News from Nigel Loring, Program Director / Head Coach – Kimberley North Star Racers
With clear skies and very cold temperatures in the minus 20s, the second Teck Kinder Ski Race of the season was held at Kimberley Alpine Resort on January 25th. Over one hundred young racers from across the Kootenay zone, ages 11 – 14 trained under excellent conditions for three days prior to Sunday’s scheduled Super G races.
Kimberley North Star Racers were once again a dominant force on the slopes and made good use of their home hill to capture wins in both the K1 boy’s (ages 11 & 12) races with back to back gold medal performances by Aidan Gilbert. Gilbert won the first race by nearly two seconds and the second race by more than one second. In the second race Gilbert was joined on the podium by teammate Zack Kahl who placed 3rd after just missing the medals in the first race with a 4th. Kimberley’s talent again ran deep with top ten performances by: Ryan Grady placing 5th & 6th respectively, Cole Tepper (8th & 5th), Axel Chore (10th & 8th) and Erik Mitchell (7th & 9th).
Just as in the previous race in Panorama, North Star Racer Hope Blissett claimed a bronze medal in the second race after being just out of the medals in the first race where she finished 4th. India Sherret cracked into the top ten with a 7th and a 6th place result.
North Star Racer Scott Bedell claimed his first win of the season for the K2 boys (ages 13-14) narrowly beating Martin Grasic of Windermere by a mere 0.06 seconds and Marcus Henry of Fernie by 0.19 seconds. Nolan Walls was 4th out just 0.56 seconds behind teammate Bedell’s winning time.
Once again Rebecca Bermel of Cranbrook took top placing for the K2 girls winning comfortably by 1.86 seconds ahead of Barbara Jenkinson of Windermere. Becky Bedell (Scott’s sister) finished 4th.
The day’s success was unfortunately dampened just after the start of the second K2 girls race when Rebecca Bermel, starting 6th out of the gate got caught late on a turn about halfway down the track and crashed hard resulting in a broken thumb. Bermel had surgery on Monday in Cranbrook where doctors inserted a pin in her hand to hold the bone together during recovery. Bermel is expected to be back racing in four to five weeks, hopefully in time for the BC Provincial K2 Championship in Rossland, March 11 – 15.
As a result of the delays from Bermel’s fall, the second Super G race for both the K2 boys and girls were canceled. The next stop on the Kootenay Teck Kinder Ski Racing Series will be in Fernie, February 21 and 22.
TECK Speed Camp Super G
Kimberley, BC, January 22 – 25, 2009
Sunday, January 25 Super-Giant Slalom, Ladies, K1
1 GARTNER, Stephanie (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 47.13
2 HENRY, Mia (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 47.81
3 BRATTON, Cassandra (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 48.03
4 BLISSETT, Hope (Kimberly North Star Racers) 48.24
5 HOFFOS, Courtney (Windermere Valley Ski Club) 48.43
6 RUSSELL, Bailey (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 49.25
7 SHERRET, India (Kimberly North Star Racers) 49.30
8 ANDREOLA, Montana (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 49.55
9 COLLOMBIN, Tyra (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 50.08
10 CROCKETT, Claudia (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 53.08
Sunday, January 25 Super-Giant Slalom, Ladies, K1
1 GARTNER, Stephanie (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 48.16
2 HENRY, Mia (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 49.17
3 BLISSETT, Hope (Kimberly North Star Racers) 49.37
4 HOFFOS, Courtney (Windermere Valley Ski Club) 49.99
5 BRATTON, Cassandra (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 50.01
6 SHERRET, India (Kimberly North Star Racers) 50.17
7 RUSSELL, Bailey (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 51.59
8 COLLOMBIN, Tyra (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 52.23
9 ANDREOLA, Montana (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 52.41
10 ANDERSON, Jessica (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 55.93
Sunday, January 25 Super-Giant Slalom, Men, K1
1 GILBERT, Aidan (Kimberly North Star Racers) 45.79
2 FINLEY, Stuart (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 47.70
3 KWAN, James (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 47.85
4 KAHL, Zackary (Kimberly North Star Racers) 47.86
5 GRADY, Ryan (Kimberly North Star Racers) 48.21
6 DUTCHER, Devin (Windermere Valley Ski Club) 48.23
7 MITCHELL, Erik (Kimberly North Star Racers) 48.37
8 TEPPER, Cole (Kimberly North Star Racers) 48.54
9 LAWRENCE, Mathew (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 48.60
10 CHORE, Axel (Kimberly North Star Racers) 49.14
Sunday, January 25 Super-Giant Slalom, Men, K1
1 GILBERT, Aidan (Kimberly North Star Racers) 47.65
2 FINLEY, Stuart (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 48.76
3 KAHL, Zackary (Kimberly North Star Racers) 49.02
4 DUTCHER, Devin (Windermere Valley Ski Club) 49.58
5 TEPPER, Cole (Kimberly North Star Racers) 49.68
6 GRADY, Ryan (Kimberly North Star Racers) 49.72
7 LAWRENCE, Mathew (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 49.81
8 CHORE, Axel (Kimberly North Star Racers) 49.99
9 MITCHELL, Erik (Kimberly North Star Racers) 50.39
10 LUNN, Jacob (Red Mountain Racers) 50.52
Sunday, January 25 Super-Giant Slalom, Ladies, K2/J
1 BERMEL, Rebecca (Kimberly North Star Racers) 44.01
2 JENKINSON, Barbara (Windermere Valley Ski Club) 45.87
3 RYTZ, Chantal (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 45.94
4 BEDELL, Becky (Kimberly North Star Racers) 46.07
5 HONSBERGER, Jamie (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 46.11
6 BUTLER, Kali (Red Mountain Racers) 46.15
7 HALWA, Julia (Windermere Valley Ski Club) 46.95
8 STIZ, Julia (Windermere Valley Ski Club) 47.00
9 GARTNER, Riana (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 47.05
10 RUUTOPOLD, Aanika (Red Mountain Racers) 47.12
Sunday, January 25 Super-Giant Slalom, Men, K2/J
1 BEDELL, Scott (Kimberly North Star Racers) 44.08
2 GRASIC, Martin (Windermere Valley Ski Club) 44.14
3 HENRY, Marcus (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 44.27
4 WALLS, Nolan (Kimberly North Star Racers) 44.64
5 BAGAN, Stephen (Windermere Valley Ski Club) 44.94
5 CARRY, Patrick (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 44.94
7 RUSSELL, Taylor (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 45.11
8 ARMENEAU, Tyler (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 45.88
9 GOUGH, Carter (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 45.91
10 BERNARD, Julien (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 46.39