June 18th , 2010

OTTAWA – With the FINA Diving World Cup now history, all eyes are now focused on the 2010 Summer Senior Nationals taking place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan from June 24^th to 27^th. The competition will bring together top divers from across the country who will try to make their mark on the history of Canadian diving. The event also serves as the qualifier for the 2010 Commonwealth Games which take place in Delhi, India, from October 3^rd to 14^th.

A blend of veterans and youth to compete in Saskatoon
Following a successful winter season competing on the FINA Grand Prix circuit, the FINA World Series, and at the FINA Diving World Cup, established and future Canadian diving stars will faceoff against each other to earn their tickets to Delhi. Amongst the field will be double Olympic silver medalist Alexandre Despatie, triple Olympic medalist Emilie Heymans, and other Canadian Olympians such as Jennifer Abel, Roseline Filion, Meaghan Benfeito, Riley McCormick and Regina-born Reuben Ross. A crop of young talent including Carol Ann Ware (19), Pamela Ware (17), Rachel Kemp (17), Francois Imbeau-Dulac (19), Shane Miszkiel (18) and Marc Sabourin-Germain (17) will be looking to attend their first Commonwealth Games by securing their places on the team.

 “Similar to an Olympic Trials or a World Championships Trials, we are expecting the highest calibre athletes possible in Saskatoon,” says Mitch Geller, chief technical officer for Diving/Plongeon Canada. “All of our top divers will be competing for a prestigious spot on the 2010 Commonwealth Games team which is capable of winning 11 medals in Dehli. The divers that qualify for this team will all carry medal potential with them.”

First major competition at Shaw Centre in Saskatoon
The 2010 Summer Senior Nationals is being hosted by the Saskatoon Diving Club and marks the first national championship to take place at the brand new Shaw Centre.

 “This will be the first national championships of any kind in this venue, which was specifically built to host this type of elite level competition,” says Steve Carroll, head coach of the Saskatoon Diving Club. “We are thrilled to be hosting this event and are excited to see some of our young, local athletes who have qualified for their first senior nationals compete in front of their hometown crowd.”

The Saskatoon divers to watch include junior national team member Sam Valentine (15), Jayden Pantel (13), Sydney Hesselberg (14), and Kesha Naylor (18).

Media Open House
A media open house with image opportunities will be held on Wednesday, June 23^rd , between 10 am and noon, at the Shaw Centre. Media members are asked to R.S.V.P to Jeff Feeney if they plan on attending.

Schedule, biographies of divers and live results are available on Diving Canada’s website via www.diving.ca.

Live results and video will also be available via www.rezman.net.

Schedule
Events begin at 10 am on Thursday and Friday, and start at noon on Saturday and Sunday.

About Diving Plongeon Canada
Diving Plongeon Canada (DPC) was established in 1967 as a not-for-profit organization to promote the growth and awareness of the sport in this country. As a member of FINA, the world’s governing body of aquatic sports, DPC contributes to the development of globally accepted standards of excellence in diving and supports the rules and regulations of international competition. Representing nine provincial diving associations, 67 local diving clubs and close to 4,000 high performance athletes, DPC shares a national commitment to advance the art and sport of diving and to position Canada as the number one diving nation of the world.  For information, visit www.diving.ca.

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