With top results at the Nor Am competitions, Brigitte Acton and Michael Janyk have become Alpine Canada Alpin's Athletes of the Week for the week ending January 4th.
Acton's win at Sunday's CIBC Nor Am Cup slalom at Mont Sainte-Anne, Quebec, proved she can put a bad day behind her and come out on top. Despite failing to finish the day before, the Sault Ste-Marie, Ontario resident bounced back and claimed gold on Sunday.
Acton has been a consistent force with the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, since joining them in 2003. She is currently the overall leader for the Nor Am Cup series, and was the 2003 overall Nor Am Champion, and Nor Am super G Champion. Acton is also a World Junior Super G silver medallist, and two-time overall Pontiac GMC winner.
In Sunday River, Maine, Janyk followed up his slalom win on January 2nd with a silver-medal finish on the third to earn the nod as Athlete of the Week.
Janyk, who suffered a knee injury early last year that cost him the bulk of the 2002-03 season, is coming back strong this season, having preceded the Sunday River podiums with a second-place finish in FIS giant slalom action at St. Jakob, Austria. Since joining the team in 2000, he has claimed three junior national championship titles in giant slalom, slalom and super G. And earlier this year, he scored a second-place finish in FIS Giant Slalom action, at St. Jakob, Austria.
Alpine Canada Alpin will be publicly recognizing members of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team for top finishes through its “Athlete of the Week,” “Athlete of the Month,” “Development Athlete of the Week,” and “Development Athlete of the Month” program throughout the 2003-04 season.
Alpine Canada Alpin is the governing body for ski racing in Canada. Its 27,000 members are athletes, coaches and officials, including the elite racers of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team and the Canadian Disabled Alpine Ski Team.