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MANNY ARCHIVES June 2nd, Whistler BC: Manny and the team finally arrived in Whistler after a grueling 800 kilometer road ride through the rockies. Their trip began on May 23rd in snowy conditions, ending yesterday in brilliant sunshine. Exhausted and proud, every one of them was thrilled they completed the journey. There were ice packs passed around and cold drinks consumed as tales of the longest stretch, wildlife, sore spots and spectacular falls were shared. The men's and women's teams will now spend a week in beautiful Whistler Mountain continuing on with their dryland training. Visit the Alpine Canada web site and scroll through the photos as Guy Napert-Frenette documents this historic 940 km ride. SNOW IN MAY??....... How appropriate that a group of ski racers should head out on a bike trek just after a fresh snowfall. Check out this TSN report as the racers begin day one. So much for Manny's tan keeping him warm. May 2007: SUMMERSTART TOUR OF CHAMPIONS! Manny was in fine form in Maui as he rode his bike all over the Island gearing up for Alpine Canada's Summerstart Tour. Follow along with our Canadian Ski team members as they begin their summer training with a grueling bike ride from Lake Louise to Whistler Mountain. Gary Kingston from the Vancouver Sun interviewed the team before they set off. May 2007: Manny in Maui END OF SEASON!........ Manny will now spend some time surfing and kicking back. By the end of May he'll be back into a dryland program preparing for next years adventures. Stay tuned........
Tuesday March 27th, Whistler Mountain Canada: The good news is that the skies cleared and the long awaited DH finally took place. Unfortunately Manuel DNF'd but that's showbiz and it's also the end of the season. Monday March 26th, Whistler Mountain Canada: Another training run got off today in Whistler in preparation for the long awaited DH tomorrow. The Weasel Workers have been working overtime to get this course in shape and many of the racers are very appreciative. They know the show won't go on if the course is not in perfect condition.
THANKS TO PONTIAC GMC MANNY HAS WON A ONE YEAR LEASE OF A BRAND NEW GMC VEHICLE FOR FINISHING THIS SEASON OFF IN 10TH POSITION ON THE WORLD CUP START LIST. CONGRATULATIONS MANNY FOR A GREAT SEASON AND A JOB WELL DONE! March 25th, Whistler Canada: The Canadian National Championships are well underway but struggling through tough weather conditions. The Weasel Workers at Whistler Mountain are working tirelessly to try to combat the conditions and get the races off. Manuel raced the SG today with a nice race at the top section but came out part way down. There's still three more days and if the weather cooperates we'll see a DH race on Tuesday. March 14th, Lenzerheide Switzerland: The last DH race of the World Cup season has wrapped up. Not the result Manny was looking for,(23rd) but he's happy to be finished. "It's tough at the end of the season cause we're all tired, and the lack of snow has made racing frustrating." says Manny as he packs his bags and heads to the Canadian National Championships in Whistler Mountain. He's happy with his DH standings overall as he ends up in 10th place on the World Cup DH Start List and 12th in World Cup DH Rankings. Not too shabby at all for a young guy who started his season in 28th place. WAY TO GO MANNY! WHAT A SEASON! For a great review of the season have a look at what Martyn Herman has to say or maybe you caught Friday's Globe and Mail. March 11th, Kvitfjell Norway: Not a great day for Manny as he didn't finish the SG. On to Switzerland for finals! March 10th, Kvitfjell Norway: A day most of the racers would like to forget. Race day began with winds, snow and rain. All the worst conditions for DH skiing. Manuel said the race was on hold for an hour and 45 minutes after the first 11 racers. He was racer #20 and we have to assume that Manny's run was in so much fog Rogers Sports Net couldn't show his race or speak his name during the broadcast today. By racer #22 the skies were beginning to clear and the results speak for themselves as we see the first 8 racers couldn't even crack the top 45. Erik Guay finishing in second place was a great finish in a very upsetting DH race. Tomorrow they'll race a SG then the world's top 25 DH racers will head to Lenzerheide Switzerland for World Cup finals on Wednesday March 14th. March 6th, Kvitfjell Norway: "Manny where are you?" There have been no Manny sightings, but we think he's in Kvitfjell preparing for the Audi FIS Ski World Cup races coming up this weekend.
