A Coldstream alpine skier from the Vernon Ski Club has glided a little closer to selection for the B.C. Ski Team.
Oliver Young, born in 2004, is one of four men and six women added to B.C. Alpine’s B.C. Training Group squad, a major stepping stone toward provincial team selection.
Young and the other nine skiers selected – including Kelowna’s Shayna Little – are newcomers to the provincial system. They join three returning members for the summer and preparation phase.
“We are very proud of the athletes in B.C. and of the rich history for excellence and performance among our racers,” said Anders Hestdalen, B.C. Alpine CEO. “More than a third of national team athletes come from B.C. and our coaches and athletes are tirelessly working to continue that success.”
According to BCST men’s head coach Morgan Pridy, the men’s group is brimming with potential along with stability from the returning skiers.
“It’s still early but our training group athletes are figuring out each day a bit more about what kind of work it will take to be prepared for our upcoming on-snow camps in the late summer and fall,” said Pridy. “We are really fortunate to have a strong veteran presence in TJ (Tait Jordan, Whistler), Heming (Sola, Penticton), and Dyl (Dylan Timm, Fernie) to lend an assist in showing them the ropes and hopefully aiding in a smooth transition from training group to the BCST in the future.”
More information about you can be found at https://makeachamp.com/oliveryoung_/39131.
Pre season training for the men’s group will include an on-snow camp in Chile for four weeks in late August to late September at El Colorado.
“Elevation is about 11,000 feet so the training prior to this is very important if we actually want to be able to train at that elevation,” said Pridy who will be joined by returning coach Dustin Koepke.
The women’s group, under the guidance of new BCST head coach Montana Molyneux, will continue training in Whistler “focusing on building their bodies, mindsets, and their team’s culture,”and have an on-snow camp scheduled in Europe in early September.
In October the group will train at the “Ice Box” (indoor skiing) in Austria as well as some glacier training in Germany.
Some BCST members are not returning to the team, including Gerrit Van Soest of the Vernon Ski Club.
The B.C. Ski Team and Training Group can be found below:
B.C. Ski Team:
Dylan Timm (2002) Fernie Alpine Ski Team (Fernie)
Heming Sola (2003) Apex Ski Club/Okanagan Ski Team (Summerland)
Tait Jordan (2002) Whistler Mountain Ski Club (North Vancouver)
B.C. Women’s Training Group:
Shayna Little (2005) Big White Ski Club/Okanagan Ski Team (Kelowna)
Mila Plavsic (2004) Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club (Vancouver)
Talyn Lorimer (2004) Sun Peaks Alpine Club (Kamloops)
Erin Husken (2005) Whistler Mountain Ski Club (North Vancouver)
Alexa Brownlie (2005) Whistler Mountain Ski Club (Whistler)
Ella Kaufmann (2005) Whistler Mountain Ski Club (North Vancouver)
B.C. Men’s Training Group:
Sascha Gilbert (2004) Whistler Mountain Ski Club (Whistler)
Graeme Eder (2005) Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club (Coquitlam)
Dylan Stevens (2004) Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club (North Vancouver)
Oliver Young (2004) Vernon Ski Club/Okanagan Ski Team (Coldstream)
READ MORE: Record four Vernon Ski Club athletes to U16 nationals
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roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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