Any given Saturday at Burnaby Lake Park, music professor Nikolai Maloff and computer programmer Geoff Dryer can be found engaging in a showdown of aeronautic spectacle. In the skies above, lightweight, mini-engined planes dodge gliders with 13 foot wingspans.

Below the air traffic, fellow flyers unpack hand-painted model airplanes of various sizes from the backseat of their cars.

So long as the rain holds off, flyers congregate at the park every weekend to loop-de-loop through the skies. Yet come late January, the group was told it would be grounded – literally – for nearly three months of valuable practice time.

A typical Sunday pre-noon launch for Burnaby Lake Park's Hoods Up Flyers

Model plane enthusiasts are one of the many groups prohibited from flying during the Winter Games due to airspace restrictions imposed by Transport Canada, even though security officials do not see such groups as a threat.

From opening day of the Games on January 29 to the closing of the Paralympics on March 24, hobbyists such as parachuters, hang gliders and balloonists must also refrain from using the airspace within three areas clustered around two central sites -  Vancouver International Airport and Whistler Athlete’s Village.

“Massive overkill”

“We’ve been told we cannot fly for almost two months. All of the members of the club feel that this is a massive overkill,” said Brad Trent, president of Hood’s Up Flyers, an electric-only club that has been flying on an allotted field in Burnaby.

“There is no way that a group of guys at Burnaby Lake Park are going to be a risk to athletes, officials or any other groups at the Olympics.”

Some flyers have invested upwards of $100 000 in flying equipment and fees for practice space.

Three months of restricted flying practice will affect their performance in highly anticipated international competitions that occur throughout the summer months.

Military enforcement

The report outlining the restrictions warns that all traffic within the designated airspace will be monitored by surveillance radar during the Olympics. Unauthorized aerial activity will be subject to intercept by military aircraft.

“The flight procedures and restrictions are similar to those implemented for other major international events,” said Sara Hof, a representative for Transport Canada, in an e-mail. “They are based on internationally accepted standards.”

No incident of model plane employment in a terrorist attack has yet been reported. Many of the Hoods Up members pointed out that anything with wheels or wings could pose as a security threat during the Games.

A local Canadian team poses at the regional model flying finals in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho (Photo: Geoff Dryer)

Staff Sargeant Mike Cote with the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit acknowledged that model plane clubs have been in operation for many years and are a part of the community.

“These are not illegal groups. The club that meets at the same field every Wednesday afternoon or Saturday morning?” said Cote. “We’re certainly not concerned with them.”

Scott Esplen is the president of the Radio Control Flying Club of British Columbia, a group of 160 flyers that are currently struggling to find a usable aerial field in the Vancouver area. Esplen’s group will also be hit by airspace restrictions.

“I’m very responsible when I fly, I don’t take safety for granted at all,” said Esplen. “I don’t know if security is worried about something going out of control, but if they think someone is going to do something on purpose, it’s going to be the unorganized person.”

“They’re not stopping people with bad intentions, they’re punishing the guys that are doing it right. I think it’s crazy.”

“Old men flying planes”

The Hoods Up Flyers forwarded concerns about the restrictions to the Model Aeronautics Association of Canada. The association offers liability protection and acts as a government liaison for clubs all over Canada.

The relationship between model plane flyers and governing authorities that regulate model clubs, such as Transport Canada, has been positive in the past. Association president Richard Barlow was annoyed by the restrictions, but also hesitant to push the issue further.

“We’re talking about an association of close to 12 000 people that fly model aircraft recreationally, for fun and competition,” said Barlow. “Canada competes in world championships, we are insured for $5 million in liability, and we train our members to fly responsibly.”

Members of Hoods Up Flyers are skeptical that the issue will receive any attention if Transport Canada’s restrictions are challenged. While some are outraged, others seek a compromise that Geoff Dryer, vice president of the club, said is far from likely.

“We’ve got no political pulse,” said Dryer. “A bunch of old men flying planes is not a great lobby.”

One of the new 2010 Winter Olympic venues, the Vancouver Olympic Centre/Vancouver Paralympic Centre, hosted its first competition in February 2009.

