Once again, the pros at the Windermere Valley Ski Club and Panorama Mountain Village have pulled off the difficult task of running 220 athletes through two runs of a giant slalom course on what is approaching the shortest day of the year (only 8 hours of daylight). It snowed lightly throughout the day, but the course was hard, fast and held up perfectly for all competitors. Conditions on the track could not have been better to kick off the first of two GS races at the 2007 Panorama BC Cup event.
And the day couldn’t have been better for hometown favourite Ben Thomsen (Invermere/Windermere Valley Ski Club). Thomsen, who is in his second season on the BC Ski Team, sat third after run number one and with the composure of a champion, tackled that second run like he had nothing to lose, winning it handily and moving into first place with a combined time of two minutes, 7.43 seconds. “Hey, this is my first victory in a FIS race”, realized Thomsen. “I’m pretty happy.”
Thomsen’s team mate, Conrad Pridy (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) finished 11th in 2:09.29 and was the only other BC Team athlete to land in the top-15. Also from the BC Team, Morgan Pridy (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) completed two runs in 2:10.62 for 16th spot and Sasha Zaitsoff (Red Mountain Racers) was 26th with a two-run time of 2:13.18. Matt Leduc (Mt. Washington Ski Club) and Stan Rey (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) did not finish the second run.
In the J1 category, from our own J1 Development group, Tyler Werry (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) and Alexander Binks (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) were the stars of the day, taking medals for 2nd and 3rd J1’s respectively. Most of the J1’s cut huge chunks out of their start numbers, moving way up and improving their positions significantly:
22nd (started 36) WERRY, Tyler (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) – SECOND J1
27th (started 43) BINKS, Alexander (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) – THIRD J1
36th (started 52) KOEPKE, Curtis (Big White Racers)
41st (started 95) CADMAN, Michael (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
49th (started 100) PENN, Isaac (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
54th (started 106) HOTTE, Ryan (Mt. Washington Ski Club)
DNF (started 40) CAMPBELL, Christopher (Timberland Ski Club)
DNF (started 46) DEANS, Ian (Big White Racers)
On the women’s side, 2010 Acceleration Team athlete Kelsey Serwa (Kelowna/Big White Racers) was in the lead after the first run and squeaked out a win – her first of the season – with the second fastest time in the second run. Serwa’s combined time was 2:11.23, just one hundredth of a second faster than second place Allison Empey who came in at 2:11.24. BC Ski Team athlete Sandra MacDonald (Apex Ski Club) laid down two solid runs to secure third place and the bronze medal in 2:12.83.
BC Ski Team athlete Vic Glowczynski (Sun Peaks Alpine Club) was also in fine form and moved up from 12th after the first run to 8th after the second, with a combined time of 2:15.73. Calindy Ramsden (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) finished close behind Glowczynski in 9th position in 1:16.21.
Alecia Willis (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) was the top finisher among the J1 Development women, taking 19th place in 2:20.51. Jenn Meyer (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) finished 23rd with a time of 2:22.41. Sarah Elliot (Big White Racers ) did not complete the first run.
19th (started 24) WILLIS, Alecia (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
23rd (started 71) MEYER, Jennifer (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
DNF (started 91) ELLIOT, Sarah (Big White Racers)
UNOFFICIAL MEN’S RESULTS – TOP-15
1 (6) THOMSEN, Benjamin BC Team SR 1:02.58 (3) 1:04.85 (1) 2:07.43
2 (3) HARRIS, Martin USA J2 1:02.66 (5) 1:04.98 (2) 2:07.64
3 (15) GRIFFIN, Benjamin NZE SR 1:02.90 (6) 1:05.20 (6) 2:08.10
4 (5) HOWDEN, Angus NZE 1:02.57 (2) 1:05.55 (12) 2:08.12
5 (19) HIGGINS, Sean USA SR 1:02.61 (4) 1:05.64 (15) 2:08.25
6 (9) FETTERPLACE, Brenton AUS SR 1:03.17 (7) 1:05.15 (5) 2:08.32
7 (14) JOHNSON, Erik USA SR 1:03.22 (8) 1:05.37 (8) 2:08.59
8 (10) CROMPTON, Jeff CAN Sr 1:03.58 (11) 1:05.07 (3) 2:08.65
9 (21) Canart, Cory CAN J2 1:03.71 (12) 1:05.13 (4) 2:08.84
10 (11) CAFE, Tim NZE SR 1:03.76 (13) 1:05.47 (10) 2:09.23
11 (4) PRIDY, Conrad BC Team J2 1:03.91 (15) 1:05.38 (9) 2:09.29
12 (12) HARRIS, Cory USA SR 1:03.54 (10) 1:05.95 (17) 2:09.49
13 (1) BRIDGWATER, Mark NZE SR 1:04.09 (16) 1:05.63 (14) 2:09.72
14 (20) TROW, Andy CAN J1 1:05.00 (20) 1:05.25 (7) 2:10.25
15 (13) BROCKETT, Don USA SR 1:05.00 (20) 1:05.48 (11) 2:10.48
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – OTHER BC TEAM ATHLETES
16 (25) PRIDY, Morgan BC Team J2 1:05.02 (22) 1:05.60 (13) 2:10.62
26 (26) ZAITSOFF, Sasha BC Team J2 1:05.20 (23) 1:07.98 (31) 2:13.18
22 REY, Stanislas BC Team J2 1:03.80 (14) DNF
28 LEDUC, Mathieu BC Team J2 1:06.64 (37) DNF
UNOFFICIAL WOMEN’S RESULTS – TOP 15
1 (4) SERWA, Kelsey CAN J-1 1:04.05 (1) 1:07.18 (2) 2:11.23
2 (14) EMPEY, Allison CAN MID 1:04.87 (3) 1:06.37 (1) 2:11.24
3 (15) MACDONALD, Sandra CAN J-1 1:04.97 (4) 1:07.86 (3) 2:12.83
4 (25) DAVIES, Tess CAN J-2 1:05.55 (5) 1:08.49 (6) 2:14.04
4 (13) MILLER, Janelle NZE MID 1:05.61 (6) 1:08.43 (5) 2:14.04
6 (11) POLESCHUK, Nicole CAN J-2 1:06.23 (8) 1:08.21 (4) 2:14.44
7 (16) YOUNG, Jessica CAN J-1 1:06.32 (9) 1:08.72 (7) 2:15.04
8 (17) GLOWCZYNSKI, Wictoria CAN J-1 1:06.97 (12) 1:08.76 (8) 2:15.73
9 (18) RAMSDEN, Calindy CAN J-1 1:06.76 (10) 1:09.45 (11) 2:16.21
10 (20) NILSEN, Kelsey CAN J-1 1:07.87 (17) 1:09.17 (10) 2:17.04
11 (12) BERNIER, Alexe CAN J-1 1:06.84 (11) 1:10.35 (12) 2:17.19
12 (72) BOWMAN, Rachel CAN J-2 1:08.73 (21) 1:09.00 (9) 2:17.73
13 (21) BLACK, Morgan USA J-2 1:07.92 (18) 1:10.73 (14) 2:18.65
14 (32) ALEGRIA, Catalina CHI J-2 1:08.96 (23) 1:10.51 (13) 2:19.47
15 (22) BRENNER, Leslie CAN J-1 1:07.05 (14) 1:12.82 (33) 2:19.87
Click HERE for official results – Giant Slalom racing continues tomorrow – Slalom action takes place Thursday and Friday.