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Happy holidays to our ski racing family from all of us at BC Alpine. Another winter season is upon us and we are very excited!
 Last season our membership numbers reached an all-time high, and we saw more athletes participating in races than ever before. That is a testament to the excellent work the clubs are doing. This season we are already ahead of the curve and some of our clubs have shown significant growth in their programs. Well done!
We hosted our 2019 Member Summit at Predator Ridge near Vernon, after 10 years in Kelowna. A change of scenery and a more intimate space made the experience even better, and again we broke the record for attendance by members from all over BC. The Officials Update was held at the same time and we believe everyone benefited from having coaches, club executives, officials, volunteers and even some of our BC athletes in the room together. Having Erik Guay as our keynote speaker was a hit with everyone, and the talk show hosted by Mike Janyk at the banquet was a definite highlight. In 2020 we hope to welcome even more members for this special weekend of learning, sharing, socializing and planning for the next season.
This year’s BC Ski Team has been named and they are already showing some good results, especially Asher Jordan who won a Nor-Am slalom in Colorado and Ella Renzoni who finished 12th in a Nor-Am GS. Unfortunately, we have had some injuries, and we look forward to supporting these athletes as they return to snow. We recognize that there are fewer girls qualifying for the BC Ski Team in recent years. We will continue working with U16 and FIS female athletes to reverse this trend with the goal of putting more girls on the BC Team and preparing them for CAST and World Cup.
This is a big season for BC as we play host to several major events; the U16 Nationals at Sun Peaks, Senior Nationals and Nor-Am finals in Panorama, BC Games at Bear Mountain, Whistler Cup and of course all the other races around the province. Taking on major national events is a lot of work for everyone, but what a great opportunity to showcase our beautiful province as the best place to ski in Canada!
Our Okanagan Zone Chair, Catherine Martin, has stepped down after years of service and countless contributions to skiing, both in her zone and in the province. We thank Catherine for her energy and expertise as we welcome Graham Cope on board to fill her shoes. BC Alpine’s volunteer board is always hard at work behind the scenes, and I wish to thank each one of them for their generous commitment to our sport!
In addition to helping clubs run the best programs in the country and supporting athletes in their quest to reach their full potential as ski racers, our #1 objective this year is to secure sponsorship and funding so we can achieve even greater results and grow the wonderful alpine ski racing community in BC. If you are sitting on a great idea or know someone whose company would be a good fit for us, feel free to contact me and help BC on the path to success.
As always, please reach out to us any time. We are here for all members and strive to be the best provincial sport organization in Canada. Have a great Christmas and see you on the slopes the New Year.
Anders Hestdalen
BC Alpine CEO
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