With 183 competitors, about 80 volunteers and a whole lot of parents cheering racers on, the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club’s first major competition in decades is being considered a success.
“I think it’s amazing, actually. I think it went super-well,” said club president Dave Kaegi following the Teck BC Midget Championships.
The two-day event saw skiers aged 9-12 from across British Columbia and Washington state descend on Mt. Macpherson for classic and skate-skiing races, as well as a banquet and dance.
The weekend started off wet, with rain soaking the area Saturday morning. Still, the skiers shook off the water for the classic races. Separated by birth year, the skiers all competed on a 2.5-kilometre course. The winners were:
2003 girls: Sophie Van Varseveld (Larch Hills, Salmon Arm)
2003 boys: Trond May (Larch Hills)
2002 girls: Emmy Stapff (Strathcona)
2002 boys: Stephen Moore (Larch Hills)
2001 girls: Molly Miller (Kimberley)
2001 boys: Sean Richardson (Hollyburn, Vancouver)
2000 girls: Maxine Forder (Hollyburn)
2000 boys: Michael Murdoch (Whistler)
Highlights were Revelstoke were Jaclyn Elliot finishing fourth amongst 2003 girls and Nelson Luxmoore finishing fourth amongst 2003 boys.
That afternoon, the teams took part in the relay races, with four skiers racing around a 1.5-kilometre course. Here, Revelstoke’s girls team of Alana Brittin, Beth Granstrom, Kate Granstrom and Elizabeth Elliott, made their mark, racing to first place, nearly one minute ahead of second place Hollyburn. Matt Smider, the coach of the RNSC called their performance “incredible.”
“They are consistently pushing each other and are great friends off the course, which means they’re day in and day out working together as a team,” he said. “I think at a young age they’re going to be a force on the B.C. ski circuit for years to come.”
On Sunday, the racers convened for the sprint – a rapid-fire series of skate-skiing races around a 300-metre course lined with volunteers and cheering parents and coaches. The morning started off chilly and the course was nice and hard, but it eventually warmed up, the sun came out and the track softened up with it. The atmosphere was electric as the racers went through heat after heat, with the winners of each birth year eventually decided:
2003 girls: Elle Johnston (Whistler)
2003 boys: Trond May (Larch Hills)
2002 girls: Maggie Beckner (Larch Hills)
2002 boys: Stephen Moore (Larch Hills)
2001 girls: Holly Miller (Kimberley)
2001 boys: Joe Davies (Whistler)
2000 girls: Maxine Forder (Hollyburn)
2000 boys: Ross Lamon (Strathcona)
Highlights for Revelstoke were Elizabeth Elliott (third, 2000 girls), Alana Brittin (fourth, 2000 girls) and Emily MacLeod (fifth, 2003 girls).
Overall, Larch Hills finished first with 143 points, followed by Strathcona with 125. Revelstoke finished third with 93 points.
“I’m really impressed with the ability to perform under the pressure of an event at home,” said Smider of his skiers. “Several athletes performed to a level that they were not expecting. Several new athletes shined through the event, which is quite spectacular considering the calibre of the competition.”
There were a few other awards given out. Elizabeth MacDowell of Revelstoke won the girl’s heart award for overcoming a bad case of nerves and helping her teammates compete in the skate skiing and classic skiing relays. The boys winner was Marek Van Bylandt of the Hollyburn Nordic Ski Club, who raced with a broken boot buckle but still placed respectably. Arianna Morrone of Revestoke was one of four winners of the classic skiing technique award – not bad for her first race ever.
Feedback on the event from visiting racers, coaches and parents was great, said Kaegi. He credited the organizing committee and volunteers with their hard work. “It came off flawlessly,” he said. “My colleagues seem pretty pumped, especially when you get this great feedback. The volunteers all seemed to really enjoy it too. It was good.”
With files from Sarah Newton/Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club
