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NEW CANADIAN CHAMPS

Third and fifth, respectively, at last year's event, Katie Rowland and Peter Schmid elevated themselves to the winning positions at the Canadian championships, held May 26-30 in Hamilton, Ontario.

Born June 2, 1981, in Georgetown, Ontario, Rowland trains at Winstonettes in Unionville, Ont. Her coaches are Leonid Grakovsky and Debbie Vidmar. A member of Canada's eighth-place team at the 1997 worlds, Rowland has a solid resume: At Canadian senior championships, she was third all-around (and first on floor) in 1997, 11th in 1996 and 16th in 1995. As a junior, she was third all-around and first on floor in 1994, and second in 1993. Internationally, Rowland was 16th at the 1996 Hungarian Invitational and third at the 1997 Jr. Pan Am championships. Defending champion Sarah Deegan suffered a 7.40 on bars to place sixth, while Olympian Yvonne Tousek competed on bars and beam only.

Schmid, the Canadian federation's Male Athlete of the Year in 1997, was born May 30, 1972, in Brampton, Ontario. He now lives in Burlington, Ont., where he is coached by former Canadian team stars Dave Arnold and Lorne Bobkin.

Schmid was Canada's top finisher (47th) at the 1997 worlds, and also competed at worlds in 1996 (21st on vaulting), 1995 (55th all-around) and 1994 (28th on high bar). He also placed sixth all-around at the 1995 Pan American Games.

Domestically, Schmid was fifth all-around and first on floor at the 1997 Canadian championships, fifth in 1996, seventh in 1995 and fifth in 1994. Defending Canadian champion Alexander Jeltkov, born in Tbilisi, Georgia, placed second.

Silver medalist in 1997, Kate Richardson took the junior title. She trains at Omega gym club in Coquitlam, British Columbia, under David Kenright and Cathy Chapel.

Junior men's champion Grant Golding was born March 30, 1981, in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. He now resides in Abbotsford, B.C., where he is coached by Mits Ikeda and Hiroshi Shimosaki at Twisters in nearby Clearbrook. Golding is a student at Robert Bateman Secondary school.

Golding, who won the 1997 Junior Elite Canada meet, placed 18th at the 1997 Canadian juniors and first in the novice category in 1996. International(y, he was 25th at the 1997 Japan Junior competition, first at the 1996 British Youth Team meet, second...