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Crankworx Innsbruck underway

Sports briefs: Cruz eighth at Leogang; Locals crack provincial freestyle team

By Sunday afternoon, Crankworx fans will have a clear idea where their favourite riders sit in the overall standings heading into the ultimate festival here in Whistler in August.

But don't forget that getting there is half the fun, as there's tons of great riding to take in over the next few days via webcast at crankworx.com.

To start, on June 13, the 100% Dual Slalom Innsbruck will go live at 5:30 a.m. in Whistler, while the Rock Shox Innsbruck Pump Track Challenge is set for a more-reasonable 11 a.m. On June 14, the Mons Royale Speed & Style Innsbruck gets underway at 8:30 a.m., while June 15 will see the biggest freestylers on the planet throw down in the Crankworx Innsbruck Slopestyle at 8 a.m. The webcast schedule concludes on June 16 with the iXS Innsbruck Downhill at 6:30 a.m.

Crankworx Whistler, meanwhile, will run from Aug. 9 to 18.

Cruz eighth at Leogang

Pemberton's Lucas Cruz took an eighth-place finish at the Mercedes-Benz UCI Downhill World Cup event at Leogang, Austria, on June 9.

Competing in the junior men's event, Cruz finished in a time of three minutes, 29.35 seconds (3:29.35), 5.4 seconds back of winner Thibaut Daprela of France. Fellow Canadian Patrick Laffey was fifth while Whistler summer resident Ethan Shandro was 17th.

In the elite men event, Finn Iles suffered a tumble that sent him to the back of the pack as he followed up last week's fourth-place breakout with a 34th-place finish, more than eight seconds back of winner Loic Bruni of France. Mark Wallace was the only Canadian ahead of Iles, taking 11th.

Locals crack provincial freestyle team

There will be plenty of familiar faces on the B.C. Mogul Team in 2019-20.

Six of the nine athletes on the team have close ties to Whistler and the Sea to Sky, with newcomer Chase Capicik joining veterans Cassidy Butterworth, Sam Cordell, Jessica Linton, Josh Maga and Maya Mikkelsen.

"We are coming off an incredibly successful season for the BC Mogul Team. We are very excited for another off-season of training which includes; on-snow, water ramp, trampoline and dryland training. We train primarily in Whistler and also hold training camps in Oliver, Mt. Hood and Switzerland. We look forward to carrying our momentum into the training season and producing world-class mogul skiers who are prepared and ready to perform come next winter," head coach Josh Kober said in a release.

Meanwhile, the Park and Pipe Team will welcome back Steven Kahnert, Ben Lynch and Kai Martin.

FIL reveals 2019-20 season schedule

Whistler will welcome the best lugers in the world to the Whistler Sliding Centre this December.

The International Luge Federation revealed its 2019-20 schedule in advance of its annual Congress in Ljubjana, Slovenia, on June 14 and 15.

Whistler will host races on Dec. 13 and 14 as part of the third Viessmann World Cup of the campaign. It will be preceded by stops in Igls-Innsbruck, Austria (Nov. 23 and 24) and Lake Placid, N.Y. (Nov. 30 and Dec 1).

The season will continue after Christmas with stops in: Altenberg, Germany (Jan. 11 and 12); Lillehammer, Norway (Jan. 18 and 19); Oberhof, Germany (Feb. 1 and 2); Winterberg, Germany (Feb. 22 and 23); and Konigssee, Germany (Feb. 29 and March 1). The World Championships will also run from Feb. 14 to 16 in Sochi, Russia.

Also in the release is confirmation that the FIL Congress will vote on Luge Canada's application to move the 2021 World Championships from Calgary to the Whistler Sliding Centre. No other tracks stepped up to challenge for the event.

Summer bobsleigh returns to Sliding Centre

Summer bobsleigh will be back at the Whistler Sliding Centre this weekend, as there will be a soft opening on June 15 and 16 and June 22 and 23 before scheduling daily rides from June 28 to Sept. 1.

Youth aged 12 to 18 slide free with a paying adult ($99), while additional youth sliders pay half price. The day includes a tour and a track walk.

For more information, visit www.whistlersportlegacies.com/summerbobsleigh.

Extra baseball training this weekend

Fans of Pizza Baseball batting practices on Fridays will be excited to know that there is an additional event this Sunday for Father's Day.

The regular free Pizza Baseball event, held from 2:30 to 6 p.m. at Balsam Park near Myrtle Philip Community School, will run as scheduled, complete with free pizza. There will also be a practice on Sunday, June 16 from 11 to 5 p.m.

The practices are open to youth of all ages from kindergarten to Grade 12. Participants are encouraged to bring their own gloves and bats, though loaner equipment is also available.

Parents and volunteering adults are encouraged to help and participate. For more information, contact Duane at duane@whistlerproperty.com.