The World Wheelchair Curling Championships were held there to determine who goes to the 2010 Paralympic Games.

Produced by Heather Amos, Ameila Bellamy-Royds, Miné Salkin and Alexis Stoymenoff.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Vancouver’s gay community is disappointed that it may not get city funds for its international sporting event at a time when the city is spending millions on the Olympic games. At a debate held on November 5, neither mayoral candidate would commit funding to the North America Outgames which that will bring lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) athletes to Vancouver in 2011.

What are the dates for the 2011 Vancouver Outgames?

The games will start on July 25 and will run until August 1. The Vancouver Gay Pride Parade will take place on July 31 coinciding with the games. More than 5,000 athletes are expected to participate.

How many sport events will there be?

The host committee has proposed 13 sporting events. They will include: orienteering, golf, adventure racing, swimming, rowing, sprints, dragon boating, canoeing, kayaking, hockey, badminton, softball, soccer, ballroom dancing, and volleyball.

What organization is behind the Outgames?

Celebrating at the 2008 Copenhagen Gay Pride Parade

The Outgames are sanctioned by the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association (GLISA). It is their mandate to develop Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) sport around the world.

Can only gay people participate?

The Outgames are open to all people regardless of their sexual orientation.

What is the difference between the World Outgames and the North America Outgames?

GLISA sanctions the World Outgames every four years bringing together over 10,000 athletes to take part in 30-35 sport disciplines. The North America Outgames are part of the Continental Outgames series, which are smaller games held in the years between the world games.

Are the Outgames the same as the Gay Games?

No, the Gay Games are a separate event sanctioned by the Federation of Gay Games. The first Gay Games were held in San Francisco in 1982. They have been held every four years since.

Where else have the Outgames been held?

The first World Outgames were held in Montreal in 2006. Since then, there have been two Continental Outgames — Calgary 2007 and Melbourne 2008. The next Outgames will be the Copenhagen World Outgames in 2009.

(Pride photo courtesy of Björn Söderqvist)

By Krysia Collyer.

A new judging system to be introduced at the World Cup season opener on December 13 in Tignes, France, could cost crucial points for Canada’s top male mogul skier.

Alexandre Bilodeau is worried that the new categories added to off-axis judging will lead to him losing marks because the judges may not be able to identify the different jumps.

“I don’t know how the judges are going to see the difference,” said Bilodeau, a member of Canada’s national men’s mogul team who is ranked number three in the world. “Even I have a hard time to define what the difference is.”

Bilodeau, 20, is no stranger to the off-axis jump. With a background in aerials skiing, he has been able to bring his skills to moguls, allowing him to be on the cutting edge of the sport.

In his past few seasons, Bilodeau has been the first skier in the world to perform a variety of tricks including a double-twisting flip in 2005. A year later, he followed up with an explosive corked 1080 (three spinning rotations on a diagonal axis) and a back double-full to win gold at Mont Gabriel, Quebec.

Complex jumps

The change in moguls judging reflects the sport’s growing appreciation for the different variations of the off-axis jump. Off-axis refers to the position the skier takes during the take-off of a jump. When launching him or herself into the air, the skier tilts the axis of their rotation.

The new system will add three new classifications for the jump. Now officials will be able to give points for tricks that have a higher degree of difficulty. That means the two air judges assigned to the panel will be better equipped to asses a skier’s overall jumping performance.

“Athletes that were doing cork jumps last year were not being rewarded for the additional difficulty,” said Terry Campbell, a top level Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS) official. “This year their marks will elevate with the increase in the degree of difficulty, provided they do the jump really well.”

Potential problems

Officials have had little time to work out the kinks of the system and they may not be comfortable with it yet, Campbell warned.

“It becomes a learning on the fly experience for judges this year because this is a whole new concept brought in to us and we are expected to use it flawlessly,” said Campbell.

He said judges could have problems telling the difference between the tricks and which categories they fall into. This could result in athletes losing points because they are not rewarded with the appropriate marks for having a complex jump, costing them a trip to the podium.

“Losing two points on 30 is a lot,” said Bilodeau. “That is the difference between the first place and the 16th place.”

