As I claw my way back to full fitness I thought I’d share the details of some of the great tools I’ve had the opportunity to use to aid my injury rehab and return to training.

The first thing on my list is a Bone Stim machine. Thanks to Smith & Nephew I’ve been using this little guy to help speed bone growth. The scientific literature supports the use of this machine for speeding bone growth after full fractures. There is no evidence to support its use for the healing of stress fractures. But, after talking it over with my doctor we realized there was no real harm in giving it a shot. Has it worked? I’m not really sure, we’d need a series of frequent X-rays or bone scans to determine that, and we decided not to go down that road. But, I’d like to think it’s helped me get back running pain free more quickly. I’ve also been doing some “heavy” lower leg weights to help stimulate bone growth. I had to put the word “heavy” in quotations because when I started I was barely doing more than 80 year old men for whom lifting weights to stimulate bone growth is usually prescribed!

The second thing I’ve been using, from time-to-time is the Hydroworx underwater treadmill. I’ve used this both at Hydrathletics in Kingston, ON and at Fortius Sport Centre in Vancouver.  This is a pretty cool machine, and I feel very luckily to have access to one when I’m in both Kingston and Vancouver. I’ve used the underwater treadmill at many stages of my rehab. Certainly it takes some getting used to, but once I became comfortable I was able to get in some great workouts. I think there is a lot of benefit to having a rehab and cross-training modality that allows you to have contact with the ground and simulate close to your regular running form. The machine at the Fortius Centre is also cool because the entire platform lowers you into the water to a prescribed depth and then raises the entire platform out of the water; I sort of felt like a rock star being raised onto the stage at a Superbowl half-time show (my coach suggested Janet Jackson?!? Not sure what similarities I share with her!?! I was thinking more JT!)

Me in the underwater tmill at Hydratheltics with owner Joe Stilwell keeping a close eye

The third ‘gadget’ that I feel has helped me as I transition from doing the bulk of my aerobic volume as cross-training to real running is theAlterG Anti-gravity treadmill. Thanks to Kinemedics I’ve been lucky to have access to an AlterG at Sante Universelle in Gatineau, QC. This tool has allowed me to start running at some faster paces (up to 12mph) at anywhere from 20-100% of my body weight. Currently I am using it twice per week for “workouts”. This will hopefully allow for a smooth transition to higher intensity running outside, with my full 155lb frame slamming into the ground. In addition to allowing me to run at reduced body-weight, going to Gatineau to use this machine has allowed me to work on my terrible comprehension of the french language. The only draw back to the AlterG is that being in a pair of neoprene shorts with lots of ‘interesting’ seams in them and having air pushed against you from below (to reduce your body weight) at times it can feel like getting a terrible wedgie (flashbacks to being tortured by older kids in elementary school included).

Check out this video of Nate Jenkins attempting a sub 4:00 mile on the AlterG. Don’t tell my coach, but I think that’s the next workout I am going to attempt.

Nate Jenkins Sub 4:00 AlterG

So, there you go, a glimpse at some of the unorthodox, although more and more common place, tools that I’ve had access to on my road back to full health and fitness. Only time will tell if they really help or just cause those horrible flashbacks!

I promise I’ll stop going on about my injuries. I know people hate to read those athlete blogs that are sob stories about their injury woes. I’ve tried to avoid that (mostly by not writing anything at all), but I’ll try to move beyond the injury thing for future posts!

And thanks for reading!

Canada Basketball is pleased to announce the Junior Men’s National Team (JMNT) set to compete for Canada at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship in Prague, Czech Republic from June 27 to July 7. Canada qualified for this year’s tournament after capturing the bronze medal at the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men in Brazil.

“The formation of this year’s Junior National Team is a tribute to the passion, commitment and toughness of all the young men we brought into camp. We are proud of the effort that everyone has given to this team and we look forward to representing Canada in Prague,” said head coach Roy Rana, when asked about the 2013 edition of the team.

In the first week of the tournament in Prague, the JMNT will face Spain, Croatia and Korea in preliminary pool play. The competition will be broadcast live on the Sportsnet multimedia platform through Sportsnet and The Score.

2013 Junior Men’s National Team

2013 FIBA U19 World Championship for Men – Preliminary Round Schedule

For the full schedule, please visit the tournament’s official site.

