Over 100 million Chinese watch Canada vs China Women's Hockey Game.

I spoke with Christian Pierre FISU Communications Director who taled to me about television ratings on Chinese National Television Yesterday and he stated that over 100 million Chinese watched the Canada vs China Women's Hockey Gold medal game where Canada won 3-1. That blows Hockey Night in Canada television ratings out by more than 90 million. The silver medal win for China was its best in international competition and the women are national heros. Fans walked the stands holding blow up pictures of Chinese women Hockey players and the result will be a boost to women's hockey in China.

The Chinese television ratings for the Opening ceremonies were much larger however. Get this over 500 milliom viewers watch the spectactular cultural and entertainment opening!

To see Canada march in opening ceremonies on youtube got to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usabBuwoSUE&feature=related

Those Laurier Student-Athletes did us all proud here and more viewers ended up seeing them than Don Cherry's Coach's Corner in a decade! Cheers Peter

Laurier curlers win Silver Medal at 2009 Universiade

Thursday, February 26, 2009

WCURL - Silver Lining as Team Canada Curlers come short vs China

Canada's Hollie Nicol faces world silver medalist Bingyu Wang of China for gold in womens curling.

Wang scored three in the third end -- led 4-2 at the 5th end break, but was held to a single in the 6th.

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Canada led China 5-2 playing the 7th end. In th 7th - Wang made a gorgeous tap-back to lie one partially buried - Nicol followed it down, scored her two and trails 5-4 playing in the eighth.
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In the 8th -- A Canadian kicker at the back corner of the 12-foot, forced Wang to play for a single rather than the blank -- wang made an open hit on Nicol's rock in the four foot. China scores one -- they leads 6-4 playing the ninth.
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China set up the ninth end fairly well -- with Wang sealing a lone Canadian counter in behind a wall of Chinese granite. Nicol was left with a draw to a thin sliver of the button for her two...good for weight, but tight for line. Canada scores one -- trails 6-5 playing the 10th without hammer.

China plays 10th end perfect and wins Gold. Laurier Girls represented Canada well and we are all proud of their silver medal finish.

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Canada on Day 8

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Meet the Neighbours...

Team USA delegation at the Winter Universiade.

Another solid speed skating session

Canada's women wrapped up the individual events at the Heilongjiang Speed Skating Gym with the 1000-meter event.

View official results here - http://app.harbin2009.org/wu24info/pdf/sh/0413992E.PDF

Ste-Foy, Quebec's Justine L'Heureux posted another impressive finish at the games, skating the 2 1/2 lap circuit in a time of 1:19.59 - good enough for 9th place.

Despite dealing with a sore shoulder all week, Calgary's Kirsti Lay toughed out another good skate, finishing in a 16th place time of 1:21.38, one spot ahead of teammate Anastacia Bucsis and her clocking of 1:21.53.

Now skating out of Quebec City, Calgary's Shannon Sibold also turned in a solid performance, hitting the line in 1:23.68 - good for 24th spot.

With the individual events of the long track speed skating complete, all that remains is the women's team pursuit competition which will be held Thursday.

Canada's playoff partners determined

Canada's women's curling team will face Great Britain one of two Thursday semifinals. Great Britain defeated the Czech Republic in a Wednesday tiebreaker to advance to the medal round.

China and Russia will meet in the other semifinal.

Canada's Mens hockey team now knows who their semifinal opponent will be. Japan's surprising 6-3 win over the United States pushes the Slovaks into second spot in Pool B.

Canada will play Slovakia in one semifinal, while the Russians will meet Kazakhstan in the other.

Bartering with the Mongolian Speed Skaters

The Mongolians are on the floor. Get out your change gear. A Mongolian speed skaters have their wolf fur hats on hand want to trade for a Canadian jacket. I don't really want to trade my jackey but at -21 for the last week here in Harbin the Hat looks like a solution to my frozen ears! I try to open my bid with my Canadian tuque but he says no in five different languages except image. He insists on the jacket. I convince Allison in the Mission staff office to sell me a smaller size jacket because mine was is xtra Large and the poor Mongolian would swim in it. For $80 bucks Canadian I buy the Jacket, hand it over to my new found friend from Mongolia and he gives me the Fur Hat. We shake hands and he says "Canada Friend" I say "Mongolia Friend" and the transaction in secured. I now have warm ears and I now match our Chief Athletic Therapist Christian Seguin who earlier secured a Wolf fur hat also! Economics 101- Barter!

Taking in the Culture of Harbin

Emperor From Laurier from Team Canada Peter Baxter on the Throne of the Golden Hawk and riding a camel at the Harbin Ice and Snow festival.

Dr. David Mai of the University of Ottawa

Besides the competition the best part of the Universiade is to see the student-athletes and Mission staff engaging in the Chinese culture. In the village we have had the opportunity to witness performances of the Peking Opera including some of the staff and athletes having the opportunity to get the opera make up artist paint up some of the team members. The Chef de Mission also took advantage of a camel ride at the snow and ice festival. The village has a Chinese

cultural and language centre to learn Mandarin and they also have a volunteer that spells your name in Chinese Characters. We also went out to a restaurant close to the village for an authentic meal. The village also has a Chinese Tea room with Volunteers that make you your tea flavour of choice. Tonight the Women's hockey team tonight went to the international skit night that was held in the Athlete Village entertainment Centre. Lots of friends made between nations and fun had by all.

Opening Ceremonies Spectacle was Cultural Extravaganza

Playing Canada Beach Volleyball while waiting for the March in was popular and fun for all nations waiting!

