News Archive
| Jennifer Lukas, CTVOlympics.ca
A delighted Riley McCormick has qualified for his first Olympic 10-metre platform final, performing the best dive of Saturday’s last semi-final round to overtake 2008 Olympic champion Matthew Mitcham In an extremely high-scoring 10m semi-final, McCormick finished off his six dives with a total of 495.60 points. That same score would have put him sixth in the Beijing Olympic final, four years ago. McCormick, who finished 16th in his 2008 Olympic debut, was also 16th after his first dive of the 2012 semis. He steadily moved up the ranks, however, and was in 13th place as he prepared for the final round of dives. The top-12 finishers would advance. The Victoria, B.C. native’s last dive, a back 3.5 somersault with a high degree of difficulty of 3.6, has been McCormick’s strongest at these Games. In Friday’s preliminary round he performed it for scores of 8.0 (out of 10) and scored a personal-best 86.40 points to advance in 11th place. On Saturday, he performed it even better. There was no sign of the slight under-rotation that McCormick had to fight to save in Friday’s attempt, just tight rotations and a beautiful rip entry – one with almost no splash – marked the Canadian’s last element of the morning. He scored straight scores of 9.0 to earn a single-dive score of 97.20. Only one diver, gold-medal favourite Qiu Bo, of China, was able to match McCormick’s score during that final round. None of the 18 divers competing managed to better it. “I’m very proud of myself,” McCormick said. “It’s been a long journey, we left (Canada) over a month ago and it’s been really tough.” With one diver’s success, however, came another competitor’s heartbreak. Australia’s Mitcham, the only non-Chinese diver to pick up gold at the 2008 Olympic Games in front of a Beijing crowd four years ago, entered his second Olympic Games with an easier dive list after a torn abdominal muscle kept him out of action for much of 2011. He was in 11th place before he missed on his final dive of the London Games, scoring just 70.20 points. McCormick and Mexico’s Ivan Navarro Garcia both overtook the 24-year-old Aussie in that sixth round, and following McCormick’s performance Mitcham sat in the stands with his coach, eyes brimming with tears. McCormick is not considered a medal contender in this competition, although after the morning semi-final, his hopes are understandably high. “That would be a dream come true if I ever get a medal during the final,” he said. He finished ninth at the most recent world championships in Shanghai with 444.50 points – 51.10 points fewer than he scored in Saturday’s semis. Qiu was the unsurprising leader in London’s Aquatics Centre, with one dive – his fourth – earning 102.60 points toward a total of 563.55 by the end of the comeptition. His compatriot, Lin Yue , was second with 541.80 points. China was left devastated at their home Beijing 2008 Olympic Games when then 10-metre favourite Zhou Luxin finished second to Mitcham, falling out of the gold-medal spot in the final round of dives. The Chinese have already missed one top podium spot at these Games, with Russian Ilya Zakharov edging China’s Qin Kai for gold in the 3m springboard four days ago. China’s top rivals in the 10m are expected to be David Boudia, who narrowly missed qualifying for the 2012 Olympic semi-final but bounced back to place third on Saturday morning, Germans Sascha Klein and Martin Wolfram , and home-town favourite Tom Daley , of Plymouth, UK. Daley, 18, has been the face of the Games for Great Britain; he was thrust into the spotlight three years ago at the age of 15 when he became the youngest 10-metre platform world champion in the history of the event. The Briton finished fourth in the men’s synchronized platform on Day 3 of the Games, and finished the individual semi-final in fourth place as well. “That was a lot better than yesterday,” said Daley, who suffered a disastrous fifth dive in Friday’s preliminaries and looked in danger of failing to qualify for the semis. “That’s the thing with diving, anything can happen, as you’ve seen with the Olympic champion not qualifying.” “After knowing the disappointment from the synchro, I really wanted to prove a point. Last night was tough to get through all that competition, but I’m happy and anything can happen tonight.” Watch the men’s 10-metre platform final on Saturday at 3:30pm et/12:30pm pt at CTVOlympics.ca. Preview: Men’s 10m Platform Final July 21, 2012 SASKATOON – In the 14-15 age group, Emily Schmidt of Victoria took both the women’s one-metre and 3-metre events at the Jr. National Championships in Saskatoon. ‘’I was happy not to mess up in the final,’’ said Schmidt. ‘’My optional dives had not been going that well in practice.’’ Allison Komlos from West Vancouver diving with the North Shore Dolphins won her first ever National medal by placing 2nd on the Girls D (11 & under) 3 metre finals. Other BC Diver outstanding results are: Allison Komlos – Girls Group D 1 metre – 4th , Emily Schmidt Girls B tower – 3rd, Ben Smyth, Boys D platform – 3rd, Courtney Hattie Girls A 1m - 8th, Aidan Faminoff, Boys B 3 metre 7th. Competition ends Sunday. Full results at: http://www.issmembership.com/diving/live/schedule.aspx
Diving Canada and Intergrated Sports are trying out new technology by introducing the Speedo Sports Desk Virtual Studio. Follow the link for interviews with many sports personalities. http://www.issmembership.com/diving/live/interviews.aspx
Saturday, July 21The Diving competition at the 2012 Surrey BC Summer Games came to a conclusion today at the South Surrey Swimming Pool. It was a great competition for all involved.The competition unfortunately was in conflict with the 2012 Age Group National Championships. Therefore many of the athletes that would have competed and done very well at the BC Games, were not in attendance, but the divers that were competing put on a great show for everyone in attendance.Some of the outstanding results were from Zone 3 – Fraser Valley divers Tavia Waiz who won both the 1 metre and 3 metre competition in the Girls C category. Antonie Klerck, also from Zone 3 swept the Boys C events. Rebecca Underdown from Zone 5 (Vancouver-Squamish) took both 1 metre and 3 metre Girls B events, and Tyler Toth from Zone 3 won both Boys B events. Other outstanding results came from Zone 3 Fraser Valley divers – Chloe Alkema, Luke Penner, Jill Koschel, Zac Shepert Zone 5 divers – Lilly Yi, Tecumseh Kobel, Oleg Correa, Zone 6 diver – Katherine Harrigan Zone 1 diver – Hunter Miller For a full set of results see www.bcgames.org Pictures from the games can be downloaded from the BC Games website at the Flicker logo – Fr Did you miss seeing the Trials? Follow the link to see the events replayed on video! http://www.issmembership.com/diving/live/archives.aspx
June 17, 2012 Victoria’s Rachel Kemp fourth at diving Grand Prix MADRID – Rachel Kemp of Victoria placed fourth on Sunday in the women’s 10-metre final to conclude the fourth stop on the FINA Grand Prix diving circuit. Si Yajie led China to a 1-2 finish with 395.15 points. Liu Huixia was second at 392.30 and Melissa Wu of Australia third at 353.35. Kemp followed at 340.90 for her best ever result on the Grand Prix circuit. A young Canadian team finished the competition with four top-six finishes. On Saturday, Olympic nominees Reuben Ross of Regina and François Imbeau-Dulac of St-Lazare, Que., were fourth and sixth respectively on men’s three-metre while Mandy Moran of Thunder Bay, Ont., and Emma Friesen of North Vancouver, B.C., were fourth on women’s three-metre synchro. The final stop on the circuit and the last international diving meet before the Olympic Games is next weekend in Rome. For more information: Jeff Feeney 25 of BC best Age Group Divers will be travelling to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in July to compete at the 2012 Canadian Age Group National Championships. We have a very strong contingent of divers competing in all age groups. The following divers have qualified: Boardworks – Patrick Heaney, Eric Neil, Aidan Faminoff, Isaiah Brasset, Graham Goodfellow, Bryden Hattie, Ben Smyth, Courtney Hattie, Morgan Weller, Emily Schmidt and Talitha Tarr Fraser Valley Diving Club – Kurt Breure, Kailee Lingham, Dayna Lysak and Julia Reinhard North Shore Dolphins Dive Club – Sam Braun, Alison Komlos iDive Vancouver – Nicholas Nepomuceno, Cristian Soper and Kaelyn Burgess White Rock Divers – Shay Lalor, Madeline Wainman, Nina Lazar, Carolyn MacFarlane and Carlyn McNeely. Good luck to all divers! Watch for results on bcdiving.ca Diving Canada announces the team that will compete at the Spanish FINA Grand Prix Competition set for June 15-17 in Madrid Ottawa, Monday June 11th 2012 – Less than 50 days away from the 2012 London Olympic Games, Diving Canada is pleased to announce its team that will represent the country at the fourth FINA Grand Prix of the season this week, June 15th to 17th, in Madrid, Spain. The schedule, results, and team member bios are available at: www.diving.ca.