February 20th, Europe: Manny headed back to Europe yesterday after a week of fun with friends. His first destination is Garmish Partenkirchen where two DH races will be held. One of the races is a replacement for the cancelled Kitzbuhel DH. Saturday's race will be televised on Rogers Sports net. (check listings) February 16th, Canada: There have been Manny sightings in Calgary, Panorama Mountain and Invermere. Manny is enjoying a well deserved week off as he catches up with friends and paperwork before heading back to Europe next week to continue on with the White Circus. February 12th, Sweden: A Mohawk! Apparently Manny, Erik and Jan are all sporting mohawk haircuts today as they happily lost a bet with one of their coaches. If no Canadians on the podium the coach gets a shave, and well you can figure out the rest. Though seeing the coach with one was tempting, not tempting enough to stay off the podium. With Jan's second place finish the racers honoured their end of the bet and Didier Cuche did the honours. We're looking for photos! (send to mannyop@telus.net) February 11th, Are Sweden: Though fog threatened the start of today's race, it didn't last long. Second out of the gate was the silver medal run by Jan Hudec followed by Eric Guay and Manuel finished in 9th spot. His first top 10 World Championship finish. Another great day for the Canadian Team. February 10th, Are Sweden: DOWNHILL RACE POSTPONED TO SUNDAY. Read more. February 9th, Are Sweden: "There's a lot of work to do tonight." said Manny when asked about today's training results. Listen to the whole interview here. February 8th, Are, Sweden:
February 2, Are, Sweden: World Championships set to start! Bill Lankhof from the Toronto Sun Newspaper gives us a great report on the Canadian Team as they prepare for these World Championships. RACERS STAY IN EUROPE WHILE TROPHIES HEAD HOME While the racers are in Are, Sweden preparing for the World Championships, the trophies that were won by Manuel Paradis and Eric Guay have arrived home to Canada. The trophies are getting over jet lag as they await further results from Europe.
January 19th Val d'Isere, France:
Well there still isn't a lot of snow in Europe. Manuel and his team have
had a couple of days of free skiing in Val d'Isere and one/ half
training run. The winds played havoc on the course yesterday making it
possible to have a training run only on the bottom section of the
course.
January 14th Wengen, Switzerland: Success!! The famed Lauberhorn Race took place yesterday with Bode Miller from the USA taking gold. Manny came in at 24th spot, just 3.55 seconds off the winner. Not really pleased with his run his mom says "I'm always happy to see he gets down the course. At 142 km/hr I'm impressed to see these racers make the next turn. These were very tough conditions and I think he did great. On a 2.5 minute course the racer's legs are seriously spent." Manny is off to Val D'Isere next to get some on-snow training in preparation for the upcoming races on Jan 20/21st. He'll be especially pleased to be cheered on by his mom, dad and close friends who are traveling the distance to experience the racing phenomenon in Europe. January 12th Wengen, Switzerland: Warm weather and overnight rain forced the cancellation of today's Super-Combined event. The race, which combines a downhill and a slalom, was the first of three races due to take place in Wengen. Organizers say they are still hoping to stage the other two, with the DH race set to go tomorrow and the Slalom on Sunday. The forecast is for clear skies tonight. January 11th Wengen, Switzerland: Officials on the classic Lauberhorn downhill course were successful in getting the first and only training run off today regardless of warm conditions. Check out what the Canadian Cowboys get up to while they're waiting to race. January 10th : Check the FIS site for updated world cup news. The unfortunate weather in Europe is affecting many of the scheduled races. FIS officials are scrambling to reschedule. Today's training run in Wengen was cancelled due to warm temperatures.
December 30th, Italy to Vancouver:
Manuel's results in Bormio have been much less than he'd hoped for. With
the lack of snow in Europe there hasn't been much free skiing. Manny and
his team mates were able to get on snow on the 26th gearing up for their
first and only training run on the 27th. In that training run Manuel had
a good start but fell in the course, managed to get back on track and
finish. The result of the fall was a slight twist of the knee. The
injury was accessed and he was back in the gate to race the first of two
DH's on the 28th. Into the run he knew his knee wasn't strong enough and
had to cut his race short. It was then decided he wouldn't race in the
second DH. As previously planned Manny is on his way home now to
celebrate a belated Christmas and New Year with his West Coast friends
and family.
December 24th, Italy: The last couple of races for Manuel were certainly not his best but that's show business. One mistake can cost you quite a few spots when racing at this level. In the last couple of weeks Manny went from Val Gardena to Reiteralm where he raced a SG and placed 24th, then onto Hinterstoder, Austria where he raced another SG and DNF'd. He's in Bormio Italy now playing secret Santa to team mates and unsuspecting friends. Training runs for the two Bormio downhills will begin on the 25th.
