It was a race to the finish for Big White Racer’s Brooke Lukinuk.
After no less than six qualifying races in slalom and giant slalom last weekend at Red Mountain, the 15-year-old Kelowna native became the only female from outside the Lower Mainland to earn a berth on B.C.’s alpine team for the upcoming Canada Winter Games.
Lukinuk secured her place on Team B.C. with a bronze medal performance in the GS on Jan. 18.
“The competition was intense,” said Lukinuk, who will compete in four different disciplines at the Canada Games—slalom, GS, Super G and Ski X. “There are so many awesome skiers in the province and it’s a really tight field, I am very fortunate to have been one of five to make the team.”
Lukinuk will join a small, but elite group of athletes this weekend on the slopes of Big White in preparation for the games, Feb. 14 to 22 in Prince George.
Big White will host the final qualifying event prior to the games, a ski X time trial, this Friday in Telus Park.
Many U16 racers from around the province will be flying down the ski X track in search of the fastest time, aiming to claim one of the final two spots in the men’s and women’s teams.
Saturday and Sunday will see ski X enthusiasts go head-to-head as the resort and ski club hosts the first stop on the Western Ski X Open series.
