Seventeen deserving and lucky skiers from BC will be “surrounded by ocean, beauty and spirit” as the Canada Winter Games descends upon the beautiful Prince Edward Island in late February. 3,600 athletes, managers and coaches from 20 sports will embark on the largest multi-sport event in the country.
BC Alpine announced today 14 BC Alpine skiers and 3 para skiers from 7 clubs from across the province who have qualified to represent Team BC. The alpine and para-alpine events are scheduled from Feb. 28 – March 5th.
“We have a solid crew and I like our chances,” said Johnny Crichton, BC Alpine VP. “These are talented and competitive skiers in this group so let’s see what happens.”
Most events will be streamed for free on any device HERE. Viewers of the platform will also be able to enjoy plenty of on-demand content including archived events and daily recap videos. The full 2023 Canada Games broadcast schedule, including CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports coverage, can be found at this location.
Team BC
The Team BC squad is led by Roxy Coatesworth, of the Black Dog Ski Club, one of the top prospects in the country. Roxy won the U16 super-G nationals last season and has proven herself on snow and in the gym as a top prospect.
The skiers named below qualified for Team BC through a point scoring tabulation in ski races in the BC Alpine Teck Open series, in multiple disciplines.
Team BC – Men
Douglas Hunter, Sun Peaks Alpine Club
Maddox Johnson, Fernie Alpine Ski Team
Marek Novak, Whistler Mountain Ski Club
Nick Kokot, Whistler Mountain Ski Club
Gavin Santoro, Apex Mountain Racers
Sacha Jirasek, Big White Racers
Avery Tymchyna, Sun Peaks Alpine Club
Alternate: Mason Poitras, Sun Peaks Alpine Club
Team BC – Women
Roxy Coatesworth, Black Dogs Ski Club
Hannah Jensen, Whistler Mountain Ski Club
Madison Sherriff, Black Dogs Ski Club
Rylie Clark, Whitewater Ski Team
Amy Milne, Vernon Ski Club
Eva Wyse, Apex Mountain Racers
Maika Lennox-King, Whistler Mountain Ski Club
Alternate: Nikola Buchar, Windermere Valley Ski Club
Team BC – Para
Matthew Leach, Vernon Ski Club (Guide: Chase Ferguson)
It an action-packed series to say the least, as Fernie Alpine Ski Team (FAST) hosted the Teck Kootenay Zone GS, slalom and ski cross races for U12, U14 and U16 athletes. In total, 22 events with over 200 athletes from Whitewater Ski Team, Golden Kicking Horse Alpine Team, Kimberley Alpine Team, Westcastle Ski Club, Red Mountain Racers, Windermere Valley Ski Club.
The athletes raced hard and showed their impressive athletic abilities on a fun and challenging ski cross course built by Rod Timm (head coach and Program Director of FAST) and Alina Jackman (head groomer at Fernie Alpine Resort and FAST coach). Many parents and spectators came out to take in the action. On the alpine side, we saw amazing technical skiing from all ages (10-15) and excellent sportsmanship amongst the athletes. Even with warm-ish temperatures, the courses held up well, thanks to excellent course sets and terrific volunteers. With so many races going on simultaneously, we were also impressed by the excellent work done by the timing crew and race organizing committee members who pulled off all the events efficiently!
Finally, back on the agenda after a covid-hiatus, was an athlete banquet, complete with awards presented by our local Teck representative Darcy Johnson, and the loud energy of young racers gathering. As well, FAST hosted a volunteer social for the 120+ volunteers, without whom the races would not have taken place.
At the volunteer social, Race Chair Steve Koles formally announced his retirement after an incredible 16 years in the role! We toasted to the countless hours he has put in, his unparalleled dedication, and excellent leadership. This race series has a uniquely fun vibe thanks to Steve, and he leaves a terrific legacy. He will be dearly, dearly missed.
Athlete Banquet and Awards
Steve Koles, Race Chair
“My favourite part about this weekend was the normalcy of gathering, having a BBQ going at the top of the course, music playing and athletes smiling and laughing while cheering each other on. Thank you to RCR for allowing us to host this event at Fernie Alpine Resort, and thank you to Teck for sponsoring the Kootenay Zone Race series.”
Wendy McDougall, FAST President
A special thank you also goes out to the Race Office Team who worked long hours before, during and after the event to prepare for and deliver results for all 22 events! SEE COMPLETE RESULTS HERE
Race Report submitted by Hugoline Morton, Fernie Alpine Ski Team
The stakes were high as the Sun Peaks Alpine Club hosted the U16 Teck Open Round 1 on January 25–29th, with Team BC selections for the upcoming 2023 Canada Winter Games in PEI on the line. A huge thank you to all of the volunteers from across the province who helped keep the race going during a challenging week with ever-changing weather and snow conditions.
