Tuesday September 14, 2004
Jill has finisher her final report for the Olympic experience. Check it out by clicking on the Olympic Journal link. Thank you everyone who wrote emails to Jill. She was very touched by the effect that she had on so many people even though her race did not go as planned. It made her look on the bright side of the Olympics and not to internalize it as much. The Olympics are inspiring and it takes moments like Jill's crash to show us the power of the human spirit. I was so proud of Jill for finishing because I remembered her sadness when she did not finish when she crashed in Cancun World Championships, I knew she would do everything she could to get across the finish line. Way to go Jill. You are an Inspiration.
Thursday September 02, 2004
Jill has left for Hamburg....Jill left Syros Island today and is flying to Hamburg Germany where she planed to race on Saturday. Due to her crash in Athens she will not be racing. Her shoulder is still bruised from the crash and she felt that the swim would be too hard on it. Her family is also going to Hamburg but they will all get to enjoy the race (and a couple of good German beers!). They will be cheering for Carol Montgomery and Sam Warriner. That's all for now. Jill's Olympic report is coming soon.
Sunday August 29, 2004
The final day....Jill goes to closing ceremonies tonight to put a close to the games. The last few days we have had a great time seeing the sights and watching some Olympic events. Yesterday Cara (her sister) and I went to visit Jill at the Olympic village. The village is a massive complex a fair distance from the centre of town. It was not too difficult to get in. After taking out passports and checking our bags through the x-ray machine we were free to roam around. The facilities that were available for the athletes were very impressive. They even had their own internal bus service in the village. I was able to stay there till 9pm so I took advantage of that and had dinner there with Jill and Carol Montgomery. Jill's family went to watch the Gold Medal Volleyball game last night. They loved it! They are heading up to the Acropolis right now - if they missed that it would be a shame because it is a spectacular. Tomorrow morning we are heading to a Greek island called Syros where we will have a couple of days to relax before we have to leave. It will be nice to be out of the hustle and bustle of the big city. I am hoping Jill will get the time to get a post race report done before she gets home but it has been very busy here with so much to do. Cheers.
Friday August 27, 2004
Jill Savege showed us Canadian skill, Canadian character and Canadian pride this morning in her Olympic race. Jill’s preparation was perfect as she was able to swim a best time to exit the water in the group of 5 lead women. She went through the transition and out onto the bike course in the lead group. She had her race, her race of a lifetime going!! The bike course was formidable with a 15 to 20% grade that the women would have to climb 5 times. But Jill’s training had prepared her for that effort and for the increasing heat of the day. On the back side of the climb was a steep and fast descent, and unfortunately a patch of motor grease. Jill and another woman hit the patch and she went down hard! She suffered a road rash that looks a bit like the Canadian flag but more seriously a shoulder injury. Jill determined to continue her race so got back onto her bike and raced to try to catch up. Her shoulder pained and made it very difficult to climb the hill the next 4 laps, (imagine trying to bike up a hill , a really steep hill, using only 1 arm to pull with. But she faced the challenge , finished the bike and then ran a fast 10km to finish with pride and tears, her medal dream gone, for that day. Jill is receiving medical attention right now. You know she will be sad, heartbroken, that today didn’t go as she she dreamed or worked so hard for. But others are feeling the same way too, Loretta Harrop led up to 300 metres left then was passed by an unknown Austrian. The Americans Lindquist and Taormina worked for 4 years plus to finish1-2, they did not achieve that goal. Others had a day unexpected, the winner Kate Allen and 3rd place Susan Williams USA. Such is sport! We can be so very proud of Jill Savege . She shares her Olympic journey with us and did her very best!!! She gave us the reason to wear our Canada gear and to get up (3am!!) and cheer!! She very much thanks you all for your best wishes and strong support. Jill’s sponsorship relations has demonstrated: stronger together for all concerned!! She is proud to be a Canadian and to represent our country.
Friday August 27, 2004
Jill is OK. She is very happy to have finished the race. Her road rash is not too bad and her shoulder is getting better every day. Today Jill and I went out to watch the women's mountain bike race. Tonight we are going to Track and Field together. It is still too soon to determine if Jill will be able to race in Hamburg Germany on the 5th of September. We hear that Jill's finish made quite a story back home. Jill is glad that her race turned out to be a positive motivator for so many people. We will be glad to be home soon. Take care.
