A long and challenging week of skiing was also a most memorable one for Kelowna’s Ella Alfonso.
The 15-year-old member of the Big White Racers stood at all three positions on the podium during the Teck U16 provincial alpine championships near Prince George.
After finishing out of the medals in the first two days of the Super G at Purdin Resort, Alfonso raced to a bronze medal on Day 3 in the Giant Slalom.
On Day 4, Alfonso crashed near the end of the second GS and very nearly had to withdraw from the event.
But the Grade 10 student at OKM returned on Day 5 to win silver in the first slalom, then ended the championships in style with a gold medal performance in the second slalom on Saturday.
“She was a bit shaken up from the fall, but she really came back from that well,” said BWR coach Wade Christie. “She just got better as the week went on. She really has it in her to compete and she just got more comfortable with each race. It was great to see Ella come back and have the great slalom races she did.”
In all, Alfonoso had five top-10 finishes.
Complete top 15 results at provincials for Big White Racers were:
• Day 1, Super G
Female—7 Brooke Lukinuk, 9 Ella Alfonso
Male—2 Ryan Moffat, 5 Simon Bernard
• Day 2, Super G
Female—4 Brooke Lukinuk, 5 Ella Alfonso
Male—4 Ryan Moffat
Day 3, GS
Female—3 Ella Alfonso, 12 Olivia Baldassare
Male—2 Simon Bernard, 7 Zane Torres
• Day 4, GS
Female—15 Olivia Baldassare
• Day 5, SL
Female—2 Ella Alfonso, 12 Olivia Baldassare
Male—4 Zane Torres
Day 6, SL
Female—1 Ella Alfonso, 13 Olivia Baldassare
Male—13 Zane Torres
Many of the Big White Racers will at the Can Am alpine championships March 20 to 23 at Apex. Skiers from B.C., Alberta and the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. will be competing.
