UNews - the Olympic Games

McAllister named to Paralympic Games team

trevor.kenney — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 17:11:49 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge can claim another Olympic athlete after Swimming Canada announced that first-year Horns swimmer Zack McAllister will be one of 24 athletes that will represent Canada at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.

"We are thrilled that Zack will be a part of Canada's Paralympic Team," says Brad Mori, the head coach of the Horns swimming program. "In our 75-year history, Zack is the first Lethbridge swimmer to qualify for the Olympic or Paralympic Games."

McAllister joins Horns alumnus Jim Steacy and his sister Heather Steacy as Horns athletes headed to London. The Steacys (who have reached qualifying marks but have not yet been officially named to the team) will compete in the men's and women's hammer throw competitions at the Olympic Games beginning July 27. The Paralympic Games begin a month later, Aug. 29.

"It was a long road for Zack to get to this moment," says Mori. "He faced a tough re-classification process and it seemed like this moment was never going to happen."

McAllister represented Canada at the Para Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico in fall 2011 before returning to Lethbridge for his first-year classes at the U of L. In the winter, he swam at events in Los Angeles, Colorado, Montreal and Sheffield, England. This spring, McAllister was in Flagstaff, AZ, for a two-week high altitude camp.

McAllister is currently ranked fifth in the world in the 400-metre freestyle in his classification category.

"It sends adrenaline shivers down my spine thinking about Zack going off to London," says Mori.

Policing the Games

trevor.kenney — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:59:18 +0000

Olympic athletes are on a constant quest to achieve higher, faster, stronger results. ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumnus Tim Takahashi (BA '94) helps to make sure they do so fairly.

Takahashi, a U of L kinesiology sessional intructor and clinic director of Dynamic Rehab, will serve as a doping control officer at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics this month. He is one of 200 persons working under the auspices of VANOC (Vancouver Olympic Committee) and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) charged with policing the games. While Takahashi is passionate about his role of rooting out those who try and use performance-enhancing drugs to gain a competitive edge, he admits that enforcement isn't the ideal way to rid sport of cheaters.

"I believe that policing and enforcement of the anti-doping policy is not the way to stop them," says Takahashi. "We understand that there's no possible way we can catch everyone. Really, our attitude is we're letting people know we're here, there's a functioning program, there are checks and if you're caught, there are consequences. I think the real answer is education – it's educating the athletes."

Takahashi initially held the dream of making it to the Olympic Games through his work as an athletic therapist. After graduating from the U of L he completed a master's degree at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and, following a year of work, opened the first of three Dynamic Rehab clinics.

The road to working an Olympics is long and heavily populated with therapists who boast years of seniority. Takahashi looked at another route and felt he had something to offer as a doping control officer.

"I saw a lot of doping first-hand as a graduate student in the mid-90s, and I remember thinking then that I did not want to be a part of that," he says. "I'm a strong believer in doping-free sport and not just the fact that it's dangerous or could hurt the athlete, there's an ethical and moral side to sport. It reflects on our attitudes toward sport and society."

It's a lesson he tries to impart on his children.

"I've got four kids and they see what I'm involved in, and I try and show them the right way to be involved in sport. We all want to excel in athletics, but there's a way to do it in a safe and ethical way."

Takahashi's selection to participate in the Vancouver Games comes from his involvement with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES). He applied over five years ago to work with CCES and spent the better part of two years advancing through the selection and training process before he was certified. Since then he has worked as a doping control officer for the southern Alberta region, testing athletes from a variety of sports. His work includes both in competition and out of competition testing.

"Our motto is anytime, anywhere," he says.

Takahashi will do everything from contacting an athlete about a test to collecting samples, running initial baseline analysis tests to confirm they are good for lab use, to packing and securing the sample for shipment to WADA facilities. Following exacting protocols comes with the job.

While in Vancouver, Takahashi and the 200-person doping control team is expected to run more than 2,000 tests. Sadly, he expects there will be a number of positive results.

"We're catching just a trickle of what's out there, and unfortunately, I'm seeing more and more positive tests," he says. "In a way, it is discouraging."

Using his experience in class is one way to slowly begin the process of educating a generation about drug use in sport.

"I use a lot of examples from this work already," he says of his Kinesiology 2350 (recognition and care of athletic injuries) class. "It's nice to know things in theory, but when you can tie a real-world example to what you're talking about it really drives the point home.

"This experience is a way to add to my teaching skill set. It's a great opportunity to see world-class, elite athletes at the top of the game trying to do their best; how they get there and what methods they use or don't use."

GET THE FACTS

• Takahashi is in Vancouver from Jan. 31 to Mar. 1 and has just two days off over the 30 days he'll work.

• His work with CCES saw him test athletes at the recently held World Junior Hockey Championships in Saskatoon.

• In addition to running three local clinics (two in Lethbridge, one in Taber), Takahashi also works with athletes at the newly formed Alberta Sport Development Centre. Former U of L athletics manager Travis Grindle is the executive director of the ASDC's Southwest office.

• Takahashi and his wife have four children aged 10, 13, 18 and 20. On leaving them for a month to work at the Olympics, he says, "My wife understands and my kids think it's pretty cool, and I expect it will be an amazing experience."

Steacy named flag bearer

trevor.kenney — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:06:07 +0000

BELGRADE, Serbia – Former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorn Jim Steacy (BASc '09), a hammer throw finalist at last summer's Beijing Olympics, has been named as Canada's flag-bearer for the 2009 Summer Universiade opening ceremonies.