The Pro Sprint Challenge is back for a third year, after two very successful editions. The crowd favorite race, which features action-packed sprint finishes, is making its return on the calendar of the weeklong cycling festivities in Québec.

The event, which is contested on a 1km course on the streets of Old Québec and through the iconic Grande Allée, features a sprinter of each of the participating teams of the Grand Prix cycliste de Québec.

Annually, tens of thousands of spectators amass or gather along the short course to see the best tactical sprinters go head-to-head in an elimination format, with the two fastest sprinters of each heat advancing to the next round. The event is closely watched by the International governing body for cycling — the UCI, and by team managers from the WorldTour teams, with the push to get the event sanctioned by the UCI.

“The event is without a doubt a fan-favorite, and TV-friendly for the broadcasters. The ambiance is relaxed, and offers a small taste of what cycling is about. Road races ending with a sprint makes for a great atmosphere, and this Sprint Challenge replicates that feeling in every round,” said Mathieu Boucher, Director of Performance Development at Cycling Canada.

In 2012, Canadian rider Rémi Pelletier-Roy of Garneau-Quebecor surprised some of the best sprinters in the world, finishing second of the Pro Sprint Challenge.

There will be a minimum of four Canadian cyclists on the start line of this race. Along with the Team Canada selection to be determined by Gord Fraser (Manager for team Canada at these events), the winner of the Elite Men criterium race at the 2013 Canadian Road Championships, the winner of the 2013 Canadian Sprint Challenge and an additional discretionary committee selection will receive an invitation to participate at the Pro Sprint Challenge.

China started the game well. The even match had both sides trading chances and making strong defensive plays. After the opening 10 minutes, China had built a one-point lead at 19-18. Team Canada took over from there with a strong offensive display to build momentum. The Canadians dominated the quarter and more than doubled China’s output to take a 47-33 advantage into the break.

Canada continued to pressure the home side and find ways to score in the second half. The Chinese fell behind as the Red and White used a balanced attack to space the floor and wear down the Chinese defence. Ontarians Daniel Mullings and Brady Heslip led the way for Team Canada with 15 points-a-piece with Heslip connecting on 5-of-6 three point attempts. Dwight Powell continued his strong play with 13 points in the contest. Canada outrebounded China by a margin of 37-18 on the day.

Head coach Jay Triano commended his team of student-athletes on their play. “This was maybe one of our best all-around games. We have battled through a long trip and we have done a good job of maintaining our focus. Let’s see if we can do it for one more game. So far it has been a good trip.”

Mullings echoed his head coach’s thoughts and also looks forward to tomorrow’s tournament finale. “It was a great game as a collective unit! Our team has battled through adversity throughout this trip and we have prospered. I’m proud of the team and I’m looking forward to closing out this last game on a positive note.”

The DMNT will finish the 9-game, 11-day Four Nations’ Tournament tomorrow against Latvia. Canada emerged from the two teams’ first two matches with 82-40 and 102-61 victories.

Cycling Canada is pleased to receive an invitation from race organizer Serge Arseneault to race at the Grands Prix cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal, a set of UCI WorldTour races, and will be looking to field the best possible team for the event.

The Grands Prix cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal are the only UCI WorldTour races in the Americas, and attract annually the best professional cyclists in the world.

For the event, Cycling Canada will select riders to fill the eight-man team on the merit of performances throughout the season.

The teams will be managed by Gord Fraser, Men Road Program Manager at Cycling Canada.

“These events are critical to providing Canadian cyclists with much needed UCI WorldTour experiences. We’ve had plenty of success in the past with our partnerships with Canadian teams, and contributed in part to the success of the Canadian Road Cycling Team, currently with a record-number of riders on the UCI WorldTour,” said Jacques Landry, High Performance Director and Head Coach at Cycling Canada.

“The Grand Prix cyclistes come at the right time during the season as we make our final preparations for the UCI World Championships, this year Italy.”

The Quebec race is slated for Friday, September 13, while the Montreal race will be held September 15.

In addition to racing the UCI WorldTour races, Team Canada is also expected to field one rider, along with three other Canadian cyclists, to the Pro Sprint Challenge.

