CBS, the 13 hour days on the Score, the NBA on ABC and TSN wasn't enough - somewhere through all of this on TSN2 there was the CIS Basketball Championship. Not to worry though if you didn't know because you aren't alone, because truthfully who really cares when even the CIS itself doesn't seem to.

How else can one explain that the pinnacle of men's basketball - the CIS Championship would be held on the same weekend as the start of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Wouldn't this be akin to planning a stag party for New Years Day, a movie release the night of the oscars or a hockey game on Game #7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Logistics aside, outside of football does anyone really care about CIS Sports anymore.

The fact is, Collegiate sports in Canada has become a haven for the over-aged athlete looking for that one last chance at competition. Case in point Mike Danton. Danton, a 29 year-old former NHL Hockey Player and felon after serving 5 years in prison for attempted murder, showed the flaws in the CIS system this past year when he played university hockey for St. Mary's Huskies.

Danton is the norm not the exception. In hockey, the majority of players are Canadian Hockey League rejects returning to university as 20+ athletes making it difficult for a 17 year old to compete. Meanwhile in the States the majority of players are up and coming pro's.

In football - the Hec Creighton Winner - Erik Glavic is a relatively young 23 years old but with 2 more years of eligibility and looking to return to school he won`t be finished his collegiate days until he is 25. Meanwhile in the States 22 year old Heisman Winner Sam Bradford is trying his hand at the NFL.

The facts are that CIS Sport is no longer relevant. Many of the nations best athletes leave Canada for the opportunity to compete in the high glamour world of NCAA Athletics. In a recent Globe & Mail article it is estimated that over 100 of our best basketball players have taken the skills south of the border. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/basketball/making-a-run-for-the-border/article1493032/. It is no different in other sports. In rowing, this blogger estimates that over 66% of the Canadian Olympic winning 8+ and Silver medal winning pair consisted of athletes from U.S Schools. Further those athletes that that are seen as the future in the sport (Colin & McCabe) attend school in the States. In Track & field the lone medallist from the 2008 Olympics attended school south of the border.


So how do we fix it........................

General Musings

Some General Thoughts......

Hard to believe that the Vancouver 2010 Games have been over for two weeks now. Despite the euphoria we all felt for our amateur athletes in Vancouver, things have certainly returned to normal in the sports media. Eric Guay wins the World Cup in the Giant Slalom, Kristina Groves is the World Cup Winner in Long Track Speed Skating, Jen Heil is the World Cup Champion in Moguls and the news barely makes it on to the back pages of the sports papers.


You may not have heard but arguably Canada's most dominant amateur athlete of all time retired this past weekend. Jeremy Wotherspoon, winner of 67 World Cup Races and the most dominant figure the sport has seen for the past decade is calling it quits. Some unfortunate instances at the Olympic Games may make Jeremy Canada's most under-appreciated athletes, but this man is a Canadian legend who should be inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame....immediately. Congratulations Jeremy on an outstanding career.


B2Ten. Likely haven't heard of them but their impact at the 2010 Games was incredible. Of the 14 Olympic Gold Medals that Canada won in Vancouver - 7 of them were impacted by this little unknown organization. B2Ten was founded by a group of private financiers looking to give our Winter Olympians the resources they needed in their drive to Vancouver - Sound familiar? The impact was profound. 50% of Canada's Olympic gold medallists were funded in part by this organization.


Own the Podium CEO - Dr. Roger Jackson is expected to step down from his post once his contract expires in June of 2010. His replacement is expected to be Alex Baumann.


How good are Alberta's Curlers. Not only were Canada's 2 Olympic Curling Teams from Alberta Alberta Teams have won the Brier - The Canadian Championship in the sport of Curling - 8 of the past 10 years. To give an example as to Alberta's true dominance in the sport after Kevin Martin and his Alberta Team decided to forgo this years Brier, Kevin Koe and his Alberta Team stepped right up. They ended up taking the 2010 Championship.

Political or Sport

It is no secret. Alex Baumann is expected to take over as CEO of the Own the Podium program shortly after the Paralympic Games. Dr. Roger Jackson who is the current CEO of the program is expected to step down when his contract expires in June 2010.

If the rumors are true and Alex Baumann is promoted to the role he has a tough decision to make in quick order. He has to decide if the Own the Podium program is a political program or a sports program.

Own the Podium is an enhanced form of sport funding - over and above a sports core funding - that rewards sports for success on the international stage. With a focus on excellence the one sport that has benefited the most from Own the Podium type funding is Alpine Skiing. However, Alpine Skiing has not produced a single Olympic medallist since 1993. Every other winter sport - aside from Ski Jumping and Luge - has had Canadian athletes stand on the Olympic podium since this time.

If Own the Podium is a sport program, why is it then that a sport like Biathlon (2 Olympic medals since 1993) receives little by way of Own the Podium funding while Alpine Skiing has benefited enormously ($10 million dollars in the last five years).

How about a sport like track & field. Following the 1996 Olympic Games the sport has seen but a single Canadian athlete stand on the podium but yet benefits enormously from Own the Podium type financing. Meanwhile, Canada men's wrestling program has been equally as successful as track & field in the course of the past 14 years but receives little.

