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THROWING NEWSVision of the future looms large with sports fraternity by John Kernaghan Mississauga The theme wasn't so much 'show us the money' as 'show us the way' over the weekend, as about 400 sports delegates from across Canada met on key issues. "I think people are frustrated, they want to move ahead and the feeling is that it's just talk right now," Olympic cycling medalist Curt Harnett said yesterday, as speaker after speaker rose at a session on government leadership and asked for directions. "They want leadership, they want someone to show the way," added Harnett, who was a key figure in Toronto's bid for the 2008 Olympics. The weekend conference hosted by the Coaching Association of Canada looked at a variety of issues, many of which were part of a national debate in the wake of Canada's modest medal yield at the Sydney Olympics a year ago. The questions are more acute these days following a series of regional symposiums on sport in the past year and a national conference on a country-wide sports policy in April. The answers from federal and provincial government officials were pretty much the same. They agreed with problems but noted that ongoing discussions and research were dealing with them. Many sports leaders counseled patience. Guy Bradbury, general manager of the Sport Alliance of Ontario, pointed out that the Secretary of State for Sport, Denis Coderre asked for a year to deliver a national policy, and still has six months to deliver. "There is frustration in the sports community to move forward but as an example, the fact there has never been a meeting of this size for coaches shows progress. And on a smaller scale, community sports organizations are coming together like never before and sharing information and resources." Bradbury agreed sports groups in Canada should be concerned that they are hoping for help at a time when the federal government's agenda has radically shifted due to terrorism and economic decline. "But I think that in a time of war, sports are a welcome respite for people and should be encouraged. An economic concern would be that governments are receiving less revenue and funding organizations like the Canadian Olympic Association are getting less back on their investments." Sometimes, though, intellectual investment garners the best yield. That was the theme of one of the most popular sessions on the weekend. Norwegian high performance director Thor Ole Rimejorde showed how the power of thought in an athlete-centred system brings great results. Rimejorde took over the struggling Norwegian program in 1984 and helped move his country from tenth in the '88 Winter Olympics to fourth in 1992, first in 1994 and second in 1998. That's a progression from five medals to 20, then 26 and 25. "When I took over we didn't go to our prime minister (looking for money), we just started to work with the athletes. In a country of four million people, it was results first, then money. Even today our rowers don't get much money but still are amongst the best in the world." The Norwegian model shifts the focus of athletes from a "train-me" attitude to one of taking personal responsibility. "We ask athletes what is the thing that they get the most joy in when they train and compete. And then we say, how do you make that one thing even better. "There is a limit to the quantity of work an athlete can do, but no limit to the quality." Rimejorde said it is a holistic approach that creates the 24-hour athlete, the person who marries his job and his social life to his competitive goals. "They've had great success," agreed Bradbury of the Sports Alliance of Ontario. "If an athlete there wants to be a dentist, he will get help with that after his 10 years on the national team." You can contact John Kernaghan by e-mail at jkernaghan@hamiltonspectator.com or by phone at 905-526-3422. If you have news, results or information that you would like to share, please let us know by using our submissions form or contact Larry Steinke. [ MEET INFORMATION ] [ ANALYSIS & TIPS ] [ THROWS ARTICLES ] [ INTERVIEWS ] [ RECORDS ] [ RESULTS ] [ CLASSIFIEDS ] [ HOT LINK ARCHIVE ] [ DISCUSSION FORUM ] [ SUBMISSIONS ] [ THROWERS QUIZ ] [ GUESTBOOK ] |
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