Excellence in Effort
Teamship Values – Excellence in Effort

We are now at the end of March, and many of our athletes are in the middle of a big race block, with U12s at Sun Peaks, U16s in Apex for the last of their provincial series and FIS split between Apex FIS races and the National Championships in Quebec. While the season winds down for our World Cup athletes, the younger athletes, who start their season later, are still working hard with our U14/U16 athletes building up to Whistler Cup & our U18 athletes preparing for the Spring Series.

The effort that it takes from each athlete to perform at their best is enormous. It starts in the off-season & requires each individual to keep pushing through to the end of the season. This effort is rewarded with individual successes, but the primary reward is the sense of accomplishment and the joy of ‘the journey’. It’s timely then to look at the elements of the effort our athletes have put in over the season.

We Excel in Effort: Effort is synonymous with the WMSC. The Club exists to support the team and enable personal best performance of every athlete.
• We uphold the high standard: We act in the image of and uphold the standards of a Champion in Life & in Sport.
It takes constant effort to uphold the high standards. To constantly strive to make the choices that align with the behaviour that will lead us to achieve our personal best.

• We are engaged: We stay engaged and concentrated on our collective Vision & Mission. We recognize that it is a privilege that comes with personal responsibilities to be part of WMSC.

Our vision of Developing Champions in Life & in Sport requires continual focus to stay on track and effort to keep trying, to get up from every failure and try again with a different approach. To confront the challenge of being a Champion requires laser focus and grit to challenge the barriers that need to be broken through.

• We are sporting: We act in a sporting manner and supporting all athletes, coaches and officials of our sport and are respectful of the rules.

The effort that all athletes, coaches and officials put into the sport is enormous. It is easy to believe that things are against us when we are beaten by another athlete, or team, or to have a rule work against us. However these moments are valuable, they merit respect and offer great motivation & learning if we can have a sporting attitude to accept our responsibilities, roles and how we can improve.

• We are positive: We approach all events, including training sessions and competitions, with a positive attitude.

If we always stuck to what we do best, or what was the most fun, then our possibilities would not grow. It is often the tasks or events that we find the most challenging that are the hardest to get motivated for, however it is often standing tall and accepting this challenge with a positive attitude when we really show ourselves what we are made of, and ultimately they become the best experiences that we look back on with great pride.

• We are focused: We live in the moment. We are focused on each moment and are not distracted by social media, e-mails, messages or telephone calls.

In this generation of social media and electronics it takes great effort to leave them until we have finished what we are doing. To keep electronics out of sight, and out of mind for the entire duration of a task allows time to think clearly about what we are doing and to maximise the moment. To put phones away and engage with our team-mates, athletes & coaches takes great effort in the form of self-discipline and management.

• We are open: We inform the relevant people of any information or issues that may be relevant including any medical, physical or emotional information.

This may be an individual sport, however we all play different roles in the team. Each individual striving to be the best version of themselves and all working towards enabling our athletes’ best performances. It is absolutely critical for the team to know about any specific challenges so that the relevant members of the team can work together to overcome them.

It is an honour to be a part of this team and to be associated with so many great people who continually strive for Excellence in Effort.

Best regards,

Mark Tilston
Whistler Mountain Ski Club
marktilston@wmsc.info

WMSC had a strong, successful showing at the Nancy Greene Hub International Ski Festival at Sun Peaks Resort on March 22-23. Over 700 racers, aged 4-11 years, from across BC participated in five different events at this festival – Dual Glalom, Moguls, Kombi, Speed and Jump.

In the Dual Glalom race, the top ten 2007 female racers from WMSC were Nicole Webb (1st), Thea Torn (2nd), Marlowe Cook (4th) and Hannah Jensen (5th). In the top ten for the 2007 male racers was Maxim Akbulatov (8th). In the top ten for the 2008 females was Sophie Neeves (3rd), Hannah Neeves (5th) and Maika Lennox-King (7th). In the top ten for the 2008 males there was a WMSC sweep of the podium with Dreas Gibbons (1st), Kingsley Parkhill (2nd), Graydyn Swanson (3rd), Marek Novak (5th) and Liam Gotfried (7th).

