NTC Squad

Recent Road Race Updates (Bazan Bay 5k, Comox Valley 1/2 marathon)

2011-03-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

Recent run race results: http://pih.bc.ca/results/IslandSeries.php

NTC Athletes:

Bazan Bay 5km, March 6: Good early season form: Jon Bird 15:20, Andrew Russell 15:38, Andrew McCartney 15:56, Paula Findlay 16:33 (new course record), Alison Hooper 17:57, Alex Coates 18:08, Kyla Coates 18:30

Comox Valley Half Marathon, March 20: First 1/2 for Simon and Kyle.. nice running guys! Good pacing by coach Jon. Simon Whitfield 1:06:23, Kyla Jones 1:07:35 Coach Jon Brown 1:07:37

Caloundra, Australia week 1

2011-03-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

All is well in Australia. Good training, a few soggy days but mostly sun and heat. a few kangaroo sightings (one face to face) and some fast 100's in the pool.

Winter training!

2011-03-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

good advice from Marnie McBean - Canadian three time Olympic Gold Medallist (rowing).

Is March the doldrums?

In 2007, a friend of mine, Ray Zahab, ran with two others, 7,500km across the entire Sahara Desert. They ran an average of 70 km per day for 111 days in extreme desert conditions through six countries to raise awareness for clean-water initiatives in Africa. I’ve heard him speak about it.  Many days were incredible and the people he met, and the things he saw were inspiring. There were also some days when, with each step, he said his mantra was, “this sucks, this sucks, this sucks, this sucks”.

I still remember training in February and March when my personal mantra was often “it’s a summer sport, it’s a summer sport, it’s a summer sport”.  The dark, rainy and cold days that we were training in did not match the weather of our summer rowing regattas. Not all of your sports are outdoor sports so the weather doesn’t affect you in the same way, but March and April I often found as the most depressing months. For all I did, I felt I wasn’t getting anywhere.
Coaches and trainers design winter training programs to fix and improve areas of weakness from the previous competition season. You are receiving constant critical feedback while, at the same time, the high training volume is physically exhausting. It’s so much harder to stay positive when you’re tired.

On top of this we try to multitask more at this time of year than any other, trying to squeeze in a little bit of school, a job, and maybe even a social life.
My point? Regardless if your training takes place indoors or out, with a team or by yourself, it may be hard to stay excited about your training right now.  The joy that you get when your body is competition ready, the sun is warm on your face and you’re fired up about what you could seem a distant memory. Right now, it’s neither summer nor do you feel ready to race. But that’s okay.

Think of the training you are doing right now as earning you bonus points! If competitors of yours get to train in warm, sunny conditions and you don’t, then you are simply getting tougher than they are getting.  If your competitors get more early-season competitions than you, then they are breaking up blocks of training time that you are using effectively.  What ever it is, whether everything is going smoothly, or if everything is an uphill battle, figure out a reason that this is to your advantage.

Take even the darkest, most boring training day and make it significant. You can take any day and make it boring, or, you can add a little salsa too it! It’s not about just making it through these doldrum days; it’s about making it through them better than anyone else.
This note is going out to over 700 athletes; you’re in this together.  Go Canada.
For more info on Ray check out www.rayzahab.com/about
Marnie

November, 2010

2010-11-22T15:47:00.000-08:00

Before the Pain :)

A few bits of news:

The Mod Squad headed up to Comox/Courtenay on November 10-13 for the annual fall training camp. Lot's of good cyclo cross rides on the single tracks and fire roads of Cumberland (highly recommended for fun and adrenalin) along with our usual swim / run sessions. Some good dinners out, plenty of laughs and some good mud and spills into the creek and bushes. We were pleased to be joined by Ellen Pennock from Calgary.

NTC men's squad (Simon, Kyle, A-Russ, A-Mac) just returned from their very successful camp in Arizona. Welcome home boys.

A few days of rare snow in Vic has made for fun but chilly cross rides.

Kyle, we all wish you well. We look forward to seeing you back in the pool soon.

Super Alex on her new Trek XO cross bike

Swim session at the Comox Aquatic Centre

More muddy cross! :)

2010-10-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

Cross time!! UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Hoogerheide, Netherlands.

2010-10-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

Well done Team NTC.

2010-09-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

Oh sooo far behind on blogging!! :(

Well.. were to start? Maybe at the end and I'll do a better job in the coming year. :)

It's the end of the season for the majority of the team and some well deserved off season (rest, fun, fun, rest and maybe some school and easing back into training). Fall start up - Oct 1, 7:30 a.m. SCP.

Recent NTC dev squad highlights:

1. Budapest ITU World Champs: U23 women - Kirsten silver, Kyle 37th - Elite Men, U23 men - JP 38th.. ripping bike split, Junior Men - Matt 9th, Cole 21st (way to crush boys.. oops .. men!), Junior Women - Christine -12th, and last but not least, Elite Women - Paula - 5th.. and so close to the steps (WCS series top runner)!! :).

(great racing in Budapest by Joanna Brown - junior women's bronze, Alexander Hinton - 16th junior men, Andrew York 24th U23 Men).

2. National Champs, Kelowna: Matt - national junior champ, Paula national elite champ, Simon - defending his national title in a thrilling sprint finish Kyle who made Simon work for the win and A-Russ who climbed onto the podium with an impressive third place finish.

You guys impressed this summer. Be proud of your squad, all the work you've done and the fantastic results! Get some rest.. have some fun.. lot's of work ahead for the 2011 season. It will be good!

Paula's fantastic performance at World Champs in Budapest.

2010-09-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

: Edmonton Paula Findlay wrapped up a sensational rookie season Sunday in Budapest.(Delly Carr/ITU)

When Paula Findlay won in Hyde Park at the London Olympic Games venue she was shocked. She was just hoping to be in the top 15.

When the little redhead made it two-for-two in the World Championship Series on the challenging cobblestone of Kitzbuhel, Austria, she said she surprised herself again.

She was just hoping to be in the top 10.

Disappointed

Sunday in Budapest, in the Grand Final of the series, the 21-year-old, who along with the curlers and moguls skier Jennifer Heil are keeping the City of Champions signs up in Edmonton, finished fifth. And was disappointed.

“She had some emotion today,” said coach Pat Kelly via cell phone as Findlay headed to doping control after finishing only two seconds off the podium and what would have been a third consecutive medal in her third race with the big girls.

“She was a bit emotional with her family at the end. She really wanted to be on that podium,” he said.

“In my mind it was quite important she did what she did today. She showed she wants to win every time. The bottom line is that it was an outstanding season. Once she’s able to put it in perspective I’m sure she’ll see that.”

Chris Dornan of Triathlon Canada was with her outside doping control for what turned out to be a long wait.

“We have a fighter here,” he said via BlackBerry email while he waited.

“We have a rookie that nobody knew two months ago, a girl who shocked the world twice. She entered this race as a favorite and finished the race fifth. But she was dejected. She wanted the podium.

“She was way back and fought all day. She had a bad swim, fought back to lead on the bike, fell back on the run and then turned on the jets to fight for the podium. She leaned over, exhausted after giving everything, water and sweat pouring off her. She was emotional but more angry like a veteran who wanted more and felt like she could have delivered more yet was absolutely fantastic.

“It was a hell of a gutsy performance. She said she had to fight harder for this fifth than her two victories.”

Finally out of doping control and holding an award from the International Triathalon Union identifying her as World Championship Series Runner of the Year, a fifth-place cheque for $9,300 and fifth-place series cheque of $16,000 — making it a bigger payday than her cheques of $18,000 from both London and Kitzbuhel — she called your correspondent on Dornan’s cell.

“That took forever,” she said of her trip to drug testing.

But she said it had allowed her time to think.

“My expectations totally changed after the two wins. It changed the expectations of others, too.

“People were expecting me to podium. But after having a little time to think about it in there, now everything is in perspective. I’m thrilled with my results.

“Initially I was pretty disappointed. Today was really hard for me. Thirty seconds before the swim my strap broke on my goggles. I wear contacts. I couldn’t go without them. I had a referee tie a knot on the strap and my heart rate had to be 200 I was so stressed out when I hit the water. There was so much drama there that my swim was really bad. I rode the bike really hard to get in contention but I was seven seconds back most of the run.”

There has to be some second-guessing at Triathlon Canada for waiting so late to get her into the seven-race series. With two more results she could have won it all.

“If I’d have been in the top five in two other races, I’d have been right up there,” she said of being the world champion today. “But it’s OK. It’ll give me more motivation for next year.”

A case of timing

Kelly said it was a case of timing.

“Paula came out of school in February,” he said. “Almost all the competitors in the series are full-time. She started a little late into full-time training.”

Her coach sees a young girl who is ready to go back to her old life in Edmonton for a while before she returns as one of those full-time pros earlier next year.

