Calgary Herald from Calgary, Alberta, Canada • 64

D20 CALGARY HERALD I September 18, 2000 2 0 0 0 WATER POLO Canada squanders lead WHITEWATER KAYAKING '4 1 a DAVESTUBBS Herald Olympic Bureau i V1 1 '1 Andy Clark, Reuters Margaret Langford of Canada fights her way down the Whitewater course in the K-l slalom Sunday. She qualified for the finals. Langford advances to final barely SYDNEY No one said this would be easy, but then, neither did anyone say it had to be this difficult The Canadian women's water polo team squandered a priceless point in the most painful way possible Sunday night, surrendering three goals in the final 1:50 of the game, including the equalizer with four-tenths of a second left on the clock, in an 8-8 tie with the United States. Canada now has two points to show for two ties in the five-game round-robin tournament, including Saturday's 7-7 comeback draw with Russia, heading into a must-win-big match against Kazakhstan on Tuesday (1 am MDT). Australia is atop the standings with four points from two victories, with the U.S., 1-0-1, one point back.

Canada is tied with the Netherlands, which has a win and a loss, with Russia having earned a single point for its tie against Canada. Kazakhstan has nothing to show for two losses. The late collapse overshadowed a three-goal performance by assistant captain Waneek Horn-Miller and some magnificent goaltending by Josee Mar-solais, whose brilliant stops kept Canada in front most of the way. Horn-Miller pulled herself out of the pool at the final buzzer choking back tears, but had regained her usual poise and determination a half-hour later. Tm not disappointed, we worked really hard but we just didn't have the luck in the end," she said.

"It's nobody's fault We have a philosophy: we play as a team, fight as a team, win as a team And it goes the other way, too. "It was a very emotional game, we all put our heart and soul into it. There were some mistakes made, and we paid for them." Head coach Dan Berthelette insisted his strategy was sound, geared to having Canada control the shot-clock, and he pointed instead to late tactical errors by his team as its undoing. "In the end we didn't stick enough to the game plan," he said. "We weren't calm and made some bad passes.

"We were dropping back, but just to control the clock." The Canadians will finish their preliminary-round series with games against Australia and the Netherlands on Tuesday and Wednesday, teams they beat at July's Holiday Cup tournament in California. "We rebound pretty well," Horn-Miller said. "We knew this wasn't going to be easy, but we're a deep team with a lot of experience. This tie is not a moral defeat. We won a point." Canadian captain Cora Campbell of Calgary had two goals against the Americans, while Deslieres, Jana Salat and Dow had one each.

WENDY LONG Herald Olympic Bureau PENRITH, AUSTRALIA argaret Langford paddled her way into the final, but for part of the afternoon the Whitewa a showdown in the final. North Vancouver's Jamie Cartwright, who currently lives and trains in Ottawa, finished 15th of 16 competitors but needed to be 12th or better to advance to today's final. The 24-year-old paddler was visibly frustrated with his effort, but at the shore was consoled by defending world men's kayak champion and teammate David Ford who declared: "Congratulations. Only sixteen guys in the whole wide world got to do what you just did." Cartwright noted he would have preferred the course to be its usual length instead of the extra 20 seconds and two upstream gates that had some paddlers frustrated. Ford, who lives and trains near Cul- tus Lake, was somewhat perplexed but unbothered by the course uproar.

He has lived and trained here and knows the course well regardless of how long it is set. "It's pretty weird that we get to see the finals course before we qualify anyway," he said. "It doesn't bother me at all and I hope this is distracting a lot of other people. We have seldom raced over 100 seconds this year and you have guys here going over 140. It just doesn't represent our sport, really.

But in a way it suits my style better so I'm one of the fortunate ones in this." Ford, also competing in his third Olympics, competes in the men's singles semi-finals on Tuesday. said. "Tomorrow's a different day, you'll definitely see different results. It's anybody's for the taking, some strange things go on in the Olympics when people get nervous or flustered, you see the mistakes going on right now." Sunday marked the first of four days of Whitewater slalom canoe and kayak competition on the horseshoe-shaped artificial course at Penrith Whitewater Stadium But the weekend was not without controversy as team leaders rejected the planned course for the canoe and kayak finals after athletes and coaches complained the course is too long and placement of gates unbalanced. A new course will be presented today followed by another meeting confirming approval of competitors here.

Langford remained one competitor unfazed by the course controversy. "They hang 'em, I race 'em," she said of grumbling in some quarters that eight upstream gates is too many. "The course is out of our control and as an athlete you just have to deliver two really good runs." Slovakia's Elena Kaliska was the top qualifier Sunday, finishing .17 seconds ahead of defending Olympic champion Stepanka Hilgertova of the Czech Republic. On the men's side in the single canoe event, 1996 Olympic champion Michal Martikan and European champion Tony Estanguet of France advanced for what is expected to be 4 'rana On Eels ter kayaker from Lions Bay, B.C., was between a rock and a hard place both on the water and in the standings. "I have this ability to back myself into a comer because it's two runs added together, top 15 go to the final and I was sitting in 17th after the first run," said the 30-year-old national team veteran competing in her third Olympics.

