November 6, 2001
By Ron Manz -- Calgary Sun
Tuesday, November 6, 2001

High hopes for freestylers
Canadian officials believe they have their best team ever

There is a great deal of optimism surrounding the Canadian national freestyle ski team's chances for medals at the Salt Lake Olympics.

Officials with the squad believe this could be one of the most talented teams Canada has entered.

"Based on the summer sessions and extra training they have put in, and coupled with early season results, we really should see the best results ever," stated national freestyle team leader Todd Allison.

"We should be in line for medals as long as the rest of the world hasn't stepped up significantly as well. We are going into these games much more prepared as a team than we did Nagano four years ago. We learned from our mistakes there and have taken all the steps we can this time to correct and eliminate those errors."

Allison pointed out, at the last Olympics, the Canadian freestyle team had too many outside distractions to be able to concentrate on competing.

This time, an entire outside team of support people has been put in place to handle peripheral concerns, allowing the athletes to focus solely on the job of earning Olympic medals.

Calgarians and Albertans figure prominently in the proposed makeup of the national team that will be selected to compete for Canada.

Red Deer's Deidra Dionne is our country's No. 2 aerialist on the women's team behind veteran Veronica Brenner of Toronto. Dionne claimed the bronze medal at last winter's World Championships at Whistler.

She also competed in her first World Cup finals in March. And he's just 19.

Calgary's Kyle Nissen is pushing for a spot on the men's aerials team. He managed to earn a silver medal at the opening World Cup event in Australia last month.

Coupled with a gold medal -- won in only his second World Cup event two years ago -- Kyle is in a position where he is battling two other guys for the fourth and final spot.

"Kyle had a tough year last year but he has battled back as his early season result shows," said Allison.

"Three-time World Cup champ Nicolas Fontaine has a lock on the top spot, with Steve Omischl and Andy Capicik holding down spots two and three.

"Kyle is in a group on the bubble but he has two more World Cups Jan. 12 and 13 he can score points in to move up and grab the final berth."

The same scenario holds true for Calgary mogul skier Ryan Johnson.

He is also on the bubble, though he currently holds down the fourth and final position. Allison says he will be pushed hard for it by Cranbrook's Jim Schiman.

"They are best friends and training partners but they are going to have to go head-to-head against each other to earn a spot on the Olympic team.

"There are five mogul World Cups coming up before the Olympics so there is plenty of opportunity for both to score results. Actually, they each have an opportunity to move higher up the standings on the team.

"Three-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medallist Jean Luc Brassard is coming back from a serious knee injury. He sits in third place at the moment.

"If Ryan and Jim pull off some great results, who knows."

Edmonton's Jennifer Heil leads the women's team in moguls. She was named World Cup rookie of the year after a silver and bronze performance last season.

Allison sees no reason why the 18-year-old won't be able to continue that success this winter.
"We are coming off one of the best summer training sessions we've ever experienced in Canada. "I couldn't ask for a stronger, more promising team that we are putting together to challenge for world come February."

Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport
N202 - 801 King Edward Avenue
Ottawa, ON, Canada
K1N 6N5
Phone: 613-562-5667
Fax: 613-562-5668
Email: caaws@caaws.ca