The Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Olympic women's figure skating event is just two short years away. Even Sasha Cohen has preplanned to come out of retirement to train in anticipation of the Olympic gold. In the global figure skating competitions running up to the 2010 Olympics, women's figure skating in Vancouver will be tense. World figure skating has not seen a battle like Olympics 2010 for some time. Pressure for an optimum performance despite nerves could come from all of these talented skaters.

Elite figure skating among women at the Olympic level is a slippery slope at the top of a tiny pyramid. Qualifying spots for the Olympic contenders in Vancouver won't be decided until the 2009 figure skating worlds. That's next year. So the Olympic contention is skating past the eyes of judges right now. But the long Kwan era is over, and over skilled juniors and biding-time seniors want their innings.

Following are some of the possible women to watch for in the Olympic finals. We will highlight the Canadian women's figure skating team in another featured article.

The 2008 Olympic Games are exactly one year away. The Canadian Olympic team has begun its one-year countdown till the Beijing Games.

The Canadian Olympic Committee through the Road To Excellence program is setting a modest goal to finish in the top 16 nations overall in Beijing China. Headed by the Chef de Mission and 1984 diving Olympic gold medallist Sylvie Bernier, the Canadian Summer Olympic team for 2008 will consist of some 340 or so athletes.

Canadian athletes are primed to compete against the best in the world August 8-24 2008. The 2008 Olympic Games will see more than 200 countries and over 10,000 athletes compete for the podium medals.

After increasing pressure and the death of a calf, the Cloverdale Rodeo is banning calf-roping at the annual event. As well, steer-wrestling, team-roping and wild cow milking events will end at future Cloverdale rodeos.

The city of Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts was also in attendance, and she expressed the council's support of the move to end the events at the rodeo. In 2004 a photographer from the Vancouver Humane Society captured the death of a calf during a steer-wrestling event. The film was later released to the general public.

Peter Fricker the Vancouver Humane Society Projects and Communications Director said, "I think this decision shows that the Cloverdale Rodeo is admitting what VHS, and the rest of the humane community, has been saying for over 20 years - that these events are explicit animal cruelty and there's no place for them in a progressive society."

The City of Vancouver recently prohibited rodeos within the city limits at the request of the Vancouver Humane Society.

The City of Oshawa has declared March 20 as Stephen Colbert day after their mayor lost a bet with the Comedy Network host. The bet was that the Oshawa Generals would defeat its Ontario Hockey League rivals, the Saginaw Spirit, a game they eventually lost. With the loss, comes fun festivities for the people of Oshawa.

Headlining the festival dubbed - Grin and Bear It, will be Don Cherry of Hockey Night in Canada. Don Cherry is expected to bring his usual brand of fun and humour, along with his up-front style of commentary made famous by his appearances on Coach's Corner.

Tickets to the festival are smartly priced at only $5. All proceeds will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada. You can buy tickets for the event at any Ticketmaster location or directly at the General Motors Centre.

Steve Nash, twice voted and the first Canadian to be basketball's MVP, is usually known for his selfless magic on and off the court. Now, the Victoria-raised Nash is turning his attention to a $5-million, 38,500 square foot fitness club that will open this spring in downtown Vancouver.

The Steve Nash Sports Club will mirror Nash's own fitness philosophy. Nash believes in a holistic approach to total mind-body health and the new club will encourage overall wellbeing through fitness, nutrition and a healthy environment. The Steve Nash Sports Club will also work locally to improve conditions for children and youth, and partner with the Steve Nash Foundation to grow health in kids.

"I always wanted to do this, to help people become the best they can be," said Nash. "It's not just about being physically fit, but the benefits overall good health brings to your life." Nash has a deep-rooted commitment to promoting good health. In 2001, he started the Steve Nash Foundation that supports health and wellbeing for kids and he recently used his endowment money to help pay for a new pediatric cardiology ward in a Paraguay hospital.

TSN, along with Bell Canada and Toronto-based Bradford Productions, have announced a new six-part, 30-minute TSN original series. Bell Spirit of the Game will explore the world of Canadian amateur sports beyond the field of competition.

From funding to training to planning for the Olympics, Bell Spirit of the Game will take you behind the scenes to meet athletes, psychologists and planners, exploring the fascinating, but often underreported world of amateur sports in Canada. Production for the series is currently underway with a launch date scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. ET. The series will air on TSN, TSN HD and TSN Broadband, and will also include a mobile component.

An award-winning team will produce the series, led by executive producer Brad Diamond and veteran documentary producer Paul Harrington. Brian Williams, the dean of amateur sports, will host the series. Bell Spirit of the Game is supported by Bell Canada, longtime champion of amateur sports across the country and proud premier national partner of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

The final phase of a nation-wide search for the heroes of 50 years of competition was kicked off Tuesday by the Canadian Association of Rallysport, a keystone element in the organization's celebration of 50 years of the sport of auto rallying in Canada.

"Our objective is to find and invite every one of the living Canadian Rally Championship drivers and navigators from the 50 glorious years of the sport in this country," says Terry Epp, organizer of a two-day conference and reunion to mark the sport's anniversary.

The Canadian Rally Championship is the longest continuously run national amateur motorsport series in the country. The first national title was won in 1957 by the Montreal team of driver Les Chelminski and navigator Les Stanley.

The Toronto Blue Jays have signed centre-fielder Vernon Wells to a seven-year contract worth $126 million US.

Under the terms of this contract, Wells is making a donation of $1,000,000.00 to the Jays Care Foundation, an organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for children and youth in Toronto. This stands as the single largest donation in the Foundation's history dating back to its inception in 1992, eclipsing the $300,000.00 donation made by Roy Halladay in 2006. Vernon has also been actively involved in the Rookie League program, serving as their honourary chairman each of the last four seasons.

When he retired following the 2001 season, Mark McGwire appeared to be a first ballot lock into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Since his retirement, baseball's steroid scandal came to the forefront and McGwire refused to answer questions on Capitol Hill about using performance enhancing drugs during his Major League career.

Now that McGwire's name appears on the ballot for the first time, several Hall of Fame voters have already openly claimed they will not vote the slugger into the Hall given the questions surrounding his potential steroid use. With McGwire's controversial nomination making headlines, PinnacleSports.com today announced odds on Big Mac's Cooperstown chances, including if he'll be elected into the Hall of Fame this year.