Cesar Henderson (CAMO), from Brossard, Quebec, Arturo Miranda (independent), from Montreal, Quebec, and Igor Kopecky (Dive Calgary), from Calgary, Alberta, are the coaches accompanying the team to Spain. Évelyne Boisvert, from Montreal, Quebec, and Heather Turner, from North Vancouver, British Colombia, have been appointed as the Canadian judges for the event. Tony Revitt, from Calgary, Alberta, is also traveling as the team’s physiotherapist. About the FINA Grand Prix Held since 1995, the FINA Grand Prix is similar in format to the World Cups in alpine skiing and speed skating. This season there are six stops, including the 2012 Canada Cup. After three Grand Prix events this season, Canadian divers won a total of 10 medals (3 Gold, 6 Silver and 1 Bronze).
BC Diving and White Rock Gymnastics & Diving Academy’s Day of Possibilities took place on Sunday, May 20, 2012. The day was a great success in spite of the dismal weather. There were demonstrations by the tots, a cheerleading and silks demonstration, a hybrid movement display by Jesse Pierce and the Seastars performed some of their routines. There was a diving display as well. We were also fortunate enough to have BC Lions Marco Ianuzzi and Assistant Coach with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Carl Robinson in attendance and signing autographs. The formal part of the day was to send off to BC top divers as they pursue their dreams at the 2012 Olympic Trials in Montreal. BC Diving presented the athletes with funds to help with their expenses while in Montreal. We will be watching the results of the Trials closely. Good luck to all the divers!
“If you believe in a dream and have the courage to try, anything is possible.” – Rick Hansen
2012 Olympic Diving Trials Set for May With only 77 days to go until the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, Canada will select its Olympic Diving Team at the 2012 Diving Trials in Montreal May 24-27. BC will be sending 9 divers to the trials including 2008 Olympian Riley McCormick who hopes to make his second trip to the Olympic Games. McCormick, 20, qualified Canada’s only spot in the Men’s 10 metre event last summer at the World Championships in Shanghai with an 8th place finish. That doesn’t qualify him a spot on the Olympic Team though. He has to win at the Diving Trials in Montreal to be guaranteed a spot in London. A second spot might become available to Canada based on results from the World Cup last month, but this won’t be confirmed until after the Olympic Trials. Athletes travelling to Montreal are: Riley McCormick, Rachel Kemp, Morgan Weller, Shane Miszkiel, Fraser McKean, Courtney Hattie, Greg Cox, Hannah Bocksnick and Celina Toth. For many athletes this is the pinnacle of their career – and we know that everyone from BC Diving wishes the divers and coaches the very best of luck. April 26, 2012 Canada 1-2 on women’s 10 tower at international junior meet DRESDEN, Germany – Éloise Bélanger of Montreal and Courtney Hattie of Victoria placed 1-2 on women’s 10-metre tower in the 16-18 age group on Thursday to open the International Youth Diving Meet. Bélanger, 18, successfully defended her 10-metre title as she vies to repeat her triple gold performance from a year ago at this meet. She said the key to her success was scoring well on her opening dive, a reverse two and a half. ‘’It’s a dive I’ve struggled with this season,’’ said Bélanger. ‘’To do it well here gave me a lot of confidence. I’m really pleased with how I performed here in both the preliminaries and final.’’ Hattie, 17, earned her first medal at this event after competing here two years ago. ‘’This is very exciting for me,’’ she said. ‘’I really didn’t know what to expect and I was feeling pretty nervous. I was able to compete and it turned out well.’’ Other Canadian finalists were Samantha Maiorino of Pointe-Claire, Que., and Emily Schmidt of Red Deer, Alta., sixth and 11th on one-metre in the 14-15 age group and Dylan Grisell of Toronto on men’s three-metre in the 16-18 age group. Competition continues Friday. Full results at: http://www.sportlicht.net/event/live/result.php?event_id=100 BC Divers Courtney Hattie and Emily Schmidt accompanied by coach Lisa Boog are in Dresden, Germany for the International Youth Meeting. Top Junior athletes from around the world are in attendance for the annual event. Divers were selected for this event at the Junior/Senior Provincial Championships in Montreal this past March. Thank you Boardworks for Hosting the Canadian Winter National Diving Championships & World Cup Trials- Dec. 15-18, 2011 at the Saanich Commonwealth Games Place in Victoria. The meet was a huge success. The divers put on a tremendous show and we know Canada will be well represented at the World Cup in London, England. Good luck to Team Canada. BC Diver outstanding results: Riley McCormick Mens 10m Silver Rachel Kemp Womens 10m Bronze Emma Friesen Womens 3m 4th Emma Friesen/Mandy Moran Womens Synchro 3m Silver Click here for a full list of results. Congratulations to Emily Schmidt. She is a top 3 finalist in the Jr. Girls BC Athlete of the Year Awards. The Awards ceremony takes place at the River Rock Casino on March 8. Good Luck Emily!
Thank you to the Awards Committee – Ron Friesen, Megan Parker and Lisa Boog. Diving Canada announces the team that will compete at the FINA World Aquatic Championships in China Diving competition set for July 16 – 24 in China Ottawa, June 28st 2011– Diving Canada is proud to present the team that will represent Canada at the FINA World Aquatic Championships. The diving event is scheduled from July 16th to 24th in Shanghai, China. “With the 2012 London Games only one year away, these World Championships will help us gauge our level of readiness in our key Olympic events. This competition has significant Olympic implications and our major focus in Shanghai is to qualify the maximum number of Olympic spots for Canada” said Scott Cranham, High Performance Director at Diving Canada. “After a strong performance in the 2011 World Series with 10 medals, the World Championships will be a great test, specifically for our women, to see if they can bring their positive competitive experiences of 2011 into the major event for the year” added Cranham. The schedule, results, and team member bios are available at: www.diving.ca.
