Though still in the competition season, many Sun Peaks athletes have already made their mark in competitions across Canada as well as at many local events.
Sun Peaks Alpine Club
This season, Sun Peaks Alpine Club (SPAC) racers include four International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) level athletes who have been traveling around Canada, including Ontario and Alberta, and even trained abroad in Hintertux, Austria.
On the road, these four young men, Mason Poitras, Jameson Jensen, AJ Nadort and Avery Tymchyna attended a NorAm in Kimberly, B.C. followed by the Alberta GMC Cup at Norquay where Poitras placed first in U18 Slalom and fourth overall.
Back in Sun Peaks at an FIS B.C. Cup from March 3 to March 6, Poitras placed eighth and eleventh in giant slalom and Jensen placed eleventh in slalom, achieving some personal bests.
During the season thus far, some younger athletes placed well, with a few highlights identified by president of SPAC, Kelly Dye.
At the BC Alpine Teck Okanagan Zone Race held in Sun Peaks, U14 women’s racer Anna Autumn made the small final in ski cross and won both giant slalom races that weekend. Corvin Lott represented the U14 men’s category with an impressive finish of first place on both days.
During what Dye said was a rainy trip to Whistler, local U16 athlete Bodie Ottem secured a gold and bronze medal, with third overall for the Rob Boyd Cup. Ava Dye brought home another bronze medal and finished eighth overall.
Training with Evolve at Nakiska in Calgary, Alta., Sun Peaks local racer Euan Currie has been killing his first year focusing on ski cross.
Having achieved notable results in ski cross this season, including a bronze and silver medal finish at Steamboat, he still trains and races with SPAC when he can, his dad and director at large for SPAC, Duncan Currie said. An example of this is at the Kimberely Dreadnaught speed series, when he achieved second place in the super giant slalom.
Recently Euan competed in a NorAm at Gore Mountain in New York, where he scored a second and fifth place finish. Following this, at an FIS in Beaver Valley, he landed fourth in his first race and fifth in his second.
Euan’s sights are now set on Isola, France where the FIS Junior World Ski Cross Championships are taking place on April 4 and April 6.
“Depending on how he does there, that’s kind of the stepping stone to a national development team, which is called The Next Generation Team,” Duncan said.
Though the status of Euan’s spot at the World Juniors is still unknown, Duncan said there will be a fundraising event at Morrisey’s Public House on March 16, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., considering how soon the event is approaching. Food and drinks will be on special, with $5 pints, $15 jugs and $10 wings, all funds to support Euan. Donations can also be made here if you’re unable to attend, with a tax receipt in return.
Sun Peaks Freestyle Club snowboarders
The season has been busy for Sun Peaks snowboarders, with star athlete Colton McHatten achieving consistently strong results.
During the season so far, Sun Peaks Freestyle Club (SPFC) vice president and snowboard coordinator Janna Brown said some of the club’s athletes attended three or the four BC Provincial Slopestyle contests, with the last one set to be held in Sun Peaks on March 16 and March 17.
At the first competition of the series in Whistler, athletes Blake Morris and Keiran Hicks rocked the U15 category, with Morris getting silver and Hicks securing bronze.
McHatten finished first in the U18 division for both days’ races, bringing the team’s total medal count to four.
Nayte Brown, in the 18 plus division, made it to fifth overall on day one and McHatten got fifth overall on day two, qualifying for finals both days as top 12 riders.
Seven athletes attended the next competition of the series in Big White, with all five male athletes making it to the finals during both competition days.
Brown and McHatten brought home two gold medals each, bringing the total to 13 medals for the team. McHatten ranked first overall both days.
SPFC snowboarders took Silver Star by storm next, winning 13 medals and another overall first rank by McHatten on day two.
Brown, McHatten and Hicks went to Ontario from March 8 to March 10 to compete in a NorAm Air Nation contest against some of the top athletes across North America, with Junior Nationals next for McHatten and Hicks. At the Air Nation competition, held at Horseshoe Valley Resort in Ontario, McHatten achieved sixth in his heat on day one Slopestyle and fifteenth on day two for Big Air while Hicks got eighth then seventeenth.
Sun Peaks Freestyle Club skiers
A run down on the skier side of SPFC was provided to SPIN by SPFC president Amy Atkinson.
A star of SPFC skiers this season has been Ryder MacKenzie White, who made the podium at two Canada Cup events, with silver in Slopestyle at Wentworth and gold in Slopestyle at Sun Peaks, where he also won bronze in Big Air.
MacKenzie White along with Jackson Atkinson earned spots at a NorAm in Stoneham, Que., where they were up against elite athletes from around the world.
Several athletes have been competing in Timber Tours as well, earning more medals for SPFC.
In U16, Marigold Campbell collected two silver medals in Slopestyle and one more in Big Air, in addition to gold.
Another U16 athlete, Wren Grunling, won gold in Slopestyle and silver in Big Air at Sun Peaks. The first place winner of the Big Air category during this competition was another Sun Peaks athlete, Frank Dusik.
Quinn Basko and Soneva Lott won their fair share of medals in the U14 category as well.
Seven SPFC athletes were invited to Junior Nationals in Calgary, from March 14 to March 15.
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