“I think she’s looking forward to going home, sleeping in her own bed, going back to school and resuming her old life for a few months,” said Kelly.

“Yeah, that’s for sure,” said Findlay. “It’s hard living on my own. I like living at home. I like being with my friends at home. Victoria is an awesome training environment, but it will be a nice mental change to come home until going back full time in January,” said the U of A student who will return to class for four months early this week after 18 hours study on the way home.

While she’s been home for four days here and three days there, she’s now going to be home as Paula Findlay, international sports star instead of the girl next door.

“It’s a little different, but pretty cool. I like it.”

terry.jones@sunmedia.ca

a few pics from stage 14 TdF

2010-07-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

Focused and Ready to Race!!!

2010-07-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

Moments before the start of the London WCS race.

Paula! Juniors and U23's!!!

2010-07-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

London WCS - No other words necessary other than Superb!! Congratulations Paula Findlay!!

(my apologies for the lack of blogging.. too damn busy)..

Recent results - congratulations to our fast racing Juniors and U23's. Coteau du Lac ITU Junior Elite race and ITU Pan Am Cup - (junior women - Christine 1st, Alison 2nd, Matt 1st, Cole 3rd, Senior Elite - Paula 1st, Kyla 3rd, JP 3d).. Sask Junior Elite race: ( Matt 1st, Marc 3rd, Christine 1st, Alison 3rd). Great job NTC athletes.. you've worked very, very hard for these fantastic results.. keep up the strong work!!! Coach PK

Summary May - June racing

2010-06-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

A bit of catching up on some strong results over the past few weeks.

1. May 22, PATCO and Continental Cup, Ixtapa Mexico
Due to large surf on the morning of the race the swim was cancelled for both the junior and senior elite races. The race officials added a short run in lieu of the swim on a very hot day in the 40's.

Notable results by NTC athletes:

Elite Men: Jeff Phillips - 4th, AP Baillargeon-Smith - 8th, Austin Horn 21st.
Elite Women: Kyla Coates - 11th
Junior Men: Cole Stewart - 17th (Matt Sharpe, Marc-Antoine Christin, Tim McLean - DNF)
(Ian Donald, Guelph - 2nd, Joel Howlett, Sask - 4th)
Junior Women: Christine Ridenour - 3rd, Alison Hooper 7th
(Joanna Brown, Ottawa - 1st overall)

2. June 13th Hy Vee Elite Cup, Des Moines, Iowa

Elite Women: Paula Findlay - 4th (racing a world class field), Kyla Coates 26th (1st Olympic Distance race). (Kathy Tremblay, Montreal - 26th)
Elite Men: Kyle Jones - 13th

3. June 13th WASA Lake Triathlon, Cranbrook

Elite Men: Cole Stewart - 1st, Aaron Thomas - 2nd.

Congratulations to everyone!! Nice start to the season.

Next up is the Coteau du Lac Junior Elite / Premium Continental Cup on June 26th.

Keep working until you shine!!

2010-06-06T21:13:00.001-07:00

Giro d'Italia - Ivan Basso Stage Win - 222km Monte Zoncolan

2010-05-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

For you cycling fans - we're into some good stage racing - Giro d'Italia news at:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/93rd-giro-ditalia-gt/stage-15/results

Basso - a determined man focused on winning!

NTC and Canadian Juniors in Ixtapa, Mexico

2010-05-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

a few pics of Canadian juniors at a swim session in Ixtapa. Borrowed from Rachael Edwards facebook.
Surf looks like fun. Watch out for the jelly fish and croc's! :(

Fast Racing in Ixtapa this weekend - good luck NTC and Canadian athletes

2010-05-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

This Saturday May 22, is the ITU Pan American Cup and the PATCO Junior Pan American Triathlon Championships in Ixtapa, Mexico.

Best of luck to all Canadian athletes: NTC junior athletes - Marc Antoine Christin, Tim McLean, Alison Hooper, Cole Stewart, Matt Sharpe, Christine Ridenour (Kelly's Kids). NTC senior athletes - Kyla Coates, Jeff Phillips, Aaron Thomas, Andrew McCartney, Austin Horn, Andre Paul Baillargeon-Smith.

We'll be cheering!!!

The day You decide to do it is your lucky day. - Japanese Proverb

Weekend of Local Racing!

2010-05-11T21:07:00.000-07:00

Nice racing by everyone this past weekend.

1. PB's by the boys (JP, AP, A-Russ) and Paula (and 2nd overall elite woman) at the Vancouver 10k Sun Run. Strong racing by the juniors at the Sooke Sprint.

Next up is Ixtapa, Mexico PATCO and Continental Cup for most - Madrid WCS for Paula. Let's get back to work! :)

Powered by Chocolate Milk - BC Dairy Foundation. New Sponsor!

2010-05-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Triathlon Canada is pleased to announce that the BC Dairy Foundation has signed on to provide NTC Victoria athletes with chocolate milk product to aid in recovery post workout. Thanks from the athletes!!

Research shows that a beverage containing both carbohydrate and protein, such as chocolate milk, can be more effective at increasing next-workout performance than a conventional carbohydrate- only sport beverage.^1,2,3 Chocolate milk is an excellent source of protein, which is especially important for recovery if you plan to work out again within the next 24 hours. Protein helps enhance recovery by repairing damaged muscle tissue and promoting muscle growth.

Paula's World Cup Win in Monterrey, Mexico

2010-05-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

Happiness and Relief! Paula at the finish line at the Monterrey World Cup in Mexico. Thanks very much to Paul Phillips of Competitive Image for the picture (ITU photographer for the event).
http://www.competitiveimage.us

ohhh Team BC!

2010-05-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

On the ride today JP and I were just chatting about the good fun Team BC had at last summer's Canada Summer Games - a visit into the past.

TEAM BC TRIATHLON SWEEPS GOLD MEDALS, CEMENT PLACE IN CANADA GAMES HISTORY

August 22, 2009 by Editor
Filed under Beach Volleyball, Canada Summer Games, Diving,Featured, Latest-News, Rowing, Triathlons, Wrestling

Paula's World Cup Win in Monterrey, Mexico

2010-04-21T13:52:00.000-07:00

A big Congratulations to Paula on her first World Cup win (and only second ever WC race) in Monterrey this past weekend.

Very exciting race to watch!! Great job Paula. We're very happy for you.

Maybe she will allow us to post some or all of her race report on the blog :)

High five to Andrew Russell for his outstanding performance in the men's elite race. Andrew posted an 11th place finish (best WC result to date). You're commitment, hard work and attention to detail is paying off Andrew (well done Coach Philippe). Kudos to AP for gutting out a finish in a race that had some hard luck swimming, A-Mac for his gutsy effort, dominating swim, Austin for toeing the line in his first ever World Cup. Something to be learned in every race. Hang in there boys.. better is on it's way.

Also congratulations to all the fast racing juniors in the Youth Olympic Qualifier relay event, in particular the speedy silver medal team of Christine Ridenour, Brook Powell, Hilary Wille and Marc Antoine Christin. Fantastique!!

Congratulations: Chirstine and Brook qualify for YOG.

2010-04-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

With Christine's 3rd place finish and Brook's 8th place finish at the Youth Olympic Games Qualifer in Monterrey, Mexico they qualify themselves for the Games in Singapore in August. Congratulations!!

A big congratulations to all the Canadian juniors for their outstanding effort out there on Friday. Very impressive first kick out at junior elite racing this season. It's also been good fun hanging out with the Quebec junior girls Maghalie Rochette, Amelie Kratz and their coach Kyla Rollingson. And of course coach Gary with this Winnipeg junior boys squad of Riler Unger, Riley McCharles and Charles Brault (yes, younger brother of the famous BOSS - Sarah Ann Brault). And not least it's been great to reunite with Dominka Jamnicky from Port Hope, Ontario and to meet her mother who is a equally super nice as Domi.

Dr. Young has been doing a fantastic job preventing illness and dealing with minor issues. Great to have her help at this race.

Women
1. Adriana Barraza (MEX) 59:46
2. Kelly Whitley (USA) 59:59
3. Christine Ridenour(CAN) 1:00:05
4. Allison Hooper (CAN) 1:01:25
5. Domi Jamnicky (CAN) 1:01:31
12. Maghalie Rochette (CAN) 1:03:41
13. Hillary Willie (CAN) 1:03:50
22. Amelie Kretz (CAN) 1:07:20

Canadian Men
1. Kevin McDowell (USA) 53:46
2. Octavio Oliveros (MEX) 54:33
3. Vinicio Ibarra (MEX) 54:54
6. Brook Powell(CAN) 55:38
18. Marc-Antoine Christin (CAN) 56:44
21. Riley MacCharles (CAN) 57:06
35. Charles Brault (CAN) 58:48
36. Riley Unger (CAN) 58:56

Youth Olympic Games Trials and World Cup (Monterrey, Mexico

2010-04-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

Hi All.
It's been a very first few days with the Youth Olympic Games Trials for the Pan American countries.

