Highway Information
YVR
Weather
Fire Rating
First Person: Ken Read
Ski team on track. Despite injuries, 2004 was a good for Canadian ski racers
by Andrew Mitchell
The Canadian Alpine Ski Team is taking a short but well-deserved break before the summer training sessions begin.
The training camps start in less than two weeks and run pretty much back to back until the 2004-05 season kicks off at the end of October. It’s going to be a big year with the World Championships in February, and athletes competing for berths at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
While it’s been a season of ups and downs for the young team, there is also a sense that Canadian skiers are on the verge of a breakthrough. A few shining moments, milestones on the World Cup circuit, helped athletes to see that they are ready to compete against the best in the world.
Part of the reason for this optimism is in the results – three Canadians made World Cup podiums this season, two of them making history in the process. More athletes were qualifying for second runs than in past years. And although injuries took a toll, athletes like Fernie’s Emily Brydon showed that you can come back better than ever.
The other part of this optimism is the strength of the national program. After a disappointing 2002 Winter Games, the team has been rebuilding under the guidance of Ken Read, a former downhiller and Crazy Canuck who was named as president of Alpine Canada Alpin following the Games. From the beginning Read’s goal has been to put Canada back on top among the top alpine nations in the world by giving athletes the financial, technical and human resources they needed to succeed.
Less than a year after he started his Podium 2010 program showed signs of success. At the 2003 World Championships, Melanie Turgeon won the downhill and Allison Forsyth the bronze medal in the giant slalom, something that hadn’t been accomplished since 1982 and 1952. Five Canadians also posted top-seven finishes, which was a first for the team.
Heading into this season, it looked like Canada would be able to build on that momentum. Things changed when Turgeon suffered a back injury in training that left her sidelined for the rest of the season. Allison Forsyth suffered tendonitis in her hips, and wasn’t able to race to her usual standards.
However, Erik Guay made history when he finished second at Lake Louise, becoming only the second Canadian male to medal in the downhill on home turf; the first was Whistler’s Rob Boyd in 1989. He was also the first Canadian ever to be on the podium at a Lake Louise World Cup.
Guay was injured in training just three weeks later and missed the rest of the season. Injuries also impacted Britt Janyk, Genevieve Simard, Jeff Hume, Jan Hudec and others over the course of the season.
-
June 17, 2013, 5:00 PM
Whistler Blackcomb Foundation donates $300,000 to Centrepoint complex
Social services, church and housing being built by Sea to Sky Community Service and United Church More...
-
June 17, 2013, 11:15 AM
Whistler Farmer's Market sees busy first day of operations
Market opens with vendor numbers at maximum More...
-
June 16, 2013, 12:30 AM
Neal Kindree takes Test of Metal win
67-kilometre mountain bike race sees 871 racers at the start More...
Latest in Whistler
-
Whistler Blackcomb Foundation donates $300,000 to Centrepoint complex
Social services, church and housing being built by Sea to Sky Community Service and United Church
- Jun 17, 2013
-
Whistler Farmer's Market sees busy first day of operations
Market opens with vendor numbers at maximum
- Jun 17, 2013
-
Neal Kindree takes Test of Metal win
67-kilometre mountain bike race sees 871 racers at the start
- Jun 16, 2013
- More »
More by Andrew Mitchell
-
Whistler Half Marathon wows runners
Two Whistler women and a Pemberton runner on top in new 10km race
- Jun 6, 2013
-
Kindree retakes Nimby Fifty title
Squamish racer pulls ahead early, takes the win by over five minutes
- May 30, 2013
- More »
