Kal Tire K1 Westerns - Silver Star Mountain Resort Vernon Ski Club, February 18 - 20, 2011
Silver Star Mountain, BC (February 18, 2011) - Silver Star Mountain Resort and the Vernon Ski Club welcomed athletes, parents and volunteers from three provinces this week for the 2011 Kal Tire K1 Western Championships. Race-perfect conditions greeted the competitors and excitement was in the air as they prepared for the first of three days of racing. More than 160 K1 racers (11 and 12 years old) from BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan took to the track Friday for the Giant Slalom contest.
The ladies were first out of the start and Laura Swawffield of BC and the Whistler Mountain Ski Club got the win in 48.76 seconds. Alberta picked up the silver, thanks to Lauren Balough of the Banff Alpine Racers with a time of 49.80 and the podium was rounded out by one of the home-town favourites, Amelia Smart of BC and the Vernon Ski Club in 50.03 seconds.
Then it was the men’s turn to shine and Carson Cook of Alberta and the Snow Valley Ski Club did just that, taking gold in 53.30 seconds. Cook was followed closely by BC racer Ryan Moffat of the Big White Racers who finished second in 53.52 seconds and Finn Iles, also from BC (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) coming in third with a time of 53.52.
Racing resumed after lunch and everyone had another chance to challenge the GS course. This time Luci Bailey of Alberta (Banff Alpine Racers) led the pack in 53.38 seconds and Amelia Smart of BC (Vernon Ski Club) moved up from her third place finish in the morning to grab second spot with a time of 53.88. Once again, BC landed on the third podium step when Ella Alfonso (Big White Racers) stopped the clock in 53.96 seconds.
Finally the boys were back and it would be a podium sweep for BC. Griffin Renzoni (Cypress Ski Club) took top spot with his blistering time of 49.29 seconds and not far behind was Ryan Moffat (Big White Racers) who earned his second silver of the day in 49.39 seconds. Reece Howden (Apex Ski Club) secured the BC sweep, completing the course in 49.85 seconds for third.
QUOTES Ryan Moffat (Big White Racers) – "My morning run was fun, it was easy and open. I thought I had a bad run this afternoon because I almost hip-slid at one point and I seemed to be sliding a lot, not pressuring on my outside ski. It was a good course though, you could pretty much hold your tuck the whole way in the bottom section."
Laura Swaffield (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) - "Looks like I will have to wait for my time (official time for her run was not available when she reached the finish). This happens sometimes – it’s happened to me a lot so I guess I’m used to it. I’m not worried because my run felt good, I think it was fast. (she didn’t know how fast, learning later in the day that she had won).
Carson Cook (Snow Valley Ski Club) – "I love the terrain here at Silver Star. It’s a fun course, but you really have to look ahead of the gate and stay strong on your downhill ski to make the best turns."
Luci Bailey (Banff Alpine Racers) – "I thought the morning run was straighter and the afternoon run had tighter turns, which I actually like. At the start of the second race my coach told me to take a tighter line and that's what I was trying to do."
Amelia Smart (Vernon Ski Club) – "I don’t think I had an advantage racing on my home hill because we never really train GS on this run, but my dad’s a coach (Steve Smart) and that probably helps me a lot – especially when we go free skiing."
Lauren Balough (Banff Alpine Racers) – "The track was pretty swoopy – you had to fight your way through it. The thing with me is I usually get really nervous. My coach (Sherry Lawrence) always has to calm me down in the start, then I’m good. I’m looking forward to the slalom tomorrow because that’s my favourite discipline."
Griffin Renzoni (Cypress Ski Club) - "I'm a bit surprised to be winning today, actually. I just decided to attack, play it cool and see how well I could do. The course was great and it held up really well all day."
Saturday promises to be another great day at Silver Star Mountain Resort as the racers don the shorter skis and tackle the slalom track.