Stephane & Oliver are training in Australia - December 2007


Video news from Sydney

Cascais Wrap Up: article from "the Canadian Yachting Association" website

The dust has settled on Cascais and the 2007 ISAF World Championships. The venue brought many to their knees, some rejoicing in their successes while others looking for solace as the difficult conditions did not bring them the outcomes they had envisioned.

For Team Canada – Chris Cook of Toronto led the way with a solid 7th place finish overall in the 73 boat Finn fleet. This top 8th performance guaranteed Chris a personal trip to the Olympic Games. The objective for the championship was met; “qualify for the Games” but the desire to mount the podium steps burns strongly for Chris, minutes after the finish, program plans were being discussed for to address both strengths and weaknesses within the program in an effort to make the 2008 Olympic Games one to remember for the ages.

The positives for Team Canada kept flowing as the 49er team of Gordon Cook (Toronto) and Ben Remocker (Vancouver) put up a best ever performance by a Canadian 49er team, first by making Gold fleet at the Worlds and then by one upping themselves with a 19th place finish. This performance guarantees the 49er will have a Canadian representative at the 2008 Olympics, a very positive upturn for this high energy, high drama class.

Stephan Locas and Oliver Bone in the men’s 470 class rode the wave of superior boat handling and absolute confidence in their personal abilities to defy many odds makers, and not only make Gold Fleet but also qualify themselves and the 470 class for a date with Olympic fame. Their 29th place finish (18th country) met the ISAF standards and by virtue of the Olympic trials format guaranteed themselves a trip to Qingdao.

The Laser class met one goal in qualifying the class for the games but to a man fell short on personal expectations for the event. Mike Leigh’s 32nd place finish 19th country overall guarantees a Canadian entry in Qingdao, but it’s what could have been or might have been that was being discussed. A stalwart spring schedule including a 3-5 at the Europeans for Mike Leigh and Bernard Luttmer respectively had placed increased scrutiny and expectation upon the class. No longer an afterthought amongst the Worlds best, extra space around the race track is somewhat harder to come by. As a group the team looks to rebound at the 2008 Worlds, where everything will be on the line in terms of personal qualification.

For the Laser Radial class, Kemia Rasa stepped up her game in the challenging conditions and finished a solid 18th overall and 14th nation securing an Olympic berth for the class in Qingdao. Lisa Ross and Danielle Dube both made the top 35 and finished up 18th country overall. The sum of it all is that the 2008 Worlds in New Zealand will be the final show down to pick Canada’s rep.

On similar form to the Laser and Radial classes, both RSX trials will be settled at the 2008 World Championships. In the men’s division Zac Plavsic of Vancouver was the top performer placing 26th overall and 15th country thus qualifying the class for representation at the 2008 Games. Nikola Girke also of Vancouver was the top female performer placing 40th overall and 18th country, meeting the ISAF standard for the class and setting up a final show down for all Canadians in the RSX class at the upcoming Worlds in January of 2008.

Four classes remain unqualified following this event; some were heartbreakingly close while others know that there is some work set out for them. In the Women’s 470 class Jen Provan and Carol Luttmer fell a single country short winding up 19th overall and 14th country with 13 qualifying, in the Tornado class Oskar Johansson and Kevin Stittle similarly fell just out of reach finishing up 13th country with only 11 moving on from this event. Both teams have the 2008 Worlds as their last chance qualifiers where 4 further countries will qualify for that elusive berth in Qingdao. The Star and Yngling classes also remain on the outside looking in with 4 country berths remaining and some stiff competition standing in the way. Both of these classes’ worlds are in Miami so hopefully a little home cooking (or almost home) will see the fortunes turn and the opportunities to go to Qingdao come to fruition. One need not look beyond the last Olympic trials for inspiration where a well known Canadian Star team met the standard at the last chance event and subsequently marched home with an Olympic Silver Medal.

Stay tuned as Canada tunes up for the final qualifiers for some and the Olympic Games for others.

Final Results:

Show Down!