December 11th, Val Gardena Italy:
With the Val D'Isere races cancelled, Manuel was in Calgary for a
week training at Nakiska and Christmas shopping for his mom. He departed
on Saturday to Italy as an official decision was made that the races
scheduled for
NOVEMBER 25th: Manny makes the podium for the first time! Manny had a brilliant run and placed second in the first World Cup Downhill of the season. He was only 5/100ths of a second behind the winner Marco Buechel of Liechtenstein and his run must have inspired teammate John Kucera who went on to win the Super G race on Sunday. Way to go, Manny and John! The Canadians are on Fire. (above photo by Zoom) NOVEMBER 12th: Manny's in Lake Louise training for the season opener: The Lake Louise Winterstart Downhill. November 25/26. OCTOBER 31st :
BOO!
Manuel has worked hard
this summer with dryland as well as on-snow camps. The team
just arrived back from Tignes, France where they experienced a variety
of different weather conditions as well as a round robin bout of stomach
flu. Arriving back in time for Halloween in Invermere he woke up to
winter conditions which is just what everyone has been wishing for as we
head into the race season. The first World Cup Men's Downhill
race scheduled to begin on Wednesday November 22nd with three training
runs followed by the Downhill race on Saturday Nov 25th and a Super G on
Sunday the 26th. (check your local TV listings)
... that can sure can put a smile on Manny's face!
(Photos: Doug Linklater) Manny's other passion is on his bike. Here in Whistler he's downhill on wheels
THURSDAY MARCH 23rd, 2006 / WHISTLER
MOUNTAIN, BC: The Canadian Nationals are well under way in Whistler
Mountain, though the weather has been playing havoc with race
organizers. Yesterday course workers remained on the hill as the snow
and rain fell but it wasn't to be and the races for both men and women
were cancelled. SUNDAY MARCH 5th, VANCOUVER, CANADA: Yesterday Manny re-packed his bags and boarded a plane to Kvitfjell, Norway, (current temperature -35) where he'll spend the week testing skis for Rossignol. Then he'll meet up with many of his fellow competitors at the World Cup Finals in Aare, Sweden. In order to qualify for the finals an athlete must be in the top 25 and Manuel was 29th, so he won't be competing but he'll be forerunning most of the races. He'll be back in Vancouver on March 19th ready to race in the Canadian Nationals at Whistler Mountain. SUNDAY FEBRUARY 19th, SESTRIERE, ITALY: Without knowing it, many of us who stayed up all night to watch the SG, were witnessing Olympic History in the making. As far as we know it, never before has a race been cancelled, then picked up again and run in the same day. It was a loooong night on the West Coast but even a longer day for the first 18 racers who ended up skiing two races. Manuel was third out of the gate in the initial SG race and he had a great run that set the pace for the next racers. After being bumped down to second place he held his own as the weather deteriorated but then, as number 18 came through the finish, the race was put on hold and, not long after, it was cancelled. A postponement would have meant that the racers who had already gone would maintain their standings, but a cancellation meant that the race had to be re-run, right from the beginning. The weather cleared and it was decided that the race would run so the first 18 racers had to rush to the wax room where their ski techs had only an hour to make those skis 'race ready.' In race two Manny again started with bib number 3 but he felt that because he had already skied the course he was a bit too prepared for what was coming so he skied a pretty run, but not a fast enough run. He finished in 20th position which was his best SG finish this year. With the SG behind him, he's packing his bags and heading home. Manuel's next stop will be the Canadian Nationals in Whistler Mountain, March 20 to 28th. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14th, SESTRIERE, ITALY: In the Combined race today Manual had a terrific 8th place finish in the DH portion and a respectable 28th place finish in the first of two slalom runs (many strong downhill racers have trouble staying on the course in the slalom). However, since he is a bit under the weather from a cold, Manny and his coach decided that he shouldn't run the second slalom and should save his strength for the SG on Saturday the 28th. He'll enjoy a few days off before starting to train for the SG.
AN
OLYMPIC WEEKEND: What a weekend! Manuel skied to a second place
finish in his qualifying downhill training run on Saturday, putting
himself in 29th start position for his first Olympic DH on Sunday. He
was hoping to have an earlier start, but he had learned by experience
how hard it is to maneuver the finish so he hung in with a second place.