Monday August 23, 2004
Sorry for the delay however it has been a little more difficult to find internet then we thought. I'm sending this e-mail from the Canada house, in downtown Athens. We are looking out the window at the Acropolis. It seems surreal! It was difficult to find the Canada house through the maze of shops, restaurants and people. We ran into some Canadians who were able to direct us. We have been staying quite far from the village so it was great to run into some fellow Canadians. It turns out Canadian's are not hard to spot in the village since everyone is wearing roots Canada shirts. Who knew we could be so patriotic! Janet, Cara and I headed towards the Triathlon venue from our hotel, which is about 10min by bus. When we got there the road was blocked off for the triathlets training ride. We ended up walking the whole way along the rugged coast line. As we walk along the curving highway, with the cyclist on one side and the ocean on the other. It was amazing to think of the history this country has and we were pondering how many people before us, have seen the same view. Along our walk we were stopped several times by security guards. In fact they did not want to let us walk along the road were the triathlets were cycling. Jill happened to be riding by and stopped to say hello. This seemed to have helped convince the guard to let us continue walking. After searching our bags and making a few calls through the walky talky we finally got the green light proceed. The highlight of the trip so far was the dinner that Triathlon Canada hosted last night for all of the athletes, family and friends. It was in a beautiful penthouse suite overlooking the swim course. All of the families mingle and enjoyed the spirit of gathering. We felt honor to be in the company of such great athletes. To date time seems to be going by slowly, waiting for the to 25th to arrive. Ironically when it is all done we will know that the time has passed quite quickly! So Sad! I will try and send an e-mail soon. Love Aaron, Cara, and Janet
Sunday August 22, 2004
Athens update. I have been having a hard time finding internet here so I apologize for not getting an update on the website sooner. I have seen the race site and big hill and was amazed at the beauty and the steepness of the course. This hill that they have to climb on the bike (five times) is enough to kill a normal person. Then immediately after they get to the top they come back down an equally crazy hill. At speeds that would scare even me they have to take a sharp left hand corner at the bottom. I have to run but will send more soon. Cheers.
Sunday August 22, 2004
Tuesday August 17, 2004
Jill's bike is now in Athens!!!! She has been using a borrowed bike in France for the training camp. At least now she will not have to worry about the bike being lost on the way to Athens from France. Check out her latest Olympic Update (on the top right of the page). Go Canada!
Tuesday August 17, 2004
Copied from www.triathlon.org -------------------------------Following the success of the Sydney Olympic Triathlons, the competition for an Olympic berth has greatly intensified with all World Cup finishes being tightly contested, and with more individual podium finishes from a wider variety of countries.---------------------------- Women's Race – Wednesday August 25: 26 different flags are represented in the women’s race, with Argentina, Colombia, Kazakhstan, and Portugal being represented for the first time. 14 athletes line up for their second Olympics.---------------------------- Men's Race – Thursday August 26: 25 country flags are represented in the men's race, with Bermuda, Estonia, Hong Kong, Mexico, and Russia being represented for the first time. 16 athletes compete in their second Olympic triathlon. --------------------------------- 30 of the Sydney Olympians are returning, including both Gold medal winners: Brigitte McMahon of Switzerland and Simon Whitfield from Canada to defend their medals. Other second time Olympians are absolutely determined to improve on their Sydney performance. The hungry and enthusiastic new aspirants will hotly pursue these Olympic veterans. The excellent standard of these Olympic athletes means that very many have a real medal chance if their race comes together on August 25 and August 26. The racing will be hotly contested over the hot, humid and hilly course at Vouliagmeni. Over the next 10 days triathlon.org will keep you informed on the preparations for the race, the athlete and National Teams progress, pictures, athlete updates, course information etc.