The final gun fight is set up in the Finn class with the top seven separated by only 5 points. The group includes the usual suspects and the Cooker. It all comes down to the now infamous medal race worth double points. For certain you don’t want to bring a knife to this fight, the group includes the 2006 World Champion, the 2006 European Champion and the majority of the top 10 ranked ISAF sailors.

In other classes, the 470 Women continue to put up consistent score having qualified for Gold Fleet and now the battle continues for a top 16 berth. The most pleasant surprises of the event to date include the 470 Men’s team of Stephan Locas and Oliver Bone who have qualified for Gold Fleet and currently sit 16th country, thus meeting the standard to date, a huge performance with the Final round laying ahead, also the 49er team of Gordon Cook and Ben Remocker have qualified for Gold Fleet where there are 14 countries with 13th meeting the standard, so the work continues.

Kemia Rasa had a solid event in the Laser Radial class placing 18th overall and meeting the ISAF standard, an excellent performance setting up the Olympic trials at the 2008 Worlds. In the Laser class Mike Leigh met the Olympic standard as the top Canadian performer, for this class the Worlds in Teragal in February of 2008 will decide the Olympic rep.

Racing continues for the RSX, 470, 49er classes with the Yngling and Finn wrapping up their championship with the Medal races on Wednesday.

ISAF Worlds Blown Out

When the Nortada of Cascais decides to blow it really blows. Winds on the course areas today ranged from 30 to 40 knots with consistent recordings in the mid to high 30’s. Simply too much wind for racing. The forecast for Tuesday is much the same with the potential for slightly less wind.

For the Tornado and Star classes today marked the end to their respective events. Oskar Johansson and Kevin Stittle placed a game 18th, but narrowly missed out on making the ISAF Olympic standard, winding up 13th country overall when only the first 11 qualified. The spring and early summer season has been rewarding for this team including the highlights of a regatta victory in Hyeres. Thus the 18th place finish fell below their personal expectations and leaves the team hungry to make further steps during the off-season in an effort to not only qualify but become a consistent medal race performer.

In the other fleets Canada continues to have some solid showings with Chris Cook currently sitting 4th in the Finn class a scant 5 points out of first place. With two races scheduled for tomorrow and having yet to score a bad race Cooker is looking forward to the challenges of course area 5. The men’s and women’s 470 teams of Stephan Locas and Oliver Bone and Jen Provan and Carol Luttmer are also experiencing solid performances sitting 19th and 10th respectively after 4 races. The Laser and Radial classes wrap up on Tuesday, Canada’s top performers include Mike Leigh (Laser) resting 27th, Kemia Rasa (Radial) 21st and Danielle Dube (Radial) in 27th.

With several days remaining and much on the line the sailors are anxiously waiting on the breeze to abate somewhat and hopefully allow for some more challenging racing to wrap up the week.

Day 2 ISAF Worlds

So the battle has begun in earnest for the majority of the Canadian squad. Yet to begin include the 49ers and RSX (Friday) and 470 (Saturday). Cascais continues to deliver, now coined by me the “wind factory” the great machine kicked in with some serious velocity by mid-afternoon providing for some spectacular sailing conditions.

The breeze on the day was in the NNW quadrant with the odd flick to the NNE, with velocity building from 8 knots earlier on to a solid 16-20 knots for the majority of the days racing. Canadian sailors continue to put up solid single race scores with Chris Cook of the Finn Class following Bernard Luttmer’s lead of the previous day by winning the first race of the championship. The “Cooker” added a solid 6th place finish to go along with his opening bullet and currently sits 5th in the Finn Class. Other top Canadian scores on the day included a 5th from CST rookie Danielle Dube in the Laser Radial class which faulted her up to 19th overall, Dave Wright followed suit with a 6th in the 3rd race for the Lasers, and Mike Leigh continues his excellent form with two top 10’s on the day and presently sits 12th overall.

With the championship in its infancy the early scores are only the tip of the iceberg, the Laser’s and Radial’s complete their qualifying series tomorrow so much is at stake in the battle to ensure ones place in the gold fleet. Conditions for Friday look much the same as today with a light breeze enticing the sailors to the course and the factory firing up for some afternoon Nortada conditions.

