Sun Peaks Resort once again provided the perfect backdrop, plenty of snow, yet great training conditions when it hosted 52 female-identifying athletes from all over B.C., who participated in the high-productive 3-day Girls Fast Forward (GFF) camp.
The skiers all put in a solid effort on hill, according to GFF Head Coach Montana “Monty” Molyneux. The first day, they were put to the test in a GS training session followed by a snowy slalom/powder day, where they inspected new courses with alongside special guest World Cup ski racers. The final on-hill session featured a slalom and panelled dual slalom.
In total, seven GFF lead coaches worked with the four World Cup Canadian ski racers, as well as two coaches from younger age groups, to manage, inspire and instruct the lucky U16 and FIS racers. The overarching goal was to create stronger bonds within the racing community for incoming U16 and FIS aged athletes.
“We worked hard on building a platform on top of the skis and found how to have an athletic position through the turn in all disciplines.”
Coach Monty
Off the hill, the athletes participated in video tech talks by Canadian World Cup ski racers Stef Fleck, Cassidy Gray and Britt Richardson. In addition, the full schedule featured a Mental Training session on empowering thoughts, goal setting and working through adversity, a “hardcore” core session & mobility, and a body scan and balance session. In the evening, they listened to an athlete panel with Canadian team athletes and BC Women’s Training group athletes as well as a coaches panel on the coaching pathway in BC with our Lead GFF coaches.
The GFF camp also had plenty of laughs and fun, including the camp wrap up Improv Skit Night and some camp take aways. “The last day was high energy with many campers and coaches in bright and retro gear!” said Coach Monty.
All photos by Ivey Norton
“Every year I look forward to the GFF camp, and from year to year it is a little different,” said Coach Monty. “This years group was so much fun to coach. They adapted to challenging environments and worked hard. Our athlete-coaches were awesome and our all-female coaching staff made the camp very special. It’s hard to pick just one memory from the camp. The video tech talk with Stef, Cass and Brit was next level. Our “hardcore Core” session was awesome and the improv coach skits were in my top activities. I’m so excited that we have been able to continue to build a community of strong female leaders and that we can have the chance to come together, connect and share.”
The Whistler Cup was back this April, after a three-year Covid-shut down hiatus, and Team Canada finished off where it did in 2019 by claiming the prestigious Nations Cup title.
Golden, BC, skier Roxy Coatesworth continued her impressively dominant season by winning both the super-G and giant slalom, keeping just ahead of the world’s elite U16 skiers. Earlier this season, Coatesworth claimed a whopping four gold medals at the Canada Winter Games in PEI and was named as Team BC’s flag-bearer for the closing ceremonies.
“Defending champions Team Canada keep the Cup at home!” said Whistler Cup representatives in a statement posted to social media. “Congratulations to all on a tremendous few days of racing.”
The hundreds of dedicated volunteers and dedicated race organizers were pleased with how the event unfolded.
“It didn’t take long for all of us on the organizing committee, coaches, and volunteers to be reminded of just how special this event is,” said Mike Janyk, the Executive Director of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club. “When the parade started, the sun was shining, the kids were running around meeting athletes from other nations and the flags were raised high with excitement. Not only were we able to offer a world class ski race with strong international competition, but the off the hill events, doubles and makes this one of the most cherished experiences in a young ski racer’s career.”
This years event saw the best U16 ski racers from seven countries around the world: Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Norway, USA, Chile and Czech Republic. In addition to the U16 Team Canada title, Team USA claimed the U14 Festival Cup.
We are pleased to announce our plans to again host the BC Alpine Member Summit, Coach Meetings and Annual General Meeting at the beautiful Sun Peaks Grand Hotel and Conference Center, October 13 to 15, 2023.
Please save these dates! Everyone is welcome and it’s free to attend (not including transportation and accommodation).
Stay tuned in the coming months for lots more information, agenda details and sign-up instructions, etc.
Nothing says spring skiing quite like when a sea of over 600 kids descend the slopes of Sun Peaks, bashing through moguls, racing through a ski-cross style kombi course or glalom race, tucking through a speed trap or launching off a speed jump.
This is seriously fun stuff, for the young skiers, their parents and the dozens upon dozens of volunteers who host this event, the largest in the province.
