BANFF, Alta. (February 8, 2009) – Ben Thomsen of Invermere, B.C., completed a golden sweep in the men’s giant slalom on Sunday at the Pontiac GMC Cup competition at Mount Norquay. On the women’s side, Tatum Monod of Banff put aside some recent frustrating performances to take the women’s GS.
In the men’s GS, Thomsen clocked a two-run time of 1:54.47. Sammy Kent of Whitehorse was second in 1:58.12 and Trevor Philip of Calgary was third in 1:58.46.
Philip Brown, of Toronto was disqualified in the second run but led by 0.04 seconds after the first run. Thomsen came back and dominated the field in the two-run final.
“I knew I had to have a great second run to take the lead from Philip,” said Thomsen, the winner in Saturday’s GS. “The run was really turny in some sections so you had to be smart and set up. I did a really long inspection of the course so that I could be smart and set-up for the tough parts. On the first run my pole slipped out of my hand and it took me a couple of gates to get it back.”
Kent, 20, broke his collarbone in October. This was his third race since coming back from the injury.
“I put two good runs together,” said Kent, now based at Nakiska, Alta. “This was a good result and I happy with the medal.”
Monod, a second-year Alberta provincial team member clocked a two-run time of one minute and 58.73 seconds for the victory in the women’s race. Alexandra McGinn of New Zealand hooked her hand on a gate in the second run but still got the silver in 2:00.83. Jennifer Saunders of Calgary was third in 2:02.02.
“I had a good first run and tried to focus on skiing clean and finishing the race,” said Monod, 17. It’s been very frustrating for me lately. I’ve crashed or skied out and not been able to finish. On the second run the sun went down and the light was flat which made it very challenging for us.”
Monod felt the setting was perfect for a strong performance.
“This is my favorite run in the world – it is long and steep,” she said. “I and the rest of the Alberta team were really inspired by John Kucera’s win at the world championships (on Saturday).”
Saunders, 16, is a rookie on the Alberta provincial team and earned her first career medal on the circuit.
“The first run was a little rocky but I made it down in one piece,” she said. “The second run was really rough and challenging but I had tons of fun.”
This is the 40th anniversary of the inception of the Coupe Pontiac GMC Cup. The series is the brain-child of Olympic Champion Nancy Greene Raine, who approached General Motors with the concept of creating a strong domestic series for up-and-coming Canadian alpine racers to compete with the best across the country. GM of Canada has a rich history as a benefactor to communities and to amateur support. Thus, the original Pontiac Cup series was launched, and out of it came some of Canada’s best alpine racers including Kathy Kreiner, Gerry Sorensen, Laurie Graham, Karen Percy, and the Crazy Canucks.
Banff Mount Norquay has a long history as an important training venue for Canadian athletes and of hosting major events, including previous Pontiac GMC Cups and Canadian Championships. This is the second successive year to host and support Canada’s young ski racers and future Olympic athletes.