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Young freestylers shine at home

Whistler Blackcomb Freestyle Ski Club takes 16 medals
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After a strong weekend in their home park, Whistler Blackcomb Freestyle Ski Club members likely earned a spot in the Canadian Junior Championships in Barrie, Ont. next month.

While lists haven't officially been compiled, club head coach Jeff Fairbairn expects a fair number of slopestyle athletes to be invited after this final qualifier. Moguls athletes have more opportunities to earn their slots before their qualification shuts later this month.

"This event gives a lot of results for kids to go to junior nationals," he said. "In B.C., we only get 17 spots. I went through and did the math and so far, we're looking pretty good."

With over 150 athletes taking part, Fairbairn said the level of competition was high up on Blackcomb Mountain. However, one of the events was at risk of cancellation before a hardy crew came together to help it go off.

"We almost lost our moguls course to the heavy snow the weekend before," he said. "I was a little nervous to say the least, but we pulled it off with a tremendous amount of help from the volunteers this weekend."

In Timber Tour action, Whistler swept the U14 men's moguls podium with Phillip Kang, Oscar Van Dongen and Daniel Gannon taking the top three spots. On the women's side, Maya Mikkelsen of the BC Team took the U16 win while Cassidy Butterworth was second. Meanwhile, Lynette Conn and Brooke Armstrong took second and third in the U14 event.

Meanwhile, in the slopestyle event, Skye Clarke topped the podium for the WB team in the U16 event. The squad had a number of podium appearances on the men's side, with Caden Ferguson and Aidan Mulvihill taking second and third in the U14 event, as did Ben Lynch and Steven Kahnert in the U16 event. Julien Chartrand took second in the U18 competition.

Clarke also took the win in her division in the big air event, while Emilia Oziewicz hit the medals with a third-place showing in the U14 division. On the men's side, Ferguson finished atop the U14 division while Stephen Lindsay-Ross took second in the U16 event.

As for the super youth, Jessie Dawson topped the U14 women's slopestyle, and Lauren Kelley took second in the U12 division, while Avery Krumme and Sierra Grant-Lavergne were first and second in the U10 competition. On the men's side, Deston Swift was second in the U14 division, Landon Owen-Mold was first among the U12 competitors, Bertie Martin took third in U10 and Elijah Krumme won the U8 comp.

In moguls, Dawson again topped the U14 division, with Kelley taking second among the U12s and Krumme winning the U10 event. Meanwhile, Kaleb Krumme took third in the U14 men's division, while Owen-Mold spearheaded a WB sweep of the U12 event with Matthaeus Heslop and Armaan Asrar Haghighi. As for the U10s, Owen Yarnold and Findlay Henderson were second and third, while Elijah Krumme was the U8 champion.

Lastly, for big air, Dawson was second in the U14 event while Avery Krumme captured the U10 crown. On the men's side, Swift was third for U14s, Owen-Mold snagged second in U12, Henderson won silver in U10 and Elijah Krumme won a third gold in U8.

Meanwhile, club alums fared well in NorAm Cup action on the weekend at Killington Resort in Vermont. Sofiane Gagnon took silver in dual moguls and bronze in moguls on the women's side, while Brenden Kelly captured bronze in men's moguls as well.