Monday, September 19, 2011

News from Team Canada

There are six Canadian athletes currently receiving financial support through the national carding system; the five who won gold at last year's World Championships in Prague, plus Manitoban Chris Sobkowicz, skip of the current national champions, who receives a smaller "development" grant.

The six all participated in the optional monthly training camps at Edmonton's Saville Centre over the summer, and will be joined by 20 invitees and 9 coaches at a Development/Evaluation Camp that will be held in Richmond BC from September 30-October 2.

This camp, which had initially been proposed for the end of last season, is a follow-on from the series of regional camps held by national team staff and athletes throughout last season. Invitees to Richmond were chosen in part on impressions gained at those camps, as well as performance at observed competitions, and recommendations from regional coaches.

With the present Team Canada appearing as both Paralympic and World Champions, the camp is probably less about breaking into the national team than an opportunity for athletes and coaches to familiarise themselves with national training procedures that may be carried back into and improve regional programs.

A full list of Richmond invitees can be seen at the end of this post.

An eight person TC squad will travel to Norway (October 14-16) and then with just a day's turnaround, compete at the Kinross event in Scotland (October 18-20). Albertans Jack Smart and Anne Hibberd will join the squad for those two events. In Norway the team lineups will be flexible, but the world champion team is expected to play together in Scotland.

Canada will also field two teams at the Richmond International (November 2-5) though personnel may change.

A further but smaller development camp is planned for later in the season.

Expected to attend the Richmond camp

National Team coaches Laura Farres, Joe Rea, Wendy Morgan, Gerry Peckham

National squad members Jim Armstrong, Darryl Neighbour, Ina Forrest, Sonja Gaudet, Bruno Yizek, Chris Sobkowicz

National Champions Manitoba coach Rob Lamb, with Dennis Thiessen, George Horning, Don Kalinsky, Melissa Lecuyer

BC coach Karen Watson with Frank Labounty and Alison Duddy

Alberta coach Andy Jones with Jack Smart and Anne Hibberd

Saskatchewan coach  Lorraine Arguin with Darwin Bender and Gil Dash

N. Ontario coach Dave Kawahara with Carl Levesque

Ontario coach Carl Rennick with Collinda Joseph, Chris Rees, Mike Munro and Mark Ideson

Quebec coaches Germaine Tremblay/Alan Smith with Benoit Lessard
and Carl Marquis

Atlantic region coach LeslieAnn Walsh with Joanne McDonald, Darlene Jackman and Trendal Hubley- Bolivar

2 comments:

Wayne F said...

CONGRATULATIONS to all that were chosen for this most exciting opportunity, good luck and well done.

Wayne F.

Laughie Rutt said...

I want to wish everyone attending the camp all the best as certainly there are a lot of skilled curlers to choose from.

Enjoy the time at the camp. Bring back methods that will improve the programs in each province. That way our national championship can remain one of the premiere spiels in the world.