The junior nationals slopestyle championship took place earlier this month, and Sun Peaks Freestyle Club’s (SPFC) youngest competitor landed third in his division.
The event was held on Feb. 6 at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, attracting snowboarders from across the country. Eleven-year-old Blake Morris said he was excited and surprised to take home bronze.
“It felt good,” Blake said. “I wasn’t expecting to get third.”
Jennifer Morris, Blake’s mother, said she is proud of him for competing in this event.
“It’s really just about the experience for Blake,” Jennifer said. “Being on the same platform as other athletes that we could potentially be seeing at the next Olympics or in future X Games is a really great experience for him.”
Blake said he started getting into snowboarding when he was about six years old, and began competing two years ago. This was Blake’s third competition this year after the Whistler provincial series and a run at Big White Resort.
Nayte Brown and Colton McHatten also competed in the junior event and finished around the middle of the pack in their divisions.
The senior nationals slopestyle championship was also supposed to take place in early February, but was cancelled due to high winds.
Janna Brown, SPFC’s snowboard director, said McHatten, Nayte Brown and Katie Brayer still got the opportunity to train for two days on the senior jumps, which is the course used to qualify for the Olympics.
“The kids were still pretty stoked they were training on this course even though they didn’t get to compete in senior nationals,” Brown said. “They learned a lot.”
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