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USACK 2007 Australia Youth Olympic Festival Photos |
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Updates from the 2007 USACK Australian Youth Olympic Festival Tour
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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Connie Hagler
(678) 232-3171
January 6, 2007 (Gainesville, GA) Five Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club athletes will travel to ‘The Land Down Under’ for the Australian Youth Olympic Festival. Over 1500 athletes from 17 sports will be competing. Lanier athletes will be going head to head with the best 19 and under athletes from Australia, Chinese Taipei, China, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. China and Great Britain have particularly high hopes for their young athletes with their sights set on success at the upcoming Olympics they are hosting. This competition will provide wonderful international experience for the US 19 and under team. Australia hosts the AYOF every two years. This is the second time Lanier athletes have had the opportunity to compete under the direction of Guy and Shelley Wilding.
Lanier athletes Emily Mickle, Emily Vinson, Brady Bragg, Josh Brandsma and Sheaffer Sorrells will be leaving on Monday, January 8th for a two week tour. The group will also have the opportunity to compete in several other Australian events. The AYOF competition will be on January 18 and 19 and can be followed on the AYOF web site: www.olympics.com.au/ayof07 Lanier athletes will be joined by Taran Stucchio from Rockaway Olympic Canoe and Kayak Club in New York, Patrick Dolan from the Hawaii Canoe and Kayak Team and Maia Farrar Wellman from the Washington Canoe Club and Katrina Batina from the Gig Harbor Club in Washington State. Mary Taylor and Victoria Llonch also qualified, but declined their positions. The team was qualified based on 2006 competitive results.
The team will be led by USACK Development Coach Guy Wilding and team leader Katie Hagler. The Olympic Festival is an outstanding opportunity for international competition as US athletes prepare for the 2007 Junior and Senior World Championships. Many thanks to Guy for coordinating this fantastic opportunity for our youth!
L to R Katie Hagler, Sheaffer Sorrells, Emily Mickle, Brady Bragg, Emily Vinson, Josh Brandsma
Pat Dolan brings home the Gold! Emily Mickle the Bronze!
AYOF - Day One (quick results)Pat - 1st in K1 500m final (1.41 - pb by 4 seconds)Taran - 4th - also PBSheaffer Sorrells (7th B final) PB by 4 secondsEmily Mickle 3rd by 7/1000ths (1.57)Emily Vinson (9th)K4 girls 4thK4 boys brilliant 2nd just missing out on beating the Hungarians ( 1.28 )K2 girls - 5th in semi finalK2 boys - both out in semi finalsSome great racing. Some lessons learnt. 1000m tomorrow and another greta day ahead for Team USA.Guy WildingUSA Canoe & Kayak (Sprint)National Development Coach
From: Guy Wilding [mailto:guy@sgwilding.com]
Hi again,Just another quick update.....The athletes were given the day off today and traveled into Sydney on the Manly Ferry to see the Opera House, Harbor Bridge etc Tomorrow morning we will travel down to Wollongong to contest the NSW State Ocean Racing Championships over a 12k course. Most of the US athletes will be having their first experience of Ocean Racing and have opted to compete in the double ski division (safety in numbers ???) The Great Britain AYOF athletes are also competing in the event so it should be interesting. More soon...........Regards - GuyGuy WildingUSA Canoe & Kayak (Sprint)National Development CoachToday Team USA traveled down to Wollongong to compete in the NSW State Ocean Racing Championships. Only three of the athletes elected to sit out the ski race.
