CANOE KAYAK. High Performance News TEAM AUSTRALIA. Inside this Edition. Issue 5: March 2008

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1 TEAM AUSTRALIA CANOE KAYAK Issue 5: March 2008 High Performance News Inside this Edition Flatwater Coaches Forum Final Selection Races Australian Hopes on the Line - Oceania Wallace Flexes Muscles at GP2 National Talent Squad Announced Latest Athlete & Coach Profiles

2 AUSTRALIAN HOPES ON THE LINE IN PENRITH After months of anticipation the Oceania Olympic Qualification Regatta has finally arrived and the best paddlers from around the Oceania region have converged on Penrith for the joint Flatwater and event that runs from March Chantal Meek will enter the Women s K1 500m as the favourite to win the event and book a place for Australia at the Olympics. Meek has powered through the domestic calendar to date, but will need to hold off the challenge from New Zealand s Erin Taylor. The event promises to be an exciting spectacle and regular updates will be provided through the official tournament website The event offers Olympic hopefuls from the region their last chance to qualify athlete quotas for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Ken Wallace For Australian athletes, it also serves as the first round of selection trials for the 2008 Australian team, the team that will be nominated to the AOC for selection on the Australian Olympic Team. Both the Australian Flatwater and teams will be named before the end of March. Australia has so far qualified three Flatwater boats for the sporting showpiece in August, with the Men s K1 1000m, Men s K4 1000m and Women s K4 500m all confirmed starters in Beijing. At this regatta there will be an opportunity to qualify the Men s K1 500m, Women s K1 500m and either the Men s C1 500m or C1 1000m. Australian athletes will not have it all their own way however, with a strong New Zealand contingent coming across the ditch to also try and claim the final Olympic places on offer. In the Men s K1 500m, New Zealanders Steven Ferguson, Mike Walker and Troy Burbridge will be the main athletes that threaten the Australian paddlers. Both Ferguson and Walker showed good form at the recent GP2 event on the same course and will be well prepared for the encounter. Reece Baker, Tony Schumacher, Clint Robinson and young gun Jacob Clear will be Australia s favoured competitors in the event, with one of these men needing to produce a win in the final to gain Australia that extra spot in Beijing. Clear has shown very impressive form in the early part of 2008, and even if he does not chalk up a win on this occasion, the future looks bright. Across at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium Australia will be aiming to qualify two further boats. Robin Bell (C1) and Kate Lawrence (WK1) booked athlete quotas for Australia after their performances at the 2007 World Championships in Brazil last year, but Australia remains unqualified in the C2 and K1. Lachie Milne and Mark Bellofiore, barring any disasters will be favoured to claim the C2 place for Australia ahead of the New Zealand pairing of Bryden Nicholas and Andrew Robinson. A clean run for the Australian duo should be enough to see them take a step closer to Beijing. The Men s K1 spot promises to be a fantastic showdown between the Australians and New Zealanders, and not only for which country gains qualification but the selection battle within the individual countries. At the recent Australian Open World Series event Anthony Brown was excellent in finishing 3rd, but he was closely followed by Will Forsythe and Sam Lyons, while Warwick Draper and Robbie Parker will also consider themselves as contenders for the position. Kiwi Michael Dawson will loom as a large threat after a strong start to 2008, while fellow countryman Yohan Rosenburg should not be discounted. Kate Lawrence The Oceania event is not all about the New Zealand and Australian competitors. The Olympic spirit is already in motion some five months out from the games and countries who do not figure as prominently on the international scene will also be competing in Penrith. Guam s Sean Pangelinan will compete in the Flatwater events throughout the week, while the Cook Islands Ella Nicholas will take on the rapids on the whitewater course. FLATWATER FOCUS CHANTAL MEEK Birthplace: Kent, GBR Residence: Manly, NSW Occupation: School Teacher Club: Manly, NSW Began the sport: In 1995 Date of birth: 19 Dec 1978 Height: 164cm Weight: 55Kg Hobbies: Having fun with friends/ family, mountain biking, swimming, camping and walking in the national park. Current Coach: Martin marinov Institute/Academy: AIS/NSWIS Career Highlight(s): Qualified the LK4 Olympic spot after finishing 6th at the 2007 World Champs; 2008 World Cup Gold Medal in the Ladies K2 1000m; LK2 bronze over 500m & Silver in the LK4. Ambition: Win Olympic Gold in Beijing 2008 Most Influential Person in Career: Her parents, Russell Parsons, Debbie Flintoff and Phil King Sports: Competed at the National School Champs in Athletics in 93/94 Quotes: Quotes are for people who find security & strength through other peoples thoughts, when they should be using/searching for their own.