2010 Olympics

The FIS is fast-tracking this system to the World Cup level so that judges will be ready for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.

“It is advancing quickly to the World Cup level to get all the bugs worked out this year,” said Campbell. “Then for the Olympics there won’t be any flaws because it has already been used for at least a couple of years.”

Rob Kober, the head coach of the Canadian men’s mogul team, also shares these concerns.

He said he is worried that the new jumping categories have expanded too quickly and the judges will not know what to look for.

“A lot of the judges know that they don’t know a lot of this stuff and that they are playing catch-up continuously and they are eager to learn,” said Kober. “But they are just not there yet.”

The coach doesn’t see the new system as having an immediate effect on the difficulty of skier’s jumps.

Athletes at the World Cup level train for years to get their jumps perfected. They can’t afford the penalty for mistakes. For skiers to suddenly go out and learn new tricks at the high speeds and on the challenging courses they ski could result in many lost points.

“The trade-off between a higher degree of difficulty versus being just a little off balance on the landing is just not worth it,” said Kober. “We need to be really sharp, perfect, and clean.”

Canada’s best chance of Olympic gold in the moguls, Alex Bilodeau, is not planning to change his tricks unless there is a notable difference in the judging this ski season.

“It will be interesting,” said Bilodeau. “I guess we will see at the first World Cup in Tignes.”

Related: A glimpse into the world of moguls

By Krysia Collyer

Moguls skiing is an exciting spectator sport. There are many different elements to the competition, and having the fastest time does not ensure that an athlete will win. The competition consists of skiers racing down a 29-degree incline and launching themselves off two jumps on the way down the hill.

FIS World Championship Freestyle Moguls Skiing Apex BC

During the run, seven judges award marks for the technical quality of their turns (50%), two aerial maneuvers/jumps (25%) and for speed (25%). In order to ensure that every aspect of the skier’s run is assessed, five of the seven judges are assigned to evaluate the technical skills and two are assigned to jumps.

Key elements in moguls skiing

7: 720-degree spin off-axis, around a vertical axis.

30: 360-degree spin off-axis, around the vertical axis.

Back double full: The skier is upside down but the body is straight with two spins. The two spins are done upside down.

Corked spin: An off-axis spin; where the body is virtually horizontal, but the skier’s feet do not go above their head.

Corked 1080: The head and feet are totally sideways (horizontal); 1080 refers to three body twists.

Degree of Difficulty (DD): DD is based on someone launching oneself off a jump.

Double full: Single flip with two twists.

Double full, full, full: Three flips with four twists. Two twists on the first flip off the jump.

D-spins: A sideways 360-degree back flip.

Flat spins: The body is completely horizontal, but the axis of rotation is vertical.

Grabs: During the trick, the athlete reaches and grabs one part of their ski.

Rodeo: Backward flips on an off-axis spin.

Turns: The technical criteria evaluated in judging; refers to the completion of turning in the mogul.

- with files from the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association

– By Krysia Collyer –

Vancouver’s Olympic Committee (VANOC) is upping its anti-doping measures by increasing the number of pre-competition drug tests for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver to catch cheaters before they reach the podium.

“We know that the cheaters are using more and more substances before the competition than during and after the competition,” said Patrick Schamasch, the medical and scientific director for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from Beijing, where he was attending a meeting. “That is why we want to increase the testing, unannounced, pre-competition.”

In an effort to strengthen the anti-doping measures, VANOC has raised the number of drug tests it will conduct to 2,000 for the upcoming games. This is a significant increase from the 1,200 tests done during the 2006 Turin Olympic Games. Patrick Schamasch said the increase in Vancouver will be mainly on pre-competition testing rather than in-competition testing.

Pre-competition testing

Pre-competition testing involves the collection of blood and urine samples from athletes in advance of the actual day of competition. The testing is random and unlike in-competition testing, they aren’t based on the results or rankings of the athlete after the sporting event itself.

Many believe the increase of the number of pre-competition tests is the most effective means of detecting and deterring athletes from doping during the Games.

