CHAMPIONNAT CANADIEN MAÎTRE STYLE OLYMPIQUE ANNULÉ

Brett Arnason a reçu la lettre explicative de Nancy Goplen concernant l’annulation de ces championnats, daté du 15 février 2007 -voir plus bas. Étant donné la longueur de cette lettre, je ne la traduirais pas intégralement mais voici les grandes lignes :
Ce championnat devait avoir lieu en même temps que Coupe Canada Cup 3. Étant donné, principalement des mondiaux à Calgary, il a été décidé par le comité Competition Development Committee que celui-ci serait intégré aux Mondiaux à Calgary. Suite à cela, il y a eu confusion, qui était responsable de faire quoi et finalement à une semaine de l’événement, rien n’a été organisé.

Notre représentant a donc suggéré d’annuler le championnat, ce qui a été accepté. Ce comité nous explique aussi les difficultés d’intégrer dans le calendrier un tel événement et demande des suggestions pour sa tenue en 2008.

Dear Brett,

As Chair of the CDC, I want you to know that we were making every effort to incorporate our Canadian Master Championship into the World event. Notification of the change went out in November to all of the Branches. We knew by then that the World Masters was going to be a hit with the Canadian Master skating population and that Canada Cup #3 had to be moved to a week day competition thus potentially reducing participation levels at the CC#3. Last year, there were approximately 15 skaters at the Masters. This year, there are over 90 Canadian masters at the World Masters in Calgary.

The CDC agreed to sponsor the medals since the Oval was not prepared to do it in light of their other costs. They were prepared to acknowledge the winners at the end of each day. Unfortunately, it seems that we were to provide all of the fanfare. As a committee who is very much involved in the CWG (three of the five involved in various capacities) and unable to attend the event, we did not have a “soldier on the ground in Calgary”. That is why I had Dawn contact you at Gregg’s suggestion. Now that we have heard your recommendation, I ask you to reflect on the future of the Canadian Master’s Championship.

I am sure that the competition in Calgary will have many lasting memories for you and your skating friends. It might also inspire more masters to continue on the competitive circuit. As you know, we have incorporated the Canadian Masters into the Canada Cup #3. It did not seem to work for the organizers to have it with the Canadian Age Class Mass Start. Like you, I am well aware of the early starts in the dark and late finishes when all officials probably preferred getting ready for the banquet or relaxing at home. Is this the right fit for the competition? A stand alone event has been discussed but finding hosts may be a challenge. The CDC often encounters difficulties finding hosts for the existing list of SSC Championships and selection trials so an addition to the list may create more difficulties. Is there the potential for the master community to approach their branches for a combined Provincial and Canadian Master Championship if the CC#3 combined event is not the right fit?

Please put some thought into this and let the CDC know what you feel would be best for the 2008 Canadian Master Championship. As it stands right now, the 2008 CMC will be held in conjunction with the CC#3 in early March. I will be at the Oval Finale from Mar 12-14th if you care to meet in person to discuss your findings.

Good luck to you and your friends at the World Masters. It has been a great motivator for many athletes. There may have been more skaters coming out of the word work had the CWG not been held at the same time!

Again, please keep in touch with our committee. We usually meet on the first Tuesday of the month so our next meeting will be March 6th if you wish to file a report prior to that time. If not, we can address your comments in early April.

Nancy Goplen

Chair, SSC Competition Development Committee