He'd already started one of his training runs in 26th spot, so he used
that experience and imagined that the track would feel pretty much the
same for a 29th-place start.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4th, CHAMONIX
FRANCE: The last pre-Olympic race was cancelled after FIS officials
waited more than 2 1/2 hours for heavy fog to dissipate. It didn't
happen and the race was called. On Sunday the Canadians moved on to the
Olympic village at Sestriere and Manuel will spend his 22nd birthday at
the Olympics. Not too bad.
MONDAY JANUARY 30th enroute to Chamonix, France: Garmisch's Kandahar course has a long-standing reputation of being one of the tour's toughest downhills because it has a north-facing slope, a start altitude of 1,700 meters, a vertical drop of 960 meters, and is 3.4 kilometers long. It presents challenges that can unsettle even the circuit's more seasoned veterans. In Saturday's downhill the ski legend Herman Maier skied to gold and the tour youngster, Manuel, placed 34th. After a great finish in Friday's DH training run Manuel was hoping for a top-15 result but he said he made a huge mistake in the top section of the course and just couldn't regain his speed. Most of us here with our feet on terra firma were happy to see him make it through the finish because the course was extremely bumpy and the light was flat. Manny was the only Canadian in Saturday's race so the pressure was on. "It will take a few more years before our young guys can be consistently in the top group, especially in downhill," said Burkhard Schaffer, the men's team Head Coach. "For athletes to perform on classic race courses such as Garmisch, Val Gardena, and Kitzbuehel, it takes multiple training and racing sessions on the same track under multiple conditions: ice, wind, low visibility, large bumps. Here, the visibility is very low because of the north exposure and this increases the challenge for young skiers who don't know the hill as much. The veterans arrive here with an edge, allowing them to focus primarily on attacking the line." Manuel was quick to turn his attention to the Super G on Sunday but he finished in 42nd place. The team now goes to Chamonix France where last year Manny placed 14th in his first World Cup. They will arrive there today and begin training tomorrow. Manuel hopes they'll be able to get in three training runs before race day. Chamonix will host a DH on February 3rd followed by a Super Combined on the 4th. Visit http://www.chamonixworldcup.com. FRIDAY JANUARY 27th, Garmisch,
Germany: Manuel, who is competing on the infamous Kandahar downhill
course at Garmisch for the third time in his career (one race last year
and two training runs this year) had the top Canadian result in Friday's
final training run. Manny missed the sub-2 minute mark by .02 of a
second, finished 9th and shaved 3.39 seconds off his first training run
time of 2:03.41 yesterday. He said he is usually slower on his first
training run as he's trying to get a feel for the run, bumps, jumps and
TUESDAY JANUARY 24th, Kitzbuhel,
Austria:
JANUARY 14th, WENGEN, SWITZERLAND: In today's downhill Manuel finished 36th, 4.75 back. Eric Guay finished 20th, John Kucera finished 27th, and Jan Hudec finished 47th and all four men were within 3 seconds of each other. This downhill has both the fastest and the slowest downhill sections on the mens' tour with the straight Hannegg section pushing racers to speeds of up to 150 kph and the Brueggli corner forcing them to slam on the brakes to slow to 70 kph. Racers arrive at the finish with burning legs after skiing intensely for over two and a half minutes. No Canadian has won the Wengen downhill since Ken Read did in 1980. Report from Manny's Mom: We were standing just beyond the big jump that has WENGEN written across it. Now I know how Evel Knievel's mom felt: the course is like a luge track. It's so scary to watch. Thank goodness they have
outdoor drinking spots all over the mountain.
FRIDAY JAMUARY 13th, WENGEN,
SWITZERLAND: Today Manuel placed 32nd in the Combined (Slalom and
Downhill). The only other Canadian to finish both races was Ryan Semple
who placed 21st. Report from Manny's mom: I was happy that Manuel managed to finish the race but of course Manuel thought he "sucked." The coaches laughed and said that was what moms were for. MONDAY JANUARY 9th, NORTH VANCOUVER:
They will be watching on the following
dates: If
you can't fly over to be there, watch your local TV listings for
broadcast times for these races. (And look for Jane and Bill at the
finish line!)
THURSDAY DECEMBER 29th BORMIO, ITALY: The Stelvio Course was tough but Manuel was satisfied with his performance because he caught an edge in the same spot as Hans Grugger (an experienced Austrian racer who later fell at this spot and broke his femur) but Manuel was able to to pull out of this near-disaster and finish the race in 18th place, just short of his top-15 goal. He said the course was difficult and the light was flat and he's glad this one is behind him. The team now moves back to Turrach, Austria to get in some GS training. Manuel's next series of races will be January 11th to 15th in Wengen, Switzerland and he'll have added inspiration because his parents are flying over to watch him go.