Mr. John Morrison, ambassador of Canada to the Republic of Serbia, Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro, made the announcement at a Team Canada reception held at his residence in Belgrade.

The 25th World ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Games will officially begin Wednesday when athletes from 143 countries march into Belgrade Arena.

Steacy, who was born in Saskatoon and now resides in Lethbridge, Alta., became the first Canadian in 84 years to reach the Olympic final in the hammer throw last summer in China, finishing in 10th position.

The 25-year-old has adorned the maple leaf at numerous international competitions including gold-medal performances in the hammer throw at the 2007 Pan American Games and 2005 Francophone Games, a silver-medal finish in his top event at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, as well as an appearance at the 2005 Universiade in Izmir, Turkey, where he competed in the hammer throw and discus. He holds the Canadian hammer throw record of 79.13 metres.

Steacy, a Bachelor of Arts and Science graduate from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, is one of the most decorated athletes in Canadian Interuniversity Sport indoor track & field history. He was named CIS track & field male rookie of the year in 2002-03, was chosen CIS track & field male athlete of the year - in field events - on four occasions. He is also a five-time weight throw champion and a three-time shot put gold medallist in five appearances at the CIS national championships, and was undefeated in the weight throw at any competition over his five-year university career.

"Jim was an outstanding CIS student-athlete for five years and has been a great representative of Canada at many international sporting events," said Team Canada chef-de-mission Drew Love. "We're honoured and pleased to announce him as our flag-bearer for the Universiade opening ceremonies.

"Today was a very special day for the entire Canadian delegation as we had the chance to announce our flag-bearer and celebrate Canada Day at the ambassador's residence."

The Summer Universiade is an international multi-sport event that takes place every two years, and is second only to the Olympic Games in the number of participating athletes and countries. The Universiade is open to competitors between the ages of 17 and 28 in the year of the Games who are full-time students at a post-secondary institution (university, college, CEGEP) or have graduated from a post-secondary institution in the year preceding the event.

Steacy named to Team Canada

trevor.kenney — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:40:51 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumnus James Steacy (BASc '09) is one of four Canadian Olympians and 29 athletes in total who have been selected to participate in the 25th Summer Universiade, July 1-12, in Belgrade, Serbia.

A total of 14 female and 15 male athletes will represent Canada at the international event, led by an Olympic foursome that includes hammer thrower James Steacy of Lethbridge, 400-metre specialist Carline Muir of Edmonton, high jumper Michael Mason of Nanoose Bay, B.C., and long jumper Ruky Abdulai of Coquitlam, B.C.

Another Team Canada member, sprinter Richard Adu-Bobie of Orleans, Ont., was an alternate for the Canadian 4x100m relay at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

Last summer in Beijing, Steacy became the first Canadian in 84 years to reach the Olympic hammer throw final, finishing in 10th place. Steacy was 13th in the event at the 2007 IAAF world championships and won gold medals in the discipline at the 2007 Pan American Games and the 2005 Jeux de la Francophonie. He holds the national record of 79.13 metres, 2.19m more than the toss which earned Belarus' Aleksandr Vashchyla Universiade gold in 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Steacy is one of the most decorated athletes in CIS track and field history. He was named male rookie of the year in 2002-03, was chosen athlete of the year in field events on four occasions, and in five appearances at the CIS championships with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns he captured five weight throw titles and won the shot put competition three times. He remained undefeated in the weight throw his entire university career.

Steacy and Mason head a group of nine athletes who have Universiade experience. Steacy competed in the discus in 2005 in Izmir, Turkey, where he placed eighth in the qualifying round and did not advance. Mason jumped his way to ninth place in 2007 in Bangkok.

Canada has tallied 59 athletics medals in its history at the Universiade including four gold, 29 silver and 26 bronze medals.

The Summer Universiade is an international multi-sport event that takes place every two years, and is second only to the Olympic Games in the number of participating athletes and countries. The Universiade is open to competitors between the ages of 17 and 28 in the year of the Games who are full-time students at a post-secondary institution (university, college, CEGEP) or have graduated from a post-secondary institution in the year preceding the event.

Steacy leads track effort

trevor.kenney — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:00:48 +0000

Jim Steacy didn't miss a beat as he competed for the first time since the Beijing Summer Olympics, leading the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns track and field team to a strong showing at the Golden Bear Open track meet in Edmonton over the weekend.

Steacy, a Canadian Olympian for the first time this past summer, returned to participate in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) competition after taking last season off to concentrate on the Beijing Olympics. He did not disappoint with his performance, winning both the weight throw and shot put events, vaulting to the top of the CIS rankings in each discipline. In the weight throw, he measured a furthest throw of 22.80 metres, while his final throw of the shot put hit a mark of 16.41 metres.

Steacy was also honoured at the Athletics Alberta Awards Banquet on Saturday night, being named the Outstanding Senior Men's athlete of 2008. He was the first Canadian male hammer thrower in 80 years to compete in the Olympic Games. At the Beijing Olympics, Steacy qualified for the final in the men's hammer throw and finished in 10th place.

Reigning CIS champion Heather Steacy finished second in the weight throw at the Golden Bear Open with a measurement of 15.94 metres, moving her to second in the CIS women's rankings.

Other notable Pronghorn performances included: Kyle Murray qualifying as a finalist in the men's 60-metre dash while also finishing fifth in the 300-metres; and Simon Schaerz placing fifth in the men's 3000m.

The Horns track and field team continues to prepare for the Canada West Conference Championship meet, which will be hosted by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Regina, Feb. 27-28.

UNews - the Olympic Games

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