The facts are that Alpine Skiing and Track & Field are sports that have a strong political presence. Meanwhile wrestling, and biathlon have limited presence in political forums. However, if the Own the Podium program is true to its mandate and it recognizes excellence -political importance should have little impact in determining funding.

We shall find out.

The Pressure is On

On Thursday the Federal Budget gave Canada's Summer Olympic Community what it has long been asking for. The resources to be succesful in London 2012. With $42 million dollars per annum now flowing into the Summer Own the Podium Program Canadians expect from their summer athletes what we witnessed from our Winter Athletes. Medals and lots of them.

Canada's sport officials have long stated that with the funds at its disposal Canada can expect a 12th place finish in the overall medal haul in London. After all we finished 14th in Beijing. Canada's athletes now have the funds and we expect our athletes to produce the results. However, the quesion this blogger has to ask...How?

In Beijing Cuba, placed 12th in the overall medal count with 24 medals. Canada won 18 medals. Canada has never finished a non-boycotted games with more than 22 medals, and over the course of the past two decades has averaged 15 Olympic medals per games.

To achieve its desired results Canada will rely heavily on the sports of Track & Field, Swimming, Woman's Wrestling, Trampoline, Diving, Rowing and Canoe Kayak to bring home the lions share of medals. But can these sports exceed on their performances in London?

Lets not forget that Rowing won 4 medals in Beijing - expecting more in London is a challenge. Woman's wrestling won 2 medals in 3 events. Our trampolinists won 2 medals in the sports only 2 events at the games. Our Canoe-Kayakers won 2 medals in Beijing. They have never won more than 3 medals at a non-boycotted games. Track & Field won a medal in Beijing, the sports first at an Olympic Games in over 12 years - is it fair to ask for more in London.

True, our swimmers are getting better but lets not forget that Canada won 2 medals in equestrian in 2008. A horse doesn't stay in his/her athletic prime for long and the hope here is that our swimmers can pick up the slack from our four legged friends in London.

In Thursday's budget Canada's Summer Olympic Community got what it wished for. There are no more excuses. Here is hoping that this prognositator is missing something and our athletes can deliver. Time will tell.

A Political Play

With a record setting performance at the 2010 Olympics still in the back of most Canadian minds, it is expected that Steven Harper will announce a two fold increase in government funding towards the Winter Own the Podium Program in tomorrow's budget.

Amateur sport enthusiasts applaud the move, however, this political play appears to be nothing more than a way for the Tory government to garner votes in an upcoming federal election.

For the past seven years Canada's amateur sport system has devoted almost every available resource towards Canada's Winter Sport system. From the construction of high performance facilities in Vancouver, increased sponsorship opportunities for our winter athletes, and of course the Own the Podium program - when Canada's winter sport system asks they recieve. And so when Canada's winter sports community asks for $22 million, the federal government steps up and delivers in a matter of days.

Comparatively, on the summer side of the equation the opportunities don't exist. It took two and 1/2 years of intense lobbying for the federal government to buy into the summer verson of the Own the Podium program. In 2008, it's first year of operation the federal government finaced the Summer Own the Podium program to the tune of $8 million dollars - less than 10% of what was initially requested. Some two years later Canada's Summer Own the Podium Plan is still underfunded. Financing for the program today is less than 50% of what was originally recommended back in 2006.

Meanwhile when the Own the Podium idea was still in its infancy Canada's winter sports community sought $110 million back in 2005. It recieved $120 million.

No one is suggesting that funding to the Winter Own the Podium program be reduced, however with the 2010 Games now complete shouldn't the focus be on providing our summer athletes with the necessary funds to be succesful in London.

Unfortunatly, Summer Olympians don't garner many votes these days. Hot off a record setting Olympics where Canadians rallied around their heroes it makes political sense to give our winter athletes what they want. For everyone else in Canada's amateur sports sytem.....get used to it.

Team of the Games

With all the talk of Olympic medals, Own the Podium, Ice Hockey Gold, and patriotism the one thing that might be lost amongst all of us is the performance of the Canadian Men's Cross Country Ski Team at the 2010 Olympics.

In Vancouver Canada's foursome of Ivan Babikov, Devon Kershaw, Alex Harvey and George Grey set a series of national records the likes of which was totally unexpected. Consider:

• In the team sprint Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey narrowly missed the podium with a 4th place finish. Canada's best ever result in this race.

• In the 30km pursuit Canada had three men finish in the top ten - More than any other country in the world.

• Canada's 4 x 10km relay team finished in 7th place. Canada's best ever result in this race.

• In the 50km mass start - Canada's Devon Kershaw finished in fifth place less than 2 seconds behind the winner. Canada's previous best in this event was a 44th place finish.
  

If one were to evaluate a teams performance in terms of best ever finishes and national records the cross country team of Babikov, Kershaw, Harvey and Grey would have ranked ahead of every other Canadian sport and team at these games. However, in a Olympics where the Canadian public seemed fixated on Olympic medals the performance of this team seemed to fly under the radar.

Although they may have not won an Olympic medal this foursome certainly showed that Canada can compete with Scandanavian and Eastern European nations in nordic sports. Own the Podium may not care, but this blogger was truly impressed.