Times Colonist from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada • 39

1 1 L--------. 1 SPORTS TGD5 Scoreboard, D9 Times Colonist Tuesday November 20 2007 Editor: Brian Drewry Telephone: 380-5344 E-mail: sportstc.canwest.com Olympic athletes aim to cash in Canadian Olympic Committee hopes money for medals will lead to more podium trips choose to retire, and offer some extra support for those who decide to commit to another four-year Olympic cycle." Canadian national team athletes currently receive 1 ,500 per month from the federal government. "Training for the Olympic Games can be a huge financial burden for athletes and their families the COC is recognizing that burden," said Canadian Olympic kayak gold-medallist Adam van Koeverden, in a COC media release. Some, however, question the equity issue. About all the Canadian women's ice hockey team will need to do to claim podium money at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics is show up.

Athletes in much more intensely competitive world sports such as Victoria track and field Olympians Diane Cummins and Gary Reed face far more daunting odds in obtaining the podium money. With files from CanWest News Service By Cleve Dheensaw Times Colonist sports staff The Canadian Olympic Committee's ground-breaking announcement yesterday that it will pay money for medals is causing a stir across the country, including Victoria where many of the nation's Summer Olympians train. The new Athlete Excellence Fund represents the boldest stroke to date in what has been a major shift in Canadian Olympic sport toward emphasizing winning and the rewarding of results. Beginning next year at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, each Canadian Olympic medallist will receive $20,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and 10,000 for bronze. "It is a step in the right direction," said Kevin Light of Sidney, a member of Canada's 2007 world champion men's rowing eight, which is favoured for a medal in Beijing.

"Rewarding athletes for top perform debt load and would certainly be beneficial to me when I go to school," noted Howard, a Brentwood College and Harvard grad, who plans on attending medical school once his rowing career is over. The COC said cash rewards will also be given to world championship podium performances in each of the three years leading up to an Olympics. Athletes stressed, however, they don't do what they do solely for monetary rewards. "I don't think the cash will provide any more incentive for me and my crew-mates to try and win a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics," said Stelly's Secondary-grad Light. "Due to our history, we have enough incentive for that already.

However, being rewarded financially for our hard work is always appreciated, and if we as a team are able to train and perform at a high enough level at the Beijing Olympics to claim a cash prize, it will help ease the transition into regular life for those that ances at an Olympic Games is something that other countries have been doing for a long time and it is nice to see the COC following their example." Other nations that provide cash for medals include Australia, Italy, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. "Any incentive stuff such as this is excellent. This is definitely the way to go because it's really hard to be an amateur athlete," said Malcolm Howard of Victoria, another Beijing-bound member of the world champion Canadian rowing eights. "People here are surprised when they hear what it's like in other countries. Some countries were awarding $60,000 for a gold medal at the world rowing championships.

In China, you are set for life if you win an Olympic gold medal." If this represents a sea change in Canadian sporting mentality, mariy welcome it. "We've always had a fear of rewarding our athletes," former Olympic rowing-medallist Silken Laumann of Victoria told CanWest News Service. "It's probably tied to this strong anticompetitive movement in our society which is silly because life is competitive." The COC also makes no apologies for the more aggressive Canadian approach. "It used to be that people were afraid to say: 'Let's Michael Chambers, president of the COC, told CanWest News Service. "We turned a corner and started to say it's OK to say: 'Let's We decided to go back and look at how best to support our athletes who have a chance to win at the Olympic Games." Every individual on a team or crew will receive the full amount for the medal won by the team, which means each member of the Canadian rowing eight will receive $20,000 if they can turn their 2007 world title into Olympic gold at Beijing.

"Something like that helps with your Two sports, one talented Aw' Whether it's lacrosse or hockey, Grizzlies rookie Bremner fits right in $6AME NiGHfi VICTORIA AT ALBERNI VALLEY, 7 P.M. By Sharie Epp Times Colonist sports staff Cody Bremner never tries to rag the puck with his hockey stick, or use a slap-shot in the lacrosse box. Hockey and lacrosse are played in two different seasons, after all, and the two-sport specialist is equally good whether there's ice on the floor or not. "For his dedication to be with hockey and lacrosse, you've got to be a pretty talented individual to do that," Victoria Grizzlies coach Jackson Penney said about his rookie forward. "He's so good at both sports, why wouldn't you do it?" At 17, Bremner is just learning the ropes in the B.C.

