Here we go again, the sport is doomed



Fausto Coppied

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Aug 17, 2006
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Here we go again. The Canadian Cycling Association just doesn’t get it. Instead of hiring somebody with a cycling background to run the sport they make the same mistake as they have done for the past two Executive Directors and hire somebody WITH ZERO CYCLING EXPERIENCE to run the sport for the entire country.

Once again this will be a disaster. I give him two years or less, the same amount of time his two predecessors lasted (Steve Lacelle and Lorraine Lafrenière). None of them had any cycling experience either. Get ready for another year or so of on-the-job training and then the realization they can’t get the job done and another resignation.

Rather than get somebody who understands and is passionate about the complex sport of cycling they hire some guy from wrestling…Wonder how Jacques Landry will feel taking order from a guy who knows nothing about cycling?

They never learn.

Cycling is doomed in Canada as long as these jokers are in charge.

04.08.09 - Greg Mathieu named Canadian Cycling Association’s CEO and Secretary General

OTTAWA – The Canadian Cycling Association announced Wednesday that veteran sport administrator Greg Mathieu of Ottawa has been named the organization’s new Chief Executive Officer and Secretary General.

Mathieu brings 28 years experience in sport administration to the CCA. Since 1993 he was Executive Director for the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association. Under his leadership, CAWA earned unprecedented success hosting several key international events while its athletes stepped on the podium at every Olympics between 1996 and 2008.

This opportunity to be part of the CCA as it embarks on its strategic directions for the next four years and beyond is very exciting,” said Mathieu. “In every sport and association there are unique cultures and challenges that need to be understood and appreciated in addition to learning about the passionate personalities that drive the sport. I look forward to becoming familiar with all of these in the near future in order that I may contribute to the association meeting its vision and mandate over the long term."[/font]

From 1980 to 1992, Mathieu worked for the Canadian Olympic Association (now the Canadian Olympic Committee). He was the Director of Operations from 1982 to 1992 and Manager, Games Missions from 1980-82.

"Greg's experience and expertise will allow the CCA to progress in developing and strengthening relationships with our key partners, the provincial cycling organizations, Sport Canada and Podium Canada,” said John Tolkamp, the CCA’s President. “Greg will also be instrumental in providing leadership in the CCA's restructuring of the high performance program so we can reach our high performance objectives.”

Mathieu replaces Lorraine Lafrenière who leaves after two years with the CCA and oversaw the return to financial viability and the administrative restructuring of the Association.

"Under Lorraine's leadership* the key components of our organization thrived," said Tolkamp. "This includes benefiting from the Podium Canada program to reach our performance targets, implementing the National Team Ethics and Code of Conduct, and building support for our stakeholders."

*"Lorraine's leadership" - That's funny! What leadership?
 
Sent: Friday, June 26, 2009 10:39 AM

Subject: Wrestling hires a wrestler. AMAZING!


Here is some astonishing news, the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association has hired someone with wrestling experience to run their sport. (*see below)

Amazing!

You would think this would be common sense, but not for the idiots running the Canadian Cycling Association (CCA) who, for a third time in about five years, have hired someone to run cycling for the entire country WITH NO CYCLING EXPERIENCE.

In all the world of cycling, in every cycling association or federation in the industrialized world except Canada, someone with cycling experience is running the sport of cycling. But not in Canada.

Instead, they hire a guy with only wrestling experience to run cycling.

Absolutely ridiculous.

It is an insult to riders, coaches, team and club managers, sponsors and everybody else that has put in the time and effort to gain experience in the sport and improve it.

Who did the CCA hire? Greg Mathieu, formerly of the Canadian Wrestling Federation for 16 years.What did Mr. Mathieu accomplish at the Wrestling Federation in 16 years? Not much in terms of marketing, their sponsorship record is even more dismal than that of the CCA. Wrestling Canada has four small sponsors: Asics (shoes), Matman (floor mats) MKI (travel agency) and Sport Olympia (wrestling equipment), except for the shoes, hardly households names, huh? So it looks like with this latest decision the CCA has given up on marketing the sport of cycling. If after 16 years at the helm of wrestling that is all Mathieu could shake out of the trees what do you expect him to do in cycling, a sport he knows nothing about. Wrestling gets even less money from Sport Canada than cycling ($1,110,000 to about $1,600,000, according the latest numbers I could find). Wrestling Canada like the CCA will not release their other revenues no doubt embarrassed by the pittance in sponsorship they receive. So much for transparency. Those are your tax dollars at work.

It is sad to see the sport of cycling destroyed in Canada in this fashion by people like Bill Kinash of Saskatchewan (the worst cycling province in Canada), who basically paralyzed the sport there for 20 years and a board of directors who seem completely clueless.

You have to wonder at what point people in the sport, athletes and somebody in the sport media will wake up and say enough is enough? How do people like Jacques Landry who have spent most of their life in the sport of cycling work for a guy who knows nothing about the sport and have to take orders from him? Do they have to hold his hand through every decision? What does the rest of the cycling world think when they engage in a discussion with this guy Mathieu and realize he knows almost nothing about the sport of cycling? Don’t potential sponsors balk at dealing with a guy who doesn’t even know what he is selling?

What an embarrassment to the sport and the country.

How does a guy like Mathieu even think he is up to the job? Mathieu did a mediocre job in wrestling and that is a rather simple sport to administer. How will he ever handle the complexities of a sport like cycling with its numerous disciplines (not different events or classes but totally different disciplines) pro status, and complex governmental issues arising from competing not in a gym but out on roads and in public parks and complex but numerous sponsorship opportunities? It looks like this guy has never negotiate a deal before. Sixteen years and he got some floor mats! He must walk out of every meeting with a list of things he has to look up because he doesn’t have a clue what they are.

No doubt Mr. Mathieu will fail and toss in the towel in about 18 months as have done his two predecessors Lorraine Lafreniere and Steve Lacelle, two other Executive Directors for the cycling who knew nothing about the sport and had no experience in it or even in organizing competitions.

The provincial federations should toss out the current board of directors of the Canadian Cycling Association at their first opportunity. How do you allow them to repeat the same mistake three times in a row over five years. The sport has been set back a decade.

Three strikes you’re out.

Greg, you will be down for the count in less than two years. See ya.

*2009-06-03

WRESTLING CANADA LUTTE ANNOUNCES HIRING OF NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association is pleased to announce that Tamara Medwidsky will continue her work with the Association under a new role as Executive Director at the National Office in Ottawa.

Most recently Tamara has been working at Wrestling Canada Lutte as High Performance Manager, successfully overseeing the High Performance Program. Her tireless efforts, energy and dedication will continue to serve her well in the new position.

During her active career with the Montreal Wrestling Club, Tamara was a six-time Senior National Championship medallist including National Champion in 1998. In that year she represented Canada at the World Championships and finished 7th at 75kg. She was also a two-time Canada Cup medallist and a two-time CIS National Champion and All Canadian.
 

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