3 WALLACE FLEXES MUSCLES AHEAD OF OCEANIA Ken Wallace produced an excellent display of racing at the Flatwater Grand Prix 2 event to take a clean sweep of all the 1000m events. The second leg of the Grand Prix circuit was held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre, February and those that turned up to watch were treated to a spectacle from Wallace. Clint Robinson sensationally had to withdraw from the Men s K1 1000m event, preventing a showdown between himself, Ken Wallace and New Zealander Ben Fouhy. Wallace and Robinson are both vying for the Men s K1 1000m Olympic spot, with their first clash against each other now to come at the Oceania Olympic Qualification Regatta, which serves as the first selection event for the Australian team. Ken Wallace left nothing to chance in the final of the much anticipated Men s K1 1000m event dominating the race from start to finish in a powerful performance on Day 2 of the regatta. Wallace took a commanding lead from the 500m mark and finished strongly to take a sensational win, over 3 seconds ahead of rival Ben Fouhy of New Zealand. Jacob Clear continued his impressive performance finishing 5th overall and just ahead of 500m specialist Tony Schumacher who has improved dramatically over the 1000m distance. Wallace will now gain a slight upper hand going into the selection showdown as Robinson recovers from the hand injury that ruled him out of the majority of the weekend. Robinson s injury also forced his K4 crew to withdraw from the final which opened the way for the crew of Tate Smith, David Rhodes, Kenny Wallace and Simon Martin to win the Final in a tight finish ahead of Jake Michael, Chris Alagich, Reece Baker and Luke Morrison. And despite managing to qualify the K21000m boat with Reece Baker for the final, Robinson again was forced to sit on the sideline as Wallace and David Smith pipped the New Zealand combination of Steve Ferguson and Mike Walker by fourteen hundredths of a second. Steve Ferguson held off kiwi team mate Ben Fouhy to take out the K1 500 metre event on the final day of competition. Queenslander, Jacob Clear confirmed his rising form finishing best of the Australian s in 3rd, just ahead of Ken Wallace. Hannah Davis and Lyndsie Fogarty entered the final of the Women s K2 1000m as favourites and fulfilled expectations taking out the final in a time of 3: They finished ahead of Lisa Oldenhof and Alana Nicholls, with Lucy Wainwright and Abi Coulson finishing in third place. Chantal Meek, Hannah Davis, Lyndsie Fogarty and Lisa Oldenhof backed up their win at GP1 with a tight victory in the K4 500m in a time of 1:35.05 to edge out the crew of Paula Harvey, Shelley Oates Wilding, Yanda Nossiter and Rachel Simper by less than half a second. Meek, Davis, Fogarty and Oldenhof enjoyed success on the international scene last year and capped off their year by qualifying the Ladies K4 spot for Australia at the Beijing Olympics after claiming 6th place in the final at the World Championships. Chantal Meek followed up her K metre win with another convincing win in the K1 500m, this time ahead of Hannah Davis with newcomer, Alana Nichols of Western Australia causing ripples in third position. Jo Brigden Jones performed strongly finishing 4th. Lyndsie Fogarty and Hannah Davis won the K2 500m race ahead of Chantal Meek and Lisa Oldenhof with Paula Harvey and Rachel Simper in third. West Australians, Jesse Phillips and Stephen Bird, took the honours in the men s K With the GP2 event the last before the Oceania qualifiers and Australian selection trials the athletes have now been training hard over the past two weeks and will be raring to go as the action kicks off in Penrith later this week.

