The Mt. Washington Ski Club sent 11 athletes to Grouse Mountain in Vancouver last weekend to compete in the second annual Grouse Tyee Cup. And compete they did!
Athletes from the K1 Team (11-13 year olds) and the Nancy Greene Ski League Team (9-11 year olds) faced fierce competition from some of the coast zone’s best athletes, with close to 200 representing clubs from Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain, Hemlock Valley, Manning Park, Mount Seymour, Mount Washington and Whistler Mountain. The athletes competed in four separate events; Slalom Stubbies (small slalom gates), Slalom, Giant Slalom and a Kombi Race over the course of the two days.
The Mount Washington Ski Club athletes made more than an impressive showing with 14 top-10 finishes overall and an impressive march to the podium for four of the athletes. Campbell River’s Sylvi Nymann won a silver medal for the Girls Slalom with Comox’s Emily Johnston placing third receiving a bronze medal in the same event and Hailey Nelson also of Comox placing 16th.
Kieran Nilsen of Comox placed third and headed to the podium twice to receive bronze medals for both the Boys Slalom Stubbies and Slalom events with Sam Purcell of Comox close on his heels with seventh place and 13th place finishes.
Victoria’s Eric Luchies also made an impressive showing with an amazing fifth place finish in the Boys Stubby Slalom and a 10th place finish in the Kombi on day two. Other finishes for the Nancy Greene Ski League racers included 21st, 20th and 13th for Chris Raduy of Qualicum Beach, 24th, 23rd and 25th for Charlie Wager of Campbell River and 22nd and 28th for Padraic Neill, also of Victoria.
In the K1 category Victoria’s Kieran Harley placed 19th, 14th, 20th and 24th. Most impressive and awarded most improved skier for the Girls K1 group on day two was Mill Bay’s Jamie Needham who consistently placed in the top 10 for all events with a sixth place finish in both Girls Slalom events a seventh in the Giant Slalom and an eighth in the girls Kombi event.
Next up, the Mt. Washington Ski Club hosts Coast Zone Race Experience the Podium on Whisky Jack March 3-4. For more information about the MWSC or its ski programs, visit the website at www.mtwashingtonskiclub.com.
– Mt. Washington Ski Club