In the Moguls race, the top ten finishers in the* 2007 female* category were Hannah Jensen (4th), Sofie King (5th), Thea Torn (6th), Mia Aiello (8th) and Marlowe Cook (10th). Top ten for the* 2007 males* were Seth Robert (2nd), Kekai Chalmers (4th), and Gregor Smyth (6th). For the 2008 females, in the top ten was Maika Lennox-King (9th) and Sophie Neeves (10th). There was another WMSC podium sweep in the Moguls race for the 2008 male top finishers in the Moguls with Marek Novak (1st), Dreas Gibbons (2nd), Liam Gotfried (3rd) and Kingsley Parkhill (7th).

In the Kombi event, the fastest 2007 females were Marlowe Cook (2nd), Nicole Webb (6th), Thea Torn (7th) and Hannah Jensen (8th). None of the 2007 males were in the top ten. The fastest 2008 females were Sophie Neeves (8th), Hannah Neeves (9th) and Maika Lennox-King (10th). WMSC once again filled the Kombi podium with the 2008 males with Dreas Gibbons (1st), Kingsley Parkhill (2nd), Graydyn Swanson (3rd), Marek Novak (6th) and Liam Gotfried (7th).

In the Speed event, the top ten finishers for 2007 females were Marlowe Cook (1st), Nicole Webb (3rd), Thea Torn (3rd), Thea Lutz (4th), Hannah Jensen (4th), Mia Aiello (4th), Brooke Bessie (6th), Naomi White (7th), Allie Lavis (7th), Aureane Emery (7th), Julia Borodow (7th) and Sophie King (7th). For the 2007 males, the top ten finishers were Oliver Pressello (4th), Seth Robert (5th), Aiden Thornhill (6th), Kekai Chalmers (6th), Maxim Akbulatov (6th), Owen Staniforth (7th) and Gregor Smyth (7th). For the* 2008 females*, in the top ten were Naomi Robert (3rd ), Sophie Neeves (4th), Celeste Ciebien (4th), Maika Lennox-King (5th) and Hannah Neeves (6th), For the 2008 males, the top finishers were Spencer Wardle (3rd), Dreas Gibbons (5th), Kingsley Parkhill (8th), Graydyn Swanson (8th) and Liam Gotfried (10th).

Finally, in the Jump event, for the 2007 females, in the top ten were Mia Aiello (8th), Brooke Bessie (10th), Rebecca Whelan (10th) and Hannah Jensen (10th). For the 2007 males, were Maxim Akbulatov (2nd). Owen Staniforth (7th), Gregor Smyth (9th), Oliver Pressello (10th). For the* 2008 females*, the top finishers were Celeste Ciebien (2nd) and Hannah Neeves (8th). And last but certainly not least, the top ten finishers for the 2008 males in the Jump event were Graydyn Swanson (3rd), Dreas Gibbons (5th), Marek Novak (5th), Kingsley Parkhill (6th) and Spencer Wardle (8th).

WMSC hosted its second race this past weekend, the second annual Janyk Cup, in honour of Andree Janyk. WMSC once again hosted over 100 U12 racers for two GS races and two Dual Glalom races. WMSC was the overall winner of the GS races with the Janyk Cup awarded to Thomas Legg and Thea Torn for their fastest combined times in the GS races.

For the individual races in the 2007 males’ GS race, the first run was won by Benjamin Gold of Grouse Mtn, Thomas Legg from WMSC in 2rd and Nick Kokot from Seymour was 3rd. For the 2007 females’ first run in the GS race, 1st was Marlowe Cook from WMSC, 2nd was Thea Torn from WMSC and 3rd was Lilia Rose from Grouse Mtn. The first run of the 2008 males had Dreas Gibbons, WMSC as 1st, Borna Awaii, Grouse, as 2nd and Kingsley Parkhill from WMSC in 3rd. Oliver Baynam, RDP WB, was the fastest 2009 male in the first run and Sarah Keogh, RDP WB, was the fastest 2009 female in first run. For the second run of GS for the 2007 boys, Thomas Legg from WMSC was 1st, Nick Kokot from Seymour was 2nd and Maxim Akbulatov from WMSC was 3rd. WMSC covered all podium places for the 2007 girls second run of GS with Thea Torn in 1st, Hannah Jenson in 2nd and Nicole Webb in 3rd. For the 2008 boys second run of GS, Kingsley Parkhill, WMSC was 1st, Borna Awaii, Grouse, was 2nd, Smith Irish, Grouse, was 3rd and for the 2008 girls, Emily Warman, Grouse, was 1st, Naomi Robert, WMSC, 2nd and Sophie Neeves, WMSC was 3rd. Oliver Baynam, RDP WB, was 1st 2009 male in the second run, and Ruby Cook, RDP WB, was the 1st 2009 female second run and Sarah Keogh, RDP WB, was 2nd.

