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THE FREE PRESS, Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sports
Phone: 250-423-4666 Email: freepress@shawcable.com
e n a l T . S . A . F e h t n i Life
Fernie Alpine Ski Team is 207-strong this year, with members aged four to 17. By Rebecca Edwards Free Press Staff
P
owderhounds may have had a disappointing ski season so far, but for the 207 members of Fernie Alpine Ski Team, conditions could hardly have been better. Hard, fast snow and clear skies have given the team of four to 17-year-olds plenty of racing time on the slopes. And, being the team that launched Olympic skier Emily Brydon and Canadian luge team member Alex Gough among others, that means they have been bringing home plenty of medals and trophies. The team hosted the Kootenay Zone Slalom and Giant Slalom last weekend, and walked away with an array of podium finishes. But club president Chris Slubicki says the team philosophy is about more than just winning. “We are about fun on the hill and skiing as a team. Fernie Alpine Ski Community has a lot of social events for kids and parents. “Our mantra is top performance on and off the slopes. We are about doing the best you can – it doesn’t mean winning every race, we focus on kids who want to be better individuals as well as better skiers. “For some kids it is making the Olympics, for some it is just completing the race and that is ok too. Every kid who goes through our program will be a top notch skier – we have had a lot of them join the national team and a number of them come back to us as coaches.” The team coaches kids from their first lesson to the racing gates and another focus is making sure the kids “ski smart, ski safe.” In recent years they have hosted an annual community avalanche presentation at Fernie Community Centre. In 2008 attendance doubled to 230 people – by chance
the event fell on Dec. 29, the day after eight Sparwood snowmobilers were killed in a series of avalanches near Fernie. Currently only 20% of the team skiers live full-time in the Elk Valley, with the majority of the young skiers going to school in Calgary. Slubicki says this is something he wants to change. “We think both the hill and the ski team are great resources for the community and we have made a big effort to try to get more Elk Valley kids into our program. “The Emily Brydon Foundation supports kids in any endeavour if cost is an issue. I will say for sure that if any kid wants to ski with us, we will make sure they can ski. If there is an interest there we will do anything we can.” The team has established a Ski Academy at Fernie Academy, whereby kids who want to perform at a high level have flexible schooling that enables them to train on the hill six days a week. The rest of the team are coached each weekend on the hill by 30 experienced coaches led by head coach Rod Timms. The team is also backed up by an army of volunteers and holds several fundraisers a year, including a recent Valentines dinner and the pre-season ski swap which last year saw a line of skiers that stretched round all four sides of the community centre to get in for ski gear bargains. Currently they are looking to raise $40,000 to build a racer’s hut closer to their home on the Spruce and Kodiak . “They have been excellent training runs,” says Slubicki. “The challenge is that it is far from the day lodge, so the kids spend a lot of their day going there and back. It will be a 24x40ft wooden hut and we have already had people step forward with lumber – we hope to build this summer.” • For more information see www.ferniealpineskiteam.ca
Submitted photo
Race winner at the TECK Kinder/J Slalom and Giant Slalom Feb. 21 - 22, 2009 Saturday, Feb. 21 Giant Slalom, Ladies, K1 GARTNER, Stephanie (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 49.58 Saturday, Feb. 21 Giant Slalom, Ladies, K1 1 RUN GARTNER, Stephanie (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 50.85 Saturday, Feb. 21 Slalom, Ladies, K2/J 2 RUN RYTZ, Celine (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 1:19.15 Saturday, Feb. 21 Slalom, Ladies, K2/J 1 run HONSBERGER, Jamie (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 37.86 Saturday, Feb. 21 Giant Slalom, Men, K1 FINLEY, Stuart (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 51.54 Saturday, Feb. 21 Giant Slalom, Men, K1 1 RUN FINLEY, Stuart (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 51.33 Saturday, Feb. 21 Slalom, Men, K2/J 2 RUN WERRY, Tyler (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 1:11.51 Saturday, Feb. 21 Slalom, Men, K2/J 1 run WERRY, Tyler (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 33.68 Saturday, Feb. 21 Giant Slalom, Men, K1 1 RUN LAWRENCE, Mathew (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 48.60
Saturday, Feb. 21 Giant Slalom, Ladies, K1 1 RUN GARTNER, Stephanie (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 46.56 Sunday, Feb. 22 Slalom, Ladies, K1 1 RUN GARTNER, Stephanie (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 37.81 Sunday, Feb. 22 Slalom, Ladies, K1 GARTNER, Stephanie (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 37.94 Sunday, Feb. 22 Giant Slalom, Ladies, K2/J 1 run HONSBERGER, Jamie (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 45.57 Sunday, Feb. 22 Giant Slalom, Ladies, K2/J 2 RUN MACLACHLAN, Hallie (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 1:24.96 Sunday, Feb. 22 Slalom, Men, K1 1 RUN CHORE, Axel (Kimberley North Star Racers) 38.72 Sunday, Feb. 22 Slalom, Men, K1 FINLEY, Stuart (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 39.64 Sunday, Feb. 22 Giant Slalom, Men, K2/J 1 run WERRY, Tyler (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 41.72 Sunday, Feb. 22 Giant Slalom, Men, K2/J 2 RUN WERRY, Tyler (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 1:20.66 Sunday, Feb. 22 Slalom, Ladies, K1 1 RUN BRATTON, Cassandra (Fernie Alpine Ski Team) 36.06 Sunday, Feb. 22 Slalom, Men, K1 ONE RUN TEPPER, Cole (Kimberley North Star Racers) 35.34