Nicholson proved him wrong last year by winning six. She did so again last weekend by earning seven golds at the nationals in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Each one of those wins proved to be valuable as Burloak defended its national title by edging the host Banook Canoe Club by 21 points, 676-655.

While Burloak dominated last year, winning by more than 300 points, this year it led by a single point with three races left. It looked like it would come down to the senior men's war canoe race, where Burloak was squaring off against two Banook boats. But Emily Bird and Nicole Wong "went above and beyond," according to Nicholson, to finish third in the juvenile girls' C-2 and provide some breathing room.

The war canoe crew then went out and won its race to seal a second consecutive title for Burloak.

Helping put Burloak in that position was Nicholson, who swept both the junior and senior C-1 200-metre, 500m and 1,000m for the second year in a row. This year, she added to her gold medal haul by teaming up with Kaylynne Parkes, Natalie Thomson and Tanya Thomson to take the open women's C-4 200m. The 21-year-old also won a silver as a member of the senior women's C-15 crew.

"We needed every point we had," Nicholson said. "The canoe guys did an awesome job cleaning up, the midgets who were coming to their first (nationals) making finals, it all made a difference in the end."

Nicholson, who won't be eligible for junior races next year, has managed to stay at the top despite balancing the demands of training with a near full-course load at the University of Toronto.

"I have a hard time getting all my work done for school in general," the third-year peace and conflict studies student said. "I find training to be a good escape. If I'm stressed, I go for a long run. It helps me maintain my sanity."

That in turn helped Burloak maintain its national title. The club was also helped by the return of its four Olympians -- silver medalist Adam van Koeverden, Brady Reardon, Mark Oldershaw and Chris Pellini -- who arrived in Nova Scotia less than 24 hours after getting back from Beijing. They contributed to eight more victories for the club, including the important war canoe win that closed the nationals.

Van Koeverden swept the K-1 500m and 1,000m and teamed up with Pellini to take the K-2 1,000m. Reardon and Chris Mehak joined them for a victory in the K-4 1,000m.

Oldershaw won the C-1 500m, teamed with Aaron Rublee to take first in the C-2 200m, and joined Jamie Andison, Scott Fisher and Mark Klevinas to win the C-4 1,000m.

Andison, a member of the national development team, and Kevin Lohrenz took first in the C-2 1,000m.

All of those paddlers were also members of the winning C-15 crew that also included Paul Bryant, Hunter George, Adam Oldershaw, Cory Rublee, Marco Tschan and captain Rob Sargent.

Rob Clarke and Jacob Sosna won the juvenile K-2 1,000m and Geoff Clarke won the junior K-1 500m.

Lizzy Bates and Marianne Fraser won the junior women's K-2 500m.

Burloak's juvenile women's C-15 crew also earned a gold medal. That team consisted of Emily Bird, Alanna Bray-Lougheed, Abigail Haines, Jacqueline Hanson, Brianne Long, Marsha McLeod, Delaire Nicholson, Tessa Oldershaw, Morgan Oliver, Ali Smith, Amelie Sparling, Natalie Thomson, Nicole Wong, Rebecca Yoshida, and was captained by Mark Oldershaw.

Other Burloak Canoe Club medal-winners at the Canadian Sprint Canoe-Kayak Championships were:

Silver: Emily Bird, Tessa Oldershaw, Natalie Thomson, Nicole Wong (juvenile women C-4 500m); Rob Clarke, Jacob Sosna (juvenile men K-2 500m); Chris Andison, Clarke, Sosna, Jordan van Veen (juvenile men K-4 1,000m); Mariane Frasier (junior women K-1 1,000m); Cory Rublee (junior men C-1 200m and 500m); Paul Bryant (junior men C-1 1,000m); Lizzy Bates, Bird, Fraser, Kelsey Lange, Marsha McLeod, Delaire Nicholson, Mallorie Nicholson, Tessa Oldershaw, Megan Oliver, Kaylynne Parkes, Amelie Sparling, Natalie Thomson, Tanya Thomson, Wong, captain Mark Oldershaw (senior women C-15 500m); Mark Oldershaw (senior men's C-1 200m and 1,000m); Aaron Rublee/Cory Rublee (senior men C-2 500m); Chris Pellini/Brady Reardon (senior men K-2 500m); Jamie Andison, Scott Fisher, Mark Klevinas, Mark Oldershaw (open men IC C-4 200m); Adam Oldershaw, Chris Pellini, Brady Reardon, Adam van Koeverden (open men K-4 200m).

Bronze: Emily Bird, Nicole Wong (juvenile women C-2 1,000m); Delaire Nicholson, Tessa Oldershaw (juvenile women K-2 200m); Brianne Long, Delaire Nocholson, Tessa Olershaw, Natalie Thomson (juvenile women K-4 500m); Rob Clarke (juvenile men K-1 500m); Clarke, Jacob Sosna (juvenile men K-2 200m); Cory Rublee (junior men C-1 1,000m); Jamie Andison, Scott Fisher (senior men C-2 200m); Mark Klevinas, Mark Oldershaw (senior men C-2 1,000m); Adam van Koeverden (senior men K-1 200m); Lizzy Bates, Mariane Fraser, Delaire Nicholson, Tessa Oldershaw (open women K-4 200m).