For the Dual Glalom race, WMSC filled all podium spaces in the 2007 male and female races – Thomas Legg was 1st, Ryan Perron was 2nd and Owen Stanniforth was 3rd and on the female side, Nicole Webb was 1st, Hannah Jenson was 2nd and Marlowe Cook was 3rd. For the 2008 Dual Glalom race, the fastest males were Kingsley Parkhill, WMSC 1st, Dreas Gibbons, WMSC 2nd and Graydyn Swanson, WMSC 3rd, and the fastest females were Sophie Neeves, WMSC 1ST, Kim Chantal, Grouse 2nd and Chloe Anderson, Grouse, 3rd. For the 2009 Dual Glalom race, the fastest male was Oliver Baynham, WMSC and the fastest female was Ruby Cook, RDP WB.

Gillian McFetridge, Lead Coach for the WMSC U12 Program commented on the legacy of Andree Janyk and the positive, participatory energy of the day. “When I was a teenager, I knew Andree Janyk as “Britt’s mom”. I remember her passion for ski racing and her devotion to the Whistler Mountain Ski Club. I feel confident in saying that our parent volunteers this weekend, many of whom are new to the club, bring an enthusiasm for ski racing that was a fitting tribute. On behalf of the U12’s athletes and coaches, I’d just like to say an enormous thank you for organizing a memorable weekend of racing!”

See Full results here

Under clear skies and on firm snow, WMSC hosted the Whistler Blackcomb RDP Program, Cypress Mtn and Seymour Mtn for the annual U12 Nancy Greene Skills Event this recent Saturday on Whistler. Over 100 U12 racers participated in four different events – Turns, Tuck and Skate, Dual Glalom and Super G. For the Turns, the 1st place in 2007 female was Mia Aiello from WMSC and the 1st place in 2007 male was Gregor Smyth from WMSC, the 1st place in 2008 female Anais Stanniforth from RDP WB and the 1st place in 2008 male was Dominic Reid from RDP WB, in 1st place in 2009 female was Isla Gordon from RDP WB and in 1st place in 2009 male was Theodore Bennett from RDP WB. In Tuck and Skate, the 1st place in 2007 female was Marlowe Cook from WMSC and the 1st place in 2007 male was Thomas Legg from WMSC, the 1st place in 2008 female Sophie Neeves from WMSC and the 1st place in 2008 male was Kingsley Parkhill from WMSC, in 1st place in 2009 female was Sarah Fell from Cypress and in 1st place in 2009 male was Owen Ullrich from Cypress. For the Dual Glalom race, Marlowe Cook from WMSC was the fastest 2007 female and Thomas Legg from WMSC was the fastest 2007 male, Hannah Neeves from WMSC was the fastest 2008 female and Dreas Gibbons was the fastest 2008 male, and the fastest 2009 female was Sarah Fell from Cypress and fastest 2009 male was Sasha Cromwell from RDP WB. Finally, in the Super G race, Thea Torn, WMSC, and Thomas Legg, WMSC, had the fastest times for 2007, Liv Heyries, Cypress and Dreas Gibbons, WMSC, had the fastest times for 2008, Sarah Fell, Cypress, and Oliver Baynham, RDP WB had the fastest times for 2009.

From Gillian McFetridge, Lead Coach for the WMSC U12 Program: “I’ve had the great pleasure of working with a group of young and talented coaches this season. Their eye for technical improvements and their ability to connect with the kids has led us to some fantastic results this weekend. We’re very proud of our U12’s for their hard work at training, and for their success this weekend!”

Ladies Full Results
Mens Full Results

It was another big road trip to Provincials this year for the U14 athletes. Clear driving conditions made the 8 hours pretty smooth and scenic, a first-time route for many of the convoy of parents and athletes driving up to Prince George through 100 Mile House, Williams Lake and Quesnel.

Athletes, coaches and parents alike all commented on the amazing venue at Purden. A legacy of the 2015 Canada Games hosted there, the club and hill had the opportunity to put some grant money to good use by widening the race hill and blasting out some large rock sections to lengthen the run. They were able to upgrade race equipment and timing facilities too, making the venue really well suited for both SL and GS with good fall-line and lots of challenging terrain.

Weather was mostly sunny throughout the weekend with temperatures starting off cool and then warming up through the day. Race conditions were pretty solid, but came with the challenges that result from warm afternoon sunshine! The Prince George Ski Club was ready though and, with the help of a terrific volunteer crew, hosted 3-days of fun, well-organized races.

