On March 4th, the Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club hosted the Sporting Life U8/U10 Skills Event, which consisted of two courses, a ‘Glalom’ race and a Kombi course. Before the sun was even up, Grouse Mountain welcomed 289 racers from four Lower Mainland ski clubs (Cypress, Grouse Tyee, Seymour and Sasquatch), up its signature Red Tram where athletes were lucky to enjoy clear views of Greater Vancouver. (Above: bib 260 Russell Wong, U10 Grouse Tyee – Photo by Wei Ma)
U10 group with Coach Petra, photo by Patrick Nuestro
The conditions were up to par, including compact snow, good visibility and lightly snowing skies. By 9 am the first U8 racers were ready to take on the Glalom course, while the U10s finished their Glalom inspection and made their way to the Kombi course. We spoke to Russell, a U10 athlete:
“The race was good and in the end, it was all for fun! I wasn’t expecting the Kombi to turn into a tunnel… I really appreciate how hundreds of parents came and put together this race for us. My favourite part of the race was the racing part!”
U10 athlete, Russell
As the day progressed, the U10s and U8s switched roles and each age level took on the other course. As U10 racers made their way through the finish line, there seemed to be no racer without a smile on their face! We caught up to two speedy athletes upon their second run, who both happened to have the same helmet, and asked them what they thought of the race:
“The race was fun, particularly the combination of the race course, jump and speed trap! I felt happy and excited in the start gate [but especially] at the finish; [as I] felt like I had done really well. My favourite part was going down the blue course.”
U10 athlete, Elle
“I thought the race was really fun, pretty fast and [that] I had some good turns. In the start gate, I was pretty confident, really excited and I was thinking about where to pole plant. In the finish, I was thinking that I did a good race, had a good run and that I went really fast on it. My favourite part was getting to ski the red course!”
U10 athlete, Claire
Claire Rempel at the starting gate. Photo by Sonya Tesanovic
At the starting gate. Photo by Sonya Tesanovic
The athletes, coaches, and Grouse Tyee Ski Club would like to acknowledge all the parents, coaches and athletes for their enthusiasm, effort and engaging attitude. Additionally, we’d like to thank the coaches who set up our race courses, and sponsors, alongside Grouse Mountain Resort, for their sponsorship, support and assistance in making this event possible. However, a special appreciation goes to our volunteers who set up safety nets, kept the race environment safe and fun, and ensured its success. Congratulations to all participants for a successful event!
Race report submitted by Sonya Tesanovic, U10 Assistant Head Coach
The Sporting Life NGSL Okanagan Zone Finals took place on March 4th and 5th at Apex Mountain Resort, hosted by the Apex Ski Club. Over 140 athletes from the Apex Ski Club, Big White Ski Club, Vernon Ski Club, Revelstoke Ski Club, and Sun Peaks Alpine Club attended the event. It was a great weekend at Apex with lots of snow and ideal temperatures for racing.
On Saturday the U6 and U8 skiers competed in dual slalom races on the Okanagan Run. The conditions were good and spirits were high as the youngest athletes tackled their course. Sunday’s races, featuring the U10 and U12 skiers, were slightly more challenging due the continuous snowfall. However, thanks to the consistent effort of the volunteers, a successful race was achieved.
The Apex Ski Club would like to extend a sincere thank you to all the volunteers, and to Apex Mountain Resort for their support. Big thanks as well to all the sponsors!
The Big White Ski Club hosted the Okanagan Zone Teck giant slalom race event on the weekend of February 25 & 26, 2023. The visiting clubs that travelled to Big White Ski Resort were Apex Ski Club, Vernon Ski Club, Revelstoke Ski Club, and Sun Peaks Alpine Club.
Saturday was a big day, with a large group of 130 competitors completing two runs each, and the event lasted until the lifts stopped spinning.
