By Mary Clayton, Revelstoke Ski Club
It’s been a busy few weeks for the Revelstoke Ski Club’s racing team. The club hosted the Okanagan zone finals for U16, U14 and U12 on March 29–30, and then the U16 and U14 skiers participated in international competition at the Whistler Cup April 4–6. And over the last two weeks of March, the FIS team was at Whistler and Grouse Mountain for the Senior National Championships, and the final races of the Keurig Cup series-
FIS team member Emily Unterberger earned another podium result in the final Keurig Cup, coming in second for the U18 racers. That result capped a great season for the young racer, earning her a third overall for the Keurig Cup series, and an invitation to the B.C. Team’s talent camp later this month in Whistler.
“The last couple weeks of the season were great,” reports Emily. “I had some pretty good results and I’m excited to head out to Whistler next week to start preparing for next season!”
Other members of Revelstoke FIS team also had a strong end of season. Jamie Park came in 13th overall, skiing with a knee injury. Mitch Smith was 10th in the U18 men, and 23rd overall, finishing strong after missing some races after an injury in early March.
“Although my season had some setbacks I believe the progress outweighed the let-downs,” Mitch said. “I am happy with my success in my first season of FIS and I’m looking forward to next season and the adventure that comes with it.”
Despite the injuries, Coach Gregor Druzina said he is also pleased with the end-of-season results. “Emily especially came out strong and really performed well. Her GS spring series was her best skiing ever, where she was head-to-head with national team athletes and the best skiers from other provinces. I was happy with the attitude of all the athletes and the approach they were taking. They were tired, but we pushed through together.”
I would like to thank Revelstoke Mountain Resort for good support on training space, Ned Lazarevic to help this training to happened. As well all the club members who did support us as well all the parents and sponsors of club.
The U14 and U16 racers had their first taste of competing against skiers from other countries at the 22nd annual Whistler Cup. Some 400 racers from 27 countries gathered in Whistler for three days of slalom, GS and super G events. Colm Molder placed 36th in slalom, a very respectable result for a first-year U14 racer.
All members of the Revelstoke Ski Club—the Nancy Greene league, the all-mountain gang, the U12, U14 and U16 racers, and the FIS team—say a big “thank you” to RMR and to our sponsors for a great season. We’re also grateful to Head Coach Ned Lazarevic for his guidance and dedication. See you next winter!