Team Leader Evert Bastet arrived with his Tim Horton’s stash in hand, spreading much joy amongst the coaching staff. Spirits remain high across the squad, with the pressure of qualifying for the Games playing somewhere in the back of most competitors minds. Continue to follow the events as they unfold here on the CYA website or by going to www.cascaisworlds2007.com.

Day 2 ISAF Worlds

The excitement begins; a solid day of racing was hosted on 2 courses with the Star and Tornado class kicking off the action for the week. Although the day was different in terms of appearance, as we were greeted to cloudy conditions, the ever present Nortada wind was there. This gradient/thermal breeze is an almost daily occurrence which provides for absolutely breathtaking conditions on most days. Through in a good sea swell and the rides are exceptional downwind.

Canada’s highlights on the day fell to Oskar Johansson and Kevin Stittle in the Tornado class who set the table well to follow up on a solid spring circuit. Two keepers see this team sitting in a solid 5th place after day one. A great start to what is sure to be a challenging event.

The prelude to the regatta has been first rate, including a wonderful team dinner hosted by the Phelan Foundation (a heart felt thank you from everyone). Last night the event was kicked off with wonderful opening ceremonies that were supported in a big way by the local community.

The world’s best are here and there are no gimmies this week! Racing continues with the Laser and Laser Radial classes joining the fray tomorrow. With Olympic qualification on the line for all countries the pressure will certainly mount as the regatta unfolds. Stay tuned to this column for the non-stop action of the Canadian team.




La connivence d'Olivier Bone et Stéphane Locas 2007-07-19 14:00:00

Montréal, 19 juillet 2007 (par Caroline Larose Sportcom) – Leur 29e place aux Championnats du monde de voile leur assure un billet pour les Jeux olympiques de Pékin. Pour cette belle réussite, les navigateurs Olivier Bone et Stéphane Locas sont les athlètes Sympatico/MSN de la semaine.

Deux sur l'eau

Vous connaissez l'idée reçue que des rénovations peuvent mettre durement un couple à l'épreuve. Avez-vous déjà considéré qu'une fin de semaine en canot puisse être tout aussi désastreuse ! On se crie des bêtises pas la tête. L'autre ne fait jamais ce qu'il doit faire. On avance jamais assez vite. Dans un espace confiné sur l'eau, la bisbille éclate facilement !

Imaginez maintenant que vous soyez en compétition de classe internationale et qu'au bout du parcours se trouve votre laissez-passer pour les Jeux olympiques. Vous voyez le portrait : la pression grimpe à chaque bouée comme dans un presto ! Dans les circonstances, s'étonne-t-on que Stéphane Locas et Olivier Bone soient les deux meilleurs amis du monde ?

« Ça arrive qu'on se crie après pendant une course, mais on ne s'en fait pas trop », résumé Stéphane Locas, le loquace marin de l'équipage de 470. Les deux athlètes, qui font équipe depuis 2003, semblent se compléter agréablement. « Nous sommes les deux assez faciles à vivre », soumet Locas pour expliquer la bonne entente qui règne entre les deux depuis leur alliance.

Le partage des tâches

Comme un couple, Locas et Bone se partagent les tâches en fonction des aptitudes de chacun. Olivier, c'est le cuistot. « Oli se passionne pour la cuisine, confie Stéphane. Il veut devenir chef. Après les Jeux olympiques, il va suivre sa formation au Cordon Bleu, à Ottawa. »

Une de ses réussites : un poulet asperges et fromage de chèvre. « Délicieux », se remémore Locas, gourmand. Et pour accompagner le repas, s'ils en avaient les moyens, les deux compères sauraient quelle bouteille de vin s'offrir. « En plus de la cuisine, Oli connaît bien le vin, le bon vin. Après les Championnats du monde, il est allé faire un cours de sommelier à Bordeaux. »

En échange des repas, Stéphane Locas fait la vaisselle et prépare les lunchs !