A top eight finish by a country's athlete was required for gaining entry into the Youth Olympic Games this summer in Singapore. It's the first every games for youth put on by the IOC so it should be pretty spectacular and exciting.

On to the junior race for women: Hilary had a blistering swim and excited with a 40s lead riding one lap and a bit before Christine bridged up to her.. As some point soloed away and Hillary went back to the first pack including Dominaka and Magalelli Rochette from Quebec. BC girls were well represented in the front chase pack with Christine away at the front. She rolled into T2 with a 13s lead, unfortuntely not enough of a lead to hold off a fast charging Mexican girl.. Chrsitine ran with her for some time then the stronger Mexican opened a gap for final lap of the run for the win... Meanwhile was doing her best to holding back a strong USA runner who edged her out at the finish. Alison crossed in 4th and Dominicky Jamnicky (ontario) cut the tape at 5th. Very impressive year opener for the girls with three spots in the top 5. Most central/south american countries were targeting this race and Mexico had a high alititude camp to prep for this race. Magali and Emlie from Quebec had very strong races but has ome bad luck - flat tire for Emily out of T1 and a bike crassh for Magali. Otherwise they raced really well.
Bient fait equipe Quebec.

OK, boys race. Brook front pack swimmer.. lead out with a group of 2.. Brook smoked the first and rode with Kevin McDowell for 1/2 a lap .. (super strong dude on the bike). Brook fell back to the 1st chase pace and rode well pulling the group for much of the ride. Marc unfortunately just missed the front group and rode the race with the fist chase pack. Onto the run the American McDowell continued to master the race with a blisterig 16:16 5k run split. The field didn't gain on him at all. Brook ran well finishing in 8th place overall (6th country - 8 qualify for the Yought Olympic Games). Marc Antoine finshied strongly after not finding his form on the first lap.

Pics below.

results at http://www.triathlon.org/results/program_results/2010_monterrey_itu_triathlon_american_yog_qualifier/1485/

Regeneration for most. - Mooloolaba WC for Kirsten.

2010-03-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

Good Days in Noosa. Prepping for Mooloolaba WC

2010 WCS Season Promo.

2010-03-11T19:39:00.001-08:00

February 25, Tucson Camp

2010-02-25T20:19:00.000-08:00

Last day of the Tucson Camp. Weather has come around nicely. We'll miss the sun and warmth of Arizona. Everyone has worked very hard. Time to let the body regenerate for a few days.

a.m. Last swim at the beautiful U of Arizona pool followed by noon run then some power shopping before our final team dinner.

Congratulations to all the athletes and big high five to Austin achieving the Triathlon Canada WC swim standard. Especially well done since he did this on day 13 of the camp.

A few pics of the past few days.

February 21, Tucson Camp

2010-02-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

For the first week in Tucson we had some fantastic weather with temps well into the 20's however it's cooled off with some recent rain and cloud. Training continues to roll along quite well. Today was a lower intensity day, though the athletes might argue that the regeneration swim wasn't much of recovery with the volume being at 5.5km (all easy, technical stuff) :)

Tomorrow we'll swim in the morning at the university pool then head to a loop at the base of Mt. Lemmon for some bike run intervals in the afternoon.

Everyone is in good spirits, though we had some disappointment today with the loss to the US in men's Olympic hockey :( Maybe a good wake up call for the boys. I'm sure they'll come out stronger next game.

Pics from the past few days.

Run at Sabino Canyon

U of Arizona Pool. Marc attempts to swim the gauntlet on his bday. We love Marc Antoine. Ice cold water in Tucson.

NTc danceoff boys routine

2010-02-20T22:09:00.001-08:00

NTC danceoff girls routine

2010-02-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

Day 4, Tucson Camp

2010-02-16T18:19:00.000-08:00

Good day out there under the beautiful Tucson sun.

a.m. Gates Pass, 20' intervals on McCain loop.. strong climb back up Gates.

p.m Recovery swim at U of A.

p.m. Run - speed session along the river bank.

Regeneration day tomorrow.. then Mt. Lemmon!!

A few pics of today.

The Road Ahead (homework in Tucson)

2010-02-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

Location: Tucson, Arizona
Time: 9:20 pm

Marc: Mes amis I have to write le poem and send it in for tomorrow morning!
AP: Alright team poem session!
Others: LETS DO IT!

The Road Ahead

The desert sun burning my skin.
Open roads with clean fresh air.
The grinding hill,
Eroding away at my will.

Enduring pain with my comrads, my kin.
We crest the peak with no time to spare.
The cactai strong and true, my faithful fans
They feel my pain, they know my plan

Frustration, suffering, reward,
VICTORY!

Finish 9:29 pm

Happy Valentines Day video from the NTC ft. Kiki & AP

2010-02-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

Day 2 Tucson Training Camp.

2010-02-14T18:54:00.000-08:00

Day Two in Tucson: very good training day.

8 a.m. 2.5 hour hilly ride Gates Pass and through Tucson Mountain Park.

12:00 noon 5k swim at U of A. short course yards on a warm, sunny day. 22c in Tucson.

4:30 p.m. 50-75' run w/tempo along the river bank nearby.

Everyone is doing well.

A few pics of Day Two below:

Day 1 Tucson Training Camp.

2010-02-13T18:11:00.000-08:00

Tucson Training Camp is underway. Everyone has arrived except for Paula (arriving tomorrow due to delayed flights).

Athletes: Kirsten Sweetland, Paula Findlay, Alison Hooper, Kyla Coates, Alex Coates, Rachael Edwards, Andre Paul Baillargeon Smith, Austin Horn, Jeff Phillips, Matt Sharpe, Aaron Thomas, Cole Stewart, Marc Antoine Christin.

Day 1: eased into training today - 40-50' base run in the morning along the riverbank, 5.5k technical swim at the University of Arizona Pool and a 75-90' easy spin along the Catalina Mountains Foothills.

A few pics of day 1:

Tucson, Arizona here we come! :) A few pics from the 2009 camp.

2010-02-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

We're off to sunny and warm Tucson for a two week training camp. Weather is forecast to be 20-22c this weekend and next week with nothing but pure SUN!!

Some hard work ahead for the athletes and I know they are up for it and ready to get at it.

Posts from Tucson to follow.

Below are a few pics from the 2009 Tucson camp.

2010 Winter Olympics - Go CANADA!!!

2010-02-10T18:31:00.000-08:00

Yoshida Brothers - A Mac... give that a go :)

2010-02-08T22:35:00.001-08:00

wonder if we can do these tricks on our cross bikes?

2010-01-30T18:01:00.000-08:00

a few assorted pics from the fall/winter.

2010-01-28T04:43:00.000-08:00

a few pics of the past few weeks (Victoria and Maui).

TSN Top Performances of 2010 (NTC Dev Team).

2010-01-28T04:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, where do I start. The NTC blog is in some serious need of updating. Maybe I can start the fist post with some of the TSN Top NTC Performances (dev squad) of 2010 (in chronological order):

1. January - Youth Olympic Festival. (Team relay, Bronze Medal - Matt Sharpe, Cole Stewart, Aaron Thomas). Three girls in top ten - individual race - Christine Ridenour 5th, Kyla Coates 8th, Alexandra Coates 9th. Great experience and results in the Land Down Under.

2. May - Hilary Wille takes the win at the North Shore Triathlon (BC junior champs) in her first ever triathlon and wins MONEY!!

3. May - PATO - Okalahoma. Kyla Coates - gold medal. Andrew McCartney bronze U23. Nice start to the 2009 season for the NTC development team. Christine 7th (junior race). Aaron 7th, Matt 8th (junior men).

4. June - Bird Hill, National Junior Series #1. Team BC (near sweep of podium), Kyla 1st, Alison 2nd, Christine 3rd. Jeff Phillips (race winner but racing to qualify for Canada Summer Games as over 19 year old), Matt Sharpe 1st, Cole Stewart 3rd (Mark Okany of Manitoba prevented the sweep with his second place finish.

5. July - National Junior Championships, Gatineau Quebec. Alison Hooper surprises many with a win and national junior title. This was race was Alison's 4th triathlon in her very young career.

6. August - Canada Summer Games, PEI. Triathlon's first ever appearance in the Games. Individual race Men : Jeff Phillips - Gold, Cole Stewart - Bronze. Individual race Women : Alison Hooper - Gold, Kyla Coates - Bronze. Team Relays - Women - Gold (Alison, Christine, Kyla), Men - Gold (Matt, Cole, Jeff). Great fun and Huge success for Team BC.

