Canada's Olympic snowboard team
January 25, 2010
Canada-Snowboard has announed its Olympic snowboard team, which comprises 10 men and eight women.
Halfpipe
The women's halfpipe team consists of Sarah Conrad of Halifax; Mercedes Nicoll of Whistler, BC; and Palmer Taylor of Collingwood, Ontario.
Parallel Giant Slalom
The PGS team comprises Caroline Calve of Montreal/Aylmer, QC; Alexa Loo of Richmond, BC; Kimiko Zakreski of Calgary, AB.
Maelle Ricker, Canadian snowboarder. Currently in 1st place overall in the snowboard world cup. Copyright, 2010 Adam and Kev Photography.
Snowboard cross
The snowboard cross team will be represented by two well-known names: Maelle Ricker of West Vancouver, BC; and Dominique Maltais of Petite-Riviere St-Francois, QC.
Team Facts
The oldest rider on the Canadian team is veteran Alexa Loo, 37.
Riders with Olympic experience are: Conrad, Loo, Maltais, Nicoll, and Ricker.
Which of these riders has a medal chance?
Maelle Ricker is a clear gold candidate. She leads the SBX and overall world cup standings as of January 25.
Dominique Maltais is third in the SBX standings and 5th overall.
Below the top two Canadian riders, the chances of a medal are slim, even to an optimist.
Alexa Loo is 14th in the PGS standings and 23rd overall.
Caroline is 15th in the PGS standings and 30th overall.
Canada has no other riders in the women's top 30 overall standings, though Kimiko Zakreski is close at position 32.
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By Ben Foster
Readers respond
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Four years later and I am now 30 pounds overweight, flabby tummy, bulky arms, huge saggy breasts. I am about 160 pounds and 5' 3". My average weight has always been between 118 and 128 pounds. I have also been single (not even a date) for nearly 6 years now because of the way I feel about my body. I am inspired by what you write and think there might still be hope for me! Thanks.
How fast can you run a mile at 50?
If you're 50, normal weight, and untrained, you should be able to run a mile in 9 minutes. After three months of training, you should be down to 8 minutes. After six months, you should be capable of 7 mins 15 sex. After two years of serious training without injury, you should be close to six minutes.
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Don, Boulder Thanks for the great article. Great encouragement for me to get running again after a few years off after an injury. At 51 I hope to someday feel comfortable running 5 and 10k's, maybe even a marathon if I can be so lucky.