B.C. Alpine released its team roster for the 2010-2011 season this week, and as usual Whistler and the Whistler Mountain Ski Club are well represented.
The B.C. Ski Team will take part in Nor-Am Cup, Pontiac GMC races and FIS events. Some of the team members in the Alpine Canada Prospect Group will also get a chance to race in Europa Cup and home World Cup events.
The prospect group is a new facet of the provincial team. In the run-up to the Games, Alpine Canada Alpin brought aboard a record number of racers to compete for points and berths, while giving the team a much-needed cushion when injuries began to pile up. This season, with a tighter budget and focus, some of those new national development athletes are now being supported with finances and resources by their provincial organizations while continuing to train with Alpine Canada coaches.
The B.C. Ski Team/Alpine Prospect Group includes Elli Terwiel from Sun Peaks and Georgia Simmerling from Grouse Mountain. Terwiel is currently training with the women's technical team, while Simmerling - who filled in for injured Kelly VanderBeek at the Olympic Games and placed 27th in the super G - is training with the speed team.
On the men's side, the Alpine Canada Prospect Group includes Whistler's Morgan Pridy and Sasha Zaitsoff of Red Mountain.
The regular B.C. Team includes: Sarah Freeman (Fernie), Celine Rytz (Fernie), Jocelyn Ramsden (Whistler Mountain Ski Club) and Kailee Darlington (Whistler Mountain Ski Club). The B.C. Development team includes Sarah Elliot (Big White) and Mackensey Young (Fernie).
Darlington, a rookie with the team, set out her goals for the season: "I have set high goals that I look forward to achieving," she said. "Qualifying for Canada Games, being (the) top J1 consistently and qualifying for the senior nationals."
The men's B.C. Ski Team is comprised of Conrad Pridy, Spencer Morris and Broderick Thompson. Pridy and Thompson are from Whistler, while all three are WMSC alumni. The development team includes Mathieu Leduc (Mt. Washington), Tyler Werry (Fernie), Ben MacLean (Whistler and WMSC) and Ford Swette (WMSC).
The women's coaching team includes head coach Gregor Druzina and assistant Aardon Speden. Don Lyon is also assisting while Gregor is off-snow recovering from an injury.
The men's head coach is Brandon Dyksterhouse, while Sean Frith is his assistant.
The team spent the summer dryland training, with on-snow camps at Whistler, Mt. Hood and Chile. The season starts with Nor-Am Cup events at Lake Louise and Panorama next month, followed by FIS races at Panorama and Nakiska.
