Apex Mountain Resort served up yet another crisp (about -10), sunny day to keep competitors and volunteers smiling at the 2008 BC Cup speed event. The trusty downhill track, having weathered four days of wear and tear by over 150 athletes, remained hard, but maybe not as smooth as the previous days. This was cause for several delays in the race while crews worked to make sure it was safe and fair for everyone.
In the women’s race, Calindy Ramsden of West Vancouver and the Whistler Mountain Ski Club fought her way to an impressive third place finish in one minute, 25.0l seconds. Tuesday’s winner, Tess Davies of Banff, Alberta could not be beat again today, taking the win in 1:23.87 ahead of the second place Brooke Wales of the US who came down in 1:24.35.
We caught up with Ramsden as she was waiting to receive her award. Here’s what she had to say: “When I woke up this morning I just had a feeling it would be a good day and in the start I was so excited to race. I’ve been having fun all week and was hoping that everything I’ve been working on would come together like it did today. I love the speed events so I’m looking forward to the super G tomorrow – my coaches have given me confidence by showing that they believe in me. “
The Sun Peaks Alpine Club had a strong showing Wednesday, placing three athletes in the top-10! Tuesday’s silver medalist Kerri MacGowan finished just off the podium in 4th position, while BC Ski Team athlete Vic Glowczynski grabbed 5th and Samantha Weckworth took 7th place overall and 3rd for J1 girls.
Whistler Mountain Ski Club racer Alecia Willis moved up slightly to 6th spot following a 7th place finish yesterday. Today’s result earned Willis a 2nd place finish in the J1 category!
January 23rd – Top-15 Women
1 (1) DAVIES Tess [BANFF] [CAN] – J1 1:23.87
2 (8) WALES Brooke [USA] – J2 1:24.35
3 (15) RAMSDEN Calindy [WHIST] [CAN] – J2 1:25.01
4 (7) MACGOWAN Kerri [SPAC] [CAN] – J2 1:25.61
5 (2) GLOWCZYNSKI Wictoria [CAN] – J2 1:26.25
6 (14) WILLIS Alecia [WHIST] [CAN] – J1 1:26.74
7 (12) WECKWORTH Samantha [SPAC] [CAN] – J1 1:27.67
8 (28) BRENNER Leslie [BANFF] [CAN] – J2 1:27.99
9 (40) SAUNDERS Jennifer [CAN] – J1 1:28.07
10 (4) BERNIER Alexe [EASA] [CAN] – J2 1:28.14
11 (50) MINANA Paige [USA] – J1 1:28.52
(19) WOOD Jennifer [SUNSH] [CAN] – J1 1:28.52
13 (10) MCKERCHER Gillian [SUNSH] [CAN] – J2 1:28.59
14 (11) BACKSTROM Stephany [USA] – J2 1:28.80
15 (39) MEYER Jennifer [WHIST] [CAN] – J1 1:28.81
When it came time to run the men, there was a string of delays to repair the track and fix the safety netting (which was doing its job!). Yesterday’s fastest guy, Ben Thomsen (BC Ski Team/Windermere Valley Ski Club) refused to be caught again today, stopping the clock at 1:21.03 and winning the race by almost a second ahead of team mate Sasha Zaitsoff (Red Mountain Racers). Zaitsoff conquered the course in 1:22.02, earning his second silver medal in as many days.
“I knew there would be more guys gunning for me today, so I really had to put it down and go as hard as I could,” said Thomsen. “The track was quite a bit rougher today and there was a 5 minute delay right before my run. When you’re mentally ready to go and then you have to wait, it can be hard to hold that intensity. Experience helps you learn how to handle that situation and not lose your focus in the start. Super G has been strong for me this year, so tomorrow could be another good day.”
January 23rd – Top-15 Men
1 (15) THOMSEN Benjamin [CAN] – SR 1:21.03
2 (3) ZAITSOFF Sasha [CAN] – J2 1:22.02
3 (10) TROW Andy [CAN] – J1 1:22.49
4 (9) HILTS Anton [USA] – J2 1:22.54
5 (8) LEDUC Mathieu [CAN] – J2 1:22.68
6 (49) NOGES Carl [USA] – J1 1:23.08
7 (6) PRIDY Morgan [CAN] – J2 1:23.14
8 (12) PRIDY Conrad [CAN] – J2 1:23.65
9 (20) PEDERSON Cody [CAN] – J1 1:23.75
10 (4) WEAVER Skyler [USA] – J2 1:23.77
11 (29) OWSLEY David [USA] – J1 1:23.85
12 (14) WINTER Sven [CAN] – J2 1:23.87
13 (17) NEVISON Ross [CAN] – J2 1:23.96
14 (13) WILSON Garrett [CAN] – J1 1:24.26
15 (5) KOEPKE Curtis [CAN] – J1 1:24.38
Men’s and Women’s Super G is on the agenda for Thursday and Friday. Race Chair Arnie Erickson told us what it takes to prepare for tomorrow’s races. "Today went quite late because of all the repairs that were done to the track, so there is not enough light left to finish setting up for tomorrow. We have to take all the gates out of the snow and groom the hill wall to wall. We will re-set the gates in the morning. We’re hoping for more of this gorgeous weather!"
Dennis Walker of Giant FM Radio interviews Mike Stubbs, Mt. Washington (sound required)
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