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Speed team looking for redemption

Andreson may return at Lake Louise After a poor showing at the 2002 Winter Games and failing to qualify any skiers for the World Cup finals, the Canadian Alpine Ski Team pulled the plug on the men’s speed team with one event remaining last seaso

Andreson may return at Lake Louise

After a poor showing at the 2002 Winter Games and failing to qualify any skiers for the World Cup finals, the Canadian Alpine Ski Team pulled the plug on the men’s speed team with one event remaining last season and announced plans to rebuild the program to its former glory.

The new look team, which includes members of the development team, will get its first chance to shine at the Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup downhill and super-G events this weekend.

Under the leadership of head coach Burkhard Schaffer from the famed Austrian program, and Paul Kristofic of Toronto, the rebuilding has begun in earnest. The average age of the speed team is 22 years old.

While the coaches don’t claim to be ready to make a run at any podiums this weekend, they spent the off-season training skiers and ensuring that the athletes understand that winning is going to require a total commitment from each individual, and an unmatched work ethic.

They will be watching the skiers carefully this weekend.

Ten Canadian racers took part in the training runs which were scheduled to start on Nov. 27, looking to qualify for one of the six open spots in Saturday’s downhill and four Canadian bibs in Sunday’s super-G.

David Anderson, 23, of Rossland, B.C. will suit up for the first time since he was injured in training for the Olympic super-G.

The day after finishing 38 th in the Olympic downhill, Anderson hit a snowcat winch cable while training, the result of poor communication between groomers and athletes.

A few inches higher, and it’s possible Anderson would never have skied again. As it was, he hit the cable at boot level, causing soft-tissue injuries to his left ankle, right hamstring, and his left shoulder. More seriously, he suffered a compression fracture in a vertebrae as well as a fairly serious concussion.

After a summer of physiotherapy and training, he is ready to compete again.

Although he is still young, Anderson proved that he has what it takes to win back in 2001 with a ninth place finish in the world championships downhill, and 10th place finish in the slalom. In 2002 he was first overall in three Nor Am super-G races at Lake Louise.

"The most important thing for David right now is to get strong and fit as soon as possible," said Schaffer. "He suffered serious injuries and his recovery needs a lot of discipline and patience, but he has the ability to come back and be a very good racer."

François Bourque, 18, of New Richmond, Quebec, is currently ranked first in the world for racers born in 1984. This is his rookie season with the national team, and he hopes to compete in all four disciplines.

Bourque’s best finish last season was a fourth in the downhill at the Nor Am Cup at Le Massif, Quebec.

Mike Giannelli, 26, of Burnaby – an alumni of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club – is now the most senior member of the team, following the retirement of Edi Podivinsky. He didn’t race last season after re-injuring a ligament in his knee after a crash in October, and has limited racing exposure since the initial injury in 1999.

Although Giannelli can win at the Nor Am level, he has only cracked the top-30 once on the World cup circuit.

He has been back on snow since July and is looking strong, according to the Canadian coaches.

Erik Guay, 21, of Tremblant, Quebec is the reigning downhill, super-G and combined national champion, and is a co-champion of the Nor Am Cup downhill.

This is Guay’s first season with the senior national team, and he is consistently at the front of the pack among his teammates and in training with competitors from other countries.

"Erik is a racer who can ski all four disciplines. His development is going in a good direction. He’s got the confidence and ability to do very well in the future," commented Schaffer.

Jan Hudec, 21, of Banff tied Guay for the overall Nor Am downhill title, but missed the Pontiac GMC Canadian Championships and several weeks of training due to a back injury. This is his first season on the World Cup circuit.

Jeff Hume, 23, hails from Whistler and currently holds the overall Nor Am super-G title. He was also third in the Nor Am overall standings, and claimed a Nor Am downhill gold medal at Lake Louise.

This is his first season with the senior national team, and he hopes to move into the top 60 in the world.

"Jeff’s fitness and skiing are both very good and he is positioned well for competitive results. It is very important for Jeff to learn how to race in World Cup and he will gain valuable experience this season," said Schaffer.

Vincent Lavoie, 25, of Quebec City has had two broken legs in the past two seasons. Prior to that, he was the 1999 giant slalom champion. He has been working hard to rehabilitate and impressed the coaches during summer training on snow.

Cameron Barnes, 19, of Banff is ranked among the top five downhillers for his age group in the world, and is debuting with the national team at Lake Louise. A member of the national development team, Barnes is also expecting to make the podium at the World Junior Championships in France next month.

Brad Spence, 18, of Calgary, Alberta, is currently with the national development team.

Last season he was sixth in the slalom at the national championships in Whistler.

Paul Stutz, 19, of Banff won two FIS giant slalom races last season, and is inching his way to the national team with steadily improving results. He is another four-event skier, and according to development team coach Glenn Thompson, "Paul has no fear… We have high hopes for Paul."

CBC Television will broadcast the World Cup races at Lake Louise starting with the downhill on Saturday (Nov. 30) at 1:30 p.m. They will broadcast the results of the super-G starting at midnight on Sunday.