Ski racing at its finest.
And always nearby is the ultimate spectator and fan of youth skiing and ski racing – and a champion skier in her own right – Nancy Greene, the namesake of the NGSL program and festival. Nancy was on hand to cheer on the racers, sign helmets, and hand out awards. What a special treat for the kids.
In a busy season for the Sun Peaks Alpine Club, which saw them host a series of zone and club races, this 18th annual Nancy Greene Festival – sponsored by Hub International – has become the biggest NGSL festival in Canada. It was expected that over 2,000 guests in total came to enjoy the many perks on and around Sun Peaks, namely its fantastic skiing conditions this season.
SPAC president Duncan Currie, was most impressed by the overall experiences by the participating families.
“[The events aren’t about competitions because] results at a young age don’t necessarily translate to what you’re going to do as a young adult … We’re trying to create lifelong skiers rather than diehard ski racers,” Currie explained to Sun Peaks Independent News.
In addition, “Uncle Chris the Clown” who was all over the mountain, was seen keeping up to the youngsters and, of course, putting smiles on faces especially at the awards ceremony.
Revelstoke Mountain Resort and the Revelstoke Ski Club were excited to host their first Teck U14 Provincial Championships, welcoming 19 clubs from around the province to Revelstoke. There was a great showing from visiting clubs, with 226 athletes from Apex, Big White, Cypress, Fernie, Golden, Grouse, Kimberley, Lightning Creek, Mt. Seymour, Mt. Washington, Prince George, Red Mountain, Sasquatch, Smithers, Sun Peaks, Vernon, Whistler and Whitewater.
For this spring race, the athletes felt like they were back in winter with the cold weather arriving Friday, then Saturday and Sunday bringing about 8cms of fresh snow each day. The snow made for some challenging conditions at times, but everyone worked together to ensure the race was safe and fair.
Clubs started to arrive for training and free skiing on Thursday. The event kicked off on Friday with a two-run combined GS over two days (due to the large numbers of competitors). We wrapped up Saturday with a banquet at the Community Centre for all athletes and coaches where there was a presentation from Greg Hill who successfully skied over 2 million vertical feet in one year. A photo booth contest provided lots of fun pictures of the athletes – check out #TeckU14ProvincialsRevy on Instagram to see some of the photos. It was nice for all the kids to get together off the hill, sporting their BC Alpine/Teck “Send It” shirts provided by BC Alpine.
Sunday we were back on the slopes with our second discipline: the slalom race. It was a beautifully run race! The officials were able to run the races at 20-second intervals to get all racers through. Thank you to coaches, athletes, and volunteers for all working together for a super-smooth tear-down effort!
A highlight of the weekend was our announcer Mark Hatton from Mt. Seymour. A former luger and two-time Winter Olympian, Mark pumped up the energy by announcing at the race, the banquet and the awards. Also assisting at the final day’s awards was Benjamin Alexander, the first alpine skier to represent Jamaica at the Olympics, in Beijing 2022.
Top-3 finishers in GS:
U14 girls: Elena Deda (Whistler) Morgan Ring (Sun Peaks), Valerie Chan (Grouse)
“A huge thank you to Revelstoke Mountain Resort for hosting the event, all the visiting teams, coaches and parents for travelling to Revelstoke, BC Alpine for their hands-on support for this race and to all the hard-working volunteers who made it all possible!”
– U14 Provincials Race Organizing Committee
“We would also like to thank our local sponsors who provided lots of fun swag for us to send the athletes home with: Free Spirit Sports, Revy Outdoors, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Eagle Pass, Skookum, Mica Heli Ski, Wax Bench and WorkWest Workwear, Integrated Apparel, Tantrum Bikes, Flowt Bikes, Valhalla Pure, Powder Rentals, Pulse Boots, Southside Market, Save On Foods, Pharmasave and the Revelstoke Accommodation Association. Your generosity and community involvement are always greatly appreciated.
Last, but not least, thank you to our Platinum Sponsors: Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Eagle Pass Heliski, Cabot, Regent Hotel, Cheers Liquor Store, Best Western, Stoke Hotel, The Keg Kelowna, Skookum Bike & Ski and Downie Timber. Thanks also to Tourism Revelstoke for supporting our banquet.”