The testing period for the Games begins on the day of the opening of the athlete’s village, and finishes on the day of the closing ceremony. Within this period of time, athletes can be subject to testing at anytime and in any place.

Doping cases from past Olympics

An unannounced test conducted during the 2006 Olympics Games in Turin, Italy resulted in about the harshest penalty for doping in the modern age of the Olympics. The IOC banned six Nordic skiers indefinitely from the Games after officials found quantities of banned substances in the team quarters. Responding to a request from the IOC, the Italian police raided the Austrian cross-country and biathlon teams’ camps looking for evidence of blood-boosting drugs. Contents found included syringes, glucose drips, blood bags, intravenous infusion and other medical supplies.

Endurance sports may have the potential for more cases of doping in comparison to other sports events during the Games. Sports such as cross-country skiing and the biathlon have a history of doping. At the games in Salt Lake City, Johann Muehlegg of Spain was forced to return his third gold medal after testing positive for the blood-boosting drug darbepoetin (NESP). Russian cross-country skier, Larissa Lazutina was also stripped of her gold in the 30-kilometer race for having traces of the same drug in her system.

“The more endurance sports the more there is some attraction to looking at doping,” said Lynda Cannell the president and CEO of SportMedBC.

Additional anti-doping methodology

In addition to testing, VANOC is partnering with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports (CCES) to provide education and awareness about doping and cheating to athletes. The team will work with the National Olympic Committee and Paralympic Committee to provide anti-doping resources including online outreach programs and video presentations to athletes. This campaign is but one initiative by the organization to bring ethical values back to sports.

“I think the couple of approaches – tests and education are key,” said Schamasch. “It is one process in the fight.”

VANOC’s plans for cracking down on doping will not be finalized until the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) releases its revised Code, slated for release on Jan. 1, 2009. At that time, VANOC will reconfigure their anti-doping measures to reflect the provisions set forth in the Code.

Related: Performance-enhancing drugs 101

Within weeks of Marion Jones being stripped of her 2000 Olympic gold medals, questions arose about the ‘purity of sport’ and whether the authentic of competition can truly exist in an era of performance-enhancing drugs.

The following is a summary of some of the most commonly used prohibited drugs and doping methods. It is important to distinguish between the different substances and methods in order to fully understand the lengths some athletes go to win.

Stimulants

Stimulants are drugs that enable athletes to increase their mental alertness and physical performance, allowing them to boost their heart and breathing rates.

A substance commonly associated with stimulants is methamphetamines or speed. Methamphetamines help boost alertness by providing a powerful kick to the athlete’s nervous system.

Anabolic agents

Anabolic agents refer to anabolic-androgenic steroids (ASS), which are artificial versions of the testosterone hormone. These performance-enhancing drugs are used to increase muscle development. Use of the substance allows athletes to train harder, longer, and reduces the amount recovery time between exercises.

Blood doping

Blood doping is a method used by athletes to boost the number of red blood cells in their system before a competition. The practice of blood doping can be subcategorized into blood transfusions and/or injections. Blood transfusions take on two forms, autologous and homologous. Autologous are transfusions that involve the use of the athlete’s own blood, while homologous transfusions use blood taken from another person of the same blood type.

Erythropoietin (EPO) and darbepoetin are injected blood-boosting drugs, which increase the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen to muscles, thereby allowing athletes to increase their endurance.

Learn more about the next generation of performance-enhancing drugs.

-With files from CBC.ca

Despite the growing legitimacy of the mountain bike community, problems remain.

Parking

The 2003 bylaw banning non-resident parking in certain areas of North Vancouver went a long way in alleviating the parking issue. But residents continue to complain about people parking on the streets, especially around the area where the parking ban ends. The Fromme plan calls for the construction of a parking lot, but funding for the project is uncertain.

Night riding

Despite technically being illegal under the bylaw that bans people from using the land at night, this form of riding continues to grow under very lax enforcement. Councillors Janice Harris and Robin Hicks both expressed their staunch opposition to the activity at the workshop.

Rider behaviour

As is often the case, a few members of the community blemish the reputation of all. But raucous behaviour at trailheads, changing in public, speeding in residential neighbourhoods, and blowing by walkers on the trial are all continuing residential complaints.

