Left to Right: Morgan Pridy (men's coach),Nick Cooper (head coach), Konstantin Petkovic, Alexander Valentin, Myles Kowalczyk, Kyle Alexander, Max Kirshenblatt; Cameron Alexander, Soleil Patterson, Nicole Mah, Kristina Natalenko, Ella Renzoni, Francis MacDonald, Katie Fleckenstein Missing from Photo: Ryan Jazic (women's coach), Antonia Wearmouth, Asher Jordan
Vancouver, BC (June 14, 2017) – BC Alpine is pleased to announce the BC Ski Team Summer Training Group athletes, already hard at work through June on the Whistler T-bars. Eight members of the 16/17 BC Team have been joined by six keen newcomers. The 14-member sqad, led by veteran Cameron Alexander (WMSC), will spend the summer/fall months in the gym, on bikes and on snow preparing for the 2017/18 competiion season. They will take part in a month-long dryland camp in Whistler from July 3rd to August 4th. The BC Team will be named in November.
“We have a big group this summer, with a good mix of veteran leadership and fresh energy,” said BC Team Head Coach Nick Cooper. “Our goal for the next two months is to continue building our culture of hard work and come together as a team. We have just completed our first 4 days on snow, where we took a few steps back and reinforced the value of position and line. It was a great start and we look forward to continuing the momentum over the summer!”
"I am really excited about the opportunity to ski more in Whistler this summer with this dynamic group," said BC Alpine Athletic Director Johnny Crichton. "We are going to log more on-snow days in June this year than in previous years. We have an excellent program to build the engines and a top notch Integrated Support Team (IST) to back them up. BC Ski Team coaches are always looking for opportunities and ways to raise each individual's bar. It's going to be challenging, but fun!"
Apparently Bruce Goldsmid has a lot of friends after 37 years running the BC Alpine Ski Association. Almost 300 partiers (cowboys and cowgirls) from across Canada showed up to celebrate a remarkable career and a legendary character! Is it any surprise that every guest was sporting his trademark moustache when he walked in the door?
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the photos taken by photographer Robert Kwong that night speak volumes!! ClickHERE to view the 2017 Goldie Retirement Party photos on Flickr courtesy of Bob Kwong http://www.robertkwong.com/
Thank you to Whistler Blackcomb and Dusty's for being superb hosts and providing the most fitting venue for our event. Thank you to the Batterheads, talented musicians (and ski coaches) Rob Lahti, Derek Trussler and Wade Christie, for the musical entertainment. Thank you to past world cup skier and standup comedian Mike Janyk for a million laughs. Thank you to ex-BC Team racer Roger Carry for producing the video tribute that moved everyone to tears, and to all the contributors to that video. Thank you to Bob and Clare Kwong for capturing the night in pictures. Thank you to Gordie Bowles for his countless hours behind the scene to make this thing happen, and for stepping up to co-emcee with Mike. Thank you to Dan Falloon, Sports Editor, Pique Newsmagazine for writing about this momentous occasion HERE.
And lastly, a huge thank you to EVERYONE who kept the surprise and either came to the party (some from miles away) or touched base in some way to let Bruce know he will be missed. It was a night to remember!!
Special heartfelt thank you to Bruce's family and his biggest supporters (left to right: Eva, Leslee, Howie, Bruce, Glenn and Karine)
We at BC Alpine are excited and pleased to announce the addition of Morgan Pridy to the BC Ski Team coaching staff for the upcoming season. As a former member of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club and Canadian Alpine Ski Team, Pridy's ski racing IQ is extremely high, to say the least! He will be taking on the Head Coach position for the men's squad.
"Morgan's years of experience as a racer will be a huge asset to our BC Ski Team," said BC Alpine Athletic Director Johnny Crichton. "He's been to the top and he knows exactly what it takes to get others there. Morgan is pretty fresh off the World Cup Circuit and can still ski to that level, giving our guys the rare benefit of a coach that can ski better than them!"
There will be a lot of attention to detail in the execution of the 17/18 provincial team program. Morgan brings a healthy dose of intensity and loves to work hard, so he will fit in very well with the rest of the staff.
"The core group of this team seems to embrace hard work and doesn't shy away from grinding out tough days, or tough weeks, to achieve a piece of the bigger picture," said Pridy. "I value those qualities hugely, and knowing that this is how the team operates makes me incredibly motivated to do whatever I can to help them achieve their goals and potential."
Pridy is replacing Pierre Luc Dumoulin who, after two successful years traveling with the men of BC has decided to work closer to home in Alberta and spend more time "with his own kids". Dumoulin has accepted the role of Program Director at the Lake Louise Ski Club. We would like to thank PL for his wisdom and contributions over the last two years, and wish him success in his challenging new job.
Please join the staff and board of BC Alpine in welcoming Morgan to the team!
Just so much talent is on display in the video submissions we received. It was a tough decision for our panel of judges, but a winner has emerged! We hope you will take the time to watch the top three videos linked here and revel in the beauty and diversity of our sport, while appreciating all the love and effort that went into these first-rate productions!! Thank you to everyone who participated behind the cameras, in front of the cameras and in the editing rooms…enjoy! Next week we will post the other eight entries.
Congratulations to Steven Fry, Whitewater Ski Team Coach, who earned 1st place in this year's contest, and takes home $750!
2nd place ($500) is awarded to Devin Mittertreiner of the Fernie Alpine Ski Team!
And 3rd place ($250) goes to Marcus Athans of the Apex Ski Club and the Okanagan Zone Team!
