Volume 16 Issue 1 JAN 26 — FEB 22
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Athletes qualifying for BC Winter Games Feb. 22 to 25
Former BC Games athlete Katie Anderson has had nine podium performances on the NorAm circuit from 2015-2017. | PHOTO SUBMITTED
NIKKI FREDRIKSON THE BC WINTER GAMES IS A STEPPING STONE FOR YOUNG ATHLETES ACROSS THE PROVINCE TO COMPETE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE SPORT AT A HIGHER LEVEL. AS SUN PEAKS PREPARES TO HOST THE ALPINE SKIING, FREESTYLE, AND SNOWBOARDING PORTIONS OF THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EVENT FROM FEB. 22 TO 25, LOCAL ATHLETES ARE SHARPENING THEIR SKILLS TO COMPETE.
Six athletes and one coach from the Sun Peaks Alpine Club will represent the Okanagan zone at the competition. The athletes each qualified at the Teck BC Alpine U14 Okanagan Race Jan. 13 to 14 at Sun Peaks Resort. Talyn Lorimer, Euan Currie, Cameron Smith, Fraser Jacoby, Joshua Jerstad, Micah Schwirtlich will each
compete and will have the program’s U14 head coach Sam Fournier as one of their coaches. Kamloops’ First Nations Snowboard Team, the Sun Peaks Snowboard Club and the Sun Peaks Freestyle Team are awaiting results from late January competitions to see if their athletes have qualified. All teams had athletes apply to the Okanagan Zone Team and will find out if they will represent their region later this month. Several athletes have been identified as strong contenders for the teams. Former BC Winter Games athlete and now international snowboard competitor Katie Anderson said the games taught her sport isn’t about the results but the process getting there. For Anderson, the 2010 event was an opportunity to experience her sport of Judo at a higher level, and go on to help inspire her snowboarding career. “Competing in the BC Games, was a huge experience for me. I had never been
around so many girls competing in Judo at a high level, and so that in itself was very exciting for me. There were only ever one or two other girls at tournaments in the Kootenays so I had never really seen so many girls in Judo,” she said. On a team of two athletes, Anderson spent more time at Judo sessions adding extra practice onto her regular training schedule. Looking back now, eight years later, Anderson said knowing more about training she would add more gym time to her routine. “I was in grade nine and hadn’t yet been exposed to strength and conditioning as part of sport, which is equally as important as skills in your respective sport in my opinion,” she said. Anderson did not place during the BC Winter Games, but the knowledge she gained from the experience helped her excel in her snowboarding career. In 2015, Anderson competed at the Canada Games in snowboard cross, earning a bronze medal. “For me receiving my bronze
medal was bittersweet. I had been leading the race until the fourth berm where I made a mistake which cost me the race. I was crushed that I had made the mistake and just missed out on my goal, but I was stoked for my fellow competitors, and proud of my fellow B.C. teammate Meryeta O’Dine who won the gold at her home mountain,” she said. Since her bronze medal, Anderson has gone on to compete internationally in the Nor-Am and World Cup circuit with her eyes set on a run for the Olympics. While her career may have started off in Judo, Anderson was able to take away valuable lessons from the event that have helped shape her snowboarding career. “The BC Games taught me that sport isn’t always about the results, but about the process that it takes to get there,” she said. Anderson offered the following advice to this year’s competitors: “Work hard, step outside of your comfort zone and never give up on your goals, but most importantly to have fun.”
Some property assessments up by 60% PAGE 2
Kamloops museum celebrates ski history PAGE 11
WINTER
Weather Forecast
Vol 16 Issue 1 January 26 — February 22
JAN 26 —28 Flurries, mild
JAN 29 —31 Snow, cold
FEB 1 — 11
Snow showers, mild
FEB 12 — 18 Sunny, cold
FEB 19 — 22
Snow showers, mild
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