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 28th, BORMIO, ITALY: After two days off Manuel is back on the slopes in Bormio preparing for tomorrow's DH race. This is where the World Championships were held last year in February when Manuel had a 19th place finish. He'll be looking to do better this time around. They've been on the hill since Monday and they had their first training run yesterday and the second today. Today he finished in 18th spot, which will put him in the start gate tomorrow in bib #13. Good luck Manny! (check local listings as this race may not be televised until Saturday)
SATURDAY DECEMBER 24th, TURRACH, AUSTRIA: The Europa Cup DH/SG races that Manuel was going to compete in were cancelled due to an overabundance of snow so the team went to Turrach, Austria to get in some training and compete in a couple of FIS races before taking a couple of days off for Christmas. Manuel met a couple of young women who couldn't agree on whether the population of Turrach was 60 or 80, which might explain why when I finally made contact with him yesterday, he was having a great time at the hotel staff Xmas party. Today the team will drive to Bormio Italy where they'll have three days off before they hit the slopes in preparation for their next race. You guessed it, he's not coming home for Christmas!
SATURDAY DECEMBER 17th, VAL GARDENA, ITALY: Manuel scored another career best today (his third) when he came in 16th in the DH. His time was 1:29:04, just 1:05 off of first place which went to Marco Buechel with 1:27:99. And what does he do after the race? He's gone to play hockey! He'll be heading to Austria on Monday to compete in a Europa Cup SG in Saalbach on Dec 21st. This is an opportunity to better his point standing in SG.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 16th, VAL GARDENA,
ITALY: The Saslong Classic is underway and the racers have completed
two training runs for the DH on Saturday. On Manuel's first training run
(Wed) he finished 30th and on his second run (Thurs) he was 27th. The
second result determines his start position for Saturday's race so he'll
be 3rd out of the gate (they reverse the top 30 finishers). In today's
Super G race Manuel snuck in at 30th spot in a time of 1:39:34. (First
place was 1:37:35). Looks like the downhill will be broadcast on Rogers
Sportsnet at 11:30 am (pacific time). MANNY MEETS OLYMPIC
SELECTION CRITERIA WITH CAREER BEST 12th PLACE MONDAY DECEMBER 12th, Val d'Isere
France: HE DID IT! A 12th place finish in the DH race on Saturday.
This is the top-30 finish he needed to qualifyfor the upcoming Torino
Olympics. It was only the second time that Manuel had run the course and his first
time was Friday's training session. He's not sure what the winning
combination was, but it all came together and this finish is his best
World Cup Result so far. Now the team is headed to Val Gardena, Italy
where they'll race the Saslong Classic. Their training runs begin on Wed
and Thurs with a SG scheduled for Friday followed by the DH on Saturday. FRIDAY DECEMBER 9th, Val d'Isere,
France: They got their first training run off! With their mandatory
training run finished, the race will continue as planned tomorrow and
the Combined event will run on Sunday. The Combined is one run of DH (a
shortened version) followed by one run of SL. Manuel's training run time
was well at the back of the pack as he tries to get a feel for his first
go at this course. WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 7th, Val d'Isere,
France: Yesterday Manuel's message was that there was very little
snow in Val d'Isere other than on the race course itself. He was
anticipating today's training run but this morning's news is that the
training run has been cancelled due to heavy snow and fog. SATURDAY DECEMBER 3rd, enroute to
EUROPE: We heard from Manuel briefly as he was boarding a plane
headed to Munich. He had an exciting time in Beaver Creek with a
combination of inclement weather and a tough race course. Though he
didn't get the results he was looking for he said he had a lot of runs
and skied some sections very well. He's looking ahead now to their next
stop at Val d'Isere, France on December 10/11. WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 30th, BEAVER
CREEK, USA: Today's training run was cancelled due to heavy
snowfalls overnight. Because this was the final scheduled training
session,
the top 30 skiers on the World Cup Start List (a ranking list that
rates skiers over the last 365 days) will start the race tomorrow in reverse
order. TUESDAY NOVEMBER 29th, BEAVER CREEK,
USA: Manuel made the first training run of his career down "Birds of
Prey," a notoriously fast downhill. Fresh snow slowed things down for
the early starters but the course got slicker as the session went on and
many skiers felt if conditions speed up, officials will have to shave
down the jumps. On the first training run most skiers are just getting a
feel for the course and Manuel had a "stand-up run" which meant he was
standing up tall enough to see the course and he finished last in
1:50.33 but is aiming for top 30. "It's my first time going down this
thing so I took it easier than others. I made a few errors on the pitch
and there was a place I should have missed the gate but I wanted to go
around it, so that slowed me down. Normally I take it really easy first
run and today I was trying to get certain places down. I was going slow
off the jumps but on race day everybody will be going much faster and
taking more risks. I think they'll have to shave down the jumps. " SATURDAY NOVEMBER 26th, Lake Louise,
Alberta: Today was the start of the World Cup speed season. The
venue was amazing, from the location of the bleachers to all of the fans
and the incredible display of sponsors. When my roommate John Kucera (Calgary,
AB) and I woke up this morning we were stoked. We threw on some hard
tunes on the speakers that John just bought and started to 'rock out.'
