Max Peiffer acknowledged it was gratifying to be announced as part of BC Alpine's provincial team for 2014-15.
Peiffer was one of five Whistler Mountain Ski Club members to make the team, but the only resident of Whistler proper. Riley Seger and Cameron Alexander, both of North Vancouver, join him on the six-person men's team that has just two returnees. All three are 17 and making their provincial team debuts.
"I didn't really expect myself to be in the position I am now at the halfway point of my season before this," he said. "I was overjoyed to be a part of it. It puts me one step closer to where I want to be."
Peiffer, 17, said changing to a calmer mindset allowed him to make major strides in his performance, as he eventually finished 10th on the BC Keurig Cup circuit after earning points in all but two events.
"It was leading up to some of the speed races and I could have been doing a little bit better in training," he said. "I went from getting more frustrated at the bottom of each run to getting to the bottom of the run and reviewing it — stopping and taking a little moment to view what I did wrong, what I did right, what I can do to improve.
"At that point, it helped me a lot, to make the leaps and bounds I needed to."
That noted, Peiffer said he's retaining other elements of his mental approach that helped him as a young competitor.
"I'm working as hard at every possible point so that I give myself the best chance of doing well," he said. "The same mindset I came into in my first year was to turn heads, not really focus on results, but focus on skiing fast."
Seger, meanwhile, is trying to build off a sixth-place finish on the BC Keurig Cup circuit, achieved despite not taking points in seven of 20 events.
"I was trying not think about it too much, trying to just work on my skiing and working on my results," he said. "I was pretty happy with my last season. There were some highs and there were some lows, but I was pretty excited to be a part of the training group this summer.
"We were working hard and training hard to make the team. We all deserve and are super happy to be on the team."
Alexander was 21st on the loop, but only earned points in seven events after not completing several races. He described himself as a skier that thrives on speed.
"A lot of my coaches told me I have a pretty good touch, so that helps for speed so you don't grind and you can always just carry a speed," he said.
Men's head coach Nick Cooper, also of Whistler, said even with a younger team all told, there will be quality competition.
"We still have a pretty good veteran presence that has been skiing great all summer and are looking for a lot of success this season," Cooper said.
