Panorama Van Houtte Slalom – King Grabs 3rd, Gartner takes 4th and 5th

by Kathy Stahr | Dec 22, 2012 | Member News

FLASH QUOTE

Emma King (BC Ski Team/Whistler Mountain Ski Club) raced to a third place finish in Friday's Van Houtte Slalom at Panorama Mountain Village

"I was happy overall with my performance. First run I charged and ended up 5th, which put me in a good position for second run. Second course had a few tricks that I took into consideration and set up for them along the way, which allowed me to finish the run and get the result of 3rd overall!"

December 21/12 Men's Slalom COMPLETE RESULTS

December 21/12 Ladies' Slalom COMPLETE RESULTS

December 22/12 Men's Slalom COMPLETE RESULTS

December 22/12 Ladies' Slalom COMPLETE RESULTS

Panorama Hosts Van Houtte Cup – Werry Wins GS, Field 3rd and Top U18

by Kathy Stahr | Dec 20, 2012 | Member News

BC Ski Team athletes are finding success at early season Van Houtte Cup FIS technical races. GS was first on the agenda and Ford Swette (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) captured top spot in the first of two races with a combined time of two minutes, 9.93 seconds.  Swette was joined on the podium by teammate Tyler Werry (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) who finished 3rd in 2:10.97.

On day two, Werry jumped to the top step of the GS podium, completing two runs in 2:08.81 for his first win of the season.  On the girls' side, it was Charley Field (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) who led the charge for the BC Team, finishing 3rd overall with a two-run time of 2:15.84, good enough for top spot on the U18 podium.

FLASH QUOTES

Tyler Werry (BC Ski Team/Fernie Alpine Ski Team) finished 1st at Panorama Van Houtte Cup giant slalom (day 2):
 “I've had moments of greatness the last couple weeks of racing, but I was really struggling to finish with a good run. I was very happy with the way I pulled together the last two days of racing. It's a good feeling to get my first win this early in the season.”

Charley Field (BC Ski Team/Whistler Mountain Ski Club) finished 3rd at Panorama Van Houtte Cup giant slalom (day 2):  
"The first day of giant slalom brought good snow conditions and cold weather, which is perfect for a great day of skiing. I felt pretty nervous starting off the first Van Houtte Cup of the season. Eventually the nerves went away after the first run and I was able to improve my skiing every run.  I had a few little mistakes, which I thought I fixed today to allow me to finish third overall. On this hill you need to charge down with as few mistakes as possible. I still feel I need a little more work to be able to push that much harder, and I hope to get done before our next set of GS races in January."

December 19/12 Men's Giant Slalom COMPLETE RESULTS

December 19/12 Women's Giant Slalom COMPLETE RESULTS

December 20/12 Men's Giant Slalom COMPLETE RESULTS

December 20/12 Women's Giant Slalom COMPLETE RESULTS

Swette 2nd, Top Canadian at Nor-Am Cup Giant Slalom, Panorama Mountain

by Kathy Stahr | Dec 14, 2012 | Member News

BC Ski Team’s Ford Swette of North Vancouver and the Whistler Mountain Ski Club took 2^nd place and top Canadian honours in Friday’s Nor-Am Cup giant slalom at Panorama Mountain Village. Swette was sitting 2^nd after the first run and held on to earn the silver medal with a two-run time of two minutes, 9.91 seconds.

FLASH QUOTES:

Ford Swette (BC Ski Team/Whistler Mountain Ski Club) – 2nd in giant slalom at Panorama Nor-Am Cup race:  
“I’m super happy – this is huge for my confidence. Between runs today I tried not to psych myself out by thinking too much. I focused on tactics, technique, line; the things I needed to do in the second run. I told myself to just go skiing and do it again.”

“I’m happy with second today but a win tomorrow will put me where I want to be.  I have to admit, I like performing well in front of the national team coaches. We have a great team atmosphere and we definitely push each other.”
 

Brandon Dyksterhouse (Head Coach of the Men’s BC Ski Team):

“Ford has never been in this position before.  Now he knows he can win. This is the key with the younger guys. They do it once; they know they can do it again. I expect tomorrow will be very competitive.”

Unofficial Results (from live timing http://live-timing.com/race2.php?r=43150)
Rank      Bib          Name                                                          Total Time

1              1             RUBIE, Brennan  USA  SNR                2:08.53 

2              20           SWETTE, Ford  CAN  U21                  2:09.91 

3              3             DONALDSON, David  CAN  SNR        2:10.72 

4              16           GOLDBERG, Jared  USA  SNR            2:10.74 

5              9             OLSSON, Jon  SWE  SR                       2:11.03 

6              8             DANIELS, Nick  USA  SNR                   2:11.12 

7              35           ELLIOT, Jeremy  USA  SNR                 2:11.17 

8              6             BROWN, Philip  CAN  SNR                 2:11.21 

9              26           JAMPOLSKY, Grant  USA  SNR          2:11.29 

10            50           ST-GERMAIN, Wiliam  CAN  U21     2:11.52 

Official results will be posted here: http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/1228.html?event_id=32294&cal_suchsector=AL

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Kathy Stahr

604-678-3071

kathys@bcalpine.com

Volunteers Still Needed at Panorama Van Houtte FIS Races – Dec 19 to 22

by Kathy Stahr | Dec 11, 2012 | Member News

 December 19 to 22 FIS Van Houtte Cup

The Windermere Valley Ski Club needs your help to run the upcoming Van Houtte Cup races at Panorama. It’s a well-known fact that the Windermere Valley Ski Club and Panorama Mountain Village run first class races.  It’s also true that they offer great value to their volunteers, providing free shared accommodation, breakfast and lunch every day, some dinners and of course the best après-ski fun around!