The Harbin Organizing Committe pulled all the stops in a two hour Performance involving Dancers, Chinese and Russian pop artists, Gymnasts, and musicians for the athletes and spectators. In attendance was the Chairman of China, HU Jin Tao and was televised on National Television in China. Our cross Country skiers made the 3 hour train trek from Yabuli and the Biathon athletes from Maoershan were shuttle by bus an hour and a half to join the Canadain athletes in Harbin Village and they were not dissappointed. Walking in to the arena with McGill Women's Hockey Player Kathy Chartrand was a thrill for all the delagation. The Chinese people are so welcoming and we are stopped often for photographs .

I am starting to run out of Canada pins and even the Military Officers at the village gate know me by name "Canada Pin Leader".


FISU President Gerge Killian address at Opening


Flag bearers at Opening Ceremonies


Chairman Hu Jin Tao of China (fourth from the left


Laurier Representatives at the 2009 Winter Universiade

Mission Staff problem solve to ensure logistical support for Team Canada

Planning and support for the entire Team Canada delegation of 130 strong can be a gigantic ordeal. Tasked to lead the logistical nightmare is Assistant Chef de Mission Joe Morissette. For over a year now Joe has traveled to Harbin on a pre-games visit to ensure his comfort level of our accommodations and competition site meet expectations, he has made contacts with our hosts the Harbin Universiade Committee, to ensure logistical and technical aspects for our athletes, coaches, sport medicine staff, and mission staff well prior to the games met his expectations to ensure a smooth operation come arrival of our team next week. At home arranging a uniform sponsor (Russell) to suit the team, liasoning with team leaders and national sport organizations to ensure athlete registration, working with the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa to process passport visa applications, and of course answering the many questions that come across his desk including dress code beyond the team uniform, parent accommodation suggestions, and yes the question asked most "Can you get tickets to the sold out Opening ceremonies?" The last question mentioned for the record is probably the only item that Joe has been unable to solve, yet to be fair, he has no control of tickets. By the time we got ticket info the ceremonies were sold out.
In the CIS office our Deputy Chef Frank Boyer is an octopus, juggling multiple tasks and projects required to ensure that athlete uniforms are delivered prior to departure to the athletes, office equipment, communication devices, and office supplies are boxed crated and air freighted to Harbin in a timely and cost effective manner. Allison Tovell our Medical Clinic Manager is in charge of ensuring therapy tables, modality ultrasound equipment, tape, medical supplies, and especially Hot packs (for frigid Harbin) is packed, shipped and waiting for the mission staff to set up prior to the arrival of our athletes.
People talk about the "Olympic Effort" well these professionals are gold medalists with respect to ensuring no detail has been left out and all the support required to ensure that all athletes and coaches have the necessary support for them to compete at thier personal best is on-site. The experience all athletes will soon embark on will be in part to the meticulous planning, hard work, and dedication of those in our CIS International Office. This work often goes without notice or thanks, but without their efforts the student-athlete experience would not be what we know will soon be a lifetime of memories of Harbin!

Bevan and Ironside Laurier Represent Team Canada in Hockey

Wilfrid Laurier University's Andrea Ironside (Collingwood, Ont.), and Golden Hawk Captain Andrea Bevan(Collingwood, Ont.), will be traveling to China as members of Canada's first Women's Hockey Team to compete at the FISU 2009 Winter Universiade, to be held from February 18-28th. (Note to self make sure you don't use your blackberry to take photos) The two Andreas' along with their other CIS Teammates may have to wait 20 or 30 years to have the perspective of looking back into the past to appreciate their accomplishment of making Canada's first FISU Games Women's hockey team and their experience they are this about to embark on come this Sunday. This will be Ironside's first time to put on the Maple Leaf Red and White jersey while Bevan had the opportunity to play on the Canadian under 22 Gold medal winning team in 2008 held in Germany. For now packing, medical booster shots, school work, practice and one more league game at Queen's on Friday prior to the long flight to Beijing then finally to Harbin (population 9 million, Temperature average in February -21 Celcius). In Harbin, our Canadian Mission staff will welcome the weary travelers, prior to a welcome ceremony by our Canadian Ambassador to China in the Athlete's village. The excitement and anticipation is gaining momentum!

Team Canada 2009 Universiade, Harbin China Welcome

Message from Team Canada’s Chef de Mission

Earning the privilege to represent and compete for Team Canada and Canadian University Sport in Harbin, China at the 2009 Winter Universiade is indeed, an outstanding achievement. Congratulations! The opportunity to measure your skills, talents, and personal goals amongst the World’s best student-athletes will truly be a lifetime experience. Take full advantage, by getting to know your fellow team mates, celebrating their successes, as well as enjoying the multicultural life within the village and the culture of Harbin.

Investing in People is the goal that our Team Canada Mission staff of coaches, managers, therapists, doctors and administrators is focused on. They are a team of dedicated professionals chosen to support, assist, and care for you and your Canadian team mates to ensure performance excellence and a lifetime of memories.

Thank you to the Organizing Committee and the citizens of Harbin for extending such gracious hospitality to the Canadian Team during the 2009 Winter Universiade. We look forward to the many educational experiences you will support by hosting this premier international university sport competition. The role that many have played in this investment in youth around the world is to be celebrated. Thank you.

On behalf of our entire mission staff, we wish all of you the best in your pursuit of personal growth through excellence at Harbin 2009.

Sincerely,

Peter Baxter

Chef de Mission