A Golden Sweep for Schmidt ”I’ve never won all three before,” she said. ”The tower is an event I’m getting better at every time out.” Schmidt previously won the Girls C 1 metre and 3 metre events and will represent Canada in September at the Pan Am Junior Championships in Medellin, Colombia. Boardworks also claimed two more medals at the competition Sunday with Aidan Faminoff winning a silver medal in the Boys C Platform and National Team member Rachel Kemp winning bronze in the Girls A Platform event. Earlier in the weekend 10 year old Bryden Hattie won his first National medal claiming silver in the Boys 11 & under platform event
Montreal, September 6th 2011 – Diving Canada is pleased to announce the 24 athletes selected to represent Canada at the Pan American Junior Championships taking place in Medellin, Colombia, from September 8th to 12th. Selection was based on results from the 2011 Speedo Junior National Championships which took place in Pointe-Claire, QC, in July. What to expect of our young Canadians? The pool in Medellin is an outdoor facility and this will bring some unique challenges, especially for some of the newcomers on the team, many of whom have had little or no experience in this type of setting. There are added elements that divers battle such as heat, wind, rain and sunshine. “The main thing we are watching for is to see if our divers can perform to their highest level with the added pressure of competing outdoors and for Canada. We expect to win medals, but it is difficult to predict how many. With the Mexicans and Americans bringing very strong teams to Medellin, our kids and coaches will definitely have their work cut out for them,” added Cranham.
Andrée Pouliot-Deschamps (Montréal, QC), Stéphane Lapointe (Laval, QC), Kristian Thivierge (Montréal, QC), Luda Zakharenko (London, ON), David Flewwelling (Edmonton, AB), Lisa Boog (Victoria, C.-B.), Ioana Marinescu (Forest City, ON), Ashley Buchanan (Calgary, AB), Luc Filion (Pointe-Claire, QC), Steve Carroll (Saskatoon, SA), Fernando Henderson (Ottawa, ON), Joel Madden (Toronto, ON) et Herb Flewwelling (Edmonton, AB) will be the coaches going to Colombia with the team.
Dr. Lee Mark Schofield (Toronto, ON) is accompanying the group in Colombia as team physician. Mark Fromson (Vancouver, BC) et Évelyne Boisvert (Montréal, QC) have been appointed as the Canadian judges for the competition. Diving Plongeon Canada`s Michel Larouche (National Head Coach) and Ivonne Shoucair (High Performance and Information Systems Manager) are taking care of overall team management.
July 24, 2011 Riley McCormick ninth on tower at FINA World Aquatic Championships SHANGHAI – Riley McCormick of Victoria matched his result from two years ago in Rome placing ninth on men’s 10-metre tower on Sunday to conclude the diving competition at the FINA World Aquatic Championships. Canadian divers collected two medals over the eight days. Jennifer Abel of Laval and Emilie Heymans of St-Lambert took silver on three-metre synchro and Abel added a bronze in individual three-metre. In addition Canadian divers locked up eight Olympic spots for next year’s Games. On Sunday, Bo Qiu made it a golden sweep for China in the diving competition collecting 585.45 points. David Boudia of the U.S., was second at 544.25 and Sasha Klein of Germany third at 534.50. McCormick, who earned one of those Olympic spots by making the final, totalled 444.50 with a consistent performance. Only his third dive had slightly lower marks than the others which all included at least one 8.0. In the final, McCormick was bothered by an arm injury suffered on Saturday. ‘’I feel pretty good overall about the performance especially with the Olympic spot,’’ said McCormick, 19, already competing at his fourth worlds. ‘’It’s always nice to get that out of the way early. Obviously I would have liked to have finish a bit higher than in Rome.’’ McCormick has been bothered by injuries all season and his looking forward to a more stable setting leading up to the Olympics. ‘’I really didn’t expect to come back from the injuries and school commitments and place this well here,’’ said McCormick. ‘’I’ll be based back in Victoria over the next year and that is really going to help me a lot.’’
VICTORIA’s Emily Schmidt wins gold on opening day of Jr. NationalsPOINTE-CLAIRE, Que. – Vincent Riendeau of Pointe-Claire, Que., capitalized on home pool advantage to win the gold medal on men’s platform in the 14-15 age group at the 2011 Speedo Junior Nationals diving competition.Riendeau totalled 435.10 points on his four dives in the final for his 14thcareer medal in six junior nationals appearances. Jayden Pantel of Saskatoon was second at 412.95 and Laurent Papineau of Montreal third at 375.95.‘’I performed well,’’ said Riendeau, 14, a world junior team member last season. ‘’Some dives could have been better. In the final, the optional dives were not as strong as in the preliminaries but I was consistent. I’ve been learning some new dives but they are not quite ready yet.’’ Other winners Wednesday were Peter Thach Mai of Montreal and Emily Schmidt of Victoria in the 12-13 age group boys one metre and girls three-metre respectively and Henry MacKay of Ottawa in the boys 11 and under platform. MacKay, 11, earned one perfect 10 score on his reverse dive in the final. ‘’Getting the 10 was the highlight for me,’’ said MacKay. ‘’It’s usually not my best dive so I was little surprised to score so well on it. The competition also serves as the trials event for the 2011 Pan Am Junior Championships in Medellin, Colombia, from September 7th to 12th. Competition continues through to Sunday. Full results at: http://www.issmembership.com/diving/live/schedule.aspx Wednesday’s leading results at the 2011 Speedo Junior Nationals diving competition in Pointe-Claire: MEN 11 and under Platform: 1. Henry McKay, Ottawa, 241.55; 2. Bryden Hattie, Victoria, 226.95; 3. Carlo Lopez, Gatineau, Que., 223.60. 12-13 age group One-metre: 1. Peter Thach Mai, Montreal, 341.75; 2. Nicolas Noguera, London, Ont., 332.70; 3. Félix Leathead, Montreal, 326.80. 14-15 age group Platform: 1. Vincent Riendeau, Pointe-Claire, Que., 435.10; 2. Jayden Pantel, Saskatoon, 412.95; 3. Laurent Papineau, Montreal, 375.95. WOMEN 12-13 age group Three-metre: 1. Emily Schmidt, Victoria, 346.40; 2. Molly Carlson, Thunder Bay, Ont., 332.40; 3. Dominique Cadieux, Edmonton, 330.25. June 2, 2011
North Vancouver diver Emma Friesen nails win at Summer Nationals EDMONTON – Sidelined by injury and illness the past two years, Emma Friesen of North Vancouver earned her first career Canadian title Thursday winning the women’s one-metre springboard at the 2011 Summer Senior Nationals diving competition. The Victoria-based Friesen garnered marks as high as 8.5 on two of her five dives in the final and totalled 273.00 points. Jo-Annie Dubois of Quebec City took the silver at 266.60 and Celina Toth of St. Thomas, Ont., also now in Victoria, was third at 263.25. “I’ve come close to winning Canadian titles in the past so this feels great,” said Friesen, 22, an NCAA champion in 2008 and world junior silver medallist in 2004. “This wasn’t my best five-dive final ever but I was consistent and I kept my dives polished.” This was Friesen’s first nationals since 2009. She broke her leg in a non-related diving accident then battled mononucleosis. “I took a year off then started at the basics again last year,” she said. “My goal is to come back better than ever before.” In the women’s 10-metre synchro final, world championship and Commonwealth Games medallists Meaghan Benfeito of Montreal and Roseline Filion of Laval, Que., took the gold. Montreal sisters Pamela and Carol-Ann Ware were second and Eloise Belanger and Frederique Lalonde of Montreal third. “We hadn’t competed in a month after a busy spring and we had some trouble gaining momentum,” said Benfeito. “We had a great start with our compulsory dives but a couple of our optional dives hurt our score.” On men’s three-metre synchro, Andrew Saunders of Halifax and Maxime Morneau-Ricard of Laval, Que., were the winners. It was the second time they had competed together at nationals. “This was much better,” said Saunders, a finance student at East Michigan University. “We had more practice time and we were better able to exploit our strengths. We have a similar build and our starts are also solid. Right now Maxime gains more height than I and that’s what I need to work on.” Competition continues through to Sunday at the Kinsmen Sports Centre. For more information: www.diving.ca May 29, 2011 Canada’s Riley McCormick regaining form in time for world championships ROSTOCK, Germany – With an emphasis on his schooling this past winter, Riley McCormick of Victoria was delighted with his ninth place finish Sunday on men’s 10-metre tower to conclude the fifth stop on the FINA Grand Prix circuit in diving. Chen Aisen of China won the gold medal with Sasha Klein of Germany second and Gleb Galperin of Russia third. McCormick started the day placing seventh in the preliminaries then placed fourth in his semifinal heat. The top-three from each of the two semifinals advance to the championship round. ‘’I’ve been training hard the last four weeks and I felt really good,’’ said McCormick, a 2008 Olympian. ‘’I feel like I’m getting my rhythm back. The field here was very strong and it was a big challenge to crack the top-three in either semi today.’’ McCormick wanted to gain some steam at this event after qualifying earlier this month for the 10-metre event for the FINA World Aquatic Championships in Shanghai July 16-31. ‘’I just have to continue what I’m doing to keep getting better,’’ he said. McCormick and Canada’s other top divers are back in action later this week at the Summer Senior National Championships June 2-5 in Edmonton.
HONOLULU – University of Hawai’i women’s diver Emma Friesen and football player Kealoha Pilares were the recipients of the 2011 Jack Bonham Award in recognition of their outstanding performances on and off the playing field. The announcement was made Tuesday night at the annual Scholar-Athlete Dinner at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The award is given annually to the top male and female senior student-athlete who “best exemplifies the ideals for which Jack Bonham stood for in the areas of athletic excellence, academic achievement, public service, leadership and character.”
Friesen, a 2008 NCAA champion in the 1-meter springboard, was a four-time All-American who qualified for the NCAA Championships four times during her career. A two-time Western Athletic Conference Diver of the Year and 2008 NCAA Diver of the Year, she was a six-time WAC champion in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events. She was also the recipient of the 2008 Joe Kearney Award as the WAC’s top female athlete. A member of the Canadian National Diving team, Friesen has numerous international experience, having placed sixth at the 2008 Russian FINA Grand Prix in the 3-meter and finished sixth at the 2009 FISU World University Games on the 1-meter.
Outside of the pool, Friesen holds a cumulative grade point average of 3.28, which includes a perfect 4.0 during the fall of 2009. The psychology major is set to earn her bachelor’s degree at the Spring Commencement in two weeks. In addition, Friesen has been an active member of the community, volunteering for reading days with elementary school children; fundraising for the Make-A-Wish Foundation; and participating in outdoor recreation activities for special needs children.
“In order to be a scholar-athlete and accomplish so much in the pool, Emma Friesen has had to work very hard and demonstrate a great desire to excel in her sport,” head diving coach Mike Brown said. “She has been a fierce competitor and a sensitive human being, overcoming many obstacles along her path as a Rainbow Wahine. Two years ago, she broke her ankle in three places and with a four-inch rod and seven screws in her leg, she relearned how to walk, then dive and then compete in order to earn her fourth NCAA All-America honor at this year’s NCAA Championships. It took a lot of character for her to finish her athletic career at the University of Hawai’i on such a high note.”
Diving Plongeon Canada Announces National Team for 2011 Canada Cup Grand Prix Montreal, April 21th, 2011 – Diving Plongeon Canada (DPC) is pleased to announce its national team for the 2011 Canada Cup FINA Grand Prix set for April 28-May 1 at the Olympic Park Sports Centre in Montreal, for the fifth year in a row. The 14-member team includes a mixture of internationally respected veterans along with a host of new faces who are busy making their mark nationally and internationally. Among the best known athletes on the national team at Canada Cup 2011 will be new Canadian diving star Jennifer Abel, as well as triple Olympic medalist Emilie Heymans and 2008 Olympic team-mates Meaghan Benfeito, Roseline Filion and Riley McCormick. At this year’s Canada Cup, nineteen-year-old, 3m specialist Jennifer Abel will seek to continue her recent medal success on the 2011 FINA Grand Prix Circuit and the FINA World Series as well as improve upon her 2010 Canada Cup performance where she won silver in the 3m synchro event with her partner Emilie Heymans. For 2008 Olympic silver medalist Emilie Heymans, the Canada Cup Grand Prix will be an opportunity to win another medal in front of a hometown crowd, after winning several medals with her young 3m synchro partner Jennifer Abel at the World Series this spring. All eyes will also be turned toward Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion who, as a pair in the 10m synchro event, finished the 2010 season on the third step of the podium at the 2010 FINA World Cup. With a silver medal at the Spanish Grand Prix in February and with two silver medals from the first three World Series in 2011, the powerful duo continues to assert its place in the top three in the world. “The Canadian team is aiming to reach the podium in four events,” says Diving Plongeon Canada high performance director, Scott Cranham. “Our best medal chances are on the women’s side with Jennifer Abel, Emilie Heymans, Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion. These four stars have been very successful in this year’s World Series where each one of them has won medals. Another successful performance at the Canada Cup would certainly show the rest of the diving world that they are legitimate podium contenders leading up to the 2011 World Championships. It’s always a close battle between Canada, Russia and Australia with China as a front-runner.” Other athletes to watch include sisters Carol-Ann Ware and Pamela Ware of Beloeil QC who recently won a silver medal in the 10m synchro event at the Spanish Grand and who will be looking for a repeat performance in Montreal; as well 2010 and 2011 Grand Prix finallist François Imbeau-Dulac of St-Lazare QC who will be unveiling some new dives that he is hoping will allow him to break in to the top six at the Canada Cup. Olympic and world multiple medallist Alexandre Despatie as well as 2009 world championship bronze medallist Reuben Ross will not be competing in Montreal as they are both in the process of recovering from some nagging injuries. Despatie is dealing with tendonitis of the knee and Ross has a strained back. Selection criteria for World’s The World Aquatic Championships is the first opportunity for countries to qualify spots for their teams at the 2012 Olympics,” adds Cranham. “As well, it is also the first opportunity for Canadian divers to earn points towards ultimate qualification for the Canadian team. Therefore, the Canada Cup is very much a launching point for the run-up to London.” A major event like the Canada Cup Grand Prix would not be possible without the long-term financial support from Sport Canada and the Government of Quebec. The schedule and entry list are available on-line at http://canadacup.diving.ca Several Canadian divers have prepared a taste of the competition on video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcP0uXBDOyk&feature=channel_video_title
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Senior Rainbow Wahine diver Emma Friesen has established herself as one of the University of Hawai‘i’s best in history. Since her freshman year in 2006, Friesen has won the 2008 NCAA 1-meter national championship and Western Athletic Conference titles each season. In 2008, Friesen was the NCAA Women’s Tri-Diver of the Year and a recipient of the WAC’s Joe Kearney Award, which is given to the conference’s top male and female athletes. She is also a two-time WAC diver of the year. “I came when I was 17, and I really was just a kid ready for an adventure,” Friesen said. “I was the dinky little young freshman just trying to figure my way.” Friesen is on a quest to show that she isn’t finished just yet. She’ll have one more shot at a national championship this Thursday through Saturday at the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving National Championships in Austin, Texas. “I like to call it my victory lap because I’m a super senior now,” Friesen said. “I’m older, and it all happened really fast.” OVERCOMING INJURIES UH diving head coach Mike Brown is high on Friesen’s career. “She’s been one of the most productive athletes that we’ve [UH] had in almost any of the sports,” Brown said. “She’s been pretty amazing.” Friesen holds the highest point total for 1-meter diving in UH’s record book. But it wasn’t always easy for Friesen. The Vancouver, Canada native was forced to redshirt the 2009-‘10 season with an ankle injury. “[It was] very, very, very difficult,” Friesen said. “I don’t know any other way to put it. I’m still on the mend and on my way back.” But Friesen has handled the adversity well. “I’m very honored to have a reputation that allows me to have such great athletes and great people understand that it’s been a bit of a rocky road,” Friesen said. “There’s been a lot of downs, and I’ve been really successful, but it hasn’t been without drama in between.” The Rainbow Wahine diving program suffered in Friesen’s absence. “She was missed badly in that we didn’t get anybody in the NCAA Championships last year,” Brown said. “It was good to have her at the WAC meet because we moved up to second from sixth place.” Senior diver Stephanie De Lima, who is also from Canada, saw Friesen’s frustrations. “It was hard to see that she actually struggled to go back to the level that she was at before,” De Lima said. “[But] she was just 100 percent positive. That just brings that positive energy to the whole team.” ANOTHER TITLE RUN Friesen took off Fall 2010 – which would have been her last semester of college – to train for her return. “She worked pretty hard, but she couldn’t do a lot of things because of her ankle,” Brown said. “She got herself healthy and came back in really good physical shape.” Friesen’s return was successful. This year, she won her second WAC Diver of the Year award. She also captured her fourth WAC title in the 1-meter dive and second title in the 3-meter. “It’s just showing that I’m not gone and I’m coming back,” Friesen said. “In the process of doing so, I’m starting to feel like a diver and an athlete again.” She earned a spot in this week’s NCAA Championships after qualifying in the Zone E Qualifying Meet last week. “To qualify again, it was great,” Friesen said. “The thing about qualifying at that meet is you’re so stressed out, sitting there like, ‘Am I going to make it?’ “I’ve never been so nervous about a meet two weeks before.” Brown noticed Friesen’s stress levels rising, but believes Friesen will be fine. “She seemed nervous for the zone meet because it was a really intense meet,” Brown said. “Now that she’s in the nationals, she’s more calmed down and she’s ready to go.” March 11, 2011
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Arizona State diver continued day two of Zone E Championships with success as Sophomore Riley McCormick qualify for nationals in two more events. McCormick took first in the men’s 3-meter springboard event, qualifying to compete in the NCAA Championships. This is the first time that he has won this event at Zone E Championships. This is the second event at the Zone E Championships for McCormick that qualifies him to compete at the NCAA Championships. Day three of Zone E Championships will determine the platform qualifiers. Riley went on to place 2nd on platform qualifying him for the NCAA on all boards. At the NCAA Championships Riley was 8th on 1m with 376.95 (6 dives), and 4th in the Consol. Final on 3m with 367.25
MINNESOTA – The University of Hawai`i women’s diving team concluded the second day of the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships, hosted by the Air Force Academy at the Minnesota Aquatics Center. Emma Friesen lead the Rainbow Wahine on the one-meter dive, finishing in fourth place with a score of 592.80.
All divers had a total of six dives, and will compete again tomorrow for the final day of the event.
This year at the annual Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards, BC Diving’s Lois Wood – Master Diver from the White Rock Divers was a finalist. The award ceremony took place on February 24th at the River Rock Casino. It was very stiff competition for Lois, but we are proud of her efforts and can only wish that we can dive or do anything else at this level for that matter as well as Lois is at 80. Congratulations.
For a full set of results of the Sport BC athlete of the Year Awards click here.
Western Canada Games Team announced:Men: Shane Miszkiel, Fraser McKean, Zach Nicol, Keith Tidey Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards update! BC Diving would like to thank all our volunteers for all of their hard work in the preparation of the 2007 Pan American Games Trials. The trials were a great success. Special thank you’s go to our Organizing Committee: v Meet Manager: Jayne McDonald We also had several other volunteers not on the committee that put a huge effort into making these games such a success – Laura Steele, Grant Brehaut, Cecilia Cheung, Helena Jenrichsen, I know that there are several other names, and I do not want to forget anyone, but thank you to all. Thank you as well to all of our young divers who came out to watch and help out where ever we needed you. We had many positive comments about the competition from across the country. The pool looked great – and what about that floating dock? Grants available to community sport organizations, athletes and coaches through CAC and GM’s Making Dreams Possible initiative > 2006 X-mas Camp Photo Gallery BC Diving’s 3rd Annual Christmas Dive Camp took place at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre and hosted 40 divers and 10 coaches from around the province and the state of Washington. The three-day camp from December 28-30 was led by world class coaches Boxi Liang, Kostya Karibyan, Fu Ke Yang, Grant Breheut, Yan Yang, Megan Parker and Bev Boys. The divers spent three days working on mats, trampoline and dry board. The camp also included a motivational talk by Olympic Wrestler Justin Abdou www.esteemteam.com whose key learning points discussed the importance of goal setting and journaling. Another popular workshop was on exercises to build core strength and for injury prevention by Dr. Christian Guenette www.back2health.ca There was also visualization, ripping and hurdle sessions, as well as diving movies, games and of course lots of fun! The camp ended off with a rip contest and prizes awarded to various divers for their efforts over the three days. Thanks to all the divers and coaches for their hard work. We look forward to seeing you at the next BC Diving Camp!
Upcoming Developmental Competition & Grand Prix Fraser Valley Diving Club will be hosting a Developmental Competition & BC2 Grand Prix December 9, 2006. Click here for more info. BC Diving’s 2006 Christmas CampBC Diving will be hosting it’s annual Christmas Diving Camp at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre December 28-30, 8:30am-2pm daily. For more information click here for the PDF brochure and to register email bev@bcdiving.ca Upcoming Coaching CourseThere will be a Level 1/2 Coaching course Jan 12, 13 & 14, 2007. Anyone who needs to be level 2 certified must attend this course. Please contact BC Diving for more details. Congratulations BC National Team MembersCongratulations go to Wegadesk Gorup Paul, Riley McCormick and Rachel Kemp who have qualified for the National Team and carding. Sarah Safarik returning coachWelcome back Sarah Safarik who is once again coaching with White Rock Divers. Everyone is thrilled to have her back! BC Diving to host major Games in 2007BC Diving has been selected to host the Pan Am & Fisu Games Trials in April 2007. There will also be a Gala event taking place during these Trials – stay tuned for more info in the coming months. Jayne MacDonald joins BC DivingJayne McDonald, former Executive Director from Manitoba Diving, has been hired full time and will be working closely with Bev at BC Diving. She can be reached at jayne@bcdiving.ca New Coach in Prince GeorgePrince George Diving Club has hired Fu Ke Yang from China. Fu is a former National team diving coach from China, who has recently spent 10 years in Columbia coaching their Junior. and Senior Programs where he realized strong international success. Fu had a diver was a finalist in the platform event in Athens and a medallist at the World Junior Championships. Fu will be a great asset for the Prince George Mantas and BC Diving. Baby News Paige Gordon and husband Eddie Parenti had a baby girl Sophie McKenna Parenti on Dec. 18. 6lbs. 8oz. Mom dad and baby are doing great. Paige and Eddie live in San Francisco. Sarah Safarik and husband Dave Hyatt had a baby boy Wesley Dec. 22., Sarah, Dave and baby Wesley are doing beautifully. Sarah and Dave live in Cloverdale. Fraser Valley Diving is pleased to welcome new Head Coach, Kostya Karibyan Kostya has agreed to be the Head Coach for Fraser Valley effective January 3rd 2006. Having Kostya as our head coach will provide our athletes with the excellence in training and the continuity of stewardship that was needed. We welcome Kostya and look forward to building a truly competitive program under his leadership. Cathie Melrose, President BEV BOYS NAMED INTO ONTARIO SPORT LEGENDS HALL OF FAME Our own Executive Director Beverley Boys added to her long list of awards and recognitions recently as she was named into the Ontario Sport Legends Hall of Fame. Bev won 34 Canadian diving championships in the 1960s and 1970s and was on the podium at four Commonwealth Games. Bev will join other nominees at an induction banquet to be held next June in Toronto. Congratulations Bev! Boardworks Among Sport BC Award Finalists Boardworks divers Riley McCormick and Blythe Hartley, as well as Head Coach Trevor Palmatier, were among the finalists for the annual Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards. This year’s event will mark the fortieth year for the Athlete of the Year Awards, the longest-running sport recognition event in the country. Awards in sixteen different categories are given for performances during the past year. Finalists are chosen through a confidential voting process by a select committee of media and sport representatives from around the province. McCormick, 14, who was nominated in the Junior Male Athlete of the Year category, burst on to the Senior diving circuit this season with a bronze medal at the Summer Senior National Championships. He followed that up with a top 12 finish at the World Championships in Montreal in the Men’s Synchro 10-metre event with partner Wegadesk Gorup-Paul where they finished a respectable 11th. Olympic medallist Blythe Hartley was nominated in the Senior Female Athlete of the Year category after becoming World Champion in the Women’s 1-metre event in Montreal in July. Hartley also won the National 3-metre title in June. Boardworks Head Coach Trevor Palmatier, who was named Senior Coach of the Year by Diving Plongeon Canada in November, was nominated in the Coach of the Year category. Palmatier, who coaches McCormick, Hartley, Gorup-Paul and national team member Martha Dale, had an outstanding year including one world championship title, 4 world championship finalists and 4 national titles. Winners will be announced at the annual Athlete of the Year Awards banquet on Wednesday, March 8 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver Trevor Palmatier Named Canadian Sr. Coach of the Year Boardworks’ Head Coach Trevor Palmatier was named Canadian Senior Coach of the Year at the Diving Plongeon Canada Annual General Meeting November 18 – 20 in Ottawa. It is the first time a coach from outside the province of Quebec has won this award. “I’m a bit surprised, but definitely thrilled to have my hard work recognized,” said Palmatier Sunday. “It’s an honour for myself, my divers and for our diving club.” Palmatier, who has been with Boardworks since 1996, had a career best season this year qualifying four divers for the World Aquatic Championships this past July in Montreal, including 2005 World one-metre Champion Blythe Hartley. Hartley, who won the Women’s 1 metre World title with a world record score, was also named Athlete of the Year at the Diving Plongeon Canada AGM. Victoria’s Wegadesk Gorup-Paul, 17, was a World Championship semi-finalist in the Men’s 10 metre in Montreal and he teamed up with 14-year old Riley McCormick in the Men’s 10 metre Synchro where they placed a respectable 11th. Senior National team member Martha Dale rounded out the Boardworks contingent placing 7th in the Women’s 3 metre Synchro and 10th in the Women’s 1 metre. Additional highlights this season for Palmatier included four national championship titles; one by Dale at the Winter Nationals and two won by Hartley and one by Gorup-Paul at the Summer Nationals. Riley McCormick won a bronze medal at the same competition while Martha Dale won silver in the Women’s 1-metre event. The 2005 Canada Games in Regina in August capped off the season with Gorup-Paul and McCormick finishing 1-2 in the Men’s 10 metre event, both posting Canada Games record breaking performances. Six Medals for Team BC at Canada Games! An outstanding performance from our BC divers at the 2005 Canada Games bringing home 6 medals and a Canada Games record. Starting things off was Jason Earthy who won silver on the Men’s 1 Metre. Emma Friesen followed with a strong 3 Metre performance to capture the bronze. The second day of competition was the Women’s 1 Metre and the Men’s Platform. Emma Friesen put in another great performance and won gold and an exciting competition on the platform resulting in 1-2 results from Wegadesk Gorup Paul and Riley McCormick finished off the day. Wegadesk and Riley both broke the previous Canada Games record set in 2001. Day 3 saw 12 year old Rachel Kemp put in a tremendous 7 metre list to win the silver medal and become the youngest diving medalist of the games. Team BC member Liana Bugslag made finals in the platform placing 12th. Coach Trevor Palmatier and Team Manager Shannon Sullivan were extremely pleased with the results and proud of their divers. Rounding out the BC contingent, BC Diving’s Executive Director Bev Boys attended her very first Canada Games as a judge and 1 Metre World Champion Blythe Hartley was a special guest speaker and medal presenter. Recognizing diving’s contribution to the games and an outstanding individual effort, Wegadesk was given the honour of carrying the BC Flag in the closing ceremonies. This event caps off the season for our divers who headed home for a much deserved rest, except Rachel who left Regina for the Jr Pan Ams Aug 25-28th in Fort Lauderdale. BC Divers Bring Home 16 medals from Junior Nationals A strong effort from BC Divers at the Junior National Championships in Quebec City July 7-10 resulted in them bringing home 16 medals including four gold. There were a number of personal best scores including two from Jason Earthy who was outstanding on the springboards and Liana Bugslag won her first ever national medal with an incredible effort on platform. While putting in two great dive lists, Megan Lilburn suffered the heartbreak of the meet with two 13th place finishes – so close to finals! Four Victoria Boardworks divers were named to the Junior National Team as a result of their excellent performances. Shane Miszkiel (1 gold, 2 silver), Rachel Kemp (1 silver, 2 bronze), Patrick Heaney (2 gold) and Molly Schupbach (1 gold, 2 silver) will represent Canada at the upcoming Junior Pan Am Diving Championships to be held in Fort Lauderdale Florida August 26-28. Boardworks divers Wegadesk Gorup-Paul and Riley McCormick did not attend the championships as they were preparing for the World Aquatic Championships in Montreal. Well done BC Divers! Individual results listed below.
