Slanders and Speculation: Volume 2, Issue 4; The Women, Mid-Season

1. Guelph – DST is the Thomas Sutpen of the CIS, ruthless ambitious in his quest to construct a great dynasty. That ambition was on display at Paul Short, where a strong team effort re-established the Gryphons as Canada’s top XC team. That title was put in doubt by a second place finish at UWO, but remember that key runners Laurie and Lalonde were absent that race. With these two ruenning, the Gryphons are the favourites for the win, and DST will be adding another banner (or two) to his Welfenschatz[1]. Cliff and Pearo are likely going to have some battles at the championship meets, and the winner of that battle could end up deciding the team winner as well, given how closely these two squads appear to be matched. Guelph has the big names; proven veterans who will undoubtedly get it done on the big day. Conversely, Mac has some young upstarts who are clearly capable of big things. Are they up to the challenge of ending the Gryphons 5 year win streak? As Mr. Mottram would say that all depends on the size of their balls….

2. McMaster – An upset at UWO over the Gryphs and a strong team run in Chicago solidify this team as the number 2 in the nation. They also inch closer to the might Gryphon, providing some excitement at the top heading into the championship season. Pearo is a contender, possibly even a favourite for the individual title at OUAs and CIS (if you can win Western, you must be a contender for the CIS win, right?). Coates, Anderson and MacNeil are running fast and all look like top 20 threats. Solid depth makes the Marauders a lethal team, ready to strike on any weaknesses the Gryphons offer up. This is clearly a two-team race for the National title. A betting man would take Guelph, but a man with a soul would pick the underdawgs from Steel-city. I have a gambling problem, so I’m sticking with Guelph.

3. Victoria – Julia “Take a Tschanz on me” Tschanz won the Charles Bowles Invite in 17:26, proving she hasn’t lost a step since indoors when she won multiple medals in the distance events at the CIS meet. Moron, Mitic, Roske and Jean are again in shape and rolling for Coach Butler and Coach Fougner. When your 7th woman hits 18:33 for 5km, you know you are in business, no matter how fast the course is. So long as things continue for the Vikettes, this team is putting up a strong case as to why they are the most likely one to get on the podium in November. They have the low-stick at the front and fantastic depth to back it up. Getting another runner or two a bit closer to Tschanz and Moran would be helpful, but Fougner can’t always get what he wants (though we think that, for a podium finish, he’s got what he needs).

4. Calgary – Stenning, MacDonald, Querengesser, Kary, Kanuka. These are the 5 that led Calgary to victory at the U of S open, beating many of their western Canadian rivals. Now, this is a similar team to last year’s that we hyped as the CanWest favourites. That team fell short of our expectations, and likely their own. However, the 2010 edition has a lot of carryover from that team. And we are no fickle, fairweather fans. If we learned anything in our years in the CIS, it’s that a team that chokes once at CIS likely will not come back the following year and make the same mistake. Calgary is too good to not make some noise in the top 4 or 5 this year, and perhaps they are good enough to take the bronze. The last time CIS were in Quebec City, 2008, the Dinettes won bronze led by a solid run out of Querengesser. Can she repeat her heroics of 2008 and carry her teammates on to the podium? We believe.

5. Alberta – Findley has been a no-show so far this fall, but that’ll likely change when the big meets come along. Deguast lead Da Pandas in Quebec City with a solid 15:20 on a hilly course. Soderberg and Bergeron also ran capably in the 2-3 helping Alberta to a narrow win over McGill. It’s great to see some head-to-head competition pre-championship season in the CIS. Not only does it make our job easier, it likely creates some additional rivalries that will do nothing but make CIS even more exciting. The Martlets will be thirsty for Panda blood at CIS. And why shouldn’t they be? Alberta went all the way to Quebec to steal the team title away from perennial Quebec champs McGill. The only way to get revenge is to take it to Da Pands at the most important race of the year, in the most savage way possible.

6. Mcgill – Sarah McCuaig ran very well in Quebec City last weekend on the Plaines to take the individual title. She looks like an AC threat and gives the Martlets a low-stick that they desperately need to climb up the team ranks. Behind her, Barrett is relying on Puel, Cummings and Drouin-Audet to pack up. This group ran well against the Pandas last weekend, and a collective effort to get ahead of their main opposition such as Alberta will pay off in a big way at Nationals. This may mean more hill repeats of Mount Royal, or perhaps less orders of the great Montreal Poutine. Not sure what Barrett’s training methods are, but these girls need to get serious if they want any chance of being something other than an also ran in 2010.

7. Queen’s – Hate to say it, but this squad is starting to scare us. They had what appeared to be an outside chance at a medal in the pre-season, but the loss of Sexton and not a whole lot of improvement from some of their key members from 2009 mean Queen’s will drop down our rankings list. Larocque is steady and proving to be a strong leader in her 4th year. Hulse is running like the thoroughbred she was expected to be when Coach Bulak made his recruiting pitch to her a way back in 2009. Beyound these two, Boyd has an arsenal of strong, but not top of the line talent to keep the Gaels in the top 10. He’ll need to take a break from message board bickering and peak this team with great care and skill if they’re to improve on last year’s 10th place edition. It’s a far cry from the pre-season hype, where we thought the Gaels might be returning to the level of their Beth-Wightman-led golden years.

