Canadian Figure Skating Championship

At the 2010 Winter Olympic games in Vancouver, Canada enjoyed the greatest gold medal haul in history with 14 medals. These were won en route to accumulating 26 medals in total. Now 4 years later, our winter athletes are preparing to head to Sochi for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Just like 2010, Canadian athletes want to showcase to the world why we are the best at winter sports.
Before they can be named to the team, athletes often have to compete at the national championships in their sport in order to get selected. One such championship is the Canadian Tire National Championship hosted in Ottawa on January 9-15. This will also be the 100th anniversary of the Canadian figure skating championship. Ottawa is the birthplace of the 1st national figure skating Championships which took place in 1914. Not only will these national championships crown the best figure skaters in the country, they will also be the final competition before Skate Canada selects their team for Sochi.


The championships will feature the reigning Olympic gold medalists in ice dance Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. The 3 time world champion and 6 time national champion in the men’s category Patrick Chan, will also be competing. This event will play host to the best figure skaters in the country as they compete for their Olympic dreams. It will show case the best the country has to offer, along with the best junior and novices in the sport of figure skating.

While watching the Canadian championships there are certain skating terms used in singles, pairs and synchronized skating. Some terms you might hear are:

• Salchow Jump in singles skating is a jump in which the skater takes off from the back inside edge of the skating foot rotates in one rotation in the air and lands on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. Named after its originator, Ulrich Salchow. It can be done in different variations such as the double Salchow, triple Salchow, and quadruple Salchow, one foot Salchow. 
• Toe overhead lift in pairs skating is a lift in which the female is lifted after a toe assist from one side of the male's body behind his head to a raised position. She is facing the same direction as the male in a split position. 
• Highlighting is an element in synchronize skating in which a skater(s) performs a movement in isolation that is distracting from the performance of the rest of the team. 

These national championships will be a glimpse of what Canada has to offer in figure skating before the Sochi Winter games. The event will also showcase our best skaters, now and with an eye to the future.

References from the SIRC Collection:

1. Comuk N, Erden Z. The effect of muscular strength and endurance on technical skill in professional figure skaters. Isokinetics & Exercise Science. June 2012;20(2):85-90.

2. Gould D, Jackson S, Finch L. Life at the Top: The Experiences of U.S. National Champion Figure Skaters. Sport Psychologist. December 1993;7(4):354-374.

3. INSIDE EDGE AT U.S. Nationals. International Figure Skating. April 2011;17(2):40-43.

4. King D, Smith S, Brown M, Mccrory J, Munkasy B, Scheirman G. Comparison of split double and triple twists in pair figure skating. Sports Biomechanics. May 2008;7(2):222-237.

5. Lockwood K, Gervais P, Mccreary D. Landing for Success: A Biomechanical and Perceptual Analysis of On-Ice Jumps in Figure Skating. Sports Biomechanics. July 2006;5(2):231-241.

6. Miller R, Washington K. CHAPTER 60: FIGURE SKATING. Sports Marketing. March 2013;:421-422.

7. Russell S. Historical Moments. International Figure Skating. April 2011;17(2):32-33.

Slopestyle Snowboarding

Slopestyle snowboarding will be making its debut as a Winter Olympic event in Sochi. Needless to say, Canada will be in full force with some of the best slopestyle snowboarders in the world. The goal of slopestyle snowboarding is to put together the best jumps and perform the most difficult tricks while making the least number of mistakes. Snowboarders hurtle down a terrain park, or in slopestyle lingo, the jib park.

The Sochi slopestyle course will be 635 meters in length. It will feature 3 jumps which get progressively bigger, encouraging snowboarders to take monster jumps. Jumps, or kickers as they are known are usually between 20 to 80 feet in length. The Sochi course will also feature rails or jibs where the athletes can do tricks, such as the frontside 180 to 50-50 or the board slide.

Riders are judged by the degree of difficulty of each trick, with new tricks usually scoring the highest marks. Amplitude or height is another criteria which judges look for. They also base scoring on the landing; a fall or a hand touching the ground will result in a deduction of points - thus the landing has to be as clean as possible to score the maximum amount.