"That's not the best place to be sitting, but having said that I had a nightmare of a first run where there wasn't glide on the boat and it seemed like I was fighting it the whole way. But I could see other girls having trouble coming down and I knew I just needed a solid second run." Langford's improved second run moved her from 17th to 15th in the standings, advancing her to today's final as the last qualifier. The defending national champion finished eighth in her first Olympics in Barcelona and in 1996 she was 15th in Atlanta. To go home without advancing to the final would have been a disappointing turn of events for Langford whose best result on the World Cup circuit is a second-place effort earned in 1998. "Tomorrow's a new day and I always tend to race better in the final," she 1 j4r Seal? 7 I ORTHOPEDIC I cv I series trm 1 I DOUBLE EA.PC.M 44'? QUEEN SET '2i8 KINO SET '499 DOUBLE EA.

PC. A FROM i Cm IK Mjkf'MK QUEEN EA. PC '82 I T-t i (ZZ Sets from 343 2D TJE DEAT ALL 1 CAOHUfiSEST I I FUTON I I BUHK BED I I 4PIECE BEDROOM I nlIni( ofi. Melai DfHUt Mirrof Fern. FrmJAM INSERTS BEDROOM sa ZZ3 P1 SUITES DAYBEDS 1U 1 77 lF115olh BSD EDHOOri DEPOT UHfifST UUHH0M smm 121 58th AVE.

S.W. 253-5299 3 GHeckm East at Mto4Tf. on Mlh Aa.) Li Sales 2202 CENTRE ST. N. 230-3668 Hours: Un.

Frl. 9 Sat. 9- 6, Sun. 12 5. -n lamnucM bmw m.y mmm 2001 athfinder Shop a Compare the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder WE KNOW WHERE TO FIND But we needyourhelp to get there! PATHFINDER TOYOTA GRAND CHEROKEE FORD 7 -i iustrala) i XE 4 RUNNER SR5 LAREDO EXPLORER XLS 2001 2000 2000 2000 M5RP $35,672 $38,910 $39,625 $35,395 horsepower 250 hp 189 hp 195 hp 160 hp roof rack standard optional standard standard anti-theft system standard optional standard standard privacy glass standard standard standard standard dowct windows locks standard standard standard standard air conditioning standard standard standard standard cd player standard standard optional optional keyless entry standard standard standard standard aluminum alloy wheels standard standard standard standard The most powerful V6 engine in its class Betterfuel economy than previous models.

Our Canadian Alpine Ski Team is in preparation for their final season before the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, 2002 and you can be part of their Quest for Gold by supporting the: "2002 Quest for Gold" Golf Tournament Tuesday September 26, 2000 at Lynx Ridge Golf Club, Calgary, Alberta Proceeds to the Canadian Alpine Ski Team Entry fee is $300.00 per player, tax receipts provided 2001 Xter 2001 Xterra features: 3.3 litre V6 engine Power steering Power windows, doors, locks Anti-theft system Privacy glass 6 speaker araWcd stereo system Ki Air conditioning Cruise control Ixy For further information, please contact: Pat O'Brien, Event Co-ordinator On-Course Strategies Corp. Tel. (403) 509-4713, Fax (403) 509-4714 e-mail: SUNRIDGE NISSAN 3131 32nd Avenue, N.E. 291-2626 BRASSO NISSAN 195 Glendeer Orcle. S.E.

253-5555 STADIUM NISSAN 2420 CrowchiW TraiL N.W. 284-4611 These feed oot 36-no scces to 2001 Pfnrf KE i5CG51 AACOV oufatent $6 232 Recwa: 061 Tjt gcAoaecr fcC 596. Leases re OAC ctese eoed 3joe oessoaK3n ana fjewv cpes. Based on 2 000 ye fc jGi Patrror o-N access 2001 MPOOt and oetTt wasw9 teases acsmsffty tees am en ee k- ovfduai pnc Comoeff-ve nesuis oewtw) or PafMcSer w1 PansrrssQft 2COG Ttwoa APjrvr SR5 V6 Va-ue P3? 8 5-spe (ransmisston 2000 Grand CneoKe Larwde oacnaoe -soeeo amomaac Pnsnnssioiv 2000 Fcxo XLS Comwence Gx package tfi S-speed ansmtsson. 0 See you fwssar eer tor osas- Herald DRIVEN.

i Your city. Your paper..