D'autres talents

À première vue, on pourrait croire que Stéphane Locas n'a pas de talents ! Détrompez-vous. Si l'un crée avec les aliments, l'autre invente avec tout ce qui l'entoure. Étudiant en génie mécanique, Locas, au lieu de faire un détour au magasin pour se procurer ce dont il a besoin, va évaluer ce qu'il a sous la main pour créer l'objet désiré. « J'aime faire les choses moi-même et les inventer un peu. Par exemple, j'ai fait mon propre support à guitare. J'aime créer, mais je cherche aussi à limiter ma consommation. »

Passionné d'environnement, le navigateur de Saint-Eustache est un Champion de l'air pur. La mission des Champions de l'air pur est d'améliorer la qualité de l'air en encourageant les Canadiens à adopter des habitudes et un mode de vie qui rehaussent leur santé et l'environnement.

« J'aime aussi aller rencontrer les jeunes dans les écoles. J'aime leur dire que Sky is the limit ! ». Et pour appuyer son témoignage, Stéphane Locas souligne qu'il a réussi dans un sport que l'on croit réservé aux riches. « Mes parents n'avaient pas beaucoup d'argent et je sais que ça les stressait de me voir faire de la voile. Mais à force de bûcher et de s'agripper aux choses qui passaient, on a réussi. Mais ç'a été difficile », reconnaît Stéphane Locas, qui maintenant, à l'instar d'Olivier Bone, a plus que jamais le vent dans les voiles !




Nova Scotia athletes paddle, row and sail to the podium
Cleve’s Source for Sports / New Balance Athletes of the Month Award for July article from "Sport Nova Scotia" wesite

Halifax (August 21, 2007)- Nova Scotia’s waters, both salty and fresh, have distinguished the province as a hot spot for water sport enthusiasts and the development of top-notch water sport athletes. This July, Nova Scotia’s paddlers, rowers, and sailors dominated headlines both at home and internationally, earning them Cleve’s Source for Sports / New Balance Athlete of the Month Awards in every category.

Jillian D’Alessio (22), of Middle Sackville, took gold, by a boat length, in the 500m singles in kayaking at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, earning her the Cleve’s Source for Sports / New Balance Individual Female Athlete of the Month Award. As a member of the National Senior Team and a former Olympian with over 30 international medals to her credit, Jillian has distinguished herself as one of the strongest members of the powerful Canadian roster.

Ben Russell (19), of Dartmouth, also shone at the Pan American Games with a bronze medal in the 1000m singles in canoeing. As his first medal in international completion at the senior level, Russell was awarded the Cleve’s Source for Sports / New Balance Individual Male Athlete of the Month Award.

Rower Sarah Mitchell (27), of Halifax, received the Cleve’s Source for Sports / New Balance Female Team Athlete of the Month Award for first place results in six separate events at the Regional Nova Scotia Sprints at Lake Banook, including Senior Women’s, Mixed and Men’s events (as coxswain).

National Sailing Champion Oliver Bone (26), of Halifax, qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 420 class with a 29th place finish against 111 other world-class sailors at the ISAF World Sailing Championships in Portugal, earning him the Cleve’s Source for Sports / New Balance Male Team Athlete of the Month Award.

Connor Taras (18), of Waverley, and Lydall Hatton (18), of Bedford, returned from the Czech Republic with a silver medal in the 500m kayak doubles at the International World Junior Championships, the first medal ever for a Canadian team in the event. Their world-class performance, foreshadowed by their second-place finish at the Lake Placid International Regatta earlier in the month, earned the duo the Cleve’s Source for Sports / New Balance Team of the Month Award.

July signified the greatest number of nominations for the awards in recent history.

“It was absolutely wonderful to see so many nominations pour in,” said Heather Myrer, Chair of the committee that selects the award recipients. “Not only the number of nominations, but the variety of sports represented. The response we received not only demonstrates that Nova Scotia is producing top-notch athletes, but also reflects a strong desire to recognize our athletes. It was challenging for the committee to select the recipients from such an impressive list, but heartwarming as well.”

The Cleve’s Source for Sports / New Balance Athlete of the Month program is administered by Sport Nova Scotia, whose members are eligible to nominate athletes for the awards. A membership committee selects the award recipients for five possible categories: Male Individual Athlete, Female Individual Athlete, Male Team Athlete, Female Team Athlete, and Team. For more information about the awards, please visit www.sportnovascotia.ca.

