As the snow begins to fall around the province, we are pleased to announce the 2010/2011 Men’s and Women’s BC Ski Teams and Development Teams. After months of preparation, this formidable group of talented racers is ready to challenge the competition and make BC proud this season. Congratulations to the following athletes:
BC Ski Team/Alpine Canada Prospect Group – Women
Elli Terwiel (Heffley Creek/Sun Peaks Alpine Club) – training with ACA Technical Team
Georgia Simmerling (West Vancouver/Grouse-Tyee Ski Club) – training with ACA Speed Team
BC Ski Team – Women
Sarah Freeman (Pincher Creek/Fernie Alpine Ski Team)
Celine Rytz (Calgary/Fernie Alpine Ski Team)
Jocelyn Ramsden (West Vancouver/Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Kailee Darlington (Whistler/Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
BC Development Team – Women
Sarah Elliot (Oyama/Big White Racers)
Mackensey Young (Fernie/Fernie Alpine Ski Team)
BC Ski Team/Alpine Canada Prospect Group – Men
Morgan Pridy (Whistler/Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Sasha Zaitsoff (Balfour/Red Mountain Racers)
BC Ski Team – Men
Conrad Pridy (Whistler/Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Spencer Morris (West Vancouver/Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Broderick Thompson (Whistler/Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
BC Development Team – Men
Mathieu Leduc (Comox/Mt Washington Ski Club)
Tyler Werry (Calgary/Fernie Alpine Ski Team)
Ben MacLean (Whistler/Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Ford Swette (North Vancouver/Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Coaching Staff – Women
Gregor Druzina – Head Coach (not on snow yet due to injury)
Aaron Speden – Assistant Coach
Don Lyon – Assistant Coach (while Gregor is recovering from shoulder surgery)
Coaching Staff – Men
Brandon Dyksterhouse – Head Coach
Sean Frith – Assistant Coach
After a summer filled with intensive dryland training combined with ski camps in Whistler, Mt. Hood and Chile, the teams are now assembled in Nakiska and Panorama for early season training as they gear up for the first races of the year.
“We wouldn’t have made it to this point without the help of so many others working with us and behind the scenes,” said Gregor Druzina, Women’s Head Coach. “We would like to thank Andrew Lambert for his dryland coaching and program design expertise, Dr. Lauren Jones for her constant support as our Mental Performance Consultant, Aaron Speden for the extra time he spends keeping the skis in good shape and Don Lyon for stepping in to help coach the women while I rehab from shoulder surgery.”
“We have been extremely fortunate throughout the entire prep period and look forward to getting the season underway,” said Brandon Dyksterhouse, Head Coach of the men’s squad. “This week our athletes had the opportunity to go head-to-head with Canada’s best juniors to see where they stack up. We are very pleased with their progress and are hopeful the racing will go as well! We would also like to recognize and thank Katie Dunn for the Yoga classes, Aaron Speden’s extended family in Chile for the transportation they provided and the many families that opened their homes to out-of-town athletes during our dryland camps.”
The men’s and women’s BC Ski Teams will begin their competitive season at the end of November in Lake Louise with forerunning opportunities at the Winterstart World Cup event and racing in the NorAm Cup Speed Series.
Some thoughts from the girls as they reflect on their training to this point and what lies ahead this season 
SARAH ELLIOT: ”After working-out all summer and having an awesome "return to snow" in Mt. Hood and Chile, it feels great to ski knowing I’m strong and my knee is fully recovered. Pre-season training with more of a focus on looking for speed has been a fun change from working on technique all summer and fall. My goals for this year are to ski fast and ski consistently. I’d like to thank BC Alpine and the coaching staff who have worked so hard to do everything they can for us whether it’s in the office, on the hill or in the gym. The entire team is bringing their A-game in training and is ready to put on a bib.”
KAILEE DARLINGTON: “This past summer has been hard work, but I have made many improvements in my skiing and fitness levels. As the race season nears I look forward to starting in my first Nor-Am Cup and hopefully forerunning the World Cup SG at Lake Louise. I have set high goals that I look forward to achieving, some include: Qualifying for Canada Games, being top J1 consistently and qualifying for Senior Nationals. Thanks to Gregor, Don, Aaron, Andrew, and Lauren for helping me prepare for the competitive season. I hope it’s a great one!"
JOCELYN RAMSDEN: "As yet another competitive season lurks around the corner I look forward to starting the season strong at the opening Nor-Am Cups in Lake Louise and Panorama. I hope to improve my points in all disciplines and keep myself as a top contender for my age in Canada. Thanks to Aaron, Gregor, Andrew, Lauren and Don for getting us in shape in the gym, improving on the slopes and preparing mentally for the long season ahead."
MACKENSEY YOUNG: "This summer has been amazing. It provided great training opportunities both on hill and in the gym, with many successful camps throughout the last few months. I am looking forward to competing in my first season with the team and to be a part of the Nor-am cups both at home and out east. I am hoping to have a consistent season and find the podium in slalom and GS. I feel confident going into this season with many thanks to Andrew who pushed us to push ourselves in the gym, Aaron who has gone above and beyond by helping us in the tuning room in addition to helping us progress on hill, Gregor who we all miss very much and has done an amazing job organizing everything for us now that he is off snow, and Don who we are all excited to have with us to keep us smiling and focused."
SARAH FREEMAN: "It feels like yesterday that I was traveling home from spring series wondering what I was going to do with my life since skiing was done for another season. Luckily I soon realized that I didn’t have to wait long. Not more than a month passed and we were back on the slopes in Whistler, Mt. Hood and in Chile. Between which I was able to keep myself busy by hitting the gym at least once a day. It is hard to believe the last time I raced was last April! As race season approaches I’m getting more and more excited for what lies ahead. In the next couple months we have NorAm’s and Miele Cup races, an opportunity to forerun the world cup again and hopefully (if the early races go well) a chance to represent Canada at World Juniors! I feel physically and mentally ready for another amazing season with the BC Woman’s Ski Team."
CELINE RYTZ: “As the preseason comes to a close, the countdown to the first race of the season has begun. As I look back on my season last year, I am pleased with my progress and how I achieved the main goals I set for myself. The goals were simple: qualify for BC Ski Team and improve my confidence in speed events. I did qualify for the BCST and I have had my most successful preseason camp in Chile to boost my confidence in speed. I am also looking to World Juniors, where I hope to qualify and also place in the top 15 in either DH or SG. A big goal is to ski in my first Europa Cup, which I am working very hard to make happen. Although my goals may seem mostly results-oriented, I have also set personal goals to perfect each turn in a training run or a race. I am spending many runs focusing on trying to accelerate through every turn by moving my body forward and connecting my turns-arc to arc. Although this may seem basic, I do believe this is the foundation of a good race turn and I am working to perfect this technique. Let the racing begin!”