The start of the freestyle season nears for the Apex Freestyle Club (AFC), which hosts the first Timber Tour and Super Youth Challenge event, Jan.8-10.
AFC coach Kenni Kuroda said with the first tour event at Apex Mountain Resort, a strong start would be great.
“Being on home ground it would be nice to get a jump on everything and to do well at that event,” said Kuroda. “It kind of gives you a home ground advantage. Everyone comes to compete. It’s just nice to be at home.”
Members of AFC got competition experience under their belt from the Canadian selections, but there is more preparation when it comes to the Timber Tour, which along with moguls also consists of slope style skiing and big air.
It’s expected there will be about 180 athletes competing.
Competing for AFC this season are Jordan MacDonald, Courtney MacDonald, Jamie Rykuiter, Chloe Kober, Shaina Finlayson, Alec Henderson, Ethan Phillips, Nathan Parsons, Cole Patton, Andrew Carlow, Jesse Howden, Max Todd, James Naude, Sheldon Dekock and their newest member Denby Huber.
Their junior competitive team is made up of Rhya Covert, Makayla Parker, Alexandria Koturbash, Alexandre Wargniez, Rylan Koturbash, Graden Parsons, Quinn Patton and Ethan Morf. Freestylers are Kallaghan Kozakevich and Cameron Miller.
AFC has a new slope style coach in Louis Durham, who replaces Jessica Warll. Kuroda said he is doing an excellent job.
“He is fun, he is bringing fun into it, which is what we push more than anything,” said Kuroda. “We want the kids to enjoy themselves, but be learning at the same time.”
The Super Youth Challenge kicks off the competition on Jan. 8 with slope style runs from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Awards are handed out at 5 p.m. Competition for Super Youth resumes Saturday with big air jumps from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Sunday moguls is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Timber Tour competition runs for slope style on Friday go from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m. and again from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday is for moguls with the first competition runs from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and against from noon to 2 p.m. The Timber Tour wraps up Sunday with big air competition runs at 9:30 to 11 a.m. and 12:15 to 2:30 p.m.
The next stop on the Timber Tour is in Whistler on Jan.28-31. Kuroda said that qualifications for the B.C. Winter Games being held in Penticton are based on the results from the two tour events. If athletes need results from a third event to qualify, they would be taken from last year’s B.C. championships. AFC has more than 10 athletes eligible to compete in the B.C. Winter Games.