Sport Nova Scotia is a voice for amateur sport that promotes the benefits of health, personal development and achievement of all participants. Sport Nova Scotia is a non-profit, non-government organization representing over 60 provincial sport organizations and more than 160,000 member Nova Scotians.

Tanya Bolduc
Communications Coordinator
Sport Nova Scotia
902-425-5450 ext.359
tbolduc@sportnovascotia.ca




Halifax Chronicle Herald - Wednesday July 11, 2007

Halifax resident Oliver Bone of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron has punched his ticket to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

Bone and Stephane Locas of St-Eustache, Que., secured their Olympic berth in the men’s 470 by making the gold fleet at this week’s ISAF Sailing World Championships in Cascais, Portugal.

During qualifying action at the worlds, the two managed to crack the top-20 countries. Thirty countries will compete at the Olympics. The top 21 countries from the Portugal event get spots in Beijing.

China has a host berth. The remaining eight nations will be determined at the next worlds this January in Melbourne, Australia.

"The goal was to do it here because then the pressure is off," Bone said Tuesday night from Cascais. "We can just focus on trying to do well at the next worlds and start looking toward preparing for the Olympic Games.

"It feels great. A lot of pressure has been relieved because that guarantees some funding for next year."

Bone, 26, is originally from Montreal, but moved to Halifax seven years ago for training.

He said preparation was key to their success in Cascais.

Bone and Locas went to Portugal in May for 10 days of practice. They also spent close to three weeks training there before the worlds started and teamed with the American duo of Stuart McNay and Biehl Graham.

"It has been an open environment between the two boats, sharing information," Bone said. "We’re using the exact same gear, so we’ve been doing a lot of speed testing and sharing all of our information on what has been working well.

"We prepared ourselves a lot better than a lot of the other teams."

Through five races of qualifying, McNay and Graham were ninth overall while Bone and Locas were 27th overall out of 112.




Halifax Chronicle Herald - Sunday July 15, 2007

Bone, partner place 29th at world regatta

Oliver Bone, a Halifax resident, and Stephane Locas of St-Eustache, Que., finished 29th out of 112 boats in 470 class at the ISAF world sailing championships in Cascais, Portugal.

Canada placed 16th among countries.

Racing wrapped up Friday in Cascais, but Bone and Locas had already secured a berth at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. During qualifying at worlds, the two made the gold fleet, which represents the top-20 countries.

Thirty countries will compete at the Olympics. The top 21 countries from the Portugal event get spots in Beijing.

China has a host berth. The remaining eight nations will be determined at the next worlds this January in Melbourne, Australia.

Bone, 26, is from Montreal but moved to Halifax seven years ago for training.

He’s a member of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron.




Locas/Bone are Canada’s Men Olympic representative in the 470 class

Team Locas/Bone have just finished up Competing in the 2007 World Sailing Championships, held in Cascais Portugal, which was the first of two events to qualify for the Olympics.

From July 6 to 13th, the team was in Portugal competing against the best in the world to earn a spot for the 2008 Summer Games. After qualifying for the Gold Fleet in the first three days of preliminaries, Locas/Bone secured their Canada and themselves a birth to Beijing!
Twenty-one nations were being selected this year out of a total of 30 that can compete at the Games. Only 20 nations had qualified for the Gold fleet, which guaranteed Stephane and Oliver to be one of Canada’s next Olympic team members.

The team finished 29th overall out of 112, 18 nation overall. This was their best placing in a World Championship. It was the best result for a Canadian 470 male team in 11 years!

They are now focusing on preparing themselves for the next World Championship which will be held in Melbourne Australia this coming January.




Training in Long Beach

Team Locas/Bone are currently in Long Beach California training with the US team of Stuart McNay and Graham Biehl. The US Olympic trials are being held from October 4th to 14th in Long Beach.

McNay/Biehl have been improving dramatically over the 2007 season and recently finished 10th at the Sailing World Championships. Stephane and Oliver are fortunate enough to have been able to train with them through out the season and are working hard to help them secure their birth to the games.

Stephane and Oliver will down in California until the end of their trials before they return home mid-October.