Morning Star Staff
The Vernon Ski Club turned in some dazzling runs in the Teck Resources U12/U14 Okanagan Zone races last weekend at Sun Peaks Mountain Resort in Kamloops.
There were fabulous conditions for the recreational skiers with lots of fresh snow. For racers, the loose snow provided difficult conditions as ruts, grooves and berms built up quickly on the course. Vernon skiers, however, proved to be very adaptable to the changing course conditions and at times difficult visibility.
Early on Saturday it was looking to be a tough day for the Vernon athletes. First racer in the gate wearing bid No. 1, Rane Smith, failed to negotiate an early gate and could not complete her run.
However, the other Vernon skiers with the input from their coaches adapted quickly and the results started coming.
Nadia Jones streaked to a fifth, Sydney Wilson was 12th and Natasha Jones 13th.
In a very competitive U14 boys division results were difficult to come by, but the boys attacked the course which by this time was becoming quite rutted due to all of the hard-charging skiers.
In the afternoon, Smith, after the disappointment of her first run, looked relaxed and nailed the run with a very convincing third place.
Nadia Jones finished sixth and Wilson, dealing with a badly rutted course, wrestled in a tough fought 18th.
When the U12 athletes hit their GS course the results really started to come. Jamie Robinson in the U12 girls won both of her runs of the day.
She crushed her first run winning by 1.4 seconds and followed it in the afternoon with a much tighter victory ((0.01 seconds). Claire Richardson (aka Gun Smoke) met a similar fate to Smith by crashing early on her first run but looking very relaxed in her second run placed a satisfying sixth.
Ella Mills, looking every bit the veteran, ran smoothly during her runs to place ninth in the morning and 11th in the afternoon.
Not to be outdone by the ladies, the U12 boys similarly skied very well. Parker Monroe placed first and third for the day, all the while looking calm and relaxed
James Richardson, still nursing wounds of a training accident the prior weekend in which a tooth and lots of blood were lost, attacked the course, managing a ninth and 10th.
Sunday again saw plenty of fresh snow. With the sharp, tight turns of the slalom discipline, the courses received a lot of abuse and the course workers were kept busy managing the deteriorating conditions.
Despite that, Vernon athletes continued to manage the course and their expectations admirably, especially for the skiers who had later starts. The U14 girls skied well as did the U14 boys. The U12’s, however, really started to get their stride. Parker Monroe ruled both his runs in convincing fashion. James Richardson and Rowan Smith snuck into the top-15 with solid runs.
The U12 girls saw multiple top-10 finishes: Ella Mills skied fast and beautifully finishing fourth and sixth; Jamie Robinson smoked a fifth in her first run and ran a very fast second run until a problem with a late gate forced a disqualification; Claire Richardson nabbed a well-fought seventh and 12th.
Said U12 coach Rodger Poole: “It was great to see each and every one pushing their comfort level, charging the courses, skiing fast and taking chances.”