“Sun Peaks Resort and Sun Peaks Alpine club really pulled out all stops to get the first round of the Teck Open series off. Duncan Currie and his ROC, in conjunction with Seth Worthen of Sun Peaks Resort and his top-notch grooming team (Blaine is a magician) went above and beyond to get the hill in race shape with what mother nature threw at us. It was a hard-fought five days, with a herculean effort from the volunteers to make it happen. We ended up with two incredible GS race days, one very challenging day of slalom, and sadly lost the super-G race due to weather. Teams, athletes and parents from all over BC saw what Sun Peaks Resort has to offer, and how willing they are to commit to hosting great events. It really set the standard for the commitment needed to host an event of this magnitude, and proved what a great host partner we have in the Sun Peaks Resort corporation!”
Johnny Crichton, BC Alpine Vice President
Sun Peaks Resort groomers removing fresh snow from slalom course
The week started with some good conditions and we were able to offer all who attended three runs in a controlled super-G training environment. The next day was warm with the snow changing by the hour. Ultimately we were unable to run super-G due to the quality of the race surface. Day 3 started with 15-20 cm of spring-like snow. A huge thank you to Sun Peaks Resort, their amazing grooming team and all of our volunteers who worked tirelessly to create a safe venue, allowing us to pull off a 2-run slalom. Following the slalom, our volunteers and the Sun Peaks Resort groomers again worked their magic to set us up with a great GS surface for the next two days.
Douglas Hunter receiving his medal from Nancy Greene Raine with Johnny Crichton
With all the grooming and constant adjustments we couldn’t have pulled these races off without the volunteers and their hard work! We are also very thankful to our local and provincial sponsors for their generous support. Having the support of our sponsors is vital to the success of our athletes and to ensuring the continued growth of alpine ski racing in BC.
In this second webinar of our Safety in Sport series, Ryan Jazic will share his thoughts on “Performance vs Participation”.
Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club U16 Head Coach Ryan Jazic (Jazzy) has 30 years of coaching experience throughout all stages of development, having worked with the national, provincial and coast zone teams. Ryan’s coaching motto, “you can’t fake the fundamentals” simply proves his consistent emphasis on what it takes to succeed technically and mentally, both on and off the snow.
Join us on Monday, February 13th at 5:30 PM PST (8:30 PM EST)
All coaches are welcome, from any level, any club and any province!
“Sport BC recognizes the importance of volunteers in sport. The significant role volunteers play in the sport sector is celebrated through Sport BC’s Presidents’ Awards. The Presidents’ Awards presented by ‘Sports With Balls’ are given to volunteers from Sport BC member and partner organizations who demonstrate the spirit of volunteerism through the dedication, commitment, and tireless energy they give to their sport organizations.”
Sport BC News Release – February 2, 2023
Sandy Holliday has dedicated many years to the sport of alpine ski racing. Her involvement at the grassroots level began with the enrollment of her sons in the Nancy Greene Ski League at SilverStar Mountain Resort in the 1980’s. Sandy was an active volunteer in the Vernon Ski Club and, as her sons progressed in racing, Sandy took on more and more responsibility for the organization and execution of ski racing events.
Sandy has served as Race Administrator for many high profile events, including the World Cup in Whistler in 2008, Apex downhills during the 1990’s and early 2000’s, and the Canada Winter Games in 2015 . A notable highlight of of Sandy’s volunteer career was her role as Alpine Race Administrator for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Whistler.
Currently, Sandy is volunteering at the Dreadnaught Race Centre in Kimberley, where skiers with Olympic aspirations learn the skills necessary to navigate race courses at high speed. Sandy can always be counted on to step up whenever she is asked to help at ski racing events, no matter how big or small.
“We at BC Alpine are thrilled and proud to congratulate Sandy on this well-earned honour. We cannot imagine a more deserving recipient, and we sincerely thank Sandy for her immeasurable contributions to our sport.”
Anders Hestdalen, BC Alpine CEO
The 41 recipients (from 40 sport organizations) will be celebrated during Sport BC’s 55th Athlete of the Year Awards taking place on Thursday, March 9, 2023. Click HERE for news release and complete recipient list.
“Congratulations to the 2022 Presidents’ Awards Recipients, thank you for all you do for sport in British Columbia.”