Hockey League, a lesson that will be continued tonight, when the Grizzlies travel to Port Alberni to take on the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Before the Grizzlies' training camp started, Bremner played lacrosse with the Intermediate A Shamrocks, and was drafted by the Nanaimo Junior Timber-men of the B.C. Junior A Lacrosse League. The lacrosse, with its eye-hand co-ordination and legal cross-checking, has furthered his on-ice career, he said. "Lacrosse is pretty physical.

You get beat up a lot, so it helps you in hockey," said Bremner, who was reminded of that recently at Bear Mountain. "I sat down one day with the coach, and he told me to go the net more. He said, 'I've seen you play lacrosse, and you go to the net and take a hell of a lot more beating than you do in Bremner took the advice, and has been trying to use his lacrosse mentality in the face of the stronger faster players he has been encountering in the BCHL. "They were catching me, and I'd get knocked off the puck," he said. "I had to get used to the game." "I had to learn how to be stronger on the boards and in our own zone, and just be stronger around the puck.

player Jw'1" 1 A. keep up his strong play tonight when against the Bulldogs. the loquacious Alaska Aces play-by-plav broadcaster, doesn't always need a colour commentator to keep things humming. But he had an intriguing one sit in when Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler joined the Aces broadcast at the Sully in Anchorage for the third period call of Saturday night's overtime win against the Fresno Falcons. GODFATHER OF SOUL: Speaking of singers, the ECHL's Augusta Lynx play at James Brown Arena.

How funky cool is that? That's probably even a better factoid than that the Lynx play in the Georgia city famous as the home of the Masters. TURNSTILES: The Salmon Kings may have swept the Stockton Thunder list week at Save-on-Foods Memorial Canucks ready for wild road trip By Elliott Pap CanWest News Service VANCOUVER While mayhem may lurk in Minnesota, the Vancouver Canucks insisted yesterday their full and undivided attention is on tonight's date with the Edmonton Oilers. "You know what?" head coach Alain Vigneault said yesterday. "I'm not in Minny mode yet I'm in Edmonton mode." He may be, but hardly anyone else is, what with 6-foot-7 Wild enforcer Derek Boogaard stating last Friday he might "go after" Markus Naslund and the Sedin twins if Vancouver's "so-called agitators" won't man up and face him. Ryan Kesler, presumably one of Vancouver's agitators, didn't seem to be quaking in his boots yesterday.

"Boogaard isn't much of a hockey player, so I guess he has to be a tough guy for them," Kesler said. "If he goes crazy, the league will take care of him." The Canucks decided to take a little insurance with them on the road and called up feisty Mike Brown from the Manitoba Moose while sending Jannik Hansen the other way. Brown has never played an NHL game but his key stat is 402 penalty minutes in 152 American League outings, including 69 minutes this season. At 6-0 and 210 pounds, he is considered light heavyweight material and not in Boogaard's weight class, the latter tipping the scales at 260. "With us playing back-to-back, and Minnesota might be a more physical game, Brownie can bring us the element of energy," Vigneault explained.

Alex Burrows wasn't the least bit concerned about Boogaard. "First of all, we're playing Edmonton tonight and not Minnesota," he noted. "It. doesn't really bother me what Boogaard says. When he's on the ice, it's of minor-pro hockey and lead the ECHL in attendance with a 7,708 per-game average.

Rounding out the top-five is Florida at 6,890, Bakersfield at 6,152, Gwinnett at 5,8 1 3 and Charlotte at 5,722. Victoria is 1 1th in the 25-team league with a 4,084 average. OFFSPRING: If Salmon Kings assistant coach Quentin Van Horlick's last name sounds familiar to old school Island hockey fans, it should. Quentin probably picked up a lot just by osmosis as the son of John Van Horlick, a key blueliner in junior on the 1968 BCJHL finalist and 1969 BCJHL champion Victoria Cougars before going to play pro hockey with the Portland Buckaroos and Springfield Kings and coaching the WHL junior New Westminster Bruins. Grizzlies rookie Cody Bremner hopes to Victoria visits fort Alberni to square oil at .929, tied for third in wins with six and also tied for third in shutouts with one.