On Sunday, the day started with almost 20cm of fresh snow that had fallen overnight. The snow continued to accumulate all morning which made course preparations even more challenging. After a long morning delay, Mother Nature gave a window of clear visibility and the race was on. Due to the late start, Sunday was a one-run race for the U12s, U14s & U16s.
Congratulations to all athletes for persevering during this challenging weekend, and special credit goes to the volunteers who put in a ton of extra effort to keep the race going.
Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club hosted the 14th annual U12 Tyee Cup at Grouse Mountain, February 25–26, 2023. (See the event photo links at the bottom of this story for more incredible images).
Sponsored by Sporting Life, this Coast Zone event was scheduled to run for two days and include GS, Kombi, and SL races for both men and women. Over 185 athletes from Grouse Tyee, Cypress Ski Club, Mt Washington Ski Club, Sasquatch Mountain Ski Club, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, and Mount Seymour Ski Club came together on a bright, clear, and sunny Saturday morning for the GS race start. (photo above – Bib 120, Luca Valente and teammates watching the GS race from the corral. Photo by Felicia Lo
Bib 160, Daniel Gold of Grouse Tyee, at the starting gate. Photo by Felicia Lo
Pre-race pep talk with teammates. Photo by Felicia Lo
Almost as soon as the races began, the clear skies turned to snowy skies. The racers showed tremendous energy and excitement throughout the morning’s GS races down Expo run. For the afternoon session, the course crew transformed the GS run into a Kombi course. The athletes seemed high spirited and positive, cheering each other on, and helping to carry jackets to the bottom of the course.
Bib 99, Brooklyn Larsen of Grouse Tyee. Photo by Felicia Lo
Bib 146, Olivier Courcelles of Whistler Mountain Ski Club
The unrelenting snow resulted in a 30+ cm snowfall overnight. Unfortunately, the weather conditions and heavy snowfall caused the second day of racing to be cancelled.
Bib 90, Emily Rempel of Grouse Tyee. Photo by Felicia Lo
Thank you to all of the visiting athletes and families for your participation and enthusiasm for this special event. And thank you to all of the volunteers, organizers, coaches, athletes, and sponsors for making this event possible.
The Whistler Mountain Ski Club welcomed FIS athletes from around BC, Alberta and south of the border, February 20-24, for a week of speed, GS and slalom racing. It was a great warmup for the upcoming Nor-Am Finals running on the same tracks in March.
Monday and Tuesday saw a super-G speed camp run by the FIS coaches, allowing the racers to get ‘up to speed’ before race day. On Wednesday, just in time for the 43rd running of the Bob Parsons Memorial speed race, temperatures dropped to -15 and the winds picked up, making for a chilly day for racers and volunteers. Two super-G races ran on Wednesday with the athletes starting at the top of Raven and finishing at the bottom of the Dave Murray National Training Center (DMNTC).
The Parsons trophy was awarded by Griffin Parsons to the top male and female racer across both super-G races. Congratulations to WMSC athlete Felix Shorter and Okanagan Ski Team athlete Jasmine Coubrough for taking the wins and being added to the prestigious Parsons trophy!
On Thursday, temperatures dipped even further, and the winds got stronger for the longest GS race on this year’s calendar. The athletes ran from the top of Club 21 to the bottom of the DMNTC, taking almost 1 minute, and 30 seconds to complete the course, compared to sub-1-minute runs at most venues. The long, steep, icy course took its toll on the field.
The sun came out Friday for a beautiful, cold and sunny Whistler day to run the slalom. The DMNTC offered up another challenging course down the sunset pitch to the bottom of the training center.
A big thank you to all the volunteers, especially those that put in 3 or more days mid-week to get this race off. Mid-week races are challenging for volunteer numbers, and those that came out really shouldered the load, executing the race with half the volunteers normally out for a weekend U12/U14/U16 event. Also, a big thank you to the Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club and Vancouver Ski Team parents who came out in numbers to help fill volunteer positions, including some of the ROC positions.
