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Canadians on top at Nor-Ams

The Canadian contingent, which includes members of the national development team as well as top provincial and club-level athletes, came away from the Nor Ams at Lake Louise last week with a handful of medals and almost too many top-30 results to cou

The Canadian contingent, which includes members of the national development team as well as top provincial and club-level athletes, came away from the Nor Ams at Lake Louise last week with a handful of medals and almost too many top-30 results to count.

The fun began on Dec. 14 with a downhill on the challenging Olympic course.

In the men’s competition, Banff racer Jan Hudec, a four-year veteran of the national team, finished second behind Wade Bishop of the U.S. Francois Bourque of New Richmond, Quebec, who is returning to competition after facing injuries the past three seasons, finished eighth.

Hot on his heels was Manuel Osborne-Paradis of the B.C. Ski Team in ninth place.

From the Whistler Mountain Ski Club (WMSC), Robbie Dixon was 19 th , James Finlayson 27 th , Aaron Civitarese 28 th , Ben Chaddock 36 th , and Trevor Conroy 49 th .

In the women’s downhill, the only Canadians to crack the top-10 were Brigitte Acton of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in ninth and Emilie Desforges of Montreal in 10 th .

From the WMSC, Christina Risler was 15 th , Charlotte Whitney 24 th , Kayla Benbow 32 nd , and Anastasia Skryabina 37 th .

In the second downhill on Dec. 15, Brad Spence of Calgary was second, Sean Cochrane of Prince George was fifth, Francois Bourque was sixth, and Alex Mach of Ottawa was ninth.

From the WMSC, James Finlayson was 22 nd and Aaron Civitarese 27 th .

Among the women, Sherry Lawrence of Calgary placed second. Emilie Desforges was fifth, and Emily Hamill 10th.

From Whistler, Rachel Nixon was 19 th , Charlotee Whitney 23 rd , Kayla Benbow 25 th , and Anastasia Skryabina 31 st .

In the first men’s super-G, on Dec. 16, the Canadians put two skiers on the podium. David Anderson of Rossland and Jan Hudec were first and third respectively. Also in the top-10 was Paul Stutz of Banff in fifth place.

Anderson, 23, has been with the national team for five years, and was 38 th in the Olympic downhill last February. He later collided with a winch cable while training at the Olympic venue. After rehabilitating his injuries all summer, he is on the comeback trail.

"My knee feels okay now. It’s still not perfect, but it’s getting more manageable," said Anderson, who went through knee surgery and intensive physiotherapy. "Things are coming together. I just need a few more days like this under my belt.

"Winning today was the only thing that was acceptable for me right now. I want to be at the World Cups with the rest of the boys but this is a good way to build confidence, and if things go well I’m going to try to get back around the middle of January."

Last year Anderson won all three of the Nor Am events at Lake Louise.

From Whistler, Robbie Dixon was 15 th , Ben Chaddock 32 nd , James Finlayson 34 th , and Trevor Conroy 54 th .

In second men’s super-G, on Dec. 17, Francois Bourque won his first ever Nor Am title. Brad Spence was third, David Anderson fourth, and Jan Hudec sixth.

"It’s my first win on this circuit – hopefully the first of many," said Bourque. "I knew I was able to win, and I finally put a good one down so I’m pretty happy. This will help to build confidence for Europe after Christmas."

From Whistler, Robbie Dixon was 27 th , Aaron Civitarese 29 th , James Finlayson and Ben Chaddock were tied for 34 th , and Trevor Conroy was 55 th .