This week's title of Alpine Canada Alpin “most improved athlete of the week” goes to Britt Janyk of Whistler, B.C., whose family has been tied to alpine skiing for generations.
Janyk was top Canadian at Sunday's slalom at Lenzerheide, SUI, finishing 19th among a tough field of competitors. Her performance is no surprise to those who've followed Janyk's World Cup season this year, which has included three other top-30 finishes, the best of which was a 10th-place finish in the giant slalom at Park City, UT.
The 22-year-old Janyk has alpine skiing in her blood – from her grandfather, one of the pioneers of skiing on the West Coast, to her brother Michael who skis on the men's technical team. Last season, Britt finished on the podium 16 times in 28 starts in competition below the World Cup level. She will be looking to continue her climb up towards World Cup podium finishes in competition Semmering, AUT, at the end of this month.
Alpine Canada Alpin's new most improved athlete of the week program is meant to publicly reward members of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team who did not have World Cup points prior to the program's commencement on November 30, 2002 for any top-30 finishes that earn them World Cup points.
Alpine Canada Alpin is the governing body of alpine skiing in Canada, representing more than 27,000 athletes and coaches.