8. Western – Pieterson and Desjardins had solid runs in Chicago, giving UWO a good 1-2 punch. This team has had a lot of turnover from last year and the new faces are doing a good job of upholding the rich tradition of UWO women’s cross-country. Hambleton, Bays and Savill also ran well and give UWO a good shot at taking down Queen’s and U of T in the OUA. This would put them into the bronze at Provincials, meaning they are a sure-bet at this point for a top 10 in the CIS (provided that the course is clearly marked).

9. St. FX - They had a solid run in Fredericton, just squeeking out the victory over Dal. Kennanberg led in 18:06 with all other X scorers coming in under 19:35. Not a bad day at the office for Coach Chisholm, although he's probably getting worried about the battle ahead at AUS. This group of X women have been together for a few years now and are probably hoping to leave Antigonish with another AUS team title. MacNeil and Bates have started the season well and need to continue to progress. Now that the male Czech cross-country stallions from X have graduated (as has John Corbit, the colt who can never be tamed), these ladies have no distractions at practice, and can focus solely on the running.

10. Windsor - With Toronto's subpar run in Chicago, Windsor has moved into the 10th position in the country. Given they averaged 19:07 (albeit on a fast course), they probably deserve to be ranked. This is a legit team with a legit spread between 1-5, but given the way the CIS have improved in recent years, a 19:07 average doesn't get you very far. Not long ago a team like this would have a shot at a top 4 or 5, but in 2010 this team will be stretched to get into the top 10. Kellam appears to be the leader of this squad on the course and is followed by the Gill sisters. This squad, much like Queen's, is one that has very good depth, but no really established front-runners to rely on. Some resourceful mid-season recruiting would do wonders for Fairall's Lancers.. hint hint.. Coach.

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[1] The Welfenschatz, or “Guelph Treasure,” is a collection of Medieval relics founded by the Duke Henry the Lion, from the Brunswick Province of Bavaria, in 1195. The collection grew to include hundreds of items, dating from the 9^th Century through to the 15^th Century. Until 1929, these items remained in the hands of the Dukes of Brunswick, but finally economic pressures forced the family to sell the collection, and the various pieces have since been scattered amongst various museum collection across the world. Since the disintegration of the Dukes of Brunswick’s collection, the collection of CIS banners at Guelph University has established itself as the modern Welfenschatz.  

Slanders and Speculations - Volume 2, Issue 3; The Men, Mid-Season

1. Guelph – “Hmm.. Now I'm depressed because I am an old and lame. Good news though, we have a hard 5xMile workout today and I am going to absolutely drill the shit out of those young kids on the Guelph team, that'll make me feel better”. Statements like this one, made by one of the training partners of the Gryphs, make us wonder whether or not these boys, who are on fire right now, will have enough gas to make it through ‘til the end of the season! Coach DST better be able to restrain his varsity guys, or else they might go the way of one of those many teams who show great promise early, only to fizzle late. All that being said, a couple of very strong weekends of racing for the Gryphs only solidifies what everyone already knows – this team is far and away the best in the nation. Proudfoot got the W at Western, which is unbelievably impressive for a young pup like him (interestingly, etymologically, the word “Guelph” shares its root with the word “whelp” meaning young pup). The first 4 at Lehigh were absolutely stellar. Boorsma is on fire this fall, as one should expect, given he’s in his fifth year. Genest is running well, and always gets better as the season progresses, as does Brett. This team has guys who are potential All Canadians that won’t even make their top 7.

2. Windsor – Good runs at Chicago make this team a clear number 2 in Canada. Keller, Sinclair, and Colonel Saunders ran ~25:20 and are potential ACs. Weston is laying low. His only outing being a tempo at Western. This bodes well for his chances at the individual title. We rank this man among the Lancers greats, along with such legends as Ryan Mackenzie, Goose Gosselin, and Mark Kitely. Agaunno, Walters x 2 and Berkis give this team even more fast dudes to rely on at CIS. Windsor basically has no flaws; however, the 2010 Guelph team is just unbelievably good. This Lancer squad should win CIS, but they’ve run into yet another amazing squad from up the 401.

3. Victoria – A couple of 24:30s on the FAST course at Willamette by Chainsaw and Pieterson lead UVic a solid opener. Cliff Childs backed those two up with a 25:10, providing the Vikes with the tools to do some damage in the CIS. Dylan Haight (25:26), Bocksnick (25:44) and Irvine (25:47) mean there are 6 legitimate guys to fill out the 5 scoring spots on this team. UVic is a good team, in fact, we’d go as far as to say UVic is a great team. Only time will tell if they are good enough to knock off Calgary. We are starting to think that bronze medal will be a dogfight between these two CanWest rivals. It’ll come down to a battle between the proven, more naturally talented vets from Victoria vs. the blue-collar, heavy-drinking lads from Cow-town… who will prevail?

