The Vernon Ski Club U16s had another eventful weekend while racing at the U16 Canadian Westerns held in Panorama, near Invermere.
The draw included a strong contingent from Alberta and right across B.C. With three different events and some strong results, the team had fun while working hard in temperatures approaching -30C.
The weekend opened on Friday with a Team Dual Slalom, the draw being split into 40 teams of four where athletes from different clubs were co-mingled. Oliver Young and Jamie Robinson’s team managed to finish in first place overall while Lauren Clancy led her team to third place, so a strong podium finish for the Vernon club.
The Giant Slalom was held on Saturday with more solid results. On the men’s side, Young finished 11th, Austin Armanini 52nd and Cameron Bibby-Fox 53rd.
For the women, Jamie Robinson finished fifth and Natasha Jones 17th. Clancy narrowly avoided a crash but still managed to get an impressive result of 27th. Grace Sebulsky finished in 40th.
After a long day, the team was lucky enough to get a helicopter tour of the picturesque Purcell Mountains.
The weekend wrapped up on Sunday with the Slalom. On the men’s side, Young had a strong placing, finishing in fifth spot, Nolan Williams finished 31st, Austin Armanini came in 36th and Cameron Bibby-Fox 37th. For the U16 women, Ella Mills broke into the top-10 finishing a strong seventh, Jamie Robinson 10th, Natasha Jones 29th and Grace Sebulsky 43rd.
The U16 team now turns its sights on the next Teck Open the weekend of March 23.
(This article was written by skier Jamie Robinson)
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.