Saturday August 14, 2004
Jill has just arrived in France. After the opening ceremonies Jill left the next day and will now stay in a smaller French City (not sure what the name is) for the next week to focus and relax a bit. Sam Warriner and the other New Zealand team are also there with Jill. The rest of the Canadian Team are in Switzerland for the same reasons. Jill wanted to stay with her coach Bredon Downey rather than go with the other Canadians. Her bike did not show up in Athens prior to her departure so it will be in the Athletes village when she gets back to Athens. She will be able to use a spare bike in France and she brought everything she needed just in case this happened. Having traveled as much as Jill you get to prepare for these sorts of things and you don't get too worried about it when it happens. I would be freaking out if I was her but she is calm and has moved on. Nerves of steal that woman has. Personally I am just a basket case sitting at home watching the Olympics on CBC. I will be heading over on the 19th of August. I fly in to Rome and then will be taking a ferry to Greece and will have a couple of days of touring prior to arriving in Athens. I might head to Olympia on the way. That is all for now.
Friday August 13, 2004
Canoe.ca interview about Canada's prospects mentions Jill as a medal hopeful. "Canada's best podium threats come from Canada's rowing team, which could win a fistful of medals, world champion hurdler Perdita Felicien, triathletes Whitfield and Jill Savege, Karen Cockburn, world champion in trampoline, and diver Alexandre Despatie."
Friday August 13, 2004
Opening Ceremonies now complete. I saw Jill a couple of times during the opening ceremonies and she called me on her cell phone that Bell Canada gives the athletes to use while at the Olympics. It was hard to talk because of the noise. She was a bit tired due to the recent travel but as soon as she was in the stadium her energy level picked up. I hope the traffic to get back to the village is not too bad. It is already after midnight there. She leaves tomorrow morning to go to France for a training camp. Her bike was lost during transport between London and Athens but she is not too concerned about it because there are other bikes she can use in France and she will not be riding much in the next week anyways. Otherwise she feels good and is thrilled to be in Athens. She says the weather is very similar to Penticton although at night it stays warmer. That's all for now.
Wednesday August 11, 2004
ITU Olympic Update: 11 August 2004 Copied From the ITU website. ------------------------------- 14 DAYS TO GO - ITU DIARY FROM ATHENS: Two weeks today the women’s Olympic Triathlon will take place. If the weather today in Vouliagmeni is any indication of what is in store for us, things could be perfect for the event. The azure blue sea was so calm that it appeared almost glass-like. There was no current, and the jelly-fish season is well past. The large yellow banana buoy which marks the first turn of the 1 lap, 1500m swim was positioned on the course exactly 380 metres from the start platform. The only thing missing was the 3000+ spectators that will fill the stadium seats. ------------------ This afternoon four tons of concrete blocks were slowly towed across Vouliagmeni Bay from the Marina and delicately positioned to secure the start platform and media platform. The start platform design has been approved and will be in position on the 16th of August. The allocation of each spot at the start for the athletes will be .9m. The water temperature continues to hover around 27oC, so there is zero possibility of wetsuit being used on the day. ---------- The athlete training centre at the Nautical Club of Vouliagmeni received the final inspection today. It will be officially opened tomorrow, and athletes have already booked swim times for tomorrow. Vaggelis Manos, the Training Centre Supervisor says that for him the Olympic Games begin tomorrow. There is a wonderful renovated cafeteria which is fully air conditioned and full of cold refreshment. Team managers are reminded to contact Sport Information to book swim times as lanes are quickly filling up. ------------------------- A lot of work was done cleaning the beach today, both in the water and out. Huge machines filtered any rocks for the area, and a workforce of hundreds slowly paced up and down searching for anything missed by the monster trucks. ----------------------- Most of the Venue Staff went to the rehearsal for the Opening Ceremonies last night, which left everyone most excited and in awe of the beginning of the Games. Although all are sworn to secrecy, suffice to say that there was an eerie silence about the place for most of the evening as the sights and sounds captured the hearts and souls – “coming home” is definitely what these Olympic Games are all about.
Tuesday August 10, 2004
Olympic Triathlon Athlete Profiles - Check out www.triathlon.org for all the profiles for the 49 other women in Jill's race. Jill leaves tomorrow for Athens. She makes a quick stop in Vancouver to say goodbye to family friends and sponsors. There is a send off at the VanCity Credit Union Head Office which is above the Science World skytrain station. It is at 1:30 pm. Jill will be doing an Olympic Journal which we will be posting on her website as soon as possible. We are not sure how easy internet access will be where she will be. We will do our best. Thank you.
