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Getting ready for the Paralympics

The competition for gold medals isn't over yet, as the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games descend on Whistler next week for nine days of competition.

The competition for gold medals isn't over yet, as the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games descend on Whistler next week for nine days of competition.

With the exception of sledge hockey and wheelchair curling, all of the events will take place on Whistler Mountain or in Whistler Olympic Park.

While there are fewer events in the Paralympics than the Olympics, there are typically three sets of medals handed out in competitions - one set for sitting or wheelchair athletes, one for standing athletes with disabilities and one for the visually impaired.

The alpine events get underway on March 13 with the men's and women's downhill events for all three categories. Standing super G follows on March 14, followed by the sitting and visually impaired super G racers on March 15.

The men's and women's combined races take place on March 16, with the downhill runs getting underway at 9:30 a.m. and the slalom runs at 1 p.m.

The standing giant slalom races are on March 18, followed by the sitting and visually impaired categories on March 19.

The standing slalom is on March 20, and the sitting and visually-impaired slalom on March 21.

Weather had better cooperate this time, as there is very little space to move events around once the Paralympic Games are underway.

The Paralympic Nordic events are the cross-country races and the biathlon.

The pursuit races take place on March 13 with all categories taking part in the qualifiers at 10 a.m. and the finals from noon onwards.

The individual race takes place on March 17, with courses ranging from 10 km for sitting women to 12.5 km.

The cross-country schedule is a little more hectic.

The men's 15 km and women's 15 km sitting events are on March 14, following by the standing and visually impaired races - men's 20 km and women's 15 km - on March 15.

The standing and visually impaired classic events - men's 10 km and women's 5 km - are on March 18, as well as the men's 10 km sitting and women's 5 km sitting.

The women's 3x2.5 km relay - which includes sitting, standing and visually impaired skiers - and men's 1x4 km (sitting) plus 2x5 km relay are on March 20.

The cross-country sprints wrap up the schedule on March 21.

The complete schedule and details about the events are posted at www.vancouver2010.com under the Paralympic tag, as well as at the Canadian Paralympic Committee webstie, www.paralympic.ca.

Just as Whistler was well-represented in the Olympics, several local athletes will be competing in the Paralympics as well.

In para-alpine, we will be represented by Morgan Perrin, Sam Danniels, Matt Hallat (who now calls Squamish home), and Lindsay Debou.

In para-Nordic, the team will include long-time Whistler resident Tyler Mosher, a partial-paraplegic who has trained for eight years to represent Canada in the Paralympics.

The team will have 55 members in total, and will be officially announced on March 8.

 

Ore Crusher registration gets underway

The annual Squamish Ore Crusher cross-country race will open on March 6, with the event itself taking place on May 15 on the usual selection of Cheekey Fan trails.

This is a classic cross-country race with a Lemans-style sprint to the bikes at the start, followed by up to five laps around a course that is relatively easy but completely relentless with long false flats and rooty singletrack.

The race is open to kids 12 and up, with the proceeds going towards Don Ross Secondary's Outdoor Leadership Program.

This year the event is part of the Hell of a Series series, which includes the North Shore Festival, the North Shore Credit Union Test of Metal, the Gearjammer and the new Just Another Bike Race finals in Squamish.

For more information and registration visit www.orecrusher.com.

 

Bob Bartley passes

The Canadian Ski Association announced the passing of Bob Bartley, one of the originators of the FIS points system and penalty calculations.

Bartley was instrumental in the development of competitive ski racing in Western Canada. He created and ran B.C. high school ski programs and races and was a long-time member of the FIS. He was an alpine technical delegate from the inception of the FIS technical delegate program and served on various FIS committees and sub-committees.

Bartley was also president of the Western Division of the Canadian Ski Association, vice president of the CSA and was responsible for the development of the national rules and system of athlete evaluation.

He was elected to the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1983.