Swim Canada faces awkward Olympic Stiutation

interesting article Swim Canada faces awkward Olympic situation JAMES CHRISTIE Globe and Mail Update April 2, 2008 at 1:48 PM EDT MONTREAL — Colin Russell has broken an Olympic qualifying standard and with it the peace of mind of Swimming Canada officials. The 23-year-old Oshawa, Ont., swimmer was the fastest qualifier for the men's 200-metre men's freestyle race in 1 minute 47.51 seconds at the CN Swimming Trials in Montreal's Olympic pool Wednesday morning. He earned a prime lane for the final alongside such veteran stars as Brent Hayden, Brian Johns and Andrew Hurd. Russell destroyed the international A-standard of 1:48.72 for entry into the Beijing Games and is favoured at least for a spot on the Canadian freestyle relay squad, if not a solo swim. Russell's 14-year-old sister Sinead is also trying to qualify for the Olympic team in the women's back stroke. What's awkward, however, is that Colin and Sinead's father is Cecil Russell, a one-time successful swim coach who has been banned from the pool deck for life. Cecil's lurid background has included testimony in court of how he helped an associate involved in a steroid ring dispose of a murder victim's body — he was not charged himself — and conviction and incarceration for the importation of the drug ecstasy in Arizona. Swimming Canada officials are facing the awkward prospect of trying to separate the swimmers' relationship with Cecil Russell as their father and Cecil Russell who wants to use his coaching knowledge to help them. "My coaching is split between Byron McDonald and my father, although on paper my coach officially is Erin Russell and my dad is officially listed as my 'trainer' not as a coach, because that's the way it has to be," said Colin Russell after his fast swim. He doesn't want to discuss the matter any further until after the meet. "I stay completely away from the politics of it," he said. National coach Pierre Lafontaine has already been pondering the situation, however. "Cecil is no longer a certified coach. He's not allowed on the deck with them," Lafontaine said. "He can't have anything to do with them as national team members." Policing that is another matter. Swimming Canada can't go into a home and govern the relation ship between a father and his kids. "You can't do anything… but you can't stand by and not do anything, either," Lafontaine said. Colin Russell can secure a solo swim in Beijing in the 200 metres with a first or second place finish in Wednesday night's final. "I wasn't planning on going really hard and I didn't,'' said Russell, a member of Canada's silver medal winning 4 X 200 freestyle relay at the 2005 world championships. "I saved a little bit on the last 50 for tonight. I impressed myself with that time I wasn't expecting to drop a second and half. It was nice.'' In other highlights during the qualifying heats, Julia Wilkinson of Toronto broke the Canadian record in the women's 100-metre back stroke in 1:01.76 to eclipse the previous national mark of 1:01.93 set by Erin Gammel of Calgary in 2005. Elizabeth Wycliffe of Kingston, Ont., took second spot in 1:02.82. "Normally I'm not as great in the morning in the 100,'' said Wilkinson, who swims for the North York Aquatic Club. '"But I plan to go even faster tonight. I was trying to just keep relaxed and think about myself. I'm at my best when I just keep in my zone. I wasn't even thinking about the outcome.'' Annamay Pierse of Edmonton also beat the A standard in the women's 100 breaststroke finishing in 1:08.70. The standard is 1:09.01. Jillian Tyler of Calgary was the second fastest in 1:09.24 and Erica Morningstar of Calgary third in 1:09.52. Matt Hawes of Stittsville, Ont., and Matt Rose of Peterborough, Ont., were the top-two qualifiers for tonight's final in the men's 100 backstroke while Savannah King of Vernon, B.C., and Tanya Hunks of Vancouver are seeded 1-2 for the women's 400 freestyle final. The Olympic trials have been a chance for Montrealer Audrey Lacroix to get over a big barrier. On Monday night, she finally secured an Olympic swim after being frustrated in 2000 when she lost out in a swim-off and 2004, when she won the trials but in a race too slow to qualify her for the Athens Games. "It's a monkey off my back. It's a relief, but the main event has not happened yet," said Lacroix, who win the 100-metre butterfly at the trials and was fifth in last year's world championship in Australia. She got her spot on the Beijing trip because she raced hard and was first to the wall, getting a reward for her tenacity more than for her speed, which met the international B-standard but not the A-standard. "I want to swim really fast and not only make the team but to show the other girls in the world that I'm ready to race them," she said. The CN Swimming Trials also serves as the as selection meet for the Paralympic Games in Beijing. In the highlight of that category, Valérie Grand'Maison of Montreal, who is visually impaired, broke her world record in the women's 400-metre freestyle in the S13 category with a time of 4:32.51. from www.globesports.com/.../home