Ellis is 6-1 and Billy Thompson 4-2 heading into the three-game set against the defending Kelly Cup-champion Idaho Steelheads at Boise tomorrow, Friday and Saturday. FLASHY FRASER: When Curtis Fraser was a junior with the Victoria Salsa of the BCHL, he was the kind of streaky forward who could overload a scoreboard when he got on one of his rolls. It seems no different in the pros. Coming off injury, Fraser quickly rattled off two goals and eight points in four ECHL games with Vegas. The brass decided to get him up to the AHL but he's been pointless in three games with the San Antonio Rampage, as streakiness can i V.i sports, Bremner would likely take hockey.

He's played both since he was a preschooler, and always liked hockey better, but then always enjoyed lacrosse too, mainly thanks to having Dave Bremner for a dad. Among his lacrosse laurels, the senior Bremner is a former Victoria Shamrock and coach of the Junior Shamrocks, as well as a former assistant coach and GM of the Calgary Roughnecks of the National Lacrosse League. "Dad supported both sports," Bremner said, adding he was never pressured either way. "In the summer 1 miss playing hockey, and in the winter I miss playing lacrosse." In lacrosse, Bremner played his minor days in Saanich. In 2007, he finished second in the BCJALL in scoring, and scored eight points in the five games he played as a call-up with the Timber-men.

In hockey, he was also known as a goal scorer, from the Racquet Club to the South Island Thunderbirds and the Juan de Fuca midget squad. As a call-up to the Victoria Cougars Junior team last season, Bremner was with the team for their winning run in the Cyclone Taylor Cup provincial championship. "He's just an all-around package," Penney said. To increase his rookie ice time, Bremner has been spending more time in the comers, trying to be more defensive. He has a goal and two assists this season, but is gaining confidence as the season progresses.

Next summer, he plans to work on his skating and strength, but doesn't plan to give up his summer sport anytime soon. There's scholarship potential in both hockey and lacrosse, although probably not at the same time. The two college seasons overlap, and unless a player is on a "bad" hockey team that has no shot at playoffs, it doesn't work out. One day, he might have to choose, but not right now. CLEVE DHEENSAW ECHL Notebook tied for the third-best winning percentage in the ECHL.

The Gwinnett Gladiators from suburban Atlanta (9-1-1) lead at .864 while Las Vegas (10-2-0) is second at .833. The Salmon Kings (10-3-0) and Texas Wildcatters (9-2-2) are next at .769. BETWEEN THE PIPES: A telling statistic about how good the Salmon Kings goaltending has been this season that the team is 6-2 when outshot. If forced to choose between his two "Not until I have to," he said. John McKayTimes Colonist a plus for us, I think." Salmon Kings' snipers not the only hot players from Victoria Victoria can lay claim to two of the Canucks-prospect Julien Ellis is tied work both ways.

Centre, but the Thunder remain or top-four goal scorers in the ECHL, Ji- for third in the ECHL in save percentage WALK THIS WAY: Jack Michaels, the great success stories in minor Centre, but the Thunder remain one the great success stories in although Ash Goldie is the only Salmon King in the foursome. Uoldie and Juan de Fuca minor hockey-grad Adam Cracknell of the Las Vegas Wranglers, a Flames draft pick, have 10 goals each. Brad Ralph of the Columbia Inferno, a former second-round draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes, is also on 10 goals. Chanse Fitzpatrick of the Dayton Bombers holds the league lead with 12 goals. Milan Gajic of the Salmon Kings and sophomore pro Derek Damon of the Florida Everblades, who went to two NCAA Frozen Fours with the University of Maine, share the league lead in scoring with 20 points apiece.

STREAKING SALMON: When did you ever think you would be able to say this: The Victoria Salmon Kings are 4 If-.