13 is definitely a lucky number for Simon Whitfield. After 12 straight appearances in Japan without a podium finish, the 2000 Olympic Champion won the Ishigaki BG Triathlon World Cup Sunday in convincing fashion in a time of 1:51:12, ten seconds ahead of Rasmus Henning of Denmark.
Link to Story...
Submit e-mail to:
jobs@triathlonsaskatchewan.org
or by mail to:
STAC
P.O. Box 21008
Saskatoon SK S7H 5N9
Thank you for your interest. Only those being interviewed will be contacted.
The STAC AGM was Monday, March 17, 2008 7pm at the Remai Centre, 510 Cynthia Street, Saskatoon.
Click Here to download 2007 AGM minutes 2007_STAC_AGM_Minutes.pdf
We would like to welcome our newest club, The Parkland Triathlon Club In Yorkton. They currently have seventeen members and some great activities planned.
Contact:
Gary and Glen-mary Christopher (306) 783-6384
parklandtri@gmail.com
The Saskatchewan Triathlon Association is calling for NCCP coaches to
Help with presenting workshops around the province as we approach the Saskatchewan Summer Games in 2008 and the Canada Summer Games in 2009.
We would like coaches that are certified in swim, bike or run, with some experience in triathlon. We also would encourage youth and juniors who are participating in triathlon and do not have coaching qualifications, but are interested in assisting coaches, to identify themselves.
Workshops would target both youth and adults.
Honorariums are available based on qualifications.
Please contact:
email: info@triathlonsaskatchewan.org
STAC membership fees are increasing for 2008. The 2008 membership form is now available and on-line registration is also available. Follow the links on the Membership page.
As long-standing STAC members will realize, we have been fortunate that STAC annual fees have remained the same for many years. STAC is intentionally keeping the increase to a minimum for adult and family memberships; the junior rate has stayed the same. The modest increase is to facilitate on-line registration and is in response to rising insurance and administrative costs.
If you have membership questions, please be in touch (sanctioning ( at ) triathlonsaskatchewan.org).
2009 National Team Selection Criteria Announced:
http://triathloncanada.com/en/newsdetails.ch2?uid=Archives&newsarticle_id=2833
2009 Development Team Selection Criteria Announced:
http://triathloncanada.com/en/newsdetails.ch2?uid=Notices&newsarticle_id=2831
Here is the updated job posting, located on our Notice section:
http://triathloncanada.com/en/newsdetails.ch2?uid=Archives&newsarticle_id=2829
This last link is also Under Coaching Opportunity:
http://triathloncanada.com/en/page.ch2?uid=CoachingOpportunities
Carly Whittaker was selected by Triathlon Canada to be among the 12 athletes selected to compete for Canada in the 2008 Federation of University Sport (FISU) Triathlon World Championships, June 27 - 29, 2008 in Erdek, Turkey. Congratulations Carley. See link to Tri Canada website for more.
http://triathloncanada.com/en/newsdetails.ch2?uid=Home&newsarticle_id=2823
Triathlon Canada is pleased to announce the application process for the 2008 International Federation of University Sport (FISU) Triathlon World Championships, June 27 - 29th, 2008 in Erdek, Turkey. This is a draft-legal Olympic distance race against the best student triathletes in the world. Applications for the 6 female positions and 5 male positions will be accepted until December 7, 2007. The 2008 FISU Triathlon World Championships team will be announced on December 15th, 2007.
Interested individuals must complete and submit the 2008 FISU Triathlon Application to Triathlon Canada. Link here to see eligibility requirements and download forms
http://www.triathlonsaskatchewan.org/news/2007-11-24FISUtri.htmlTriathlon Canada est heureux de vous faire part du processus de candidature pour les Championnats du monde de triathlon 2008 de la Fédération internationale du sport universitaire (FISU), disputés du 27 au 29 juin 2008 à Erdek, en Turquie. Cette épreuve, à drafting permis, mettra en vedette les meilleurs athlètes universitaires du monde entier. Les soumissions de candidatures pour combler six (6) places chez les femmes et cinq (5) chez les hommes, seront acceptées jusqu’au 7 décembre 2007. La composition de ‘équipe pour les Championnats du monde de triathlon 2008 de la FISU sera dévoilée le 15 décembre 2007.
Les personnes intéressées doivent remplir un formulaire de demande et le faire parvenir à Triathlon Canada. Veuillez prendre note des conditions d’admissibilité suivantes:
http://www.triathlonsaskatchewan.org/news/2007-11-24FISUtri.html#version_francaisOn September 2nd 2007, I competed in Age Group World Championships in Hamburg, Germany. Here's how I think my race went...
The weather was a bit cold but that didn't faze a Saskatchewan gal like me. My swim was strong (although looking back I may have been more on my 1500m pace than 750m but I was still fast enough to come out of the water in good position -3rd in my age group). One cool part of the swim involved swimming underneath a very narrow, shallow bridge. Luckily it was near the end of the swim course and therefore wasn't too congested! My bike was ok. My gears were giving me troubles (I was having to shift up 2 and down 1 to go up a gear) and because of that I wasn't in the best mental state but somewhere before halfway I changed my thinking around and was more positive on the bike. My run made up for the bike. I got passed on the bike but I didn't let a single female (on any age in my heat) pass me on the run. In fact, I caught and passed quite a few gals (and some guys). I ended up placing 7th in my age group (20-24yr old women). I did the Sprint distance which meant the field was a little smaller (20 or so people) than the Olympic distance field last year (100 or so) but I still topped my last year's placing of 46th!
Touring around Germany was also really fun.
I tried to make use of my two years of high school German and it sort of paid off... as long as the locals spoke very, very slowly to me. All in all it was a wonderful experience!
For the first time ever, the Triathlon Canada Board will meet and hold its annual general meeting (AGM) in Saskatchewan. STAC is pleased to host the fall 2007 Board meeting and 2006 AGM in Saskatoon -- November 16th - 18th, 2007.
As you may know, the Triathlon Canada Board recently revised its governance structure. Two face-to-face Board meetings are proposed each year, with the fall AGM rotating among provincial members.
STAC counts on club and member support to ensure a warm welcome to the national Board and will be discussing how we can facilitate club representation. Should you have meeting suggestions or wish to assist in planning, please contact STAC.
Thanks! Stay tuned for updates.
STAC congratulates Milos Kostic, recently awarded Triathlon Canada's 2006 Masters Long Distance Triathlon Athlete of the Year, Male; a fitting tribute to Milos for an exceptional season of racing and accomplishment at the Ironman distance.
Each year, Triathlon Canada honours triathletes in a variety of categories, presenting awards at its annual banquet. This year's banquet was held in Drummondville in early August.
Congratulations Milos!
Rachael Edwards joins 5 other Canadian Jr. women to compete in the American National Championship on Aug. 12 in Longmont, Colorado.
Canada takes the top 2 positions with Rachael finishing a close second to Sarah-Ann Brault from Manitoba. She received her medal from Hunter Kemper. Rachael also competed in the Kelowna Apple Triathlon on Aug. 18, again placing 2nd in the Jr. Elite category.
Team Sask Youth and Juniors had a strong showing at the Kelowna Apple Triathlon, Western Canadian Kids of Steel Championship on Aug. 18. Congratulations to Kendra and Jeramie Anderson, Abby Miller, Julia Garnet, Cole Leblanc, Gabrielle and Rachael Edwards, Alecia Lukash, Cuylar Conly and Joel Howlett.
Congratulations to these athletes on their accomplishment.
Any questions can be directed to me at the address below.
Regards,
Jim Holmstrom
STAC Director of Coaching,
High Performance Committee
e-mail: jim.holmstrom@usask.ca
RIO DE JANEIRO - Brent McMahon of Victoria and Lauren Groves of Vancouver finished second and third, respectively, today in the 2007 Pan American Games triathlon competition. The two medals continue the Canadian streak of a medal at every Pan American Games triathlon since the events inclusion in 1995. The event also doubled as the International Triathlon Union's Pan American Continental Championships.
While McMahon would have to fight to hang on to his podium position after a mid-race break away, Groves would run back from a two and half minute deficit to take the bronze.
In 33 degree Celsius heat and humidity, 67 of the best triathletes from North and South America lined up on the famous Copacabana Beach for the start of the fourth edition of the triathlon competition.
In the men's event, American strongman Andy Potts would take the win in a time of 1 hour 52 minutes and 31 seconds, 7 seconds faster then silver medalist McMahon. To the cheers of thousands of locals lining the course, Brazilian Juraci Moreira finished in third, a further 16 seconds back. Despite a break away in the late stages of the 40-kilometre bike by McMahon, fellow Canadian Paul Tichelaar of Edmonton and two others, Potts would run through the heat, posting the fastest run of the day, edging out McMahon at the line.
In the women's event, American national champion Julie Ertel, formally Swail, would claim the gold medal after a successful break away with team mate and eventual silver medalist Sarah Haskins. The two Americans would get away early in the bike with a third American, Sara McLarty, growing their lead to over two and a half minutes at one point. McLarty could not hang on over the 10-kilometre run, however, as she was run down by the fast approaching Groves.
Click here for more information on the Pan American Games:
For more information and specific requests, please contact:
Stephen Bourdeau, ITU Media Manager
Mobile: +1.780.908.9299
Email: stephen.bourdeau@triathlon.org
We're just back from Jr. Nationals, and although the results aren't yet up, I wanted to let you know about the event.
Three athletes qualified and competed at Brampton on Saturday.
Joel Howlett (Jr. Men), winner of the sprint race at the Icebreaker in Regina and Spin in Saskatoon, had a strong swim and a great bike to finish in the middle of a large and very talented group of Jr. Men. He had a great start in the swim and came out of the water in about 30th position. He worked hard with a small group to move up a couple of chase packs and to finish the bike in a great position with some very experienced and fast Jr. men. This very technical and fast course saw three crashes for the Jr. men. He found the middle of the run tough and lost a few places, but then came back strong in the last kilometre. This was Joel's second Jr. Elite race. He also raced in the PanAmerican race in Edmonton. Joel learned a lot from his first experience and applied this in Brampton. He showed great promise for the upcoming and future seasons. He will also be racing in Kelowna later this summer. Well done Joel!
Rachael Edwards started this race with two strong performances - third place in Vancouver and 7th in the PanAmerican race in Edmonton. She was ranked 8th among Canadian and American women in this race. Rachael came out of the water and the 1st transition exactly according to race plan - in the chase pack which was closing in on the leaders. She was poised to finish in the top 3 to 5. Then around an 180 degree turn, she skidded out and crashed. She recovered, put her chain on and got back in the race, but only after most of the field had passed her. She biked alone to finish the 20k and moved up some places with her run (around 10th among Canadians). She showed a lot of courage to keep going in this race. Good for you, Rachael! She will be training at the National Training Centre in August, then travelling with some athletes from Victoria to compete in Colorado at the U.S.A. National Jr. Championships. She will also compete in Kelowna a week later.
Alecia Lukash competed in her first Jr. Elite race in Brampton. Alecia had a strong swim but did not come out with a group so was on her own for most of the bike. She did gain some pack experience at the end of the 20k ride. Alecia ran well on the hot day and looked strong at the finish. Alecia has been training with Saskatoon's youth/Jr. group for a number of years and has been a consistant competitor throughout. Alecia will also be competing in Kelowna later this summer. Great job on your first Jr. Elite race, Alecia.
In an Age Group race, Carly Whittaker had a terrific race to qualify for Worlds in Germany. She had a great swim (4th out of the water). Way to go, Carly!
In KOS races, Gabrielle Edwards finished 1st among all females and won the 12/13 yr. old category. Congrats! Abby Miller raced very well and ran down a few girls to win the silver medal in the 14/15 yr. old group. Again, Congrats
RossAnn Edwards
Curtis Wilde (Regina), Ryan Leibel (Regina), Ryan Armstrong (U of S Tri Club - his 1st Olympic Distance Tri, I think!)
Nicole Golden, Carla Binning (Regina), Chantelle Lefebvre (U of S Tri Club - her 1st Olympic Distance Tri, I think!), Wanda Latimer (Regina)Jeff Hehn (1st in age category and looks like 1st overall!!), Kevin Sutton (1st in age category), Ron Golden
Joel Howlett, Cuylar Conly Rachel Edwards
Gabrielle Edwards (1st in her age category), Abby Miller
Sorry if I missed some - the results don't list the town. Please feel free to add any corrections.
Posted on behalf of:
Andrea Grzesina STAC president.
Unofficial results linked here or go to the results page.
Star Phoenix coverage from the event here.
First of all I wanted to say what a great first official junior elite race I had. I got third place which met my goal as 4 of the top ten finishers from Jr. Nats. last year were there. Vancouver is definitely a great place for a triathlon (but a bit rainy). The race itself was a little disorganized; the swim and run were both way too long (over 1000m instead of 750m and over 7k instead of 5k). Transition information was sketchy, but it worked out in the end. The water temp. was 17 (practically worm compared to Pike Lakea;) but my toes were numb until halfway through the run.
The swim started at one beach and ended at another. This was only the 2nd time that I swam in the ocean and as we swam at 7:05a.m. it was calm. With the swim being my weakest link and way longer than usual, I came out 6th of 9. I chose not to draft as the two girls I came out with had a pace too slow for what I wanted. The bike was called very technical, but I found it mild; a few hills and no wind. I pulled ahead and started the run in fifth place. The run was along the seawall and one of the most scenic courses I have been on (even though I was too tired to focus on the scenery). The run was the best part of my race. I passed two people, one in the last 400m. I had a great experience and hopefully all the race kinks will be out by next year for age group worlds.
Rachael Edwards
Junior World Champ Sweetland wins first career World Cup RICHARDS BAY, South Africa -
Kirsten Sweetland of Victoria, BC, the reigning Junior World Champion, has won her first career BG Triathlon World Cup in Richards Bay, South Africa. At just 18 years and eight months old, Sweetland becomes the youngest Canadian to ever win a triathlon World Cup and the sixth Canadian woman to stand atop the podium. She has competed in only four previous World Cup races and finished in the top 15 each time, including a seventh place last week in Lisbon, Portugal. With the win today in Richards Bay, Sweetland jumps to number three in the world rankings. She also picks up substantial Olympic qualifying points as Canada aims to send a full team to Beijing in 2008.
"I feel great, I really wasn't expecting this," said Sweetland. "It's a lot of adrenaline up at the front and I think that really helped me today. I'm just on cloud nine right now, I can't believe it."
The phenom was in the lead pack early in the swim and did not back off as the race wore on. She maintained her spot among the leaders throughout the 40-kilometre bike course. On the second lap of the run, Sweetland made her move and began to break away from the pack, creating a 50-meter lead. The Canadian teenager never looked back as she coasted to the finish line with a time of 2:03:32. But she never intended to be so aggressive while competing in the scorching South African conditions.
"My run strategy from my coach was to be conservative in the heat but I didn't exactly listen to him," said Sweetland. "I got a little bit of an accidental gap on the first lap and I just went with it and it paid off."
She finished 15 seconds ahead of Olympic bronze medalist Magali Di marco Messmer of Switzerland who finished second by out-sprinting Christiane Pilz of Germany at the finish line. The field included multiple World Cup winners such as Andrea Whitcombe of Great Britain and Joelle Franzmann of Germany, whom many picked to win the race.
Sweetland has developed much faster at the elite level than most expected as many predicted she would be a medal threat at the 2012 Olympics. But with her incredible consistency at the World Cups including her first victory today, the Canadian prodigy should be one to watch in Beijing in 2008. The last Canadian to win a World Cup was Simon Whitfield in 2004 in Mazatlan, Mexico and the last Canadian woman to win was Jill Savege in 2003 in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Sweetland continues a proud triathlon legacy for Canada, winning the country's 36th World Cup victory, third all-time behind only powerhouse Australia and the United States.
In the men's field, Colin Jenkins of Hamilton, ON was the top Canadian finishing in 41st place, still good enough to pick up important Olympic qualifying points. Kyle Jones crossed the line in 55th spot while Brent McMahon failed to finish.
Reigning African Champion Hendrik De Villiers thrilled the home crowds coming from behind to win his first career World Cup race. He becomes the first African triathlete, male or female, to claim a World Cup title. Ukrainian veteran Volodymyr Polikarpenko finished second just ahead of young Russian upstart Alexander Brukhankov who took the bronze in his first trip to the World Cup podium.
The Richards Bay BG Triathlon World Cup is part of the ITU's series of Olympic qualifiers and is a huge opportunity for athletes to gain some ground in the race to make the cut for Beijing. The Olympic fields are extremely competitive with men's and women's fields capped at 55 with a maximum of three per National Federation. Olympic qualifying continues through the 2007 season including the World Cup stops in Vancouver on June 10 and Edmonton on June 24. The final Olympic qualifier will be the 2008 World Championships which will be held in Vancouver on June 7-8.
For full results, schedule, race reports, athlete quotes and high-resolution images, visit the ITU's Online Media Centre: https://www.triathlon.org/media/RB-medpanelopen.php
Link here to download the Minutes in PDF format.
2007-04-01STAC_AGM_Minutes.pdf
Tonight at the Sask Sport Awards, Milos Kostic, of Regina, was selected as the Sask Sport Masters Athlete of the Year. This caps of a tremendous year for Milos. He won his age group at Ironman Canada, and went on to win his age group at the Ironman world championships in Kona Hawaii, setting the course record while doing so. Congratulation Milos, and have a great 2007 season.
Photo:Jim Holmstrom
Milos Kostic Nominated for Sask Sport Masters Athlete of the Year. The awards will be presented at the Saskatchewan Sport Awards Dinner on Wednesday, March 21 at TCU Place in Saskatoon. Go to Sasksport for more info. http://www.sasksport.sk.ca/
Milos was also the recipient for the October, 2006 Athlete of the Month by Sask Sport.
Milos Kostic, 65, Regina. Kostic won the gold medal in the 65-69 age category at the Ford Ironman World Triathlon Championships in Hawaii. He also set the world record for his age group. The event consisted of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run. There were 26 competitors in his category.
Go to Sasksport for more info. http://www.sasksport.sk.ca/
Download PDF 2007-02-25swimbikerun.pdf
This clinic is supported and sponsored by the Saskatoon Triathlon Club Inc. & the Saskatchewan Triathlon Association Corporation.
The Saskatchewan Cycling Association (SCA) is currently recruiting girls between the ages of 14-20 who are interested in supplementing their current or off-season sport of choice.
Cycling is a fast, fun and challenging sport that has been identified as an advantageous cross-training tool for the following sports:
March 24 and 25, 2007 we're hosting a female only indoor cycling camp at the Saskatoon Fieldhouse. All you need is a bike and a willingness to learn new skills. Pre-registration is required.
For further information or to register contact Erica through the SCA
office at:
cycling@accesscomm.ca
http://www.saskcycling.ca/