172 athletes from 19 clubs took part in the Provincial Championships this weekend, racing in Slalom, Giant Slalom and then a Team Dual Slalom that combined racers from a mix of clubs onto 32 teams.

Coach Bob Armstrong was among the first to comment on how well-suited the location was for these races. “This is an absolutely fantastic venue,” he said, “I don’t think any of us expected this kind of hill.” He went on to say he was proud to see “the amazing effort put in by all of our athletes this weekend.”

After a solid season of training ahead of this provincial Championships, more kids were really sending it, seeking that next gear instead of playing it safe, and clocking some impressive times.

WMSC athletes showed they were here to race! Led by Whistlerites Alexa Brownlie and Felix Shorter who owned the podium this weekend, there were awesome performances by so many different athletes, showing a real depth of the team (and the results of many hours of hard work by our coaches! Shout-out to Bob, Henry, Johnny, Chloe, Rob, and Scott, all a very big part of this weekend too.)

Day 1 was slalom and both Alexa Brownlie and Felix Shorter wore bib #1 and won both runs, each taking gold at the end of the day. Brownlie’s combined time of 1:41:50 was a solid couple seconds ahead, but she shared the podium with teammate Erin Husken who earned the silver (1:43:91) ahead of Apex’s Molly Raymond (1:44:65). Sarah-Elizabeth Whelan also put in a great performance, finishing 10th, and 1st year Lola Gilbert skied to 23rd place from bib #60.

Shorter finished with a combined time of 1:32:60. Second in the Men’s event went to Alex Gainey from Apex (1:37:11) and third to WMSC teammate Milan Novak (1:37:55). 1st year JJ Gibbons pulled off a top 20 result finishing 18th, and Jasper Shea came 25th wearing bib #55.

Saturday was Giant Slalom, again cool temperatures in the morning that quickly warmed up, making snow conditions quite different between runs. Felix Shorter again dominated the field, winning first run by over 2 seconds and claiming top spot with a combined time of 1:40:31 followed by Baptiste Cais from the Black Dogs team (1:43:11) and Revelstoke’s Reed Kelly (1:43:50). Just 11/100ths of a second off the podium was teammate Milan Novak (1:43:61) who was just ahead of WMSC’s Alec Waldrum (1:44:37). JJ Gibbons put in another fast day with a 9th place finish, and Evan Dennison came 21st. It was tough day for WMSC’s Jack Thomas, 6th place after a great first run but down with a crash in the 2nd.

When asked what lent to his podium successes this weekend (besides the great skiing and all of the training he’s put in this season of course!), Shorter gave credit to his dad for being “really good at tuning my skis.”

In the ladies GS, times were very were close after first run, with 1st and 5th places separated by half a second. Izzy Bexton clocked 3rd fastest time 1st run but disappointingly DNF’d on her second. With 2 runs tallied, it was Apex’s Samantha Lawlor who won with a combined time of 1:43:93 followed by teammate Sienna Blaaser who tied WMSC’s Alexa Brownlie with a time of 1:44:86 for the silver. WMSC’s Ella Kauffman scored a Top 10 finish in 7th place, just ahead of Erin Husken in 9th and Sarah-Elizabeth Whelan in 12th. And 1st year Viveka Deck-Stang, starting in 64th, climbed her way up to a 20th place finish after charging both runs and was followed closely by Vanessa Young who placed 24th.

Perhaps one of the most impressive finishes of the weekend was that of Forrest Savoy who unfortunately DNF’d first run in the GS but was allowed a consolation (training) run after the last racers in the 2nd run and who, after losing his ski on the third gate, skied the entire GS in one ski!!!! Asked Sunday how that leg was feeling, he admitted “it’s pretty tired” but that didn’t keep him from racing all the way through to the finals with his Dual Slalom Team, capturing second place in that team event at the end of the day.

A number of WMSC racers were among the top 3 teams after a very competitive dual slalom day, filled with loud cheering, fast skiing, and the best weather day of the weekend. Congratulations to Heidi Schenk, Forrest Savoy, Jackie Smith, Marlow Parkhill, Alec Waldrum and Alexa Brownlie for making it to the final rounds of this exciting event! Asked what was more tired, the legs or the arms after being towed up the hill by the sled for the last few rounds, most racers answered “hungry!” with a smile.

For complete results please go to http://www.alpinecanadalive.org/Races/Past/Week
Or http://bcalpine.com/news/