Found my Seated Power again and loved the course – great tempo climb up the front and then a really tough and technical climb on the back…. nothing easy if you weren’t on your game….  I started really strong and rode off the front at the start of the 2nd lap… built a lead only to lose it by crashing twice in about 2min… the first time was just an Idiot Fall but the 2nd one was a Gooder… lost a pedal, lost my balance, through a shikane, down a drop, over the rock drop and over the bars…. took a tumble and decided to just close my eyes when i saw gravel and dust going past my vision….

Evidence of the Summersault on the helmet, and it shook me up for a bit…. and allowed Holgrem to catch back on…. i lead for most of the last lap but was unable / unwilling to go when he went…

Evidence of the Hip First Flop….. also had to figure out my saddle…. found it pointing straight up when i re-mounted and it kept slipping… which was quickly followed by my Bum Bouncing in an attempt to re-level it…. but happy with 2nd – finished over 3min up on 3rd and 1min faster than the winner of the 30-39 category… Fast Old Guys…

and yes… Jake missed the entire race because he was looking for ant hills under the big rocks…. boys….

That’s the message Canadian National Aerial Ski Team Head Coach Daniel Murphy wants to give Canadian gymnasts, trampolinists and divers who are heading towards retirement – along with any other acrobatically-inclined athletes who are interested in trying their moves on snow.

He and Development Coach Nicolas Fontaine are starting an aggressive multi-faceted approach to attract new talent into the exciting sport of aerials.
But he also wants you to know that aerials is not an instant gratification proposition. The sport is anything but easy and the progressions are slow – often taking men four years or more to get up to the level where you can do the quadruple twisting triple back flips that are ubiquitous in World Cup competition.

That being said, Murphy believes that there are a lot of driven and dedicated acrobats who will thrive in the sport. “Gymnasts will recognize themselves in aerials,” said Murphy, “With our classic lines and regimented progression schedule we have a lot in common with them.”

The big difference is really in the adrenaline. With aerials that the sky’s the limit, and that’s the payoff. Soaring to heights upwards of 50 feet, aerialists get the most hang time of any acrobatic sport.

Murphy also wants you to know a little secret about aerials, “You don’t actually need to be a skier, we can teach you the skiing skills. What we want people to bring is the air sense — the ability to twist a flip. Actually, the optimal situation would be for a potential new aerialist to learn skiing for a couple of years while they are still training and competing in whatever other acrobatic sport they come from. The key is that they have the discipline to work hard.”

To this point Murphy concedes that compared to moguls, halfpipe and slopestyle, “We’re the less-cool freestyle discipline.”

But, what is cool is a chance to represent Canada at the Olympics and, in that arena, aerials is among the top of the pecking order — consistently one of the fastest-selling tickets at the Games with six medals up for grabs to countries who can perform.

Yet even with Canada’s traditional domination in the sport, including multiple World Championship titles and World Cup medals by athletes like Fontaine, Steve Omischl and most recently Warren Shouldice, finding athletes has always been a challenge.

The Canadian team used an aggressive approach to attract competing gymnasts in preparation for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Four members of that push, including 2013 World Championship silver medalist Travis Gerrits, are still on the team and have legitimate hopes at earning berths for the Sochi Games.

Murphy said he and Fontaine want to build on the success they had with the Jump 2010 Program. ”We’re trying to forge long-term partnerships with our peers in gymnastics, trampoline and diving so that they can present aerials as an option for athletes at the logical end of their careers in those sports but who still have an Olympic dream.” Murphy hopes this approach will create a constant flow of new talent into the sport in Canada.

It’s a technique that’s worked for Australia, home to the 2010 Olympic Champion Lydia Lassila, who reached her dream after retiring from competitive gymnastics.

“In 1999 the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia started a new recruitment model where they would select ex-gymnasts and introduce them to the world of freestyle skiing. They figured that gymnasts are equipped with a strong skill set that could be transferred to aerial skiing in particular. Some of these included balance, agility, strength, acrobatic awareness and a good work ethic. I was one of two gymnasts selected to ‘guinea pig’ the program. I had no experience skiing before but with good coaching from the beginning, I picked it up quickly. Skiing progressed to jumping and before I knew it, I was competing in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics Where I finished 8th. The model worked and since then, the selection process has continued and become more refined,” said Lassila who has earned 32 World Cup podiums.