There are volunteer positions available in just about every role – big and small – on and off the hill. Previous experience is NOT a requirement and you do NOT have to commit to the entire event – whatever time you can give is always appreciated.

If you have time to attend the Van Houtte FIS event, and would like to experience high level ski racing among friends in a spectacular setting, please contact Gordon Bagan at gordon@bagan.ca or 250-342-5115.

Race notice available here: December 19 to 22 FIS Van Houtte Cup

Volunteering is an excellent way to learn more about the sport, make new friends and maybe even watch your own kids in action!

For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, please contact Gordon Bagan at gordon@bagan.ca or 250-342-5115.
 

Roger Carry, Ford Swette Take Gold at Mt. Norquay Van Houtte Cup Slalom

by Kathy Stahr | Dec 10, 2012 | Member News

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTO

FLASH QUOTES from JP Daigneault (Men's BC Team Coach), Roger Carry (BC Team/Fernie Alpine Ski Team) and Ford Swette (BC Team/Whistler Mountain Ski Club)

Saturday, December 8, 2012 Mt. Norquay, AB – Van Houtte Cup Slalom 1

JP Daigneault (Men’s BC Team Coach):
  “I was very happy about Roger's win until I learned that this was the first FIS win of his career – then, I was REALLY happy.  Having accepted the job with BC Alpine late in the prep period and jumping right into the action upon arriving, I didn't brush up on every athlete’s bio and it was nice to get this little surprise.  Roger had a good start position on Rob's run with bib #2 in the first run.  It's one thing to have an opportunity, and quite another to take advantage of it.  He definitely executed and performed like we all expect him to by winning the first run.  In run two, on a course that I set, he was able to keep his composure and got down in fine style to take the two-run total by over a second for his first FIS victory ever.

  “Unterberger also gave us a few flashes of brilliance and missed the podium by 3/10ths of a second despite big mistakes in both his first and second runs.  He is well on his way, and with his work ethic and drive he'll be stomping all over these Van Houtte podiums in no time.

  “Martin Grasic had some great turns but we didn't see his best form.  He had trouble managing his feet at the start. By the time he kicked out of the gate his feet were 'offline'. "I couldn't feel my ski or figure out the snow on my way down until it was too late", he said. Though he managed to stay within 2 seconds of the winner, he was not satisfied.  I'm confident that we'll see his silky-smooth arc-to-arc slalom combinations soon enough. 

  "Finally, Patrick Carry, the younger brother of the race winner had another decent day for BC Alpine making it down the hill and into 14th position from start number 21.  Pat was having problems finishing his runs in training all week so I was surprised and pleased to see him come through on race day.  That is a great quality to have as an athlete.”

Roger Carry (BC Team/Fernie Alpine Ski Team):
"I was really happy about this win since it was my first FIS win ever, and I really wanted to start the season off on a good note!  It was nice to have the lead after first run, it made me confident in my summer training and made it easier to ski confidently on the second run.  I was worried when Dominic Unterberger was going down, as he has been skiing fast in training, but in the end it all worked out!"
 

Sunday, December 9, 2012 Mt. Norquay – Van Houtte Cup Slalom 2

JP Daigneault (Men’s BC Team Coach):
  “The second slalom saw the previous day's winner roar out of the start gate with altogether too much energy and he explode halfway down the course.  Roger was visibly too amped up to get into the natural tempo of the course and he couldn't find his rhythm at any point during that run.  Too bad he missed the repeat victory, but a great lesson learned there.  He knows he needs to be more even-keeled through bad times and good times.  Staying cool, calm and collected is our new slalom ace's motto.

  "BC Alpine wasn't out of ammo on this day though, as Ford Swette, our country's number 1 junior giant slalom skier, decided to step up his game in slalom.  On both runs, Ford avoided doing anything too exciting in the steep section of the course, but he definitely let it fly on the easier bottom half to collect his first-ever FIS slalom victory.

  "We also had a second clean finish by Patrick Carry in 11th position (3 better than yesterday's performance) and Unterberger managed a 23rd place finish despite hiking a gate in the first run.

  "Grasic's frustration from day one only intensified Sunday as he straddled a gate mid-way down what was a blazing first run up to that point.

  "Since the women's staff is short-handed due to Aaron Speden’s shoulder injury, I was also supporting one of their racers this weekend; Steffi Gartner.  Steffi placed 4th on Saturday and 5th on Sunday behind some very strong, older and more experienced athletes from the Équipe du Québec women's provincial team.  I was impressed by her ability to generate speed on the flatter sections and hang with the big girls.  It was clear to everyone watching her ski that with a bit of hard work she could really clean up her steep skiing and take her slalom game to the next level.  The podium is within reach – it's up to her!"

Ford Swette (BC Team/Whistler Mountain Ski Club): 
"I was thrilled to have won my first slalom race last weekend. It's a small sign that our training is paying off – a lot of the time you feel like you're getting nowhere. I took each run one at a time and just skied how I would in training. You just have to think of a race day like any other." 

December 8, 2012 – FIS Van Houtte Cup Slalom, Mt. Norquay COMPLETE RESULTS

December 9, 2012 – FIS Van Houtte Cup Slalom, Mt. Norquay – COMPLETE RESULTS