7. August - National U23 and Senior Championships, Kelowna. U23 Women - Alex Coates, Bronze. U23 Men -Silver, Austin Horn. (nice to see them on the podium). Senior Men: Simon 1st, Kyle 2nd, Paul T. 3rd, Brent 4th, Andrew M. 5th, Andrew R 6th, Austin 7th, Andrew Paul Baillargeon--Smith. Senior Women: Lauren 1st, Kathy 2nd, Paula 3rd, Alex 13th.

8. September - ITU World Triathlon Championships: U23 Women: Paula Findlay - bronze, U23 Men A-Mac 15th, Junior Women: Alison Hooper 6th, Kyla Coates 8th. Junior Men: Matt Sharpe 26th. Senior Men - Simon 8th.

Overall - a fantastic season, several podiums and miles of smiles!!! :)

2009-12-19T21:38:00.001-08:00

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.
~Author Unknown

Merry Christmas everyone from the NTC athletes and coaches.

2009-12-19T20:39:00.000-08:00

more Fall Fun.

2009-11-17T21:37:00.000-08:00

the squad with a few visitors. Coach CT, Brad and Matt Piggott.

Fall Fun!

2009-11-17T21:28:00.000-08:00

a few pics of the squad at the Cowichan Bay Camp in October and around Vic.

Kelowna Elite Nationals

2009-11-15T13:02:00.000-08:00

I know I am supposed to be posting recent photos- but since Kelowna Elite Nats were kind of overlooked, I thought I'd better post a couple shots from then as well. The NTC represented very well at Nationals. Of course our Olympians were all top three, and Paula, our future Olympian, placed third for Women. Andrew McCartney placed 5th overall, then Andrew Russell in 6th and Austin 7th and then AP 8th! For U23 AMac was the champion, followed by Austin, and for Women of course Paula won and yours truly snuck on for 3rd.
Anyways- sorry for the jump back in time. Enjoy the pics.

Thetis Lake Relays

2009-11-15T12:14:00.001-08:00

Last Wednesday NTC rocked the 4x5k Thetis Lake relays! NTC A team placed first, NTC B team place 2nd and NTC women placed 1st for Ladies! Wooohoooo! Our A team boys all ran under 15:45!
Here are some pictures

The Best of Halloween

2009-11-15T11:12:00.000-08:00

Here is Post one of Pictures. These are the Best of the NTC Halloween Costumes!

fall update coming soon!

2009-11-15T09:59:00.000-08:00

long overdue. blog update with some fall pics and news will be posted soon. NTC athletes, feel free to post any pics, news you have in mind.

Bronze Medal - Paula Findlay - 2009 U23 World Triathlon Championships, Australia

2009-09-11T03:53:00.000-07:00

The 2009 World Triathlon Championships got off to a great start today with Paula racing to a bronze medal in the U23 race. The race was held in beautiful conditions on the Gold Coast of Australia. The two U23 men also put in very good performances with Andrew McCartney finishing with a strong 15th place finish and Andrew Yorke in 36th.

Congratulations to all the coaching, medical and support staff in Australia and at home that have contributed to the development of the athletes.

Pic's to follow:

training pics, Gold Coast, Australia

2009-09-08T18:58:00.001-07:00

a few more pics. wow.. two posts in one day.. I must have a bit of free time.

a few pics from Surfer's Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia

2009-09-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

Hi All. Pre race prep has been going very well here at Surfer's Paradise. The weather is good (other than the big rain storm we had a few nights ago). The sharks have stayed away so far but today Gabor (team bike mechanic) and Rob Hasegawa (team chiropractor) are just heading out with a young female surf instructor. I'm sure they'll be back in a few hours with smiles on their faces.

A few pics for your viewing pleasure.

Team Relay news article - courtesy of TriCan.

2009-09-01T22:04:00.001-07:00

British Columbia Sweeps Gold in Triathlon Team Competition at Canada Summer Games
August 21, 2009

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I.—British Columbia owned the podium by winning gold in both the men’s and women’s triathlon team competitions at the 2009 Canada Summer Games in Summerside, P.E.I. on Friday.
British Columbia’s Alison Hooper, Christine Ridenhour and Kyla Coates teamed up to clock a winning time of one hour nine minutes 35 seconds in the relay where each athlete completes a 300-metre swim, seven-kilometre bike course, and two-kilometre run. Athletes tag off to their teammate at the completion of all three disciplines.
Alison Hooper, who is completing her first season in triathlon, set the tone early for the powerful B.C. trio. But while the 17-year-old opened a gap on the field with Manitoba’s Sarah-Anne Brault, it was Christine Ridenhour who took control of the race for the B.C. women, and handed off to Kyla Coates to complete the anchor leg and secure the gold.
“That was a tough race today. We all brought different tactics to the race and they came together perfectly,” said 19-year-old Kyla Coates. “We all pulled our weight today and did a great job together.”
Alison Hooper made history earlier in the weak by winning the first-ever triathlon gold medal at the Canada Summer Games.
“Of course it was amazing to win the individual race, but it is so much better to be able to share a victory with your teammates,” said Hooper. “These are the guys I train with each day and they are the one’s that pushed me to win earlier this week so I’m very happy to win this with them today.”
Manitoba’s Sarah-Anne Brault, Rachael Edwards and Stevie Moore celebrated the silver medal with a time of 1:10:12. Ontario’s Joanna Brown, Dorelle Hinton and Dominika Jamnicky locked up the bronze medal at 1:11:00.
After a short break, the top women’s triathletes under 20 years old took to the sidelines to cheer on the men’s teams competing in the relay on Summerside’s picturesque waterfront.
British Columbia wasted little time asserting their authority in the men’s competition also as Matt Sharpe climbed out of the water first after a dominant swim. While Sharpe continued to set the pace in the bike, Nova Scotia and Ontario closed the gap in the two-kilometre run. B.C. regained the lead after Sharpe handed off to Cole Stewart who opened a commanding gap on the field, setting up the anchor leg for Jeff Phillips. The B.C. trio clocked a golden time of 1:04:09.
“This was an absolutely great race today,” said the 20-year-old Phillips, who also won the gold medal in the individual event on Tuesday. “The guys set me up perfectly today. We put it all on the line and left nothing out there.”
Ontario’s Ian Donald, Connor Hammond and Tristan Woodfine combined to post a silver-medal winning time of 1:05:20. Manitoba’s Josh Drad, Riley MacCharles and Mark Okany rounded out the men’s podium in third at 1:06:25.
The team competition is a new, exciting format that is being introduced by the International Triathlon Union at the elite level in hopes of it being selected into the lineup of competitions at the 2012 Olympic Summer Games. The new format is aimed at introducing a new generation of participants to the sport with shorter, more spectator friendly courses and intense action.
“I think the team competition is so fun and adds a whole new dimension to our sport,” said Phillips at the finish line. “We train as a team everyday and to be able to come out and race together makes it very exciting.”
The team competition also wrapped up a successful debut for the sport of triathlon at the Canada Summer Games. Hundreds of spectators lined Summerside’s waterfront and downtown streets to catch the high-paced action, and one of the nation’s fastest growing sports.
Led by coach Pat Kelly, British Columbia athletes dominated the inaugural triathlon events winning all four gold medals on the table.
“Our goal this week was to sweep and we did that,” said Jeff Phillips. “I said earlier this week British Columbia is the triathlon capital of Canada and I think we did a good job in proving that.”
Triathlon Canada is the governing body for triathlon in the country. Recognized as an Olympic medal sport since 2000, Triathlon Canada’s mandate is to promote, foster, organize and develop the sport of triathlon, and its related disciplines, in Canada. For more information on Triathlon Canada, please visit us at www.triathloncanada.com on the Internet.
Complete Canada Summer Games Triathlon Results : www.2009canadagames.ca
(3 x 300-metre swim, 7-kilometre bike, 2-kilometre run)

Top-Five Junior Women’s Results:
1. British Columbia, 1:09:35; 2. Manitoba, 1:10:12; 3. Ontario, 1:11:00; 4. Quebec, 1:13:42; 5. Alberta, 1:14:09.
Top-Five Junior Men’s Results
1. British Columbia, 1:04:09; 2. Ontario, 1:05:20; 3. Manitoba, 1:06:25; 4. Nova Scotia, 1:07:08; 5. Alberta, 1:08:23

Team Event Pictures

2009-08-23T05:24:00.000-07:00

Team pics at this link.
http://picasaweb.google.com/barbsha/TeamEventCanadaSummerGames#

Canada Games Media Video

2009-08-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

Find here a video from CSG. Well spoken, Barb did you give the them media relations training as well? Great job to the BC athletes, coaches, TriBC, and Manager!

2009-08-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

CSG Pics!!

2009-08-18T19:27:00.001-07:00

Double Gold - Double Bronze!!! :) Globe and Mail article.

2009-08-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

Well it's 11:15 p.m. in PEI and I need to go to bed.. so I'm just going to post this Globe and Mail report instead of writing up something myself. I'll try to come up with something tomorrow. Thanks everyone for your great support and cheering. We could feel the energy!!

Lori Ewing
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — The Canadian Press
Last updated on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009 04:58PM EDT
When Victoria's Alison Hooper broke through the finish-line banner of Tuesday's triathlon at the Canada Games, she grabbed it and took it with her.

Hooper and Jeff Phillips, also of Victoria, penned their names in the Canada Games history books by capturing gold in triathlon's debut on a dominant day for the B.C. team.

“It's pretty exciting, I made history, which is kind of cool,” Hooper said.

Hooper, 16, a former swimmer competing in her first season of triathlon, finished in 58 minutes 15 seconds to lead a trio of B.C. women that finished in the top four. Sarah-Anne Brault of Winnipeg won silver in 58:34, while Kyla Coates of Victoria took the bronze in 58:57. Christine Ridenour of Cowichan Bay, B.C., finished fourth in 59:12.

“I didn't know quite how it was going to go, especially with the 20-year-olds in this race, but I stuck with Sarah-Anne on the run and I felt really good and went for it,” Hooper said. “It was pretty exciting.”

Phillips, 20, won in 53:59, holding off Connor Hammond of London, Ont., who took the silver in 54:44. Cole Stewart of Langley, B.C., captured bronze in 54:52.

“I'm pretty happy, our B.C. team was really strong this year, all three of us were really strong swimmers,” Phillips said. “We were going for gold plus another podium spot and we got that, I'm feeling really happy about this.

“This was exactly what we wanted and I could be any more happy.”

Hooper was second out of the water behind Alberta's Ellen Pennock after a 750-metre swim in the Summerside Harbour, and then was among a pack of six through the 20-kilometre bike that snaked around the downtown area. She and Brault battled it out through much of the five-kilometre run before Hooper took the lead for good.

Inspired by Simon Whitfield's silver-medal performance at the Beijing Olympics, Hooper started training for triathlon less than a year ago, switching to the sport from swimming because her small stature.

“My size was starting to catch up with me,” said the five-foot-two Hooper. “My coach said you should try running, see how you feel, try this sport.

“I kind of took baby steps in October, starting training then, and really picked it up.”

Her goal was simply to make the Canada Games team. She did that, and went on to win the Canadian junior championships last month earning a berth for the world junior event next month in Australia.

“I love the sport,” Hooper said.

B.C. was the class of the field — no surprise considering most of the country's top triathletes, including Olympians Whitfield and Lauren Groves, make Victoria their training base.

“I'm surrounded by amazing athletes to train with, you can pursue a really good triathlon career from that centre in Victoria,” Hooper said.

“We just have a really good program in B.C.,” Phillips added. “You have all the top athletes there. We have year-round weather which is fantastic, we can ride year-round, there's tons of trails to run on, bike routes, it's just a great place to train.”

A group of eight athletes, including all three of B.C.'s athletes, quickly separated themselves from the field after the swim and hammered the pace on the 20-kilometre bike. Knowing that Hammond was a decent runner, Phillips and his teammates tried to work together through the bike to lose the Ontario athlete.

“We were trying all bike long to get a gap on him, every single one of us was trying to attack repeatedly, and I kind of decided at the end to just go for it and hammer my way in,” Phillips said. “I got a bit of a gap and then ran as fast as I could, just tried to stay away, I didn't want him to catch me.

“I didn't want to get into a running battle because I worked a lot on that bike.”

The triathlon event at the Canada Games includes athletes 16-to-20 years of age.

B.C. will be the obvious favourites in Friday's men's and women's team triathlon events.

Podium Day for Team BC

2009-08-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

Pics here... http://picasaweb.google.com/barbsha/SummerGamesPodiumForTEAMBC#

Story to follow...

2009-08-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

Pre Race training in PEI.

2009-08-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

Hi Ya'll. The day before the sprint race in Summerside, PEI. Team BC rode down to the course at 10 a.m for pre race training. The squad is feeling fast, motivated and ready. The weather has been the opposite of last year when it was cold and raining. The past few days it's been sunny and HOT.

Athlete meetings are finished. Athletes are feeling confident and ready to race FAST and represent BC well.

If you want to read more about TEAM BC go to http://teambc.org/games

Wish us luck! PK

Summer Games - Day 1

2009-08-16T16:21:00.001-07:00

Today (Sunday) was the first day of competition for many sports and the day after the Opening Ceremony. Apparently some of the triathletes from Team BC were on TSN!!

After the ceremony (long but entertaining) the team walked to a local restaurant in anticipation that going back to the athletes village to try to eat would take too long. Good idea!! After an early dinner we went back to the village, (thanks to Team BC mission staff for picking us up) then rode the bikes down to the race site for a quick swim. The ocean water is very warm, 24 degrees so it is unlikely to be a wet suit swim on race day. Pics are from travel, opening ceremonies and dinner out.

Race prep is going well.. weather is cooperating so far and tomm is the “day before. ” More pics to come in future posts.

Here is the link to pics from the last 2 days. I'm not able to post pics directly to the blog right now.
http://picasaweb.google.com/barbsha/CanadaSummerGamesDay1#

Countdown is on to Canada Summer Games

2009-08-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

Team BC heads to Summerside PEI today via a short stop overnight in Vancouver. Thankfully our group is well travelled and the 7 hour flight to Summerside will not be too difficult. Thanks to Coach PK for preparing our team so well and to Triathlon BC for their financial support for the trip.

Team BC - Alison Hooper, Christine Ridenour, Kyla Coates (alternate: Alex Coates) Jeff Phillips, Matt Sharpe, Cole Stewart (alternate: Aaron Thomas)

missing - Cole Stewart

Missing - Cole Stewart.

Ride up Hurricane Ridge

2009-07-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Ridge climb - 18 Miles (30km), 5200 feet elevation gain from PA. Sixteen riders began the climb Friday, July 24th from the peaceful town of Port Angeles and sixteen riders finished. Some faster and more easily than others!! :) King of the Mountains - Andrew McCartney - 53:37 runner up Austin Horn- 58:48. Queen of the Mountains - Kyla Coates, Alison Hooper, Hilary Wille (same time, time to the top ??). The stunning views of the Olympic mountains and some fast, fast descending made it all worthwhile. I'm sure we'll do it again!!

Race Day - Gatineau

2009-07-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

Here is the link for more pics from race day in Gatineau

http://picasaweb.google.com/barbsha/RaceDayGatineau#

Female National Junior Champion - Alison Hooper

2009-07-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

Quick Update from National Junior Champs in Gatineau, Quebec. Female National Junior Champion - Alison Hooper. NTC girls took five of the top ten spots - Alex Coates 4th, Kyla Coates 5th, Christine Ridenour 6th, Hilary Wille 8th. Male National Junior Champion - Connor Hammond, Ontario. Ontario boys raced very strongly with five in the top 10. NTC boys - Matt Sharpe 7th, Cole Stewart 8th, RTC lower mainland, Aaron Thomas 13th.

A very wet day with athletes racing under thunder showers right through to the end of racing made for some challenging conditions. Full results can be seen at www.sportstats.ca Very strong racing by the NTC juniors. Congratulations to everyone from all the provinces for working their butts off today. Alison Hooper surprised many with her win today but we all know she's got talent!! See you all next week. PK

Gatineau - Wednesday

2009-07-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

Wednesday in Gatineau and link to more pictures.

http://picasaweb.google.ca/barbsha/GatineauDay1#

pics from Des Moines.

2009-06-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

As you all know, a very big day for the big kids - Simon and Lauren both climbed onto the podium today.. Simon with the big win and Lauren with a really strong run to take thrid. Other notable results was Brent with a very gutsy run to 7th spot, just seconds away from the leading pack on the run. All three of then just fattened their wallets a bit more after this race. Andrew McCartney put in a big swim to take the swim prime - $5000 US - much to the chagrin of Hunter Kemper who was apparently there to really go after the prize for the fastest swimmer. Way to go Andrew. Important World Cup race experience was had by the young guns Paula, Sarah Anne, Jeff and Andrew. Very proud of you guys! The objective was to get in some of the race then retire before the run in order to save the legs for the Team Championships on Sunday.

Here are some pics of the race.

Volunteers at the Victoria Youth Triathlon

2009-06-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all the NTC group for volunteering and handing out awards at the Victoria youth Triathlon. Brings back memories for some of you racing there some years ago?? The kids really appreciated it and you all looked like you were having fun as well... THANKS !! and thanks to coach PK for being there as well.

here is a link to more pics from that day.

http://picasaweb.google.com/barbsha/VictoriaYouthTriathlon#

Coteau du Lac race update!

2009-06-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

National Junior Series Race #2 - Coteau du Lac, Quebec

A quick update on racing by NTC athletes this past weekend in Quebec.

1. Junior boys race: great start to the race with Matt Sharpe exiting first out of the water closely followed by Cole Stewart and Aaron Thomas. The BC boys quickly established a front pack on the bike with four others from Quebec and Ontario. Unfortunately this wasn't Matt's day as he was taken out on the bike with a flat tire midway through the bike. The Ontario boys showed up to race today and with some fine running took the first and second spots (Connor Hammond and Tristan Woodfine) followed by Marc Antoine Christin (Que). Cole finished up in fourth and Aaron in tenth. Well done Ontario and Quebec.

2. Junior girls race: again BC athletes dominated the 750m swim. Hilary Wille, in her first year of triathlon racing, exited the water in first with Alison Hooper right on her feet. Christine Ridenour was next out followed a few seconds later by Kyla Coates. The front four BC girls lead the bike segment along with Stevie Moore. For much of the bike leg the five junior women worked well together. However with over a lap to go Hilary and Alison found the pace a bit tough and dropped off the front. Onto the run, Kyla quickly established herself as the front runner and continued on for the win followed in by Joanna Brown of Ontario (fastest run split) with Christine rounding out the podium. Alison raced through for fourth, followed by a fast running Super Alex Coates and Hilary. Great day for the BC girls express!! Yeah!!

Senior women's race: Paula Findlay, in her first triathlon for 2009 and coming off an extended foot injury showed Canadians why she is a talent to be watched, finished with an almost one minute lead over Victorian Kerry Spearing.

Senior men's race: AP .. who is soon to return to Victoria after a month away in Ontario, put in a great showing with a strong 2nd place race, followed in by 5th place the dark knight himself, Andrew Russell, A-Mac in 10th and a fast closing JP in 12th. Austin raced his way up to 25th after some challenges during the race.

Next up is Des Moines World Cup for JP and Paula followed the next day the the ITU Team World Championships. Kyla has been selected as part of the relay team and will also be travelling do Iowa for some race international racing.

Juniors next stop will be the National Junior Championships in Gatineau, Quebec on July 11th.

Great racing NTC and BC athletes!! Let's keep it rolling.

just needed a boogie board!

2009-06-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

Awesome Kyla and Super Alex!!!!!

2009-06-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

a few pics from Birds Hill, Manitoba

2009-06-09T05:21:00.001-07:00

National Junior Series, Race #1, Birds Hill, Winnipeg

2009-06-07T12:08:00.001-07:00

A quick race report of Triathlon Canada National Junior Series Race #1, Birds Hill, Manitoba. June 07,09

Athletes arrived at race site to a very cool morning with water temp recorded at 13.2c. The juniors boys went off first at 8 a.m. followed by the junior women at 8:05 a.m. First out of the water was big Matt Sharpe followed by Aaron Thomas and Cole Stewart. Jeff Phillips bridged up on the bike along with a few others to form the lead pack. Out of transition 2, Jeff quickly took the lead followed by Matt and Aaron. Aaron unfortunately pulled a muscle in his calf and limped back on the first lap and retired from the race. He's hopefully going to recover and rehab in time for the Coteau du Lac race in two weeks. Junior boys finish was Jeff Phillips (JP is 20 yrs so he was racing for his Canada Summer Games spot and didn't count in the junior race). Matt first junior overall, followed by Mark Okany (Manitoba) and Cole Stewart (Vancouver RTC) in third.

Junior girls were lead out of the water by Christine Ridenour (with 15 second lead) shortly followed by a group of six or seven women. They formed a lead pack on the first lap which included Kyla Coates, Alison Hooper, Hilary Willie and Gabriella Bolanos (all from the Victoria NTC). Out onto the 5 km run, Kyla quickly assumed the lead followed by Sarah-Anne Brault (also a 20 year old so didn't figure in the junior finish) and the rest of the Victoria girls. Kyla continued to build on her lead over Sarah to take first while Alison raced into second spot on the back half of the run followed in by Christine and Hilary. So it was a BC podium with Kyla taking gold, Alison silver (great job by Alison in her first ever sprint distance race w/open water swim) and Christine bronze. Honorable mention to Hilary for her 4th place finish also in her first ever full sprint distance race.

Pictures to be posted later.

Coach PK

Pictures from Caleb Pike Crit

2009-05-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to random pictures from the Caleb Pike crit.

http://picasaweb.google.com/barbsha/CalebPikeCritMay2009#

Pictures from Newton Heights Crit in April

2009-05-31T07:51:00.000-07:00

and there was some relaxin' as well...

Here is the link to the pictures ...

http://picasaweb.google.com/barbsha/NewtonHeightsCritApril2009#

Criteriums!

2009-05-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from previous Criteriums. These are great weekly Wednesday night races that the athletes attend once or twice a month from April every year. Crits are always a bit risky but they do help you get ready for fast pack riding (cornering, breakaway's, drafting etc). Brad Kahlefeldt, the #2 ranked ITU triathlete from Australia is a big proponent of criterium racing. Listen to his interview on the ITU website for his discussion on crit racing and other cycling advice.

Austin, Texas ITU Pan American Cup,

2009-05-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

Congratulations on some strong racing by the boys in Austin, Texas. Well done you guys.

A-Mac 9th, A-Russ 12, Austin 19th, JP 3o something.

JP, hang in there, you'll get the hang of racing ITU Olympic distance soon enough.

Hope to see some pics of the race posted here soon.

a few more pics of Kyla the champ.

2009-05-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

A few more good pics of our PATCO champion that I borrowed from someone's facebook account.

Now that is called emptying the tank Kyla! Total commitment and belief that you could win.. and you DID!!

Since you're the new PATCO champion, Sarah Anne and I think we'll have to give you the title, 'the Boss', for this year.

Prize Money! Hilary and Alison with Coach Carolyn at NS

2009-05-19T23:05:00.000-07:00

2009 North Shore Triathlon Results

2009-05-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our North Shore racers.

Hilary Willie - first overall elite female in 59:34 (and BC Junior Elite Champion)

Alison Hooper - second overall elite female in 1:04:25

Also, good efforts by Kirill and Brook. Well done everyone! And thanks Coach Carolyn for your fine coaching!!

Results link: http://www.raceheadquarters.com/results/2009/multi/NorthShoreTri2009Elite.html

A few pics from ITU PATCO, Oklahoma (Pan American Champs)

2009-05-17T21:40:00.001-07:00

1. McCartney leading Hunter Kemper and the entire field out of T1 at PATCO, Oklahoma. 2. Kyla (gold), Marianne (bronze), Connor (silver) on the junior podium. Canadian juniors storm the podium by taking 1/2 of the medals. 3. Aaron and Matt giving their best on the run.

Press Release from the PATCO race in Oklahoma City, May16th.

2009-05-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

(Coaches Edit) - Excellent results from the NTC dev squad (see below for full press release). Special mention to Kyla Coates for winning the PATCO Junior Elite women's event, Andrew McCartney for the bronze medal in the U23 race, Kerry for 5th overall in the women's elite race.. Everyone raced strong - well done guys!!

CANADIAN TRIATHLETES STORM PODIUM WINNING FOUR MEDALS IN JUNIOR AND UNDER-23 RACES AT PATCO PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS INOKLAHOMA CITY

—Coates wins junior women’s race, Hammond claims silver in men’s junior race—

OKLAHOMA CITY, U.S.A—Canada’s next generation of Olympic triathlon heroes stormed the podium by winning four medals in men’s and women’s races at the PATCO Triathlon Pan American Championships in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Saturday.

Victoria’s Kyla Coates set the pace early in the junior race consisting of the 750-metre swim, 20-kilometre bike and five-kilometre run, to post one of Canada’s best-ever overall showings at the PATCO Championships by winning the women’s race under cool and very difficult morning conditions with a time of one hour six minutes and 30 seconds (1:06:30).

The 19-year-old Coates, who finished fourth at last year’s event, surpassed her expectations with a career-best result which was set up when she took advantage of some open water to bolt her way into the lead pack heading into the bike. Coates controlled the pack on the bike and hammered home the gold medal in with a solid performance in the run.

“This is a great day and my best race ever especially because I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Coates. “It was such a smooth race and things felt effortless today so I am really happy. After last year’s finish, I really wanted to win today.”

Coates was joined on the podium in the junior women’s division by teammate, Marianne Hogan, of Bedford, Que., who grabbed the bronze with a time of 1:07:06. Rocio Enriquez, of Mexico was sandwiched between the two Canucks in second at 1:06:34.

