News from Nigel Loring, Program Director / Head Coach, Kimberley North Star Racers
One hundered and fifty five kids is a lot. When they are fast young ski racers, its overwhelming to keep them in order, so at last weekend’s Rio Tinto Alcan Nancy Greene Ski League races at Kimberley Alpine Resort, it was the kids themselves who decided who was tops. With teams from Fernie, Panorama, Windermere, Fairmont and Golden, all set their sights on besting Saturday’s annual obstacle course set on the Dreadnaught. With rolls and spines, dips and bank turns and over 40 gates to negotiate, kids from age five to ten competed for top honors in their respective age classes.
Beating out all comers was ten year old, Kimberley North Star Racer, Katie Grady who not only had the fastest time with 1:12.88, but bested the closest boy by nearly a second. Grady, along with a number of other speedsters also earned a ticket from the RCMP who’s radar gun clocked her at 51 km/h near the finish. North Star Racers owned the podium for the 10 year old girls with Zoe Chore in second and Cheryl Gourley in third (photo right).
Blue bird skies once again smiled down on the slopes at Kimberley on Sunday where a dual (or parallel) slalom was set. Only the Fernie team was able to stay over for the second day of competition, but it was fierce head to head action. North Star Racers again took top spots with the ten year old girls trading places and Zoe Chore to take the win edging out teammate, Katie Grady who placed second. Eight year old Natalie Tepper of Cranbrook doubled her gold medal count from Saturday, with a resounding win in her category by nearly four seconds! Nine year old Andrea Lockhart won her category after finishing second in the obstacle course race the day before and Taylor Kahl made the podium both days with two bronze medal performances.
It wasn’t just the North Star girls ripping up the slopes at home. The boys were just as tough, with eight year Jamie Casselman (photo left) winning his category by large margins (over 3 seconds) both days. Teammate Reine Yurkowski was second to Casselman in Saturday’s event.
Kimberley North Star Racers Chief of Race, Gerry Grady summed up the weekend by thanking the kids and everyone who worked hard to put on the event. “The volunteers are what make this such a great club to be involved in. It takes a lot of volunteers to host a race like this. Without (their) dedication this would not have been possible. The smiles at the end of the day from the kids is what it is all about.”
Complete results at http://www.knsr.bcalpineclub.ca/
