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Sports Briefs: Whistler Nordics on top at Mt. Washington

Members of the Whistler Nordics Ski Club headed to Vancouver Island and Mt. Washington on the weekend for the fourth Teck Coast Cup event of the season hosted by the Strathcona Nordics.
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Members of the Whistler Nordics Ski Club headed to Vancouver Island and Mt. Washington on the weekend for the fourth Teck Coast Cup event of the season hosted by the Strathcona Nordics. Many of the older athletes used the event to tune up for the upcoming nationals at Whistler Olympic Park, while younger athletes looked to improve on their own rankings in the Coast Cup series.

At Mt. Washington, every member of the Whistler team made it to the podium in either the interval start skate race on Saturday or mass start classic race on Sunday, or in some cases both.

On Saturday, Joe Davies placed first in Bantam Boys 2; Mila Wittenberg was first in Bantam Girls 2; Linea Uunila was second in Bantam Girls 1; Fraser Doak was first in Midget Boys 1, while Michael Murdoch, Sam Johnston and Ian Davidson were third, fourth and fifth respectively; Benita Peiffer was first in Midget Girls 1, followed by Lauren Kilfoy Mackay in second; Julia Long was third in Midget Girls 2; and Lauren Doak and Nicki Murdoch were first and second in junior women.

In Sunday's classic race, Joe Davies, Mila Wittenberg and Benita Peiffer placed first once again; Linnea Uunila was fourth; Michael Murdoch was second, Fraser Doak third, Sam Johnston fourth and Ian Davidson fifth; Lauren Kilfoy Mackay and Julia Long were second, and Nicki Murdoch and Lauren Doak exchanged places in Junior Women.

The local national training centre, the Callaghan Valley Training Centre, also made the trip to Mt. Washington, competing in the open categories.

In the 7.5km skate race, Geoffrey Richards placed first, followed by Martin Schrama, Yannick Pierre and Sebastien Townsend. In the junior category it was Sebastien Dandurand, followed by Colin Ferrie, Stefan Sander-Green, Paul Dupuis and Fred Weaver.

In Sunday's 15km race the CVTC skiers hung together until the final sprint. Stefan Sander-Green edged Colin Ferrie at the line, Sebastien Dandurand was third and Geoffrey Richards fourth overall (as well as top senior). Martin Schrama, Paul Dupuis and Fred Weaver lost the lead pack but placed fifth, sixth and seventh respectively.

Fundraiser to support Cowboy Camp

On Mar. 22, on the eve of the Sport Check Canadian Alpine Championships, World Cup stars Mike Janyk and Manuel Osborne-Paradis are hosting a private fundraiser for the sixth annual Mike and Manny Cowboy Camp, which provides an opportunity for 18 young Canadian racers to train with national team members and coaches in World Cup conditions. The goal of the fundraiser is to support the camp, as well as to provide bursaries for young skiers taking part.

The fundraiser will take place in a private home in Emerald Estates, and tickets are $125. For more information or tickets, email Richard.prokopanko@riotinto.com.

Lepine back on top

Whistler ski cross racer Sarah Lepine took another step towards the World Cup circuit this past weekend with a NorAm Cup win at Fernie, bringing her medal count to four.

"I won (qualifiers) by a lot and just stayed in front the whole day," she said. "It felt great to get another win under my belt. I have been in a bit of a slump lately, and it's really nice to break out of that, hopefully it carries over into my next race."

The win came on the second day of racing. She crashed in the first event.

Whistler's Tyler Murray had a harder time on the course after overshooting a lot of the jumps. He landed out of bounds after one jump, but rallied on the second day to place 11th.

Other Whistler skiers include Adam Gibson, who lost a ski on his first run and placed 12th on day two, Bryan Cadman in 13th, David Lepine in 15th and 19th and Jacob Lepine in 16th on day two.

Kiwi bobsledders hosting fundraiser

A pair of New Zealanders looking to compete for their country in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in the sport of bobsleigh are hosting a fundraiser on Monday, Mar. 18 at Black's Pub, from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. Brother Twang will be playing at the event, which is a fundraiser to help Team New Zealand.

Team NZ is based in Whistler and comprised of pilot Martin White and brakeman Jonathan Reid. They won a BC Cup event this season. For more on the team and their mission, visit www.nzbobsled.org.

King of the Rail

The final King of the Rail rail jam took place this past Saturday, Mar. 9 with another solid turnout of skiers and boarders challenging themselves and each other at the base of Whistler Mountain. The athletes themselves picked the winners in each age group.

In Snowboard Male 17 and Over, the largest category, Sam Neuman won the most votes and $100. In Ski Male 17 and Over the win and $50 went to Austin de St Croix. Majorie Couturier and Quinn Dubois placed first in Snowboard Female 17 and Over and Snowboard Male 16 and Under respectively, both earning $20. James Sambell and Tiana Frank were first in Ski Male 16 and Under and Ski Female 17 and Over to win $15 each.

Judges picked Nathan Therriault and Sandra Graf as the overall king and queen of the rails.

In the prize draws, Danielle Baker won the Atomic skis, Cedric Brassard won the Burton snowboard and Kylan Verhaeghe won the Nintendo.

Events Calendar

What: Sea to Sky Nordic Festival

When: Mar. 15 to Mar. 30

Where: Whistler Olympic Park

The Sea to Sky Nordic Festival — which includes the national championships for cross-country, biathlon, ski jumping and Nordic combined will host over 900 athletes over 16 days — more than competed in the 2010 Winter Games. Visit www.seatoskynordicfestival.ca.

What: WB Ski and Snowboard Cross

When: Mar. 16 to 17

Where: Blackcomb Mountain

The third and final Whistler Blackcomb Ski and Snowboardcross race of the season is a 13-and-under competition. The cost is $44.80 in advance, going up to $50 if you register on Mar. 16 at the Rendezvous Lodge. The first day of the event is for training and qualifiers, and Sunday is for additional training and the race brackets.

What: Sport Chek Canadian Alpine Championships

When: Mar. 21 to Mar. 27

Where: Whistler Mountain

This is the first time that Whistler has hosted the national alpine championships since 2008, and Whistler will be well-represented by members of the national and provincial teams. For more, visit www.alpinecanada.org/events/2013/Canadian-alpine-championships.