Cord Spero was a member of the Canadian aerial squad before moving to Australia as head coach of their successful national team, so he knows both systems well. “It’s really hard to find people for aerials,” he acknowledged, “And for every one that succeeds there are seven to 10 that didn’t for various reasons. You need a desire to work really hard with little reward for a long time. It’s the true definition of delayed gratification, but if you stick with it it’s an amazing opportunity.”

And, said Spero, the opportunity is especially good for women because there are fewer women in the sport and because the lower degree of difficulty of the jumps (most women perform doubles) makes the progression faster.

Australia’s system seems to be working, and there is no doubt this summer-sport nation will, once again, be a medal threat on aerial hill in Sochi.
Spero also contends that Australia’s recruitment model is successful because the country’s top athletes (active and retired) are tireless promoters of their sport, and because they have a dedicated recruitment coordinator who is constantly on the lookout for new talent.

Canada and Australia are not the only nations actively searching for aerial talent. In fact, the US is running an aggressive recruitment contest that offers the winner of an on-line video contest the opportunity to attend the team’s tryout camp. Videos of candidates hoping to try their talents in aerials be found at: https://create.it/campaigns/us-ski-team-tryout-camp-for-acrobats-gymnasts

Murphy is thinking of instituting a similar push in Canada. “Aerials has always been kindof on oxygen, that’s nothing new” he said, conceding that, at about 11, there’s a relatively small pool of countries currently represented on the World Cup circuit. “But, contrary to what some people say, aerials is not dead, it’s not event dying, and in some countries, like China, Belarus and Switzerland, the program is very strong.”

FIS Freestyle Coordinator Joe Fitzgerald agrees and explained that from a viewership perspective aerials is thriving, “Freestyle Skiing Aerials at the World Cup, World Championships and Olympic Games level, is one of the most acrobatic and exciting events of the International Ski Federation. The skills expressed by these top competitors is something to behold, in person or on TV. These competitions have received some of the top ratings during the recent Winter Olympic Games,” said Fitzgerald.

Murphy also pointed out that some of today’s best mogul talent has come out of aerials. In fact, Canadian Olympic Champion Alex Bilodeau and two-time FIS mogul Crystal Globe winner Mikael Kingsbury both credit their tremendous talent on the mogul hill to their strong aerials background. The Canadian aerial coaches believe this kind of talent transfer can go both ways and that there are probably mogul or slopestyle skiers out there who could become great aerialists if they take advantage of the opportunity.

In addition to ongoing and long-term recruitment projects, Murphy and Fontaine are also putting together two promotional ‘Try Aerials’ camps at the Water Ramp facilities in Lac Beauport, Que. this summer. Kids who are selected to attend will receive free equipment, coaching and lodging for the duration of the camps, which run from July 17 – 21 and August 14 – 18. Anyone interested should contact Murphy in Montreal at: danielmurphy@freestyleski.com or Nicolas Fontaine in Quebec City at: nicolasfontaine@freestyleski.com.

The 100m race, on the other hand, needs no introduction. While chucking a spear or hurdling over obstacles may not be relatable to the average person, arguably everyone with legs has sprinted as fast as they can at some point in their lives, and many people around the world eagerly tune in for the 100m events at major championships.

Ladies and gentlemen, I now join the legions of people in love with the 100m race! I ran my first 100m race (since grade 3 or so) yesterday at the AO National Standards Meet at York University.

My time of 12.03s beats my coach’s and roommate’s predictions of 12.4 and 12.35 respectively (my own coach!!!) and puts me in the top 20 in the country. More importantly, it was a blast!!!! I felt like I was right back in elementary school, racing the boys.

Which reminds me of a story:

My roommates Caro and Amanda and I were doing some shopping at the local grocery store a few weeks ago when a group of 4 or 5 guys stopped us. “You look fast. Are you guys fast??” they asked. One thing led to another and before I knew it I was on the starting line, or rather, behind a crack in the pavement in the grocery store parking lot. My heart was racing and my legs were tingling. Go time.

Needless to say, that night they had the privilege of being beaten by a girl.

I’m looking forward channeling this newfound 100m gal while running the 200m in the heptathlon at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Moncton next week! Hope to see you there!

