The water ramps and pool near the base of Blackcomb have fallen into disrepair lately, and LegaciesNow, a component of the Vancouver 2010 bid, wants to fix the facility for freestyle skiers – if you want to produce Olympic champions, it’s better to start now than in seven years.
Marion Lay, the president of 2010 LegaciesNow, recently presented the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association with a $15,000 grant that will help to repair and upgrade the facility.
"Making sure B.C. athletes have ready access to this important development tool will help them to competitive in their sport and rise to the top for the 2010 Olympics," said Pat Smith, president and CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association.
"We’ll continue to attract athletes at the developmental level and provide them with the opportunity to become world class competitors."
The water ramp, complete with a bubbler that breaks the surface tension of the water in the pool for softer landings, helps skiers practice aerials and inverted manoeuvres before trying them out on snow.
The Blackcomb site includes several aerials jumps, as well as a smaller jump that can be used by mogul skiers.
LegaciesNow was created to give young athletes in B.C. and Canada a head-start for 2010, whether the Olympics are held in B.C. or not. So far it has helped more than 20 organizations.