Saturday July 31, 2004
We love Penticton!!!!! During the wine and cheese fundraiser the other day the city and also through a generous donation from Ironman Canada $10,000 was raised for the Olympic Triathlon team! WOW!! It was great night with some awesome silent auction prizes donated by mostly local businesses and people. Steve King was the MC for the event and as usual did a fantastic job. Stockwell Day (our local MP) was the auctioneer for the live auction. He was amazing. Simon and Jill both showed short video highlight clips and thanked the crowd of 150 people and the City of Penticton for the amazing support. On behalf of Jill Savege we would like to thank Dave Lieskovsky from the City of Penticton for organizing the great event. Thank you all!
Thursday July 22, 2004
Penticton BC. The City of Penticton has organized a Fundraiser Wine and Cheese and Silent Auction at the Convention Centre to raise funds for the Canadian Olympic Triathlon Team. If you are interested in coming it starts at 5pm on Friday the 23rd. Simon and Jill will be on hand to sign autographs. It has been a wonderful summer of training here. Jill and others have enjoyed some awesome weather. I am sure it will help get them used to the heat that is expected in Athens. Tomorrow the temperature here is going to be 39 or 40 degrees C. You could fry an egg on the sidewalk at that temperature! (that is a rough conversion to F for the Americans in the crowd). Jill is getting a little more nervous now that we are getting closer to departure. It is an amazing amount of build up for one race. I think this is mentally the hardest part of competition. Staying focused and confident while everyone around you asks questions like "Are you nervous yet?" or "How are you dealing with all the pressure?" I almost think people want to hear about the awful stuff because we all know what is like to be under pressure and we are just trying to figure it out for ourselves. Well Jill is tough and determined so I am sure she will be just fine. Thanks for your support everyone. Adios
Monday July 12, 2004
The final Olympic spot was awarded this weekend. Jill Savege will lead the Canadian Triathlon Team including Carol Montgomery and Sam McGlone into the Olympic Games at Athens. It was a very tough race for the four girls that were fighting for the final spot. Sam was just able to catch Sharon on the run. It was very exciting to watch!
Thursday July 01, 2004
Final spot on the Olympic team up for grabs next weekend. The Edmonton World Cup is a huge race for four Canadian Women who will be competing for the final spot on the Olympic team. The woman who crosses the finish line first will be packing their bags for Athens. Those who are eligible are: Sharon Donnelly, Lauren Groves, Natasha Filliol and Sam McGlone. They are all very close to one another in terms on overall ability however each of them has particular areas of strength. It will be a very exciting race!! No matter whom it is Canada will be sending a very competitive team to Athens.
Monday May 10, 2004
Since there was no Canadian finisher in the top 8 in the Portugal World Championships over the weekend the second Olympic spot was not awarded. Since this did not work out for anyone, the next criteria for nomination to the team was the person with the most podium finishes over the past years races. That person is Carol Montgomery. The final spot is up for grabs at the Edmonton World Cup in July.............................................................. For Jill, preparing for the Olympics is what is important this year. Day by day her preparations continue to focus on the doing the small things, like maintaining proper nutrition, stretching, and ensuring adequate recovery. Jill is applying to her training all that she has learned over the past five years about herself, triathlon and fitness. Jill is even taking a page from her mother’s book and is “Enjoying the Process”, because in the end it is the journey that will be most memorable.
Thursday April 15, 2004
Time seems to be flying by as we approach the Olympics in August. The counter on our home page is a constant reminder of the limited time remaining. At the elite level of competition there is a very fine line between optimal performance and overuse injury and fatigue. The athlete that gets to the Olympics having timed the workouts and competitions best will peak at the right time and will help them come out on top. Knowing when to rest and when to train hard is a science these days and Jill has her training scheduled for months in advance. We still do not know which Canadian girls will be joining Jill in Athens. The next opportunity to make the team is at the World Championships in Portugal in May. If you are interested, the complete criteria for the selection is posted on the Triathlon Canada website.
Saturday November 08, 2003
Jill Savege has now officially qualified for the 2004 Olympics after finishing fourth at the Athens test event.