After what seemed like a century of travelling, both the national team and myself have make it all safely to our bautiful accomodation in Val di Sole, Italy. Val di Sole means “Valley of the Sun” in english, so expectations are high. Previously, in the 2008, I attended my first World Championships, first major race and first trip outside of Canada and it just happend to be here, in Val di Sole. We once again arrived with a great group of athletes, staff and all the better, friends. After many years of travelling a lot of us have spent many night, days, trains, flights, course pre-rides, meals and time hanging out to get to know eachother and ultimately become friends. We, as the athletes, have the priviledge of some amazing staff members who allow us to feel like full on, professional athletes on these trips. We have a world class coach/manager who happens to be my personal coach, Dan Proulx, mechanics that are capable of working on the finest professional teams out there and physiotherapists that can fix anything we crash or over-use ourselves into. That said, thank-you staff! There is a lot of behind the scenes work done at Cycling Canada that we don’t first hand see, but that we very much appreciate. As for athletes, riders hail from all over the country and come together a team ready to proudly represent the maple leaf. The national team is large, and this is a smaller project going on that am apart of here, which consists of:

Antoine Caron – Under 23 Men

Marc Antoine-Nadon – Under 23 Men

Andréanne Pichette – Elite Women

Mikaela Kofman – Elite Womn

Frédérique Trudel – Under 23 Women

Rachel Pageau – Junior Women

Peter Disera -Junior Men

Dan Proulx – Coach/Manager

Adam Trotter – Mechanic

Scott Kelly – Mechanic

Ryan Wilkinson – Physiotherapist

After all arriving safely in Milan, the team travelled up into the mountains on some of the most amazing roads one could ever drive. With some much needed coffee/pee/food/coffee stops we found the most amazing Autogrill made right overtop of the highway, for the best views when eating at the salad bar.

Back on the road again, this time it was the final leg to Val di Sole. After arriving to our hotel and grabbing some groceries I took off with Antoine for an hour spin up the road. Basic roads in Europe are better than any roads in Canada, so we just cruised up this little mountain road for 45 min and then turned around and road straight back down. I won’t even try to explain how unbelievable the views are because there are pictures below, so look!

After another alright night sleep where I am tending to wake up at 2am and staying away for a bit. On the first night I went to bed at 11pm(2pm BC time) and slept solid until 2, then watched an entire season of Entourage before I felt back asleep from 530-11 am and almost missed our 11am hotel departure, you could say I cut that one close! Lastnight, however, I slept from 11-530 and then was up. Not a bad first two nights considering it’s a 9 hr time change. After waking up I was the first one down to our Euro stayle breakfast, which I will post picture of later, and just drank coffee and slowly ate some breaky. After watching the sun fully rise and the temperatures sore we set our in a big Canadian contingent to tear of the local bike paths. Atfer a little warm up I scouted lines on the course with Marc and Peter. I will go as far as saying this is the most climbing/steepest climbing per lap of any race I’ve ever done. Lucky for me though it containes a half decent descent where you need skill, the downhills pretty much go straight down and loose elevation quickly, whch doesn’t help it feel like an even uphill-downhill ratio. Lastlap of the day I took out the GoPro and and shot some video of other Canadians. Hopefully the video is up before I come home, otherwise it will be live on YouTube early next week.

Cross Country Eliminator can be watched on RedBull TV: http://live.redbull.tv/events/219/uci-mtb-world-cup-2013-val-di-sole-crosscountry-eliminator/

LIMA, Peru, June 16, 2013 – Canada swept Peru 25-21, 25-14, 25-19 in the seventh place match at the Pan American Cup women’s volleyball tournament on Sunday night.

The Canadians dominated 11-2 in the blocking category and 5-2 in service winners while scoring on 20 errors by the opponents while committing 15.

Shanice Marcelle, Lisa Barclay and Kyla Richey finished with 13, 12 and 10 points for the winning side while Jaimie Thibeault had 9, with three blocks included.

“It was a very strong tournament for us,” said Canada’s head coach Arnd Ludwig.  “The main thing was that we finished among the top seven. I am very glad with the performance of my team during the competition.”

 “It was a difficult game but we were motivated point by point and were convinced about winning,” added Canadian team captain Brittney Page.