It finally felt like race season. All the training we did during this
past summer and the hours in the gym start to pay off now. WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 23rd, Lake Louise
Alberta: One hundred and forty World Cup volunteers and three weeks
of on-hill preparation gave way to the men's first downhill training run
at the Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup today. France's Antoine Deneria,
last season's silver medalist in the downhill at Lake Louise, clinched
the best time of the day iat 1:40.12. Austria's Michael Walchhofer, also
a bronze medalist last season, skied into second place with 1:40.61 and
Marco Buechel, was third with 1:40.73. Wearing bib #37, Invermere's
Manuel Osborne-Paradis held a time of 1:43.93, for 61st place. "As much as I try, my body doesn't
really let me go during training because it doesn't mean as much if you
win on a training run," admitted Osborne-Paradis. "I'll need to lower my
tuck and pick up more speed throughout the turns for race days." The men
will continue racing in two more training runs tomorrow and Friday,
followed by the downhill and super-G Saturday and Sunday. Check your
local
CBC listings for show times on Saturday
& Sunday, Nov 25th & 26th. The women arrive at Lake
Louise next week to compete in two downhill s and a super-G, December
2-4, 2005. TELUS replaces MOM: As an
enthusiastic gesture last season Manny appeared at one of his World Cup
races with MOM splashed across his helmet (recognizing Mom as his head
sponsor). Today Manny announced that Telus has taken over. Through its
representative, Steve Podborski (one of the Crazy Canucks), Telus has
signed a one-year contract with Manuel as his head sponsor. Telus was
pleased with Manuel's results last season as well as his determination
and commitment to the sport and are looking forward to a long
relationship as Manny heads towards podium finishes. SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19th, Invermere,
BC. The stage is being set at Lake
Louise, Alberta as the course is prepared for the first speed
World Cup event of the 2005-2006 alpine race season. This time next
weekend the men's speed team will take to the slopes and show their
metal. Manuel and his teammates have been training hard in Nakiska as
well as at Panorama Mountain in Invermere BC. They'll move over to Lake
Louise on Monday and begin preparation for their training runs that
begin on Wednesday. Check your local
CBC listings for show times on Saturday
& Sunday, Nov 25th & 26th as they race a Downhill followed by
a Super G. Good luck Manny!! MONDAY OCTOBER 31st, Calgary:
BOO! Manuel is back from Austria and was very pleased with his camp. He
trained GS, SG and Downhill and he also did extensive ski testing with
Rossignol as he made his picks for the upcoming season. He's
enthusiastic about getting back on the snow and is determined to work
hard and get some great finishes. He needs another top 30 result to
qualify for the 2006 Olympics in Turin Italy in February, but he
wouldn't mind sealing that with a top 10 result. When they got back from Europe Manny
and teammate Jeff Hume went to the west coast of Vancouver Island to
surf the big storm waves and they found out that ski racers have more
stamina than surfers--they're so used to freezing weather that
they were able to stay out on the water long after the other surfers
called it quits. On the other hand, ski racers are used to holding their
arms close in a tuck, not waving them about and using them like paddles. As promised, Manny (dressed as Darth
Vader) made it to Invermere for the annual Halloween Haunt. From there
he'll go to Calgary for a few weeks to take care of the business end of
skiing and to do some on-snow training in Nakiska and Panorama, leading
up to the first Canadian World Cup Race at Lake Louise on November 26th
and 27th. OCTOBER 1st 2005, VANCOUVER:
Manuel has had a couple of weeks in Vancouver to do laundry, regroup and
visit. He was handicapped in that he lost his cell phone somewhere in
Chile and was suffering from communication breakdown but Telus came
through and as of Wednesday he was back on air. (same number)
Manny left this morning for Toronto and the men's team will drive from
there to the General Motors Technical Center in Michigan where they will
attend a sophisticated training session (in a
wind tunnel) that will include withstanding
speeds up to 120 km/hr while experimenting with various tuck positions
and equipment options. In this sport where one hundredth of a second can
