Saint John Times Globe Tuesday, July 27, 1999

Winchester and company reach for oars today

Telegraph Journal staff

Ed Winchester of Rothesay and the Canadian lightweight four rowing team hit the water this afternoon in a heat for tomorrow's 2,000-metre final at Lake Minnedosa, located some three hours from Winnipeg.

Canada will row from lane two and vie for position in the final with Mexico, Cuba, the United States and Chile.

It's most desirable to row from the centre lane so that's the immediate goal for Winchester and his team of Ben Storey, David Boyes and Jeffrey Lay.

Canada is favored to win a medal in the event, quite probably gold.

The front page colour picture on yesterday's Winnipeg Sun featured Grande Digue's Joel Bourgeois during his gold medal run in the 3,000 metre steeplechase.

The Winnipeg Free Press, the city's other daily newspaper, used a victorious American in the 100m sprint and featured Bourgeois prominently inside.

Speaking of Bourgeois, he accepted his gold medal Sunday before a handful of fans at the University of Manitoba, some two hours after his race ended. It was a tough way to celebrate a significant moment and the delay was the main reason. Those on hand were watching the pole vault for the men's decathlon, an event featuring no Canadians.

The Canadian field hockey team gets back at it today with an important test against the United States.

Canada, led by East Riverside native Sue Tingley and Fredericton's Sarah Forbes, is 1-1 after its opening games - a 3-1 loss to Argentina and a 5-0 romp over Mexico. Chile, Trinidad & Tobago and Cuba remain on the schedule.

But the U.S. date is key if Canada hopes to reach the final, where the gold medalist earns an automatic berth in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

The U. S. is 1-0 after its first game, a 2-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago.

It's now or never for the Canadian women's volleyball team as preliminary action begins to wind down at the University of Manitoba.

Brigitte Soucy of Bouctouche and her Canadian team sits at 0-3 after three matches and plays the United States (1-2) today.