Some snowboard terms you might hear while enjoying the event:

• 540 Air - An aerial manoeuvre in which the snowboarder rotates 540 degrees — one-and-a-half spins. 
• Slopestyle - A freestyle event where the participant is judged on tricks performed while riding over a series of assorted jumps. 
• Blindside - 
Any rotation where the rider approaches or lands “blind” to the direction of travel such that he/she must look over his/her shoulder. An air performed with this technique usually increases the level of difficulty.
• Frontside
 - The frontside of the snowboard is the side where your toes sit. The frontside of a snowboarder is the side to which his/her front faces 

Slopestyle might be one of the hottest events in Sochi. Canada has brought its best riders with athletes such as Mark Morris, Sebastien Toutant, Max Parrrot and Charles Reid on the men’s team and Spencer O’Brien and Jenna Blasman on the women’s team. The team is full of young riders who are at the top of their game and ready to showcase slopestyle snowboarding to the world, while solidifying Canada as the best nation in the event.

Slopestyle snowboarding qualification rounds for both men and women are scheduled for February 6. The men’s semifinals and finals will be on February 8, while the women’s semifinals and finals are slated for February 9.

If you want to be part of the action and get current updates you can follow Canada Snowboard on Twitter or Facebook.

References from the SIRC Collection:

1. AYUMU HIRANO. Transworld Snowboarding. February 2014;27(7):040.

2. Bridges P. ON-DECK: Charles Reid. Snowboarder. November 2008;21(4):58-59.

3. Hébert-Losier K, Holmberg H. What are the Exercise-Based Injury Prevention Recommendations for Recreational Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding?. Sports Medicine. May 2013;43(5):355-366.

4. Poulin J. HOW PLACE SHAPES STYLE: THE MAKING OF NATION. Transworld Snowboarding. September 2013;27(2):54-67.

5. The Angry Interns. Transworld Snowboarding. December 2011;25(5):032.

6. The Angry Interns: Slopestyle, in the Olympics?. Transworld Snowboarding. January 2013;26(5):032.

Heather Moyse

Heather Moyse is an amazing all-around athlete; she has managed to represent her country in three different sports: bobsleigh, rugby and cycling. Heather got her start in bobsleigh less than six months before she made her Olympic debut in Torino 2006. She is probably best known for the gold medal she won with Kaillie Humphries at the 2010 Olympics. Heather will once again be teaming up with Kaillie in Sochi with the hopes of retaining their place atop the Olympic podium.

General Information:

Date of Birth: July 23, 1978
Birthplace: Summerside, Prince Edward Island
Residence: Summerside, Prince Edward Island
Height/Weight: 178 cm/ 72 kg
Coach: Tom De La Hunty
Twitter: @HeatherMoyse
Website: http://www.heathermoyse.com/
COC: http://olympic.ca/team-canada/heather-moyse/
BCS: http://www.bobsleighcanadaskeleton.ca/en-CA/files/Moyse%202013.pdf
FIBT: http://www.fibt.com/bobsleigh/athletes.html?tx_pxathletes_pi1%5Bsport%5D=B&tx_pxathletes_pi1%5Bcountry%5D=CAN&tx_pxathletes_pi1%5Bathl_id%5D=130612

Rebecca Johnston

Rebecca Johnston attended Cornell University where she played for their hockey team. In her first season she was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year and was also a three time finalist for the top female player in NCAA hockey. When she graduated Rebecca was drafted by the Toronto Furies of the CWHL. Internationally Rebecca joined team Canada in 2007; she was part of the 2010 Olympic gold medal winning team. She will be one of 12 returning players hoping to repeat the team’s success in Sochi 2014.