Unauthorized trail building

Jeremy Powers, professional trailbuilder, says that this is not so much an issue on Fromme because the mountain is already so over-built, but he acknowledges that elsewhere it is a problem and enforcement is difficult.

Liability

The North Shore style of mountain biking is very technical and demanding, and can result in serious injuries. The DNV wants to ensure it is not liable for allowing this. This issue has been a obstacle in achieving official designated mountain bike trails.

Injuries

Along with city concerns about liability, parents are concerned about the ‘extreme’ nature of the sport, and the possibility for injury. Participants counter that it is no more dangerous that downhill skiing or road biking. They also point to the health benefits of a physical activity that kids actually enjoy.

By Ian Bickis

North Shore Mountain bikers have made their voice heard with local government, despite not saving all the trails they wanted on Fromme Mountain.

Advocates for the sport have been trying to save their beloved trails, while conservationists have been trying to close them to prevent environmental degradation. The Fromme Mountain Trail Classification Plan, which was presented to the District of North Vancouver (DNV) council on Monday, was created to resolve these often competing interests.

The consultation, which has gone on for eight months at a cost of $60,000, is in stark contrast to other municipal involvement, such as the “chainsaw massacre” of 1999 when West Vancouver destroyed numerous trails without consulting the mountain bike community.

“What we do in this community, better than any other community, is we consult, we consult at great length,” said DNV mayor Richard Walton. “This plan is unlikely to be tampered with for a generation or more, so we want to get it right.”

Improved relations

The North Shore Mountain Bike Association (NSMBA) also wanted to get it right, so they made a concerted effort to get involved and communicate their views.

“We’ve made huge inroads in dealing with [the District] this year,” said Dan Gronross, a director of the NSMBA. Gronross said membership has grown 20 per cent this year to more than 3,000, which helps in getting government to listen.

This includes DNV section manager of parks, Susan Rogers. “We have much more of a partnership with the NSMBA which we didn’t have at the beginning. They’ve really come to the table and worked with staff very proactively,” she said.

Despite the increased advocacy, however, the mountain bikers did not achieve a “no net trail loss,” as many had hoped.

The consultants who produced the plan estimate that of the current 83km of trails, 54km should remain. Gronross was optimistic however. It’s better to have one really good trail than three bad ones, and they have managed to save many of their favourite ones, he said.

There are those on both sides who are disappointed with the plan. Local resident Lyle Craver thinks that the plan favours mountain bikers over conservation. “I don’t think the balance was there at all … [the plan] is heavily slanted toward maximizing the use of the mountain,” he said.

But as Mayor Walton said, “You never achieve a full consensus.”

Increased legitimacy

Darren Butler, who runs mountain biking programs, sees the whole process as part of the greater trend in mountain biking to become more standardized and sustainable. He pointed to the Mountain Bike Operations Certificate program at Capilano College, the first of its kind, as an example of the sport becoming institutionalized and more legitimate.

Trail maintenance days are another example of the growing responsibility the NSMBA feels towards the mountain. Held monthly, the days can attract over 100 participants, with shovels and chainsaws in tow, to help repair trails and prevent harmful erosion.

Jeremy Power, a professional trail builder, said the NSMBA contributes about 85 per cent of the funds that go towards trail maintenance, with the DNV and Metro Vancouver contributing the rest. He also pointed out that they work on all the trails in the woods, not just bike-specific ones.

Maintenance has become increasingly necessary as the popularity of the sport grows, and concerns about environmental degradation increase. The proximity of Vancouver makes it easy for lots people to get to the mountain; The Western Canada Mountain Bike Tourism Association estimates that there are over 18,000 rides a week on the North Shore.

Global example

David Croft, who moved to North Vancouver from Australia to ride, has been to six trail maintenance days, even though he has only managed to bike the mountain once. He is very interested in the trail building on the North Shore because shoddy trail building in parts of Australia has led to strong opposition to the sport. It is a problem mountain biking faces internationally, which makes the pioneering efforts of the NSMBA all the more important.

Related: “Continuing concerns about mountain bikes”