Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 31, 2008, Winnipeg, Manitoba C m y k Page 2 b2 Winnipeg free press sunday August 31, 2008 perspective Winnipeg repress. Com hers been really big on preparing mentally and i think thatus been something i did some of in the past but not enough. But it wont All be smooth skating for top and the Winter athletes. Already some cracks Are beginning to show. The quest began in 2004. The Canadian olympic committee put together a group of International sport experts led by Cathy Priestner Allinger 1976 olympic Speed skating Silver medallist turned sport administrator. Eight months later it produced own the podium. Or. Roger Jackson a three time Canadian olympian became ceo and lured Davis from Australia to drive the sport science Medicine and technology Arm. The Federal government of the Day said this is great if the corporate Community will stand up and put up $ 55 million Well stand up and put up $ 55 million Over five years Jackson said. It is by far the most canadians have spent on athlete development in preparation for any olympic games. The 1988 Calgary games warranted a $ 25 million Federal injection. Several sports saw their share of the funds grow in the 2007 08 season including Alpine skiing Curling figure skating freestyle skiing and Speed skating. Others sports like hockey snowboarding and Bobsleigh received the same amount of Money As last year while biathlon and Cross country skiing had their budgets Cut. Ski jumping and nordic combined were left out in the cold. The Money is also financing top secret projects which aim to give Canadian athletes a competitive Edge through research in everything from maximizing equipment performance in different weather conditions to nutrition to biomechanical studies of athletes techniques. As the olympics draw nearer the funding becomes even More targeted. Its absolutely the right approach to be taking. Every country would do that. You got to pick your athletes where your Best investments Are and say go lets just go for it. Throw caution to the wind and go Davis said. The Centre of Canadas efforts is Canada olympic Park in Northwest Calgary where Jackson works. Hers employed a team of enthusiastic High performance advisers to keep watch Over All the sports. Daniel Lefebvre for example left his coaching Job at biathlon Canada to manage of pcs relationships with Alpine and freestyle skiing Short and Long track Speed skating and hockey. Being a coach in the Canadian sport system i know the frustrations. Its very bureaucratic very political very frustrating very slow Lefebvre said. As a coach i wish i had a person that could do this this and that for me. Now i am the person i wanted to have As a coach. When Lefebvre first met with Max Gartner chief athletics officer of Alpine skiing he was shocked to learn the menus ski team flies Down austrians infamous Kitz Buhel course at speeds of More than 100 Kilometres per hour without consulting a performance psychologist. They Hadnot had one in 10 years. I told them i know a Guy he was my performance psychologist in biathlon. We had him in Torino. Hers very aggressive. Hers up and coming. Well Fly him in and get him skiing with the athletes Lefebvre recalled. Top brought him in the athletes loved him and Lefebvre doled out the Money for Gartner to hire the psychologist. As an outsider looking in Lefebvre says he is Able to see where sports require improvement and offers solutions. He is at the heart of a new sport culture thatus pushing organizations coaches and athletes to produce better results. I say lets not look at what you re doing in its Early Days own the podium staff estimated Canada would need to win 35 medals to become the top medal winning country in Vancouver. In 2007, the Canadian olympic committee backed off on the target suggesting the goal was simply to finish first in Overall medal count not to achieve a specific medal count. But the initial breakdown is indicative of where expectations lie predicted medals Long track Speed skating 8 Short track Speed skating 7 ice hockey 2 Curling 2 figure skating 3 tier two High priority Alpine skiing 3 freestyle skiing 3 thin ice continued from b 1 Jeremy Wotherspoon credits own the podium with connecting him to his new coach Mike Crowe. Wotherspoon is looking stronger than Ever. Tier one must win Joe Bryksa / Winnipeg free press a 02_ aug 31 08. Ind b2 8/ 30/ 08 5 44 46 pm ;