General Information:

Date of Birth: September 24, 1989
Birthplace: Sudbury, Ontario
Residence: Sudbury, Ontario
Height/Weight: 170 cm/ 76 kg
Twitter: @RJohnst16
COC: http://olympic.ca/team-canada/rebecca-johnston/
 HC: http://stats.hockeycanada.ca/roster_players/4160850?subseason=143144

Caroline Calvé

Caroline Calvé has been competing on the World Cup circuit for almost nine years, but made her Olympic debut in front of a home crowd in Vancouver. Since then Caroline has had a breakthrough in her career, winning the first ever World Cup for a Canadian female alpine snowboarder. Calvé’s success has continued during the 2012-2013 season where she finished third in the World Cup Parallel standings.

General Information:

Date of Birth: October 1, 1978
Birthplace: Hull, Quebec
Residence: Aylmer, Quebec
Height/Weight: 177 cm/ 74 kg
Coach: Mark Fawcett
 Twitter: @CaroCalve
Website: http://carolinecalve.com/
COC: http://olympic.ca/team-canada/caroline-calve/
CSF: http://www.canadasnowboard.ca/en/team/?id=2
FIS: http://www.fis-ski.com/snowboard/alpine-snowboard/athletes/athlete=calve-caroline-72840/

Celebrating #WHATSTHERE

The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics were 17 days of jam-packed thrills expressed best in the slogan: #WEAREWINTER. The Games were filled with joyous moments, challenges, sportsmanship and national pride as we cheered on our Canadian athletes.

There were plenty of great Olympic moments to be sure. The Dufour-Lapointe sisters took the top two spots in moguls; Alex Bilodeau and the women’s bobsleigh team defended their Olympic titles; the women’s curling and men’s curling team both won gold for the first time at the same Olympics; and as expected, hockey supremacy remained in Canada as both the men’s and women’s team defended their gold medals from Vancouver.

Not only did Canadian athletes bring home 25 medals from these games (10 gold, 10 silver and 5 bronze); they also displayed the true meaning of the Olympic spirit. We witnessed one of our cross country coaches, Justin Wadsworth, come to the aid of a Russian cross country skier with a spare ski allowing the skier to finish the race. There was also Gilmore Junio, who "took one for the team" by giving up his spot to teammate Denny Morris. Morris did not disappoint winning silver. The beauty of the Olympics is to display the human spirit, whether on the playing field or off the playing field, to inspire future generations.

Now that the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics have concluded, it is time to turn the page and start looking forward to the 2014 Sochi Winter Paralympics, which are scheduled to begin on March 7 and end on March 16. Our winter Paralympians are ready to make Canada proud in:

• Alpine skiing 
• Biathlon 
• Para-Nordic skiing 
• Sledge hockey 
• Wheelchair curling 
• Para-Snowboard 

The Canadian Paralympic Committee has launched the #WHATSTHERE campaign to promote the 2014 Paralympic games. For 9 days we look to be thrilled, to be on the edge of our seats, and to witness the Paralympic spirit during Sochi 2014. In the six winter sports hosted during these games, we look forward to our athletes demonstrating to the world why Canada is the best in the world at winter sports by capturing plenty of medals as well as personal and Canadian records.

References from the SIRC Collection:

1. Derick M, Fitzgerald C. PLAYBOOK. Sports 'N Spokes Magazine. January 2011;37(1):53-56.

2. Dicianno B, Aguila E, Wichman T, et al. Acute mountain sickness in disability and adaptive sports: Preliminary data. Journal Of Rehabilitation Research & Development. July 2008;45(4):479-487.

3. Fay T. A Case for the Official Merger of the Winter Paralympic Games into the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. ICSSPE Bulletin (17285909). May 2011;(61):7.

4. Gerden E. SOCHI 2014. Panstadia. June 2012;18(1):14-19.

5. Groff D, Lundberg N, Zabriskie R. Influence of adapted sport on quality of life: Perceptions of athletes with cerebral palsy. Disability & Rehabilitation. February 15, 2009;31(4):318-326.

6. Gross G. 2014 OLYMPIC COVERAGE FROM SOCHI. Transworld Snowboarding. February 2014;27(7):110-111.

7. Isaacson A. GOLD Medal GAMBLE. Ski. January 2014;78(5):74-100.