The God's were smiling on the team as the ocean conditions were very mild which meant a long hard 12k slog in hot weather. There were quite a few divisions and a lot of competitors which made for some great racing.Pat Dolan teamed up with 9 time Moloka'i champion Dean Gardner on a double Fenn and they took out line honours. Taran Stucchio was 2nd in the open men's division unlimited class. Katie Hagler and Emily Mickle teamed up to win the women's double SLSA ski division. Kai Chong and Sheaffer Sorrells won the open men's division of the SLSA ski. Brady Bragg and Josh Brandsma were 3rd in the U/19 SLSA double ski division. Coach Guy Wilding was 1st in the masters division of the unlimited class.So once again everyone went home with medals !More later.......Guy WildingUSA Canoe & Kayak (Sprint)National Development Coach
From: Guy Wilding [mailto:guy@sgwilding.com]
Sent: Saturday, 13 January 2007 1:18 PM
Results from the NSW 200m State Championships at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Course, Penrith, Australia.Gold - Junior K1 - Emily VinsonGold - u/22 K1 - Taran StucchioGold - u/22 K1 - Emily MickleGold - Junior women's K2 - Katarina Batina & Emily Vinson.Silver - Open women's K2 - Katie Hagler (teamed with Australian AYOF team member : Joanne Brigden-Jones)Bronze - Junior - K2 - Sheaffer Sorrells, Kai ChongGold - Open men's K4 -Josh Brandsma, Brady Bragg, Pat Dolan and Taran StucchioGold - Junior K4 - Sheaffer Sorrells, Kai Chong (+ 2 MWKC athletes)Gold - Junior K4 - Emily Vinson, Katarina Batina, Maia Farrar-Wellman, Emily Mickle.Gold - Open women's K4 - Emily Mickle, Katie Hagler (teamed with Australian Olympians : Shelley Oates-Wilding & Paula Harvey)At the conclusion of the State Championship events the 9 fastest K1 times from heats, semis and finals of all K1 events lined up and raced a series of knockout races until the last boat (8 races). 1st, 2nd and 3rd won prizemoney. Taran Stucchio finished in 5th position in the men's. Emily Vinson finished in 5th position in the women, Emily Mickle finished in 7th position in the women's and Katie Hagler finished in 9th position in the women's.RegardsGuy WildingUSA Canoe & Kayak (Sprint)National Development CoachCell : 1 619 587 4454
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Connie Hagler
(678) 232-3171
January 17, 2007 (Gainesville, GA)
Australia’s head manager Christine Duff believes Nicole Rutland, who will contest the K1 and K2 events, has what it takes to win gold.
Meanwhile Robert Weisz, head coach of the Hungarian team acknowledges that France, England and Australia have strong teams. Despite this he said, “I hope Hungary will be the strongest.”
Weisz points to Tamara Gsipes as leading a strong medal charge for Hungary in the in K4 500m and 1000m events.
While many AYOF competitors have been raised in sporting families, others started paddling as little as three years ago and are already classed amongst the world’s best within their age group.
Gsipes and Blanka Gyuluy are Hungarian paddlers following in the footsteps of their fathers who are Olympic canoeing gold- medallists. Eighteen-year-old Gsipes has been canoeing since she was five.
“My father said I should try canoeing, and I think it was a very good idea,” she explained.
Gsipes has already tasted success having won gold medals at the 2005 World Junior Championships, and 2006 European Championships.
At the other end of the spectrum are 18-year-old Aussie newcomers Nicole Rutland and Louise Davies.
Rutland and Davies have competed together previously, having won gold and silver medals at the 2005 National Youth Olympics.
Rutland only started paddling three years ago after being selected through a local high school excellence program.
“I didn’t think anything of it and then I won a gold medal at a school race and I said yes, I’m going to the Olympics now,” she said.
Rutland has come a long way since then, “I am so competitive, second is not good enough. I need gold.”
Davies has also only been paddling for five years after being selected at a state Netball camp in year 7 by the South Australian sports talent-search program.
“They said I was suited to Kayaking and I’ve been doing it ever since,” she said.
Rutland and Davies are both hoping that their passion and determination will take them all the way to the Olympics.
“It’s a hard sport to persevere with because it’s hard to stay in a boat for long periods. You wouldn’t be doing it if you didn’t want to get there,” Davies said.
Competition in flatwater events at the 2007 AYOF take place on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 January at the Sydney 2000 Olympic venue, Penrith Regatta Centre in Western Sydney.
Larissa Di Mauro
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