4 FLATWATER FINAL SELECTION MARCH - SIRC The second and third round of selection trials for the 2008 Australian Flatwater Team will run from March at the Sydney International Regatta Centre. The main battle will revolve around the showdown between Olympic Gold medallist Clint Robinson and Australia s current number one, Ken Wallace, as they both attempt to be selected for the Men s K1 1000m position. The K4 1000m team will also have a strong feel to it with the likes of David Smith, David Rhodes, Jacob Clear and Reece Baker amongst others looking to make the team in the Olympic year. On the women s front Chantal Meek, Hannah Davis, Lyndsie Fogarty and Lisa Oldenhof will be the favourites to be selected for the Women s K4 500m as they bid to improve on their 6th placed finish at the 2007 World Championships in Germany. Stay tuned to for regular updates and results, with the team expected to be named shortly after the completion of the trials. SLALOM OCEANIA SPOTS Australian Canoeing has nominated 15 slalom athletes to compete in the Olympic qualification events at the Oceania Canoe Kayak Championships this month. K1 Men: Anthony Brown, Warwick Draper & Will Forsythe C2 Men: Mark Bellofiore/Lachie Milne, Thomas Greaves/ Talis Svarcs & Duncan Proust/Karl Hageman. C1 Men: Matt Gabb, Kynan Maley & Christian Fabris K1 Women: Louise Natoli, Sarah Grant & Jacqueline Lawrence FLATWATER COACHES FORUM - PENRITH Coaches, Aspiring Coaches, Paddlers & Interested Parents are invited to attend an exciting one hour lunch-time coaching forum. The forum will be presented by Richard Shuttleworth, AIS Skill Acquisition Specialist, PhD Candidate. Richard Shuttleworth is a Sports Skill Acquisition Specialist at the Australian Institute of Sport and has 15 years experience in the sports skill development area; primarily working with coaches in developing evidence based practice strategies to enhance learning and performance. Topics include: What is skill Framework for longterm development Coaching Strategies to developing skill When: Friday 14th March Where: Seminar Room, SIRC Time: 12.30pm pm* (schedule permitting) RSVP:lauren.fitzsimons@ausport.gov.au Contact: Dasha for more information on IN THE SPOTLIGHT - WILLIAM FORSYTHE Birthplace: Armidale, NSW Residence: Penrith, NSW Nickname: Pigeon Study: Excercise Sports Studies Occupation: Student Club: Big River CC Began the sport: Age 10 Date of birth: 24 July 1986 Height: 173cm Hobbies: Sport, listening to music, backyard cricket Best Advice: Sit flat. Be fast and clean. Institute/Academy: AIS/NSWIS Career Goals: Physiotherapist Career highlight: 8th in the Junior World Champs 2004, Youth Olympic Gold and Silver Music: Lior, love acoustic guitar Toughest Competitor: Anyone in the top 10

5 Lachmann Gains Citizenship In Time For Beijing German born Torsten Lachmann has gained his Australian citizenship only a matter of days before Australia attempts to qualify a C1 500m spot at the Oceania Olympic Qualification Regatta in Penrith. Lachmann received a letter from immigration late last week and placed a rushed call to the Immigration office who were able to organise a citizenship ceremony at short notice on Saturday morning. Lachmann, who moved to Australia in October 2005 from his native Germany, began racing for Australia at World Championships and World Cups in 2006 and 2007, but would not have been eligible to race for Australia at the Olympic Games without citizenship. Lachmann s dream to represent Australia at the Olympics came closer on the weekend but he must still qualify the Oceania spot this week if he wants to fulfil his ambition. FINAL SLALOM OLYMPIC SELECTION MARCH The second round of selection trials for the 2008 Australian Team will be held at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium on March and will be final round of selections before the team is named shortly afterwards. By the time the trials begin Australia will know the events that they will be competing in at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, with the athletes then left to fight out for the spots on the team. Robin Bell looks set to claim the C1 spot ahead of Kynan Maley, Matt Gabb and Christian Fabris, while Lachie Milne and Mark Bellofiore will be favourites to retain their spots as the C2 team. The fight for positions in the Men s and Women s K1 is a lot tighter however with any number of athletes seeking to represent Australia at the Olympics. For the women Sarah Grant, Louise Natoli and the three Lawrence sisters, Kate, Jacqui and Rosalyn will all be in contention after an excellent display at the Australian Open where all 3 made the final, while for the men Anthony Brown has a slight edge over Warwick Draper, Will Forsythe, Sam Lyons and Robbie Parker. COACHES CORNER Ramon Andersson Role: WAIS/NCE Coach Paddles: K4 Occupation: Manager- Customer Contact Centre, Australia Post Career Highlights: - Played State League Soccer until the age of 20 - Dual-Olympian winning a Bronze medal as part of the Men s K4 1000m in Barcelona, Won Gold in the K2 at the 1992 Marathon World Champs - Won 29 Australian Championships - Silver and 2 Bronze World Champ medals - 14 World Cup medals -92/93 WA Sports Federation & WAIS Sports man of the year Olympic Torch Bearer Experience: Physical Education Degree Successfully coached the WAIS Program for the past 5 years (which was awarded program of the year in 2007).