As the gun blasted to start the junior men’s race, it was Connor Hammond, of London, Ont., leading the charge for the maple leaf. The 19-year-old Hammondperfected his pre-race strategy to capture the silver medal with a time of 58:29.

“My goal today was to make my way into the lead pack out of the swim into the transition, and I’m thrilled I was able to do that,” said Hammond, who added a steady bike and strong run spurred him onto the silver medal position of the podium. “I definitely surpassed my expectations today. This is a phenomenal result for me and I am very happy.”

Hammond’s stellar performance was overshadowed by a brilliant gold-medal race by 16-year-old Luka Verzbicas, of the United States, who is one of the fastest runners in the sport of triathlon today. Verzbicas clocked a winning time of 58:03. Benjamin Kanute, of the United States, rounded out the junior men’s podium in third spot at 58:29.

Meanwhile, Victoria’s Andrew McCartney completed Canada’s medal-haul after posting the third-fastest time in the men’s under-23 division, while finishing 12th in the elite race. McCartney finished the 1.5-kilometre swim, 40-kilometre bike and 10-kilometre run with a time of 1:57:20. Andrew Yorke, of Caledon, Ont., was fourth in the under-23 category after finishing 16th in the elite race with a time of 1:58:14.

The Americans stole the show in men’s elite racing. Matty Reel finished on top with a time of 1:52:23, while his teammates, Hunter Kemper (1:52:24), and Timothy O’Donnell (1:52:37), finished second and third respectively.

Victoria’s Kerry Spearing led the way for the Canadians in the elite women competition. Spearing clocked a fifth-place time of 2:09:41. Mary Beth Ellis, of the United States, finished on top at 2:05:35.

Other top-10 finishes for Canadian athletes on Saturday included: Victoria’s Christine Ridenour in seventh (1:08:08) in junior women’s racing. In the junior men’s division, Ian Donald, of Nepean, Ont., was fourth (58:37), while Victoria’s Aaron Thomas (59:20), and Matt Sharpe (59:25) finished seventh and eighth respectively.Ottawa’s Tenille Hoogland was seventh in the elite women’s race at 2:09:41.

Canada’s top junior triathletes will now prepare for the opening event of the three-race Teck National Junior Series on June 7 in Birds Hill Park, Manitoba.

Triathlon Canada is the governing body for triathlon in the country. Recognized as an Olympic medal sport since 2000, Triathlon Canada’s mandate is to promote, foster, organize and develop the sport of triathlon, and its related disciplines, in Canada. For more information on Triathlon Canada, please visit us atwww.triathloncanada.com on the Internet.

Complete PATCO Championship Results : www.onlineraceresults.com

Top-Five Junior Women’s and Canadian Results:

1. Kyla Coates, Victoria, CAN, 1:06:30; 2. Rocio Enriquez, MEX, 1:06:34; 3. Marianne Hogan, Bedford, Que., CAN, 1:07:06; 4. Rachel Edwards, Saskatoon, CAN, 1:07:27; 5. Jenn Howlard, USA, 1:07:38.

Other Canadian Results:

7. Christine Ridenour, Victoria, 1:08:08; 14. Marita Malo, Manitoba, 1:09:24; 18. Stevie Moore, Manitoba, 1:10:26; 19. Rebecca Staynor, North Vancouver, 1:10:34; 20. Joanna Brown, Ontario, 1:10:57; 22. Emily Wood, Cole Harbour, N.S., 1:11:17; 24. Abby Miller, Saskatoon, 1:11:36; 28. Alexandra Coates, Vancouver, 1:12:09.

Top-Five Junior Men’s and Canadian Results:

1.Lukas Verzbicas, USA, 58:03; 2. Connor Hammond, London, Ont., CAN, 58:29; 3. Benjamin Kanute, USA, 58:29; 4. Ian Donald, Nepean, Ont., CAN, 58:37; 5. Matheus Dinz, BRA, 59:00.

Other Canadian Results:

7. Aaron Thomas, Victoria, 59:20; 8. Matt Sharpe, Victoria, 59:25; 12. Cole Stewart, Vancouver, 59:53; 18. Joshua Drad, Stonewall, Man., 1:00:48; 19. Tyler Bredschneider, Caledon, Ont., 1:00:54; 20. Marc-Antoine Christin, Valdreuil-Dorio, Que., 1:01:14.

Top-Five Elite Women and Canadian Results:

1.Mary Beth Ellis, USA, 2:05:35; 2. Jenna Shoemaker, USA, 2:05:35; 3. Jennifer Spieldenner, USA, 2:08:23; 4. Becky Lavelle, USA, 2:08:41; 5. Kerry Spearing,Victoria, CAN, 2:09:06.

Other Canadian Results:

7. Tenille Hoogland, Ottawa, 2:09:41; 16. Dorelle Hinton, Guelph, Ont.; 19. Martina Wan, Vancouver, 2:19:19.

Top-Five Elite Men and Canadian Results:

1. Matty Reel, USA, 1:52:23; 2. Hunter Kemper, 1:52:24; 3. Timothy O’Donnell, USA, 1:52:37: 4. Matt Chrabot, USA, 1:53:32; 5. Benjamin Collins, USA, 1:54:49.

Other Canadian Results:

12. Andrew McCartney, Victoria, 1:57:20; 16. Andrew Yorke, Caledon, Ont., 1:58:14; 19. Andrew Russell, Vancouver, 1:58:46; 25. Andre Paul Baillargeo, Quebec, 2:00:52; 30. Austin Horn, Victoria, 2:02:16; 34. Jeff Phillips, Victoria, 2:03:35; 37. Patrice Hamelin, Drummondville, Que., 2:04:50.

*****

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan

Media and Public Relations

Triathlon Canada

T: 281-703-4394

New Update - links to Photos for Sooke and Newton Heights Crit

2009-05-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

links to albums for the Sooke Tri and Newton Heights crit.

http://picasaweb.google.com/barbsha/SookeTriathlon#

http://picasaweb.google.com/barbsha/CritApril2009#

Gates Pass Hill Repeats.

2009-03-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

March 15th. 3 hr ride this morning. Warm up along Mission Rd, Ajo Valley Rd, Kinney Rd to the turn off for Gates Pass. Next up was the TT from the Kinney Rd turn off to the summit of Gates Pass. We followed that up with two more repeats in groups os threes.. then rolled home for some refuelling, a short break then into the U of A pool for 3.2 km of easy/technical swimming. The day finished off with 30-45' easy run. Tomorrow we'll have a lighter day as the past three days have been pretty big days! We look forward to the arrival of Simon, Kyle, Lauren and Kathy tomorrow along with Coach Phlippe and our HP director Kurt. A few pics of today's Gates Pass work.

Update from Tucson.

2009-03-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

It's day 2 of training in Tucson. So far a good start to the camp. We all arrived Thursday evening except for A-Russ, AP and Austin who arrived on Wednesday.

Friday the camp started with a 5000yd swim in the outdoor U o Arizona pool. Russ (Aquatic director) has been fantastic in setting us up with some sweet pool time. Friday afternoon we did a 2 + hour shakedown ride up Gates Pass and into cactus land. Saturday morning we get rolling at 9 a.m. with another ride up Gates Pass but ventured much further into the land of sun, coyotes and more cactus. We did the Avra Valley loop and back into town (about a 4 + hour ride in some warm sun). Regeneration then onto the late afternoon run. The guys did a 3 x 10' effort run, juniors and Kerry got together at the Tucson High School track (killer track with bondo surface and artificial field). Workout was slightly different than the boys 5 x 5:00-5:30 with two grass loops on the outside field and two loops on the track. Took a few pics for ya. Next update in a few days!! p.s. should note that Kerry was pacing the girls in the pics above.. on the last interval. She was chasing the guys in the previous efforts.. Checking out for now. PK

Hatley Castle 8km (click here for results)

2009-02-24T12:20:00.000-08:00

Hatley Castle 8 km. Many of the junior /U23 squad have been down with the flu and other ailments, however nice efforts by those of you that competed. I should add - welcome back to the running world 'rookie'.. Happy to see you out there!!

Arizona here we come!

2009-02-09T20:22:00.001-08:00

time to revisit the Arizona Training Camp blog: http://www.arizonatrainingcamp.blogspot.com

pics from Cobble Hill

2009-02-01T17:01:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics from the "fast, flat, cold, and tiny bit of snow"... Cobble Hill 10 km

Cobble Hill 10km results.

2009-01-27T20:47:00.000-08:00

Cobble Hill 10km results: Very fast early season running with most achieving PB's and some course records. Barb will post pics shortly (right Barb!)

