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Big Air

The second FIS World Cup big air of the season took place on Saturday night in Stockholm, Sweden with a crowd of 45,000 watching the top snowboarders face off for a U.S.$20,000 prize purse.

The second FIS World Cup big air of the season took place on Saturday night in Stockholm, Sweden with a crowd of 45,000 watching the top snowboarders face off for a U.S.$20,000 prize purse.

Elias Ambuhl took the top spot with a double corked 1260 reverse tail grab. American Bobby Brown was second with a 1080 double corked reverse tail grab, and James Woods of the U.K. placed third.

Canada's top jumpers - currently Sebastien Toutant, Mark McMoris, Matts Kulisek, Zachary Stone and Robby Balharry - made the trip. The top Canadian was Maxence Parrot, who placed 22nd, followed by Antoine Truchon in 42nd.

 

Football teams eliminated in close playoffs

The Whistler Saints flag football team had a good weekend overall with a 20-8 win in their quarterfinal matchup against The North Vancouver Raiders on Sunday, but were eliminated from this weekend's final with a 16-6 loss to the North Vancouver Packers.

In the first game, Alex Binette threw three touchdown passes, connecting with Zayden Goertson twice and Luke Haasen once. Goertson also added a two-point convert. In the second game Luke Haasen scored the Saints only touchdown.

The pee wee Sea to Sky Broncos, which include some players from Whistler, also lost their semifinal game 25-12. Xavier Cadoret and Devon Bailey scored for the Broncos, with Nolan Robinson-Nault leading the defence with nine tackles and two sacks.

 

Locals on podium in Fall Classic

The annual New Balance Fall Classic run at UBC campus took place in cool weather with a dusting of snow along the side of the course. Racers could enter a 21km half marathon or 10km road race.

Patricia Leslie placed second in 40 to 49 in the half marathon with a time of 1:38:32. Pemberton's Gwendolyn Kennedy was fourth in that category in 1:40:22, while Nicole Jean was 10th in 1:46:54.

Squamish's Roger Shirt was 12th in Male 40 to 49 in 1:30:57.

Megan Wastle was sixth in the Female 30 to 39 10km race in 46:12. Aimee Decaigny was 47th in that category in 58:13. Rebecca Ford was 50th in 58:36.

The race results don't include hometowns. If we've missed anyone please email sports@piquenewsmagazine.com.

 

FIS rejects TTR compromise

The International Ski Federation rejected an overture by TTR that would allow athletes to earn point at pro tour events - events where their sponsors want them and where the prize purse is significantly higher. As a result, athletes will have to miss pro events in order to attend World Cup events and qualify for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

Quebec's Sebastian Toutant, the X Games slopestyle champion, told ESPN that it's impossible to attend every event.

"There are already so many events," he said. "Between the Dew Tour, the X Games, the FIS and the TTR - it's impossible to compete in them all. If you have to choose, you choose TTR. No one wants to compete FIS."

The FIS stranglehold on Olympic sanctioning caused a huge rift in the snowboard world in the '90s, leading to the dissolution of the International Snowboarding Federation - an organization that was open to all disciplines and pro events. Some athletes refused to enter FIS events, including Norway's Terje Haakonsen, despite the fact that he was a favourite to win a gold medal in halfpipe.

"It will be such a bummer to have to change your whole season, just to qualify for one event," said Toutant.

The issue came to the forefront with the announcement that slopestyle would be added to the Olympic calendar in 2014. Compared to various pro events and pro tours, the World Cup for slopestyle is not well developed at this stage and events often conflict with pro tour events.

The "boycott" word has come up a few times in the debate, but so far most top athletes are planning to be in the Games.

"If all the riders stand and say, 'No, we're not happy about this, we're not dogs on a leash you can just tell what to do,' I'll stand with them,'" said Toutant. "But I don't want to be like Terje - the only one saying 'no' while everyone else goes...

"The Olympics are so important. People outside of snowboarding - this might be the only time they watch snowboarding. We want our sport to look good. People should see the highest level of competition. I want to be a part of that. I want to stand for my country. It's important for all of us. It's just hard to know what to do now. We're going to have to talk about it."

A FIS committee on snowboarding was open to the idea of sanctioning existing pro snowboarding events, but the FIS council rejected the committee's recommendation.

 

Eat pizza to support roller derby

The Whistler Roller Girls - the town's first roller derby league - is hosting a fundraiser on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at Creekbread, with live music, a 50/50 draw and pizza. Creekbread will donate $3.50 for large pizzas and $1.75 for small pizzas to the organization.

The group has been bouncing between training facilities in Vancouver, Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton to prepare for their first derbies in 2012. There are 36 girls in the program, enough to create a few local teams, and the league will support a touring team as well that will compete against teams from other communities.

 

On Mountain events on the way

The winter competition season on Whistler Blackcomb will kick off in a few short weeks, starting with the opening Kokanee Valley Race Series event of the season on Dec. 15, followed by the Telus Park Rider Ski and Snowboard Event "Jump Fest" on Dec. 18.

The Kokanee Valley Race Series (KVRS) is comprised of seven race events, taking place on Thursdays through the course of the season. You need to be 19 or older to take part, but otherwise the event is open to men and women of all ages and levels and is inclusive of skiers, telemarkers and snowboarders.

The first event is a giant slalom on Blackcomb, taking place on Gandy Dancer/Ross's Gold.

The cost is $29 if you register in advance at Whistler Blackcomb Guest Relations or $35 for day-of-race registration in the Rendezvous for Blackcomb events. For Whistler events, the registration location is yet to be determined. Early registration is from 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. on race days.

You can also register in advance for all seven races for $172, a savings of $31.

Since last year, helmets are required for all events.

The opening Telus Park Rider event is a park-jam taking place on Blackcomb, using whatever features are available. The events are open to all ages, both skiers and boarders, and are professionally judged. Each age group is given a time frame to session the course, and decide in advance if they want the run to be judged or not.

There are four additional Park Rider events on the schedule.

The cost is $29 in advance or $35 on race day, with day-of-race registration available at the Rendezvous or Roundhouse, depending whether the event is on Whistler or Blackcomb.

 

Coast Cup registration closing Dec. 1

The cross-country ski season is just getting underway in Sea to Sky, but registration for the opening Coast Cup event of the season is already in progress and closes at 11 a.m. on Dec. 1.

The first Coast Cup takes place at Whistler Olympic Park, hosted by the Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club.

Because it's the first race, the goal was to have a format that appeals to all ages and levels of racers. Courses will be announced at www.hollyburnxc.ca when they're finalized.

The race fee ranges from $6 for the youngest Atom-age skiers to $18 for adults. Distances range from 750 metres to 8 kilometres.