6 Oceania Canoe/Kayak Championships An ICF Olympic Qualification Event Flatwater: March 2008 Sydney International Regatta Centre Incorporating the Australian National Championships : March 2008 Penrith Whitewater Stadium Event information and results will be available at

7 HIGH PERFORMANCE MAJOR EVENTS 2008 Dates 2008 High Performance Events Discipline th March, 2008 Oceania Olympic Qualifications, Selection Trials & National Championships SIRC-Penrith, NSW Australia th March, 2008 Oceania Olympic Qualification & Selection Trials Penrith, NSW Australia nd March, 2008 Olympic Trials SIRC-Penrith, NSW Australia th March, 2008 Flatwater Olympic Selection Trials SIRC-Penrith, NSW Australia 3-6 th April, 2008 Australian Surf Nationals Perth, WA 5-13 th April, 2008 Olympic Training Camp (Men & Women) th April, 2008 Olympic Preparation Camp 1 (Men & Women) Gold Coast, QLD 5-15 th May, 2008 Olympic Preparation Camp 1 (Men & Women) Gold Coast, QLD 22 May 3 Jun, 2008 Olympic Preparation Camp 3 (Men & Women) Szolnok, Hungary 1-10 th June, 2008 Olympic Training Camp (Men & Women) 6-8 th June, 2008 World Cup 1 Szeged, Hungary th June, 2008 Training Prague, Czech Republic nd June, 2008 World Cup 1 Prague, Czech Republic th June, 2008 World Cup 2 Duisburg, Germany 23 Jun 4 Aug, 2008 Olympic Preparation Camp 4 (Men & Women) Gold Coast, QLD th June, 2008 World Cup 3 Poznan, Poland th June, 2008 World Cup 2 Tacen, Slovenia 4-6 th July, 2008 World Cup 3 Augsburg, Germany th July, 2008 Olympic Preparation Camp 5 (Men & Women) Rockhampton, QLD th July, 2008 Pre-Worlds La Seu, Spain nd July, 2008 Olympic Training Camp (Men & Women) PWS, Penrith, NSW th July, 2008 Junior World Championships Roudnice, Czech Republic 29 Jul 6 Aug, 2008 Olympic Training 2-17 th Aug, 2008 Olympic Training (Opening Ceremony 8/8) th Aug, 2008 Beijing Olympic Games rd Aug, 2008 Beijing Olympic Games athletes

8 2008 SLALOM NTS ANNOUNCED Congratulations to the following athletes who were selected to the 2008 NTS team. Men s Kayak Ben Horlyck, Josh Kippin, Zach Thompson, Alastair Anderson, Jaxon Merritt (also in for C1), Tim Hobbs, Joey Croft, Phil Kennedy, Seb Ewing, Adam McNeill & Andrew Eckhart Ladies Kayak Natasha Jones, Emily Fegan, Antra Svarcs, Jessica Fox, Alison Borrows, Ashleigh Logan & Lydia Toms Men s C1 Ethan Hodson, Callum Leahy, Reilly Edwards, Jarryd Clemenson & John Hardman CONTACT US STAFF Richard Fox National Performance Director Lauren Fitzsimons High Performance Program Coordinator CANOE KAYAK SLALOM NATIONAL CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE McCarthys Lane Cranebrook, NSW 2750 PO Box 4246 Penrith, NSW 2750 Ph: (02) Fax: (02) Myriam Fox Head Coach Natasha De Paola Program Manager CANOE KAYAK SPRINT NATIONAL CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE AIS Canoe Unit Pizzey Drive Mermaid Waters, Qld 4218 PO Box 190 Robina, QLD 4226 Ph: (07) Fax: (07) Martin Marinov Head Coach Tahnee Norris Program Manager ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS