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Champions named as valley race series wraps up

The 10-event Kokanee Valley Race Series wrapped up under grey skies on March 29 with a 27-gate giant slalom on Jersey Cream. Points were tallied and champions were announced based on the competitors’ best seven results.

The 10-event Kokanee Valley Race Series wrapped up under grey skies on March 29 with a 27-gate giant slalom on Jersey Cream. Points were tallied and champions were announced based on the competitors’ best seven results.

In the women’s 60-plus race, Grace Oaks ran uncontested to take the win and the overall title – she didn’t lose a race all season, often posting times that would have put her on the podium among women half her age. Anna Zach finished second in the class, followed by Winona Rowat.

The 50 to 59 race went uncontested to Lucyle Dufour, who finished second in her division to Randall Carpenter. Andree Janyk finished third, winning all three of the races she participated in.

Terry Vincent won the final 40 to 49 race and her division and posted the third highest point tally of all the women. Debbie Coleman finished second, and Pat Rowntree edged past Mary Gillespie, who won both events she entered, to take third.

In the 30 to 39 class, Sanae Tanaka edged past Wendy Harrison and Akiko Kitagawa in the final race to finish second overall in the standings. Jackie Jackson finished first overall, and Harrison was third.

Elizabeth Rosenfeld won her first and last race of the season, edging past Naho Numata and Siobhan Allen. Tasha Lubbe won the overall title, Allen came second and Julia Cane was third.

Corrine Kuhn won the last women’s pro race of the season, edging past Kim McKnight and Liz Roehrig-Thompson. Cathryn Zeglinski won the pro title with consistent performances throughout the year and by showing up to every race but one. McKnight finished second, winning all but one of the five races she entered this season. Roehrig-Thompson was third.

In the men’s 70-plus division, Gar Robinson finished ahead of Owen Owens and Doug Deeks, taking the points and the title. Robinson only missed one race all season, winning five out of nine times. Deeks finished second overall, followed by Raymond Bradley.

In the 60 to 69 class, Bob Switzer finished a perfect sweep of the series with both the win and the overall title. His final time of 1 minute 25.26 seconds would have put him in the podium among competitors 30 years younger, and in the top five in the pro division. Alfred Zeilberger was second in the race and second in the series. Alain Paquet was third in the race, fourth in the series, and Pat Duffy was fourth in the race and third in the series.

The 50 to 59 race went to Lou Fenniger, followed by Julian Soltendieck and Jules Lajoie, who won the overall title. Larry Moore was second overall, and Soltendieck was third.

Russell Clark was the man to beat in the 40 to 49 class, winning the final race and the overall title. Dave Johnston was second on the day and second overall. Chris Wetaski was third and third.

John Evenson won the final 30 to 39 race and finished in second place overall. Geoff Gerhart was second and Tom Jackson was third. Scott Elder won the overall title and Tom Jackson was third.

In the 19 to 29 race, Oliver Reuter won the day, followed by Ryo Kokubo and Achim Dieterich. Graham Sumner was the overall champion, followed by Nakajo Kenichi and David Robitaille.

The men’s pro division was decided by a close contest between Sead Causevic and Daniel Moore. Causevic took the race and the title by three-tenths of a second over Moore. Derek Burgen finished third in the race, and second overall. Ken Pedersen finished third in the standings.

In the women’s snowboard competition, Isabel Ribero edged past Canadian national team racer Alexa Loo to take the final race. Michele Marsh was third, but won the overall title with consistent races and three wins in her eight appearances. Lisa Severn finished second in the standings and Michele Rideout was third.

Richard Robarts was the top male snowboarder of the day, beating Matt Cloutier to the finish line. Isao Saito finished first in the standings, followed by Russell Broadbent and Arne Gutmann.

Tsuruoka Kentaro was the top pro snowboarder, followed by Hashimoto Asami and Couloir Extreme champion Ian Hadgkiss. The overall title went to Greg Salmon, followed by Shawn Arnold and Shawn Kinch.

Rob Neaga was the top telemarker, winning the day and the title. Spencer Fenniman was second in the race. Grant Ringham finished second in the overall standings and Gavin Christie was third.