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Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2008 49 Burloak gets its due Canoe club has four probable Olympians It was cold and cloudy Wednesday, but the Burloak Canoe Club still got its day in the sun. Approximately 25 media outlets visited the Oakville club's spot on Sixteen Mile Creek, where the careers of almost a third of Canada's canoe and kayak Olympic contingent got their start. The club was hosting a media conference for CanoeKayak Canada with its four likely Olympians, a number that doubled from two this past weekend. While Olympic champion Adam van Koeverden was most in demand during more than three hours of interviews, he made sure his clubmates got their due. "It's great to see so many people here, especially with guys like Brady (Reardon) and Chris (Pellini) breaking through and becoming... (Olympic) competitors," van Koeverden said. "They certainly deserve the accolades and a pat on the back." Reardon and Pellini became the second and third confirmed Olympians from the club, while Mark Oldershaw is all but certain to join them next month. He needs only to be the top Canadian at one of the first two World Cup races of the season. Reardon and Pellini earned their spots as members of the K-4 crew that won the PanAmerican championships in Montreal on the weekend. "It's crazy," Pellini said. "I don't think there will be too many clubs with that many people going. It shows how strong our club is." It's just the latest accomplishment for Burloak. The club, formed in 1990 through a merger of the Mohawk Canoe Club and the Oakville Racing Canoe Club, won its fourth national title last summer. Jim Reardon, Burloak's commodore, was one of five Olympians with the Mississauga club in 1972, a mark he believes hasn't been matched since. This year marked a new high for Burloak. "Four is certainly a good number. It's a feather in the cap of the club," Reardon said. "It's a real tribute to our coaching staff." -- Herb Garbutt DEREK WOOLLAM / OAKVILLE BEAVER KAYAK KING: Olympic kayaking champion Adam van Koeverden has a good laugh with his Burloak Canoe Club teammates during Wednesday's media session at the club. Van Koeverden wasn't laughing, however, when asked about former Olympic figure skater Elvis Stojko's suggestion that Canadians boycott the upcoming Summer Games in Beijing because of China's human rights record. Stojko's boycott suggestion not fair T he one thing you knew for sure, as Adam van Koeverden faced a group of reporters Wednesday afternoon, was that the only thing that was going to be sugar-coated was the dessert tray at the back of the room. The Olympic kayaking champion was well into his third hour of answering questions at the Burloak Canoe Club when the inevitable topic of an Olympic boycott was broached -- specifically, world champion figure skater Elvis Stojko's suggestion last week that Canadian athletes should consider not going to the Beijing Games because of China's human rights record. "I respect him. I respect his comments. Like I said, everybody has a right to their opinion," van Koeverden said. "But I question whether or not that would be his opinion if he was on his way to get his gold medal -- especially after two silvers." The 26-year-old said he has considered the situation in China but not the option of not competing. He says a boycott would not accomplish anything, likening it to turning the channel on the TV. In fact, he believes more can be achieved by going to Beijing, because it will keep the discussion in the forefront. "If the Olympics were in San Francisco, we wouldn't be talking about Tibet," he said. Van Koeverden pointed out that racing a kayak in Beijing does not make him any more of a supporter of the Chinese government than the average person who buys products made in China. "I bet most of these recorders were made in China," he said, pointing to the voice recorders laid out on the table in front of him. Mine was. But the batteries were made in the U.S. He covered that, too, when he said, "I train a lot in the United States, but I don't support a lot of what the United States does." Stojko was on Toronto sports radio station The FAN 590 yesterday morning to clarify his comments. He said too many people are oblivious to what's happening in other countries. "We live in a bubble and everything's perfect here and nothing else matters," Stojko said. "If our health is perfect, then nothing else matters. See Kayaker page 52 SATURDAY MAY 24TH ONE DAY ONLY!!! PLUS RECEIVE AN ULTIMATE GARDENERS' PACKAGE $ REE G IM ATE UNBELIEVABLE ULT N SALE SALE THE ALL VEHICLES WILL BE WINDSHIELD PRICED WITH up to 4,000 FULL OF TOOLS, ACCESSORIES, , FERTILIZER AND MORE! SAVINGS! 2375 Wyecroft Road Oakville · 1-866-451-2722 · email: sales@oakvilletoyota.ca