The Beijing Olympics are well underway, but it's just beginning for some sports, including Taekwondo, where Canada's got 3 athletes competing. Leading them into competition is Yorkton's own Master Wayne Mitchell, who's the Manager for Team Canada's Taekwondo portion of the Olympics. Mitchell left Yorkton on August 7th, and after the Opening Ceremonies, the Taekwondo team went to South Korea to train, and escape the craziness of the Olympics.CS: So Wayne, as Team Manager, what's your role at these Olympics?
Wayne Mitchell: Well as we've gone through all our Olympic training and have done exchange camps with a few countries I've been involved in averting all the problems, I isolate the team from and problems that arise.
CS: So was it kind of your idea to go to Korea in the meantime, and stay out of China for as long as possible?
WM: Well, the team leaders all decide, a lot of ideas were discussed. I understand this year many of the sports are going off-site to do their training, and stay out of that Olympic village which can be very distracting. We're focusing on the medals and the job at hand. Our team has actually been to Beijing, this will be the third time in less than a year, so we're hoping everyone can be familiar with the surroundings, and won't have to do the shopping, and the site-seeing, and just focus of the Games and winning the gold.
CS: Three competitors on Team Canada, two females, one male, can you talk a bit about them?
WM: The one light female, under 59kg, Ivett Gonda, she's from Vancouver. She actually was kind enough about two years ago to train and spar with some of the athletes from here (Kee's in Yorkton), and help inspire them. Karine Sergerie is from Montreal, she was the World Champion last year in 2007, and Sebastien Michaud is from Quebec City, and he's actually the first male that's qualified for Canada at the Olympics in Taekwondo.
CS: And you were saying they've all got pretty good shots at medalling, maybe even gold medals?
WM: Yes, optimistically, we're being over-optimistic, we could expect 3 gold medals. We expect at least one medal, and I think we'd be disappointed if we don't get two.
CS: How's Canada done in the past, going back to Athens in 2004 in Taekwondo?
WM: At the demonstration games, way back when, we did quite well, but since it's become an official (Olympic sport), we've only managed one bronze, and that was in 2000 in Sydney, by a Winnipeg girl (Dominique Bosshart), and her and Ivette were in Athens together in '04, so this is Ivette's second go at the Olympics and she definitely seems a lot more confident.
CS: So the program's obviously improved drastically over, even the last four years.
WM: Oh yes, I think so. Taekwondo Canada's really helped, developing the Junior stream, and these 3 athletes going to the Olympics are all part of the Junior stream of Taekwondo Canada.
CS: And you've been to the Worlds before as an official, but this is your first Olympics, right?
WM: Yes, first Olympics, but I've been to many of the World Championships in the last 5 or 6 years.
CS: And you mentioned you want to focus on the task at hand and not get wrapped up in site-seeing, being in another country. Is it hard NOT to do that at all?
WM: Not this time. I think we took that all out of them last time, we did a little bit of site-seeing, took them shopping. Everybody's really focused and upbeat.
CS: So had you been to Beijing aside from these 3 times this year?
WM: Not aside from this year, but like I said this will be my third time in about a year. It's going to be a little warmer than the last two times, it's supposed to be possibly in the 40s, and humidity is about 85% at 9:00 in the morning, so it's going to be a different experience.
CS: Well they've been talking about the pollution, the smog, that kind of thing. What have you heard about that so far?
WM: Oh, I've witnessed it. Ten days I was in Beijing and I didn't see a blue sky, and it wasn't a cloudy day.
CS: Well that'd be a problem wouldn't it? Maybe not so much for the indoor sports like Taekwondo, but certainly for the outdoor ones.
WM: Yeah, I don't think indoor sports will be a problem, the facility we're in is a brand new building, they've got a filtering system for the air conditioners, so for the athletes we're hoping it's at least 10 degrees cooler. We haven't been able to get into the actual venue during temperatures we're going to experience during the Olympics. If it's in the 30's, that's okay, but if it's in the 40's, that's a problem for everybody.