The U.S., defeated the Dominican Republic 25-12, 25-20, 25-18 for the gold and Argentina bounced Brazil 25-23, 25-22, 25-18 for bronze.  In the fifth place match it was Puerto Rico over Cuba 24-26, 25-18, 18-25, 25-22, 15-9.

12-member Canadian roster for the Pan Am Cup June 8-17 in Lima, Peru:

Outside Hitters:

Lisa Barclay, Brandon , MB,, University of British Columbia 

Shanice Marcelle, Victoria BC, UBC

Brittney Page, Vernon BC, Barbar D’X-Elles (Belgium)

Tabi Love, Daupin, MB, Caguas Criollas (Puerto Rico)

Marie-Pier Murray- Methot, Quebec City, Montichiari Volley Femminile (Italy)

Kyla      Richey, Robert’s Creek, BC, SC Potsdam (Germany)

Middle Blockers:

Marisa Field, Kelowna BC, Istres Ouest Provence (France)

Jaimie Thibeault, Sylvan Lake AB, E.S. Cannet Rocheville (France)

Lucy Charuk, Tsawwassen, BC, ZOK Split 1700 (Croatia) 

Setters:

Dani Smith, Beaverlodge, AB, Vancouver Island Univeristy

Jennifer Lundquist, Surrey, BC, Montana State Univeristy

Libero:

Janie    Guimond, Becancour, QC, Kopenicker Sport Club (Germany)

CANET-EN-ROUSILLON, France – Sinead Russell of Burlington, Ont., just missed earning a second medal at the third and last stop on the Mare Nostrum swimming circuit Sunday placing fourth in the women’s 200-m backstroke.

Katinka Hosszu of Hungary won the gold medal in two minutes and 09.76 seconds, Daryna Zevina of Ukraine was second in 2:10.59 and Duane DaRocha of Spain third in 2:10.80.

Russell, a 2012 Olympian tuning up for this summer’s FINA World Championships, touched the wall in 2:12.24.  She took third spot on Saturday in the 100-m backstroke clocking 1:00.81.

Breanne Siwicki of Winnipeg was also in the 200-m backstroke final but was disqualified.

Siwicki was one of three national junior team members who competed here as well as at the second stop earlier this week in Barcelona.

On Sunday, Jeffrey Swanston of Newmarket, Ont., was 10^th overall in the men’s 200-m backstroke and 11^th in the 50-m backstroke.  Evan White of Oakville, Ont., a bronze medallist Saturday in the 200-m individual medley, was 12^th in the 200-m butterfly.

The game began with both sides trading chances and making tight defensive plays. Each side took turns holding the advantage, but Canada left the first 10 minutes of the game sporting a slim 12-11 lead. The relatively low-scoring affair continued as both sides buckled-down in their own ends. Team Canada held onto their slight lead for the majority of the quarter, but a late push allowed Puerto Rico to outscore Canada 14-9 in the frame and go ahead 25-21 heading into halftime.

Canada spent the first five minutes of the third quarter trying to mount a comeback against a tough Puerto Rican defence. Hamilton, Ont. native Nolan Narain entered the game and made an immediate impact. He used his size and skill to lead Canada on a run, making two consecutive baskets and then finishing a three-point play to provide his side with a seven-point lead. Once again, Puerto Rico responded; this time, with a furious 8-0 run to close-out the frame and build a 39-38 lead.

It looked like the game would come down to the wire. The fourth began with both sides playing very evenly. A turnover was met with a steal; a basket at one end led to a difficult lay-up at the other. With just over six minutes to play, head coach Dave DeAveiro brought his troops in. The coach’s words seemed to hit home as Toronto, Ontario’s Koby McEwen connected on a three-pointer on the ensuing play after the timeout. The CMNT showed heart and determination the rest of the way in outscored the opposition 20-5 in the game’s last six minutes to finish the tournament in third place.

For the fourth time in the competition, Team Canada was led by Kitchener, Ontario’s Jamal Murray, who finished the afternoon with 15 points, including a perfect 9-for-9 performance from the free-throw line, to go along with three rebounds, three assists and four steals. McEwen and Narain also posted double-digits in scoring with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Eddie Ekiyor collected 11 rebounds on the day while Justin Jackson came away with eight. Complete game statistics available here.