be the difference between first and tenth, every detail counts. At the
end of the weekend the men's team will head to Austria where they will
work with their sponsors on some serious equipment testing: Manuel will
be in Soelden for a week while Rossignol outfits him what everyone hopes
will be a winning combination. Then he'll head to Pitztal for a week of
on-snow training followed by a return visit to Soelden for more
training. He assures us he'll be home in time for Halloween. SEPTEMBER 6, 2005, PORTILLO, CHILE: Manuel is still in Chile training his heart out. They've endured a
massive snow storm which closed the mountain down for a few days as they
searched for buried lifts and trucks. The team was relocated to a
central area of the hotel where they were left to entertain themselves
as the snowfall accumulated. After three days, when the skies finally
cleared, the team made the most of packing powder and enjoyed massive
amounts of deep powder skiing. They're in their last week of this
five-week training camp now and Manuel says he's skiing hard and his
back feels strong. And his poker game is improving. Next stop is
Vancouver for some R&R before heading over to Austria in October. AUGUST 10, 2005, CHILE: After
more than 80 days of demanding dryland training, the Canadian Alpine Ski
Team's 27 athletes and 18 prospect development team athletes are back on
snow for a month-long camp in Chile in preparation for the Torino Olympics. First up is
a series of CIBC Summer Camps that will extend to the first technical
World Cup events on October 22 and 23 in Soelden (AUT). The first camp,
which started this week, will conclude in early September for the women
and in mid-September for the men. MAY 2005, CALGARY ALBERTA: Manny has found
three female roommates who are prepared to find out what how much fun it
is to live with him. The foursome have found a house near the university
where three of them will be going in September. Manuel will make use of
the Fitness Center on campus (he thinks this is 'going' to University)
and he's excited that he'll be in one place for three months and will be
able to unpack his bags. He's been in Calgary for the past couple of
weeks spending time with the team physiotherapist and working on a
dryland program. His dryland program will be bumped up on May 15th when
the rest of the team make their way to Calgary to join in. This summer
he'll be focusing on his ‘core' strength to prevent any further problems
with his back. He'll also follow a formatted diet plan to decrease some
of his body fat and maximize his increased strength training. By fall,
we'll see a whole new Manny. FRIDAY MARCH 25th, DEEP COVE, B.C., CANADA:
Manuel will be staying home for a few more weeks so his physio can
acquaint him with his 'core.' In mid-April Manny will head to Calgary to
get set up for dryland training, but his friends in Invermere shouldn't
worry, he'll try to make that party on the way! Web hosting courtesy of Opus |
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Patience
usually pays off as we've finally found a photo of Manny sporting his
now famous Mohawk. Nice rug Manny!
"
February 24th, Garmish Germany:
Garmish Partenkirchen is one of the most treacherous downhill courses,
and to get these last two DH races underway, truckloads of snow were imported from Austria at a
cost of 30,000 euros. Warm dry weather has played havoc on the
European ski circuit and forced many cancellations. Today though, the
sun shone as Manny's team mate Eric Guay walked away with his first gold
medal. Manny also finished in the top ten with a 7th place result. "I've
exceeded my goals for this year which were three top ten results and I'm
already on my fifth." says Manny as the Canadians make plans to
celebrate with a game of hockey followed by a well deserved night out.
(It's a no brainer as to who is buying the beer.) These results
make up for yesterday's race which was plagued by spring like
temperatures of 15 c . Manuel's 22nd place finish was not one he was
happy with.
Manny
celebrated his 13th birthday Trento, Italy after qualifying for the
Trofeo Topolino races and he's never looked back. This February baby has
had the opportunity to celebrate his birthday at a different ski race
every year and this year he's in Are Sweden awaiting his start in
Saturday's DH event. We all wish you the very best result Manny and have
a great 'over the top' birthday bash. (after the race)
January
21st, Val d'Isere, France: What a day! Two Canadians on the podium!
