Aug. 26 2009
August 26, 2009 - Daily Media Bulletin
TEAM ALBERTA DAILY MEDIA BULLETIN
CHARLOTTETOWN—Team Alberta added one gold, one silver and three bronze to its overall medal count on Wednesday at the 2009 Canada Summer Games, bringing its overall total to 35 medals: 10 gold, 13 silver and 12 bronze. The Canada Summer Games are being held across Prince Edward Island, August 15-29.
Alberta Swimmers Strengthen Medal Count with Five More Medals in the Pool
Alberta's swim team boosted the province's overall medal count after making five trips to the podium with one gold, one silver and three bronze-place finishes.
Alberta's men's 4x100-metre freestyle relay team of Calgary's David Hibberd and David Woodman, Edmonton's Karl Wolk, and Kyle Trokost, of Lethbridge, took the top prize.
"This feels absolutely awesome. There is a lot of emotion on our team right now," said 17-year-old Karl Wolk. "We spent a lot of time together preparing for the Games at training camps and we are now a tight group so it is means a lot more to win this together as a team."
Other medal-winning performances in the pool include:
- Rachel Nicol, of Lethbridge, and Tianna Rissling, of Red Cliff, winning the silver medal in the women's 200-metre breaststroke;
- women's 4x100-metre freestyle relay team of Edmonton's Natasha Fung and Bobbie Mielnichuk, along with Calgary's Brittany Ozar and Sarah Sumner captured the bronze;
- Zach McAllister, of Lethbridge, won his second bronze medal of the Games in as many days after taking the 100-metre backstroke competition in the swimmers with a disability category.
Alberta's swim squad has won a total of 14 medals over the last two days.
Men's Soccer Team Knocks off British Columbia for Second Straight Shut-Out Win
Alberta's men's soccer team blanked British Columbia 2-0 for their second-straight shut-out victory at the 2009 Canada Summer Games. The men's squad knocked off the North West Territories last night 3-0.
Calgary's Sean Colvin chipped in both goals for Alberta at the Eastern Eagles Soccer Complex in Montague, P.E.I.
"We started off slow today, but kept bringing the heat and got some chances that finally went in," said the 18-year-old Colvin, who is the leading goal scorer in the tournament with three tallies. "Our team always has a lot of confidence. We are going to rest up tonight and then start planning our strategy for the next game."
Alberta will now play in the quarter-final on Thursday at 1 p.m. in Montague.
Cole Chelle Cards a 76 to Lead Alberta Golfers into Final Day of Team Competition
Edmonton's Cole Chelle battled through high winds gusting up to 60 km/h to post a score of 76 to lead Alberta's men's team in the second round of the team competition at the Brudenell River Golf Course.
"It was so windy out there so the scores were a bit higher today than our first round," said Chelle, who carded a 2-under-par 70 in round one. "We had a lot of rain early in the week so the greens are saturated and are there for the taking. We are going to have to go low tomorrow if we want to have a shot at the medals."
Thanks to Chelle's two solid rounds, the Alberta team – which also includes Calgary's Sang Lee and Carson Kallis, of Red Deer, is in fifth spot heading into the final day of team play with a total score of 294. Lee posted rounds of 72-77, while Kallis was six shots better from his opening round 84, finishing with a 78 on Wednesday.
British Columbia is leading the way with 284 points. Quebec is second at 285, while Nova Scotia and Ontario are tied in third with 293.
Golf is making its debut at the Canada Summer Games. The 54-hole team event uses the top-two of three athlete's scores posted towards the team total. An individual competition is also being contested in conjunction with the team event. The low 15 scores and ties within 10 shots of the lead will play an extra round to complete the 72-hole individual stroke play event.
"It has been really good for our sport to have the opportunity to be showcased in the Canada Games," said Chelle. "We have the best players represented from every province and there is not one bad player who tees it up out here so it is a great challenge."
The Alberta women also got blown into fifth spot with a two-round total of 320. Calgary's Jennifer Ha fired the low-round of the day for the Alberta trio with a 77. Calgary's Christie Lin was 83, while Krista Fenniak, of Fort McMurray, was 85.
British Columbia leads the women's championship at 289, while Ontario is 291 and Quebec is in third at 306.
The final round of the Canada Summer Games team golf tournament tees off on Thursday morning.
Women Wrestlers Roll Through Opening Matches
The women's wrestling team stomped some authority on the mats at the Montague arena, taking down Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in their first three matches.
Alberta rolled over Quebec 43-6, Nova Scotia 46-3 and New Brunswick 36-19.
"It was a really solid day for us in every weight class," said Edmonton's Natalie Brady, who wrestles in the 56-kilogram category. "We have pretty high expectations as a team and we have one goal – to get into the final and win. This is a good start for sure."
In the team format, athletes gain cumulative points towards the overall total while wrestling head-to-head in a variety of weight classes.
Men's Baseball Team Dominates Saskatchewan in Final Game of Round Robin
Alberta's men's baseball team posted their second consecutive commanding victory to conclude round robin play at Memorial Field in Charlottetown.
After knocking off the host Prince Edward Island team last night under the lights 13-2, the Alberta bats were hot again on Wednesday afternoon, winning 7-1 against Saskatchewan.
Taylor Burns, of St. Alberta, pitched a five-hitter which included striking out eight batters en route to the victory.
"My curve ball was working really well today and things just started rolling," said the 19-year-old Burns. "These last two wins were huge for us. We are a confident team and the fact Alberta has never won a gold medal motivates us to win tomorrow. We are one game away from having our chance at the gold."
Alberta will now play Ontario in semifinal play at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Women's Indoor Volleyball Teams Splits Games against Quebec and Manitoba
The women's indoor volleyball team had two hard-fought battles in their third day of competition.
The women won their opening match of the day 3-1 against Quebec at the Chi-Wan Sports Centre with scores of 16-25; 25-21; 26-24; 25-20.
After a lunch break, the team headed back out onto the court for one of the most exciting games of the tournament so far against Manitoba. Team Manitoba handed Alberta its first loss of the week 3-2 with scores of 26-24; 27-25; 15-25; 23-25; 15-13.
Complete Results and Schedules for Team Alberta and the 2009 Canada Summer Games
For more information, results and updates on how Team Alberta is performing at the 2009 Canada Summer Games, please visit us at www.teamalberta.org, or on the host society website at www.2009canadagames.ca on the Internet.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Chris Dornan
Team Alberta Media Liaison
Canada Summer Games
T: 902-626-9670 (During the Games)
C: 281-703-4394 (Back-Up Number)
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