Hartley wins diving gold in Montreal It marked the second world title in the event for Hartley, 23, who won it in 2001 before settling for a bronze medal in 2003. “In Fukuoka [in 2001], it was a shock because I went in with no expectations or pressure,” she recalled. “In Barcelona [in 2003], I didn’t dive my best, so I was fortunate to win a medal. “This is definitely the most memorable win because it’s in the home country. It’s just amazing.” Hartley, from North Vancouver, proved to be the one to beat from the outset, leading through the preliminaries and semifinals as well as in all five final dives. She finished with a total score of 325.65 points, well ahead of silver medallist Min Xia Wu from China (299.70) and Germany’s Heiker Fischer (299.46). “I was nervous, even though I performed well in the prelims and the semis, because I still had to start at zero in the final,” Hartley said. “Just to have the consistency, knowing that I had done well earlier in the day, made me feel confident. “I think I missed one dive early in the prelims so, for me, that’s pretty consistent. I don’t think I’ve ever been that consistent ever.” Hartley stood tied for first place with Fischer following her opening dive of the final, before ahead to stay with a splendid second attempt. She built up a 20-point advantage, then clinched the gold medal with her final dive, an inward reverse with 1½ twists and 1½ somersaults. “I thought, maybe, my goal is to make top six in the finals,” Hartley said. “Coming in first is just a shock.” Hartley’s gold-medal performance humbled the Chinese contingent, which swept Sunday’s two synchronized events at Montreal and won a record six gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Hartley, a former gymnast, combined with Émilie Heymans to win the bronze medal in synchronized platform diving at the Athens Games. “The Chinese are absolutely amazing and such great divers,” Hartley said. “It’s an honour [to win].” With files from The Canadian Press Gorup-Paul Makes Semi’s at First Worlds! CP July 24th 2005 It was a first taste of world championship competition for Wegadesk Gorup-Paul yesterday, and the Victoria diver got a good look at what he’s up against. Gorup-Paul reached the semifinals despite one weak dive, but wasn’t able to join the elite group of 12 in the final at the world aquatic championships. Nicolas Leblanc of Longueuil was eliminated in the preliminary round. “Overall, I think I did pretty good,” the 17-year-old said. “My reverse 3.5 is what kept me from making the final. “That was a critical dive for me and it’s also the hardest dive on my list, so it was important that I put that down. But, hopefully, next time it will be better.” Jia Hu of China needed a superb final dive to win the event over Jose Antonio Guerra of Cuba, who won his country’s first world championship medal ever. Hu had 698.01 points, Guerra had 691.14 and bronze medallist Gleb Galperin of Russia had 656.19. Two to note for Canada make presence known By JAMES CHRISTIE Montreal – File away a couple of names to remember for the diving competition at the next summer Olympics: Wegadesk Gorup-Paul and Riley McCormick. One of them may be the next Alexandre Despatie in Canada’s diving pipeline. The pair of Victoria-based platform divers climb the 10-metre tower for the synchronized event Sunday, the last diving competition of the world aquatics championship. They’re a glimpse of the next generation. Their combined age is only 30. Gorup-Paul, who reached the semifinals of the solo tower before being eliminated Saturday, is best described as a 17-year-old trans-Canadian. The aboriginal name Wegadesk means Northern Lights. He identifies himself as a Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq, born in Montreal, living and training in Victoria and competing around the world. As if jumping off a three-storey tower were not enough of a gamble, he is a poker fanatic who imagines himself making a career playing cards. Then again, cards are no more fickle than the marking in a judged sport. McCormick, 13, is the youngest of any of the world’s elite athletes in five aquatic sports at Montreal. He has been diving nine years, beginning before he could barely swim his way to the side of the pool after jumping in. At his first major event, the 2001 Canada Games, he stunned the judges with two 10s on his first dive. He was nine. The pair train under coach Trevor Palmatier at Victoria’s Boardworks club, where Blythe Hartley honed her skills for the one-metre springboard gold. Although they are a continent away from Canada’s major diving hothouse, Michel Larouche’s Club Aquatique Montréal Olympique (CAMO), they don’t lack for Olympian role models. They share the pool with gold medal triathlete Simon Whitfield. “And there’s another generation coming up behind them,” Palmatier said. “CAMO and Boardworks had five of the eight best junior divers in Canada in 2004. We each won 10 gold medals and the rest of Canada got four. “CAMO’s not just the standard, but the gold standard by most of the world, and that’s certainly what we want to achieve as well. We’re moving our new generation up to the senior ranks. This was our first chance to put them on the senior stage at this level. A lot of young divers were here fom China, too. This was a preview of 2008.” With Despatie, winner of gold on both one-metre and three-metre boards, expected to be back on the tower again for the Beijing Olympic trials, someone will lose out, “and I’m not stupid or arrogant enough to think we’ll push Alex off,” Palmatier said. But if Canada has a talent bottleneck, consider China’s dilemma, he said. “One year, they started by identifying diving talent among one million school children. They pared that down to 16, then to six, and one became world champion. But then they also move away from home at age seven to a national training centre. There’s no way we would do that in Canada.” McCormick’s talent and enthusiasm was brought to Palmatier when Riley was four. “We had a diving program that combined diving and gymnastics and dancing,” McCormick said, “and we built him to from age four to move like a diver. When he swings his arm around, it’s not like a baseball player, it’s like a diver.” Gorup-Paul, who won the Canadian tower trials while Despatie concentrated on springboards, said he had to step up the degree of difficulty in his dive list “and train a helluva lot harder than I do now” to be be in Despatie’s class. “He’s at a totally different level. He’s heads and tails above the rest of the best in the world,” Gorup-Paul said, putting a gambler’s spin on the phrase “head and shoulders.” BC Diving AGM – Mark your Calendars Dates for the Annual General Meeting of BC Diving are September 24-25 at the Coast Plaza Hotel and Suites, Vancouver. Check back here for details. Simon Fraser’s Newest Diver Congratulations to Aurelie Gibson and Brad Szurgot, coaches of Simon Fraser Aquatics who are the proud parents of a baby boy, born July 6th. Taidhgin weighed in at 8lbs 7 oz. 8 New Records Set at Canada Games Trials Rachel Kemp, Emma Friesen, Martha Dale, Riley McCormick and Wegadesk Gorup-Paul broke records at the BC Summer Provincials held May 27-29th at Commonwealth Pool in Victoria. Rachel led the way breaking three records, including former World Champion Blythe Hartley’s C group 1m record by 9 points scoring 339.80 which has stood since 1995. Rachel also took out team mate Nikki Westra-Luney’s 3m C record (381.60 – 362.70 in 2002) and C platform (304.60 – 267.50 in 2002). Vancouver Aquatic Centre diver Emma Friesen took out another Blythe Hartley record beating b 4 pts Blythe’s A 1m record 444.90 set 1998. Not to be outdone, National Team and World Aquatics team member, Martha Dale broke Emma Friesen’s Open 1m record (289.25 – 266.05 in 2003). On the men’s side, Riley broke Wegadesk’s 1m B Provincial Record (452.10 to 427.70 in 2002) and smashed Robin Campbell’s 3m B record (531.35 to 456.40 in 2002). On the platform, Wegadesk easily broke Tony Revitt’s Open 10m record (630.45 – 581.70 in 1999). British Columbia Canada Games Team Announced British Columbia is set to have a strong showing at the upcoming Canada Summer Games as five members from Boardworks and one member from Vancouver Aquatic Centre Divers were selected to represent BC based on their performances at the recent BC Summer Provincial Championships. Canadian Senior National Platform Champion Wegadesk Gorup-Paul leads the men’s team which also includes Senior National Platform bronze medalist 13 year old Riley McCormick and Provincial one Metre Champion Jason Earthy. On the womens’ side, Emma Friesen from VACD will dominate on springboards while 12 year old Rachel Kemp and 14 year old Liana Bugslag are medal contenders on the platform. This is McCormick’s second trip to the Canada Games. He created quite a sensation in London four years ago where he was the youngest athlete in the history of the games. Boardworks Divers to Represent Canada at World Championships Boardworks divers Riley McCormick, Wegadesk Gorup-Paul, Martha Dale and Blythe Hartley earned spots on the Canadian team heading to Montreal in July for the World Aquatic Championships. Gorup-Paul won the Men’s 10 metre event in London to clinch a berth on the team and will also dive with 13 year old Riley McCormick in the Men’s 10 metre Synchro event. Hartley, an Olympic bronze medallist from Athens, won the Women’s 1 metre and 3 metre events in London and will head to Montreal looking to win a third straight World Championships medal on one metre. She won gold in 2001 and bronze in 2003. She will also look to better her 5th place finish on 3 metre at the Olympic Games last year in Athens. Dale will join Hartley in the Women’s 1 metre event and will also dive in the Women’s 3 metre Synchro event. The World Aquatic Championships take place July 16 -31 in Montreal. Boardworks Summer Diving Camps Start July 4th Registrations are now being taken for our one week Summer Diving Camps. Camps are available for children 5 – 14 years who want to learn the basics of diving and have FUN this summer. Click here for more info Boardworks Summer Camp BC Diving at the BCRPA Symposium The 2005 Irene MacDonald meet has been officially changed to June 18 & 19. Kudos to Riley McCormick! Riley McCormick Wins Bronze in Germany! Annual Provincial Team Awards Banquet BC Diving will be having the annual provincial team awards banquet at the Summer Provincial championships in Victoria Saturday night after the events. Details to follow. Dinner, awards and fun! Tickets will be pre-sold. 2005 DPC & BC Diving Skills Camp The 2005 DPC & BC Diving Skills Camp was a great success. This invite-only camp took place at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre on April 9 & 10, 2005 and consisted of skill-specific training with two of the worlds top diving coaches. We were honoured to have Dick Kimball and Hobie Billingsley as our guest clinicians. Kimball, a five time U.S. Olympic teams assistant coach (1964, ’80, ’84, ’88 and ’92) has been a mentor to many pupils throughout his 43 years as Head Coach of the University of Michigan. And Hobie, also a five time Olympic coach, has written three books and numerous articles about diving. It was great to have our top BC coaches attend the camp along with their divers. Much learning took place, many new dives were learned as well as team bonding and friendship developed! Skills Camp Gallery Photos Here! Remembering Marc Lepoole It is with great sadness that we write to let you know that Marc Lepoole passed away on Saturday March 26, 2005. He was a wonderful man, devoted to his family, and over the past number of years, to the sport of diving, and in particular, to BC Diving. He will be greatly missed by his friends in the diving community. Our thoughts go out to Marc’s wife, Carolyn, and their 4 children; Chris and his wife Karen, Lisa, Michelle and Kim. Donations in memory of Mark can be made to the Kidney Foundation of Canada at this location. Blood drive on behalf of Tori Kennedy Diving Plongeon Canada and Canadian Blood Services have joined together to launch a blood drive on behalf of Tori Kennedy. http://diving.ca/english/html/news/2005/tori.htm To make an appointment to donate please call 1 888 2 DONATE (1 888 236-6283) Remember to ask for your “In Honour” card at the clinic and dedicate your donation to Tori. Send the card to Diving Canada and they will forward all cards collected to Tori and her family on behalf of the Diving community in early May. Diving Canada Download Blood Drive Basic Eligibility Form Awards39th Athlete of the Year Awards Her Honour, the Lieutenant Governor Iona Campagnolo, was the keynote speaker and put amature sports on the front page of The Vancouver Sun. There was excellent coverage in the Sports sections of both The Vancouver Sun and The Province. CONGRATULATIONS to all of the in all categories! Kudos for Bev Boys and Christine Loock! Congratulations to Bev Boys who was selected as “Official of the Year” at the Sport BC 39th Annual Athlete of the Years Awards Dinner held on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver! Bev was up against tough competition (something she is used to) including finalists Jim Halliday (golf) and Janet Ellis (field hockey). Christine Loock was awarded the “Presidents Award” for BC Diving. The Sport BC Presidents’ Awards promote and celebrate the spirit of volunteerism by giving member organizations an opportunity to acknowledge and thank an individual who has demonstrated outstanding dedication and commitment to their sport. Each year, more than 40 deserving recipients are congratulated for the work they do in all areas of sport. We all know how much Christine has done for our divers over the years and we’d like to take this chance to thank her once again! Sport BC 39th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards Diving has two finalists at the Sport BC 39th Annual Athlete of the Year Awards. Bev Boys is one of 3 finalists for Official of the Year and Dr. Chris Looke has been nominated for the President’s Award for her outstanding contributions to our divers both locally and internationally. More information can be found at http://www.sport.bc.ca/content/home.asp Australian Youth Olympic Festival Canada sent a team to the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in January including BC’s Riley McCormick. Six countries participated in diving, which took place Jan 21-23, 2005. Results can be found here: Riley McCormick and Coach Trevor Palmatier joined 12 divers and 2 coaches from across Canada at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival held Jan 19-23 in Sydney Australia. The Australian Youth Olympic Festival is a multi-sport event for young Olympic aspirants generally between the ages of 14-19 yrs. 1400 elite junior athletes in 14 summer Olympic sports from 20 countries participated in this initiative of the Australian Olympic Committee. Riley McCormickHighlight of the event for Riley was a second place finish on the platform as part of the “knock out” final which pitted the top six finishers from the preliminary rounds against each other on a dive by dive basis. From Sydney, the Canadian Team travelled to the Gold Coast where they participated in the Australian Open Championships. This event was a wonderful experience diving against some of the worlds best including Olympic Silver medalist Mathew Helm. Riley finished sixth on the 3 metre and 5th on the platform and gained valuable experience competing his first full 10 metre list in competition. The 2004 BC Diving Christmas Camp and Officials Clinic was an outstanding success. We had 53 divers attend the four-day camp with 8 coaches working trampoline, dry board, mats and coaching diving. Presenters included Esteem Team motivational speaker Angus Reid from the BC Lions, Sports Nutritionist/Dietician Asia Peters and Yoga Instructor Nichole Murray who did a session on Small Ball Release. We would like to thank all the divers for working hard and we look forward to seeing you again next year! |