Jeff Phillips - 32:03 personal best, 2nd overall

Andrew Russell - 32:49, 4th overall

Matt Sharpe - 33:08, 1st junior - huge PB

Austin Horn - 33:19, nice tempo effort

Nicholas Bocherens - 34:23 nice run Nick.

Aaron Thomas - 34:58 - personal best, 2nd junior

Kirill Solovyev - 36:38 - nice run Kirill

Kyla Coates - 38:06 - personal best, 1st junior

Alex Coates - 38:09 - personal best, 2nd junior

Alison Hooper - 38:54 - personal best, 3rd junior

Christine Ridenour - 39:29 - personal best

NTC boys take bronze

2009-01-20T21:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of our Junior Boys getting their medals for the relay at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival.

Back from Aussie.

2009-01-20T21:13:00.000-08:00

Juniors and coach are home! Great experience in Aussie. Fast racing, very good results and a fun day at Manly Beach with Julien. Here are some pics.

Team Race Update from Australia

2009-01-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

G'Day.

Quick update from Aussie.

Team relay results (300m swim, 10k bike, 3k run).

Boys: Bronze Medal - Matt led off with a strong getting Canada into the front pack of 5 handing off to Aaron who had a brilliant leg getting Canada up to the front Aussie/Kiwi team. Front pack was down to four - Canada, New Zealand, Team ITU and Australia. The New Zealand and Aussie team charged out on the run and Aaron keep in close contact keeping Canada in third and gapping the Team ITU. On the change over for the third leg the New Zealanders and Aussies had a 50m lead on the swim leg however Cole Stewart powered up to them to form a pack of three guaranteeing Canada of a medal. The front running Kiwis' and Aussies' showed their run speed to take Gold and Silver respectively with Cole bringing Canada home close behind for the Bronze. Very good performances by the Canadians considering that in 4 days the Aussies will be selecting their world junior team from the Canberra race and the Kiwi's used the race as a world junior team selection event.. so needless to say they are all in top racing form.

Girls: Sixth Place - Christine took Canada out strong on the first leg of the relay with a front pack swim and bike keeping Canada in close on the run. Kyla took over the next leg and kept the team in the top five but the gaps started on the bike leg with two Australian teams getting away. Alex raced the anchor leg and keep Canada close finishing about 30-40 seconds back from the bronze medal.

We should proud of our juniors for competing so well against some southern hemisphere national teams that are in top racing form.

Thanks for cheering for us. We could feel it all the way here in Aussie.

We're just packing up the bikes then off for an afternoon of sightseeing and shopping with the other triathlon nations.

Tomorrow we'll take the local train down to Sydney and meet a former NTC athlete Julien Periard, who is doing is PhD at Sydney University, for some more sightseeing and beach time - Manley Beach.

We look forward to seeing you on Monday in Vic.

Thanks NTC team mates and parents.

PK

Australia update - Team Canada men earn a bronze

2009-01-16T19:12:00.000-08:00

Story here about the team race. Results will be posted on the AYOF site as they become available. Boys got bronze !! Way to go Canada.

http://www.olympics.com.au/index.cfm?objectid=011AE5CA-E441-11DD-9A52971BB6015CFA&HASHKEY=&SPORTID=E07B2C14%2DD601%2D9A7E%2D4DC613E12FE0195A

Australia update - Girls and Guys results at this link. Way to go Canada !!!

2009-01-15T17:30:00.001-08:00

http://www.olympics.com.au/index.cfm?type=aocSport&view=displayPage1Col&bodyview=displayResults

Kerry and Team Canada win Brazil FAST triathlon

2009-01-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

Congrats to our Canadian Girls (Lauren, Kerry and Rachel) on winning the Brazil FAST team triathlon. Nice racing girls! Maybe Kerry will post a race report and a few pics on the blog.

In the meantime, here are a few pics.

Day before RACE DAY in Aussie.

2009-01-14T18:50:00.000-08:00

Hi NTC Squad back home.

We'll it's Thursday afternoon and we're less than 24 hours away from the first of two races (the second is a sprint relay on Saturday - each athlete does 300m swim, 8km bike, 2km run).

We've done all our prep and now it's just rest, legs on wall pose, ice baths and good positive mental viz.

It's been really hot here the past few days with mid day temps up around 40c. We're about 60km away from the city of Sydney and somewhat inland so it's much hotter than downtown. We're doing our best to keep cool with some cold drinks, lot's of hydration and and a modified ice bath using a large plastic garbage bin. Tomorrow is forecast to be slightly cooler with some welcome moisture. We'll see!!??

Still looking to borrow a USB cable to download some pics for you all to see (as I left mine back in E town). So just think, HOT, Kangaroos (we'll we're still looking for our first Roo), flip flops and the well know Aussie accent.

Keep the good work going back home! I'm sure Carolyn and Thalia are getting some good work out of you.

Later - from Down Under.

update from Sunny and Hot Sydney.

2009-01-14T04:11:00.000-08:00

Hi All (parents, athletes) - (this is my first day online - I had to buy a pre paid wireless broadband and it's expensive).

Before the update from Down Under: A big congrats to Kerry, Lauren and Rachel for the impressive win at the Brazil FAST race. Great job girls. Kerry, I expect a few Starbies with all that new prize money.. he he!

And well done to the NTC racers that raced the Pioneer 8km last weekend. JP nice strong result for early season racing and strong efforts by Andrew, Nick and Kirill. Alison - sweet race, new PR and overall win for junior women. Hilary, heard you put in a strong run 5k. (read a few race reports on workout log.. so good to read those, if you haven't yet, please do so - thx).

OK, here's the quick update from the AYOF. As you've all heard we had a trouble free flight and adjusted quite quickly to the jet lag. As soon as we boarded the big bird we put ourselves on Sydney time and it's worked out quite well.

The past few days race prep has gone very well. On Tuesday we all travelled to the Penrith Regatta Centre for a good look at the race course. It's very simple with a straight line from from 750m out to the exit at T1. Athletes will do 4 loops of the bike around the rowing basin, with very soft turns at each end of the basin and one little chicane as we loop up behind the grandstands. The run is also around the basin with 1 loop at 5k.

Today we did a short run in the morning to avoid the real killer heat (got up to 40c later in the day) and cooled off in the outdoor pool near our residence with a short activiation/cool down swim. At 2:30 p.m athletes gathered from all sports and departed for the opening ceremonies at the Sydney Entrainment Centre. It was a long affair but really good fun with some fine performances. We got to meet up with Swimming Canada and Gymnastics Canada, the remainder of Team Canada for the AYOF. Lot's of laughs along the way and we had the cutest little Ausse girl carry in our banner. I'll post a few pics shortly.

Tomorrow is a light day for training with final preparations and attention to some race readiness. We're all happy and in great health. One more day of pre race prep then it's SHOW TIME. The athletes are feeling more rested and looking forward to race day.

Hope your weather isn't so bad in Vic.. cause we're soaking up some great sun.. tan lines are already being discussed.

I'll update in a day or two. (forgot my USB cord so until I can borrow one I can't upload photos).

We miss you all.. or do we!.. ha ha!!! coach Kelly.

Pioneer Photos

2009-01-13T19:39:00.001-08:00

All photos courtesy of Tony Austin Photos

Pioneer 8k

2009-01-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

Five NTC athletes took part in the first of the island series runs on Sunday. THe turnout for the race was exceptional, far more than ever before mostly due to it being the 30th anniversary of the event and the 8k BC Championships.

A fast, deep, field was assembled in both mens and womens races. THe four NTC men (Jeff, Andrew, Kirill, Nicolas) ran well for their first strong effort of the year. Jeff led the way with a great run (25:47). Alison was the lone NTC female athlete, but she did not disappoint by winning the junior category easily!

Full results can be found here.

Photos from the event up shortly

January Update. Upcoming races!

2009-01-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to All.

Upcoming races for the NTC dev squad:

1. Kerry Spearing will be racing the Brazil FAST race on January 11th along with Lauren Groves and Rachel McBride as they represent Canada in this unique super sprint format.

2. Jeff Phillips, Andrew Russell and most of the squad will be racing the Pioneer 8km on January 11th. This is the 30th anniversary of the race. Several past winners have been invited back and there is some pretty good prize money up for grabs this year. http://pih.bc.ca/pioneer8k.html

3. Matt, Aaron, Cole, Kyla, Alex and Christine leave for the Australia Youth Olympics on Saturday. Gaby will race for Team ITU. Races on Feb 16/17 (indv sprint and super sprint relay). The multisport games will consist of approx 1800 athletes from 23 countries competing in 17 sports. more info at http://www.olympics.com.au/ Should be FUN.

4. Jeff Phillips, Andrew Russell and Austin Horn will take part in the Brazil FAST race in early February as Team Canada. Go FAST boys!

Results and pics will be posted after the events.