Minor Hockey results
STILL COMING
Honda, Telus bring back national snowboard tour
Last week the Canadian Snowboard Federation launched the 2005-06 Honda Pro-Am Snowboard Tour, presented by Telus. All of the competitions are wide open for competitors, and offer athletes the chance to win cash, prizes and Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) points which can help athletes to qualify for the World Cup.
The pro category will be a huge draw with $100,000 in prizes and cash up for grabs. There is also a recreational amateur category for athletes that are looking to compete and gain experience, but aren’t ready to take part in a full competition.
There are 10 venues on the tour this year, each hosting different disciplines — halfpipe, slopestyle, snowboardcross, parallel giant slalom and parallel slalom.
The events in the Western Provinces are:
• A halfpipe and slopestyle at Big White on Jan. 28-29
• A parallel giant slalom and parallel slalom at Norquay, Alberta on Feb. 3-4
• A snowboardcross at Grouse Mountain on Feb. 11-12
• A halfpipe and slopestyle at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary on Feb. 17 18
• The national championships for halfpipe, slopestyle and snowboardcross at Mont Avila, Quebec from March 29-31 and April 1-2
• The national championships for parallel giant slalom and slalom at Crystal Mountain, in Washington (with U.S. championships) on March 24-26
Bahamas claiming Kory Wright?
Kory Wright, a halfpipe rider for Canada, won a bronze medal in Whistler two weeks ago in his first ever World Cup competition. The 20-year-old is currently a member of Project 2010, a national program to develop snowboard athletes for the 2010 Winter Games, and is considered one of Canada’s top future prospects.
If he stays here, that is.
Wright was born in Nassau, Bahamas but moved to Canada at the age of one when his mother left his father and moved to Halifax. They moved to Calgary when Wright was six, where he learned to snowboard.
Wright acknowledged that he has considered competing for the Bahamas, but would also be happy staying in Canada. It depends on his progression and what each team can offer. His goal is to compete in the 2010 Olympics, and if he can’t make it with Canada it may make sense to look to the Bahamas.
Top-10 Canadian Cycling Achievements announced
Canadian Cyclist Magazine, taking its cue from Forbes magazine’s list of top athletic achievements of all time, recently held a Canada-wide poll to pick the Top-10 Canadian Cycling Achievements of all time. Two weeks ago the list of items suggested by readers was narrowed down to the top-25 by editors based on the number of submissions for each achievement, and the voting was opened to the public.
North Vancouver mountain biker Alison Sydor captured four of the top-10 achievements, while road champion Steve Bauer captured three of those spots.
The list, in order of the number of votes cast:
1. Alison Sydor’s three consecutive world titles (1994-1996)
2. Steve Bauer’s 1990 Tour de France, where he spent 10 days in the Yellow Jersey
3. Steve Bauer’s 1988 Tour, when he won a stage, finished fourth overall and spent five days in the Yellow Jersey
4. Lori-Ann Muenzer’s Olympic gold medal in the Sprint at the 2004 Olympics, or Canada’s first Olympic gold medal in a cycling event
5. Alison Sydor’s 17 World Cup victories in mountain biking
6. Alison Sydor’s 13 consecutive years of finishing in the top-five at the World Championships, including three gold medals, five silver medals and two bronze medals
7. Roland Green’s 2001 season, where he was the World Champion, World Cup Champion, World Team Relay Champion, National Champion, and won two Norba titles
7. (Tie) Steve Bauer wins the silver medal in the 1984 Olympics as an amateur, turns pro, then wins a bronze medal the following week at the Professional World Championships
9. Curt Harnett’s world record in the Flying 200 Metre Time Trial at the 1995 World Championships, which still stands today
10. Alison Sydor’s silver medal in the 1996 Olympic Games in the inaugural mountain bike event
