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Trevor Conroy of Whistler and the BC Ski Team led our provincial team men to another medal sweep in Sunday's downhill at Apex Mountain Resort near Penticton. High winds and fog delayed the start of the first of two downhill races scheduled at the second stop on the Pontiac GMC Cup Circuit. The wind was so strong at the top that the start area had to be moved down two gates. When the race finally got underway, the BC team men dominated, conquering every one of the top five positions as well as eight of the top ten.
Conroy led the pack in a scorching one minute and 7.09 seconds, winning his first gold this season and his fourth medal in as many races. ''The course was really great and I felt very good about my run,'' said Conroy who fell in one training run and struggled in another this week. ''I took some risks and it paid off. I was getting anxious to get a victory.'' With this victory Conroy inched closer to first spot overall with 1,825 points. Dustin McLeay of Calgary still leads the men's overall standings with 1,980. The western champion will be determined after Monday's final downhill.
Robbie Dixon, also of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club and the BC Ski Team, having the race of his season so far, finished second with a time of 1:07.54. ''I've had an inconsistent year but I was able to put down one of my better races today,'' said Dixon, who has been hampered by injuries this winter. ''I felt very solid. I'll approach the race the same way tomorrow.''
Filling the third podium spot, from the Mount Washington Ski Club and the BC Ski Team, was Dustin Fraser in 1:07.76. ''It was bit wild because I went for it,'' said Fraser, the first skier down. ''It wasn't clean but I had a lot of speed. The delay didn't bother me. I like going first with the nice clean track.''
BC Team's Graham Kraft of the Silver Star Racers captured the 4th spot for the day while team mate Ben Chaddock of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club captured finished 5th.
Rounding out the top ten were Paul Rokosh of the Kimberley North Star Racers in 8th, Joel Taylor of Sun Peaks and the Okanagan Ski Team coming in 9th and Marcus Waring of Whistler, Mt Seymour and the BC Ski Team finishing 10th.
And they weren't finished yet. The boys of BC grabbed two more top 15 spots, with Matthew Holler of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, wearing bib number 61, wrapping up the day in 11th place and Chris Colpitts, also from the Whistler Mountain Ski Club finishing 13th.
In women's downhill action Sunday, Janelle Miller of Lethbridge, Alberta, earned a third straight win, clocking the Apex Mountain course in 1:10.95, to increase her lead in the overall standings.
Megan Kidston of 100 Mile House and the Sun Peaks Alpine Club had a dazzling run in 1:11.17 to take the silver medal and Allison Empey of Calgary rounded out the top three in 1:11.84.
Julia Murray of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, and daughter of the late Dave Murray of the Crazy Canucks from the 1970's, delighted herself and her coaches when she crossed the finish line with the fifth fastest time of the day after starting 25th.
BC women held four more of the top 15 spots, with Rachel Nixon of the Cypress Ski Club and the Vancouver Ski Team finishing 6th, Kali Flick of the Prince George Ski Club coming in 9th, Kerri van Doorninck of Cypress and the VST taking the 11th spot and Katherine Clark of Grouse Tyee Ski Club and the VST clinching the 15th position.
The Pontiac GMC Cup circuit was conceived 35 years ago, first as the Pontiac Cup Series from 1969 to 1981 before it was rekindled and renamed in 1998 as the Pontiac GMC Cup. It is a developmental circuit for Canada's young
alpine skiers who aspire to compete at the World Cup and Olympic level. This year's crop is expected to be in its prime for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
There are 16-races across Canada this season culminating with the Pontiac GMC Canadian Championships March 16-24 at Le Massif and Mont
Sainte-Anne, Que. More than $50,000 in prize money is up for grabs.
The eighth race in the series, the final one for the west, is on Monday with another men's and women's downhill at Apex Mountain. The circuit then heads east for stops beginning at Mte-Ste-Anne, Que., next weekend and Collingwood, Ont., next month.
Sunday's results at the Pontiac GMC Cup
Men's downhill: 1. Trevor Conroy, Invermere, B.C., 1:07.09; 2. Robbie Dixon, Whistler, 1:07.54; 3.Dustin Fraser, Quathiaski Cove, B.C., 1:07.76;
4. Graham Kraft, Vernon,B.C.,1:08.05; 5. Ben Chaddock, Richmond, B.C., 1:08.31;
6. Cameron Stuart, Calgary,1:08.48; 7. Daniel Berry, Calgary, 1:08.60; 8. Paul
Rokosh, Kimberley, B.C.,1:08.66; 9. Joel Taylor, Fort Qu'Appelle, Sask., 1:08.71; 10.
Marcus Waring, Vancouver, 1:08.83.
Women's downhill: 1. Janelle Miller, Lethbridge, Alta., 1:10.95; 2. Megan Kidston, 100 Mile House,B.C., 1:11.17; 3. Allison Empey, Calgary, 1:11.84 4. Emily Hamill,
Calgary,1:11.99; 5. Julia Murray, Whistler, B.C., 1:13.29; 6. Carmel McElroy,Calgary,
and Rachel Nixon, Whistler, B.C., 1:13.33; 8. Victoria Hockley, Calgary,1:13.40;
9. Kali Flick, Prince George, B.G., 1:13.95; 10. Lisa Gunoff, Westbank,B.C.,
1:14.54.
Visit: http://www.gmcanada.com/cup/