BC Alpine Announces BC Ski Team Summer Training Group
VANCOUVER, BC (May 13, 2010) – BC Alpine announced at the provincial Annual General Meeting in Kelowna, B.C. on May 8, 2010 a group of 20 skiers selected to participate in the BC Ski Team Training Group for the summer and fall months.
After a successful season by BC athletes at all levels of ski racing, BC Alpine is looking to broaden the talent base within a resurgent provincial club system while supporting a small group of internationally elite skiers over the summer.
The BC Ski Team will be officially announced November 15th at the conclusion of the preparation period.
The Training Group will include Olympian Georgia Simmerling (West Vancouver/Grouse-Tyee Ski Club) and Nor-Am winners Victoria Whitney (Whistler/Whistler Mountain Ski Club) and Elli Terwiel (Heffley Creek/Sun Peaks Alpine Club).
After Alpine Canada announced recently a smaller core group to participate full-time in the Canadian Alpine Ski Team program, BC Alpine has stepped up its role in the continued development of the three BC skiers.
“We’re tremendously excited to work with Elli, Victoria and Georgia again,” BC Alpine CEO Bruce Goldsmid. “But we’re going to find the balance between providing every opportunity for them to reach the World Cup level again with providing a development-level program for our up-and-coming skiers.”
Alpine Canada also announced last week that BC skiers Sasha Zaitsoff (Balfour/Red Mountain Racers) and Morgan Pridy (Whistler/WMSC) will be offered opportunities to train with the new national “Prospect Program” with other elite provincial team athletes. A total of 10 provincial team skiers were named to that group.
In addition to Morgan Pridy and Zaitsoff, the men’s provincial group will be led Conrad Pridy (Whistler/WMSC), Tyler Werry (Calgary/Fernie Alpine Ski Team), Ben MacLean (Whistler/Whistler Mountain Ski Club), Willy Konantz (Whistler/WMSC), while Sarah Freeman (Pincher Creek/Fernie Alpine Ski Team), Celine Rytz (Calgary/Fernie Alpine Ski Team), Alecia Willis (Surrey/Whistler Mountain Ski Club) Sarah Elliot (Oyama/Big White Racers)and Jocelyn Ramsden (West Vancouver/WMSC) will rejoin the women’s group.
The women’s team will be joined by newcomers: Kailee Darlington (Whister/Whistler Mountain Ski Club), Rebecca Bermel (Cranbrook/Kimberley North Star Racers), Mackensey Young (Fernie/Fernie Alpine Ski Team) and Alexandria Pankratz (Kelowna/Big White Racers).
The men’s team will be joined by newcomers: Mathieu Leduc (Courtenay/Mt. Washington Ski Club) and Broderick Thompson (Whistler/Whistler Mountain Ski Club).
BC Alpine also announced three new additions to the provincial team coaching and support staff. Richard Brandon Dyksterhouse (“Dykster”) will be the men’s head coach, Gregor Druzina will rejoin the staff as women’s head coach and Aaron Speden (“Speedy”) becomes the women’s assistant coach. Andrew Lambert rejoins BC Alpine as the fitness and conditioning trainer and specialist and Dr. Lauren Jones has committed again to the role of BCST sports psychology consultant. The men’s assistant coach will be named at a later date.
Dyksterhouse comes from Vermont where he has coached a successful program at the Green Mountain School for the past five years. Speden, after coaching the Prince George Ski Team from 2001-03 and then the Alberta Ski Team, has spent the past three seasons with Alpine Canada and the Canadian Alpine Ski Team programs.
Congratulations to the athletes who have qualified for the BCST Summer Training Program.
Women
Sarah Freeman (Fernie Alpine Ski Team)
Alecia Willis (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Celine Rytz (Fernie Alpine Ski Team)
Jocelyn Ramsden (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Sarah Elliot (Big White Racers)
Kailee Darlington (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Mackensey Young (Fernie Alpine Ski Team)
Rebecca Bermel (Kimberley North Star Racers)
Alexandria Pankratz (Big White Racers)
* Special status: Elli Terwiel (Sun Peaks Alpine Club)
* Special status: Georgia Simmerling (Grouse-Tyee Ski Club)
* Special status: Victoria Whitney (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Men
Conrad Pridy (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Morgan Pridy (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Sasha Zaitsoff (Red Mountain Racers)
Mathieu Leduc (Mt Washington Ski Club)
Tyler Werry (Fernie Alpine Ski Team)
Ben MacLean (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Broderick Thompson (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
William Konantz (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)