It's believed that the last time two Canadian men were on the
podium together was in January of 1994 with Ed Podivinsky and Carry
Mullen. Manuel really turned it on and made his fans proud as he
finished up the Downhill in third place. To make it even more memorable
he was surrounded by friends and his family. "Thanks Manny!"
They'll
have a training run on the upper section tomorrow followed by an
inspection of the lower half. The conditions are not bad with good snow
coverage on the course and the winds had died down by this afternoon. We
hope tomorrow will be a great day because Manny's mom, Bill, Robyn and
Paul (all the way from Kamloops) have been driving for three days to
watch this home town boy race.
January
9th, 2007 Wengen: Manny made it home for the holidays and brought in the
New Year amongst friends and family. He was sighted at the famed
Longhorn Saloon in snowy Whistler Mountain partying in New Years fashion. Today
he's in Wengen, Switzerland looking forward to the races this weekend.
Snow conditions aren't great, but course workers and officials are on
site to do their best to see the races get off. Check your
December
16th, Val Gardena Italy: Another great race result for Manuel. Just
three hundredths of a second away from the bronze metal. He ended up in
fifth place, finishing the race in 1:56.98, just under half a second
behind gold-medal winner Steve Nyman from the United States of America.
"I am really happy. This is a tough course and you really need to know
the terrain to be fast. I could have had a better run and I know the
areas I need to improve.“ After a great top section of his SG race the
day before he ended up making a big mistake towards the end of the
course which cost him a lot of time leaving him in 40th spot. He was
ready to make up for that on Saturday's DH. "After the inspection today
I was thrilled I really wanted to ski it. I had a smile on my face -- I
love that course. It’s the downhill of all downhills. If you don’t like
this course, you definitely don’t like to race downhill." Manny will now
head to Austria to compete in a FIS SG race in Reiteralm on Monday then
the team moves on to Hinterstoder, Austria for another SG and a Giant
Slalom.
December
2nd, Beaver Creek Colorado:
December
1st, Beaver Creek Colorado: Manny's been down
in Beaver Creek gearing up for the Super Combined as well as a Downhill
race. It's been a tough week with training cancelled on Tuesday due to
too much snow followed by a
wild training run on Wednesday when his goggles fogged up and he wasn't
able to navigate the track. He pulled himself off course, and DNF'd.
Yesterday was the Super Combined which is a new discipline to Alpine
Skiing. It consists of one run of the downhill (shortened) and one run
of Slalom with the times added together. Manny skied out in the Downhill
portion so didn't go on to the Slalom. Today he will test his skills
again in the Downhill Race then it's back to Calgary. (photo by John
Evely)
AUGUST 2006: For any of you who
ran into Manny this summer you'll know that he doesn't sit still for
long. He spent most of his time in Calgary surrounded by friends and
teammates completing his rigorous dryland training sessions as well as
driving back and forth to Invermere and Vancouver. He's managed to fit
in surfing, wake-boarding, hiking, camping, cliff-jumping, the stampede
and summer parties. His on-snow training is now underway: the team has
completed their first training weeks in Chile and they are preparing to
head back for their second session. Their first week on the mountain,
they were met with a tremendous dump of snow that forced them to do what
they were born to do and that's 'ski it.' (as shown above)
MONDAY,
FEBRUARY 13th, SESTRIERE, ITALY: Manuel can't believe how many
people got up at 3 am to watch him race. Things are pretty crazy at his
end with all the phone calls and interviews. He's looking forward to
coming home to the anonymity of Canada.
FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 3rd, CHAMONIX FRANCE: Today Manuel had a good result in the Super
Combined with a solid run on a shortened downhill course that saw him take 15th
spot. In the SL he struggled but still managed a top 30. In the end his combined
times left him with a 21st place finish.
Yesterday
Manuel had a disappointing finish in the final training run down Chamonix's 3.3
kilometer long "Verte" course. He put the brakes on just before crossing the
finish line and he miscalculated his timing and ended up in 36th spot. This
result determines his start in Saturday's downhill (the last one before they
head to the 2006 Torino Olympics) and although it won't be the start position he
wanted, he'll rise to it as he always does and give it!
Note from Manny's mom: Bill and
I were in the finish area watching and when Manuel skied up along the
fence, I heard a scream out of me before I even knew what was happening.
We held our breath and prayed that he would be able to finish the
course. It's quite an experience to watch up close. The Canadians are
well respected and excited to participate in these historic races and it
was great to see the Austrians put on such a good show.