4. Calgary – Nicol led the Dinos at the U of S meet running just off of Regina’s number 2. But, like last year, Calgary beats most other CIS teams with their impressive depth. Cloutier, Merry, Bickley and Pootz packed it in well, with a few other Dinos not much further behind. This incredibly deep team has a lot of firepower; however the question - much like last year - is who will step up enough to get the Dinos close to UVic. Up front, UVic holds a big advantage, but Calgary’s depth will allow them to take risks. Mr. Nicol, are you willing to get after an AC spot and try to give your team a boost in their hopes for a medal? If I was your fifth man, I’d sure be hoping my leader was going to lay it down at CIS. In other words, unless Nicol runs like an absolute stud, UVic will be stealing what could belong to the Dinos.


5. Western – Similar to most editions of the Mustangs that we’ve seen in recent years, this squad ran very well at Chicago with Armstrong proving he’s getting back into his 2008 form quickly. Huff is having a career year and running like a potential AC guy. O’neil, not as much. This guy is usually clutch in the fall – but perhaps his long year last year including cross, indoors, FISU, summer track, and a ton of ballin’ is catching up to him. If he can get it going soon, this UWO team could be a force at OUAs and CIS. The depth men Smith and Adrin ran capably in 26ish on a quick course. These 5 should be good enough for their 6th place rank, but with 6-7 awfully far back, this team is as delicate as a house on stilts, on a foundation of sand. Just a little bad luck could be the Mel Gibson that pulls the whole structure down. “It’s just been revoked.”

6. Regina – Wiebe slaughtered everyone at the U of S open – what a surprise. Guess he wasn’t all that injured afterall. Fyfe also ran very well for 2nd and gives Regina that strong 1-2 punch needed to catapult them up the rankings. Beyound those two, they have some returners from last year’s 4th place team that are in similar shape to last year, and a couple new faces who should help them get their fifth man in before 117th (as in 2009). The Cougars are good, but not good enough to improve upon their placing last year. We’re sure they are dreaming of hardware, but Calgary and UVic are too strong for Regina to sneak into the medals.

7. McMaster – Abbott had a strong opener at UWO, but not a great outing in Chicago where he was barely under 26 minutes. Yorke stepped in though, and showed that a summer of triathlon training is good for something other than learning the most efficient method for shaving one’s legs. Helluva run for him in 11th place in a good field. He was backed up by another good run by sophomore sensation, Reid. The depth wasn’t too strong, but given these top three, Mac stands a good chance at being a top 10 team in the country with a good peak late in the season. And, speaking of peaking well, Sneyd knows his stuff and you can count on Mac having their best effort in November.

8. Queen’s – Patterson and Courchene are running as expected. Low 26s at Lehigh makes them legit front-men on a top 10 team. Hulse hasn’t shown his cards yet, but should be ready to go when the real racing starts in a few weeks. His presence up front will help Queen’s tremendously, as right now they are lacking the low stick that pushes them up the top 10 list. Beyond these three, there is a slew of guys who are gunning for the remaining scoring spots, which will hopefully propel a few to new, faster levels. Boyd is holding his cards close to his chest, having not run a full “A” squad yet. Look for the Queen’s open to give a clearer indication of how good (or average) this team will be in 2010.


9. Toronto – Boring. Can U of T please do something interesting before the post-season starts? This team is always a difficult one to size-up. They have names, and stats, but they never run their whole team at the same meet, and they rarely even race hard until OUAs. A couple of mediocre 26 – 26:30 8kms from their expected top 4 at Chicago means TO is a safe bet for a top 10 at CIS. Pettes seems to be the type of guy who needs to have someone holding his hand every waking moment, whether it’s Nicholl (one step ahead in Chicago) during XC races or his girlfriend every other minute of the day- this is not the kind of quality you want to see in your Captain. Mountain running legend Gavin Hamilton boosts their shot at an upper tier placing, given he was 20th at UWO and the fact that he will run very well at the end of the season. Although we’ve never met him, we will pretty much guarantee that he steps up big at CIS.

10. Alberta – Although they didn’t field their A team at the U of S Open, Alberta has been totally unimpressive so far in 2010. Gone are the glory days of the blue-collared guys who worked hard and played hard. This group got dusted in Saskatchewan and needs to regroup in a hurry if they have any visions of repeating their 2009 heroics. That being said, there are some positive things this team can take away from the early season meets. They have been so bad that most other Canwest teams are probably counting them down and out. If there’s anywhere in Canada that knows about being at the bottom of the rankings list, it’s Edmonton. Can Da Bears regroup the way Tambellini has with the Hall, Eberle and Paajarvi acquisitions?