Canada’s top 10 female athletes

9. NAME: Jeane Lassen
SPORT: Weightlifting
AGE: 27

TRAINING LOCALE: Better Bodies Gym in Whitehorse

TRAINING SCHEDULE: Lassen trains six days a week – there is no “off season” in weightlifting. Her three to seven hours of daily training are divided into morning and evening sessions that encompass different components of competition lifts, such as pulls and squats, interval training, and complementary exercises (chin-ups and core) to help avoid injury. She starts and finishes these sessions with warm-up and cool-down activities such as dynamic and static stretching.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single.

MILESTONES:
• Nine Canadian records
• Silver and bronze, 2006 Senior World Championships
• Gold (and Games record holder), 2006 Commonwealth Games
• Bronze, 1999 Pan American Games
• Silver (three), 1997 and 1998 Junior World Championships
• 15 medals at World University Championships

MEANS OF SUPPORT: Funded by Government of Canada Athlete Assistance Program, Podium Canada and provincial assistance programs. Sponsors include: Golden Hill Ventures Ltd., Main Steele Development and B2Ten.

JUGGLING ACT: Getting enough rest and truly giving the mind and body a break between training sessions.

BALANCING TIP: Accept that hard work does not always pay off, but it is the only way to succeed.

NEXT BIG CHALLENGE: World Championships/Main Olympic Qualifier in September in Thailand.

10. NAME: Lorie Kane
SPORT: Golf
AGE: 42

TRAINING LOCALE: Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Fla.

TRAINING SCHEDULE: On average, Kane trains six to 10 hours a day, all year round.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single.

MILESTONES:
• Four victories on the Ladies Professional Golf Association
(LPGA) tour
• Recipient of the Order of Canada in 2006 in recognition of her work with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, Ronald McDonald House Charities and the KidSport program. “I’m always extremely proud to represent Canada and my home province of Prince Edward Island wherever I go,” says Kane. “It was a dream come true to be awarded with that great honour.”

MEANS OF SUPPORT: Kane’s corporate sponsors include CN and Deloitte.

JUGGLING ACT: Being a world-class athlete means that Kane always has a lot of balls in the air: tours, media events, fan commitments, training, family, friends and charitable work. “All of these things play an important role in my career, but it’s important that I’m able to keep my eye on achieving success on the golf course,” she says. “When I’m playing well, and winning, all of those other components benefit.” Her family and friends help keep her grounded. “It’s easy to lose sight of what’s really important if all I’m doing is playing golf. Everything else gives me great perspective, and I appreciate that.”

BALANCING TIP: Don’t take for granted the opportunities that are given to you. In Kane’s case, her golf career has allowed her to travel the world over and meet incredible people. “I tell young people to always make time and effort for the important things in life like family and friends.”

NEXT BIG CHALLENGE: Kane plays about 30 LPGA events around the world each year, and she says that every one of them is a challenge. “One of the exciting things about my career is that the next big challenge is always just around the corner,” she says. “Each week, my challenge is to go out on tour and win my next tournament.”

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