CS: Well thanks for taking the time and I hope you enjoy your first Olympic experience Wayne.
WM: I'm really looking forward to it, I think we've got a great team and we're looking for those medals.
Wayne Mitchell: Well as we've gone through all our Olympic training and have done exchange camps with a few countries I've been involved in averting all the problems, I isolate the team from and problems that arise.
CS: So was it kind of your idea to go to Korea in the meantime, and stay out of China for as long as possible?
WM: Well, the team leaders all decide, a lot of ideas were discussed. I understand this year many of the sports are going off-site to do their training, and stay out of that Olympic village which can be very distracting. We're focusing on the medals and the job at hand. Our team has actually been to Beijing, this will be the third time in less than a year, so we're hoping everyone can be familiar with the surroundings, and won't have to do the shopping, and the site-seeing, and just focus of the Games and winning the gold.
CS: Three competitors on Team Canada, two females, one male, can you talk a bit about them?
WM: The one light female, under 59kg, Ivett Gonda, she's from Vancouver. She actually was kind enough about two years ago to train and spar with some of the athletes from here (Kee's in Yorkton), and help inspire them. Karine Sergerie is from Montreal, she was the World Champion last year in 2007, and Sebastien Michaud is from Quebec City, and he's actually the first male that's qualified for Canada at the Olympics in Taekwondo.
CS: And you were saying they've all got pretty good shots at medalling, maybe even gold medals?
WM: Yes, optimistically, we're being over-optimistic, we could expect 3 gold medals. We expect at least one medal, and I think we'd be disappointed if we don't get two.
CS: How's Canada done in the past, going back to Athens in 2004 in Taekwondo?
WM: At the demonstration games, way back when, we did quite well, but since it's become an official (Olympic sport), we've only managed one bronze, and that was in 2000 in Sydney, by a Winnipeg girl (Dominique Bosshart), and her and Ivette were in Athens together in '04, so this is Ivette's second go at the Olympics and she definitely seems a lot more confident.
CS: So the program's obviously improved drastically over, even the last four years.
WM: Oh yes, I think so. Taekwondo Canada's really helped, developing the Junior stream, and these 3 athletes going to the Olympics are all part of the Junior stream of Taekwondo Canada.
CS: And you've been to the Worlds before as an official, but this is your first Olympics, right?
WM: Yes, first Olympics, but I've been to many of the World Championships in the last 5 or 6 years.
CS: And you mentioned you want to focus on the task at hand and not get wrapped up in site-seeing, being in another country. Is it hard NOT to do that at all?
WM: Not this time. I think we took that all out of them last time, we did a little bit of site-seeing, took them shopping. Everybody's really focused and upbeat.
CS: So had you been to Beijing aside from these 3 times this year?
WM: Not aside from this year, but like I said this will be my third time in about a year. It's going to be a little warmer than the last two times, it's supposed to be possibly in the 40s, and humidity is about 85% at 9:00 in the morning, so it's going to be a different experience.
CS: Well they've been talking about the pollution, the smog, that kind of thing. What have you heard about that so far?
WM: Oh, I've witnessed it. Ten days I was in Beijing and I didn't see a blue sky, and it wasn't a cloudy day.
CS: Well that'd be a problem wouldn't it? Maybe not so much for the indoor sports like Taekwondo, but certainly for the outdoor ones.
WM: Yeah, I don't think indoor sports will be a problem, the facility we're in is a brand new building, they've got a filtering system for the air conditioners, so for the athletes we're hoping it's at least 10 degrees cooler. We haven't been able to get into the actual venue during temperatures we're going to experience during the Olympics. If it's in the 30's, that's okay, but if it's in the 40's, that's a problem for everybody.
CS: Well thanks for taking the time and I hope you enjoy your first Olympic experience Wayne.
WM: I'm really looking forward to it, I think we've got a great team and we're looking for those medals.
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