The Cadet Men’s National Team will now set its sights upon the 2014 U17 FIBA World Championship for Men. Canada had already clinched a berth in next year’s premiere under-17 basketball event after completing the qualifying round with a perfect 3-0 record. The team and staff will return home next week with a wealth of international experience, Canada across their chests and a bronze medal around their necks.

After stops in Kaixian and Huaihua, Wuqi now plays host to the third leg of the competition. The game began with furious action from the Canadians as they bolted ahead 32-9 in the game’s first 10 minutes. The Americans seemed lost as Team Canada swarmed them on defence and responded with quick and efficient scoring. Team USA found its legs in the second and matched Canada shot-for-shot as both teams finished with 22 points in the frame. Holland Landing, Ontario’s Kevin Pangos facilitated the offence and paced the squad to its 54-31 advantage at halftime.

The second half opened with a flurry of activity from Team USA. Whatever ailed the Americans during the game’s first 20 minutes had apparently been cured. The team’s potent offence took Canada by surprise as the United States opened with a strong run and held Canada without a field goal for several minutes. By the end of the period, Canada’s lead had been cut to 11 with Team USA carrying all the momentum. The American side completed the comeback late in the fourth quarter as Canada desperately tried to hang on for the victory. Canada had a chance to finish the game in regulation, but could not capitalize.

The United States, hoping to avoid a sweep by the Canadians, kept up their strong play in overtime. They made big three-pointers and put back second-chance points, but Canada held its ground and responded well to the American’s push. Toronto, Ont. native Daniel Mullings was a key contributor for Team Canada in the extra frames, knocking down several shots down the stretch to keep his team in the contest. On the last possession of the match, the Canadians pressured the United States into turning the ball over and the Americans were forced to foul. Canada drained 1-of-2 from the line to go ahead by two. Team USA’s attempt to tie the game, and force a third overtime session, rimmed-out and the Red and White triumphed once again.

Head coach Jay Triano appreciates the three-game sweep of Team USA, but views today’s contest as an important learning tool. “It’s always a challenge playing the United States. Winning all three games was difficult, so I’m proud of our guys for that. We still need to focus on playing a complete game with consistent effort. We’re continuing to grow as a team, but there’s still work to be done. With two games to go, we needed a tough test and we got that today.”

Canada will close-out its three-game set with host nation China on Monday morning with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 a.m. (ET). The first two meetings between Team Canada and the host-nation resulted in two victories for the Canadians by scores of 70-66 and 81-62.

Competition gear at it’s finest

Overkill at Canuck Stuff

I’ve already mentioned that we’ve partnered up with Canuck Stuff, a Canadian volleyball specialist store that offers sweet clothing from Overkill. These guys have been so supportive of us and we are proud to be a part of their team.
www.canuckstuff.com

These babies kept us nice and toasty in Holland

2XU




These tights are awesome. Not only do they keep you nice and warm on cold training/ competition days, the compression that is built into them is key for long flights. They are also really comfortable and reflective! So many features! We love our 2XU tights.
www.2xu.com

Jamie rocking the Dawn Top, one of our faves!

Sensi Bikinis






Jamie and I know bikinis. We wear one almost every day. So when we found Sensi,  we got pretty excited. Not only are these bikinis sporty and functional (as they’re ‘designed for girls who rip’) they also look really really cool. There are so many sweet styles. We can’t get enough of them!
If you contact either one of us, we can get you a promotional code for a discount on anything on their website. OMG! Definitely worth checking out!
www.sensibikinis.com

Adopt an Athlete
One last bit of exciting news… if you like being kept up to date with our adventures and want to help out, here’s your chance! Every little bit of help goes a long way… more than you know. It’s also nice to see people’s support. It means so much to us, and you may be the difference that gets us a couple more wins on tour. Not only that, you can be eligible for a tax receipt! Win/win!!  Here’s a link to the form: Adopt and Athlete
A couple of things to note:  In order to offer a charitable tax receipt Volleyball Canada requires donors specify a sport (not an athlete) to direct the funds to; the donations cannot be earmarked for any individual athlete. However, donors can add a note of who they would like to see their money go towards and Volleyball Canada will do their part in providing expense reimbursements to those athletes. So please consider looking into this. If you feel like you want so spread some love or earn a few karma points, keep Jamie and Kristina in mind!

broderjamie@gmail.com
kvaljas@gmail.com
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