CANADA TO DEFEND TITLE AS WHISTLER CUP HOSTS FUTURE OLYMPIANS
Training to get underway for 2010 Whistler Cup on Thursday
WHISTLER, BC (April 6, 2010) – The Canadian team will be defending its overall title for the second time in three years when the 2010 Whistler Cup kicks off this week in Whistler, BC.
Whistler Cup organizers are celebrating the 18th anniversary of the event, which brings together the top 11 to 14-year-old ski racers in the world for North America’s only FIS-sanctioned race of its kind. A record 24 nations will be represented this year.
“It’s my honour to welcome all athletes, coaches, families, friends, volunteers and sponsors to this thrilling event,” said Whistler Cup Organizing Committee Event Chair Wayne Holm. “Once again we greet young athletes from many nations, as we watch their passionate involvement in their chosen sport and their eagerness to forge lasting friendships that span the globe. We welcome the world and we hope you enjoy the competition.”
Canada won the competition last year, reclaiming the title that it had won for the first time ever in 2007. The United States ended up claiming second spot with Japan in third.
The Whistler Cup has proven to be a destination of future ski racing champions, with remarkably seven of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games medalists at the alpine events having competed in the Whistler Cup including USA’s Linsay Vonn (Kildow) and Julia Mancuso as well as Slovenia’s Tina Maze and Anja Paerson of Sweden.
Several Canadian World Cup winners have also participated in the Whistler Cup including 2010 super-G Crystal Globe winner Erik Guay (Mont-Tremblant, QC) and 2007 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships medalist Jan Hudec (Calgary, AB). In fact, current CAST member Julien Cousineau (Lachute, QC) won the K2 slalom and giant slalom race back in 1996.
The countries represented at the 2010 Whistler Cup are Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, USA, US Virgin Islands as well as Hong Kong, the only new entry this season.
The event is also pleased to welcome Rio Tinto Alcan as a new title sponsor and 2010 platinum partners Manulife Investments, Goldwin, Sport Canada and Shaw Cablesystems G.P.
Alpine Canada Alpin and the Whistler Cup Race Organizing Committee also applaud the efforts of the many volunteers who make the races possible each year.
The schedule this year has training getting underway Apr. 8 with men’s and ladies K1 Kombi and K2 super-G Apr. 9. The ladies GS takes place on Apr. 10 along with a men’s slalom and the event wraps up with ladies slalom and men’s GS on Apr. 11.
WHISTLER CUP – TEAM CANADA
K2’s (13 and 14 year old’s)
Ladies
Meg Currie (Toronto, ON) Osler Bluff Ski Club
Sandrine Demers-Telmosse (Mont-Royal, QC) Mont-Tremblant Ski Club
Emma King (Whistler, BC) Whistler Mountain Ski Club
* Jenna McIntyre (Calgary, AB) Lake Louise Ski Club
Roni Remme (Collingwood, ON) National Ski Academy/Alpine Ski Club
Adrienne Poitras (Mont-Royal, QC) Mont-Tremblant Ski Club
Mikaela Tommy (Wakefield, QC) Edelweiss Ski Club
Andrea Turner (Calgary, AB) Kananaskis Alpine Ski Club
Alix Wells (Prince George, BC) Prince George Ski Club
Men
Mitchel Brunning (Toronto, ON) Craigleith Ski Club
Martin Grasic (Invermere, BC) Windermere Valley Ski Club
Alex Kreutz (Vernon, BC) Vernon Ski Club
Karl Kuus, (Toronto, ON) Devil’s Glen
Adam Lamhamedi (Charlesbourg, QC) Stoneham Ski CLub
Blake Ramsden (West Vancouver, BC) Whistler Mountain Ski Club
David Rennick (Toronto,ON) Osler Bluff Ski Club
Aaron Taylor (Hamilton, ON) Holimont Ski Club
Thomas Trusler (Toronto, ON) Osler Bluff Ski Club
K1’s (11 and 12 year old’s)
Ladies
Stephanie Currie (Toronto, ON) Osler Bluff Ski Club
Tori Hislop (Winnipeg, MB) Summit Ski Club
Cassandra Mah (Vancouver, BC) Grouse Tyee Ski Club
Mikayla Martin (Garibaldi Highlands, BC) Whistler Mountain Ski Club
Hailey McKercher (Calgary, AB) Sunshine Alpine Racers
Caitlin Roe (Ottawa, ON) Camp Fortune Ski Club
Men
Mark Grain (Regina, SK) Regina Ski Club
Corey McConville (London, ON) Devil’s Glen
Sam Mulligan (West Vancouver, BC) Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club
Huston Philp (Calgary, AB) Banff Alpine Racers
Sébastien Parizeau-Hamel (Montreal, QC) Bromont Ski Club
Keegan Sharp (Invermere, BC) Team Panorama
* Qualified for participation but will not compete due to injury
Staff
Team Leader
Benoit Lalande (Laval, QC) ACA
K2’s
Sean Frith (Vancouver, BC) Whistler Mountain Ski Club
Stefan Overgaard (Toronto, ON) Osler Bluff Ski Club
Jill Fugino (Collingwood, ON) Craiglieth Ski Club
Yves Payer (Mont-Tremblant, QC) Mont-Tremblant Ski Club
K1’s
Glenn Thomsen (Invermere, BC) ACA
Mark Sharp (Invermere, BC) ACA
Peter Dolman (North Vancouver, BC) Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club
Norm Baufeld (Toronto, ON) Devil’s Glen
Frédéric Tremblay (Bromont, QC) Bromont Ski Club
WHISTLER CUP – SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
06.04.2009 Whistler, BC Check-in and Accreditation
07.04.2009 Whistler, BC Check-in and Accreditation
08.04.2009 Whistler, BC Training / Race Hill Inspection M & L
09.04.2009 Whistler, BC K1 Kombi / K2 SG M & L
10.04.2009 Whistler, BC K1 K2 GS (L) / K1 K2 SL (M)
11.04.2009 Whistler, BC K1 K2 SL (L) / K1 K2 GS (M)
ABOUT THE WHISTLER CUP
Hosted by the Whistler Mountain Ski Club (www.wmsc.info), the Whistler Cup is the only international ski racing event for 11 to 14-year-olds in North America. World Cup winners to have participated in the Whistler Cup include Canadians Erik Guay, Britt Janyk and Emily Brydon as well as Austria’s Benjamin Raich, Slovenian Tina Maze and Anja Paerson of Sweden. For more information on the Whistler Cup please visit the event website at www.whistlercup.com.
INFORMATION:
Kyle Marr
Director of PR & Media /
Directeur, RP et médias
Alpine Canada Alpin
Tel: (403) 777-3204
TELUS: (403) 860-0665
kmarr@canski.org