After a rough first two days of Audi FIS World Cup competition for the Canadian women at Lake Louise, Alta., Valerie Grenier salvaged the weekend in a big way.
On Dec. 2, the 22-year-old posted a fifth-place finish in the super-G, finishing just 0.05 seconds off the podium and 0.88 seconds back of winner Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States. Norway's Ragnhild Mowickel took second while Germany's Viktoria Rebensburg took third.
"That was amazing when I saw the number 5 on the board! I honestly couldn't believe it, but at the same time I did, because my run felt good, it felt fast. Fifth place is just unbelievable, I'm so happy right now. In front of a Canadian crowd makes me even happier, I'm glad it is happening here. A great start for me, especially in super-G, I was feeling pretty good, I definitely wanted to do well. I was hoping for a top 15 so to be fifth shows me that I am skiing well and that I can go fast," Grenier said in a release.
Other Canadians included Marie-Michele Gagnon in 20th and Roni Remme in 36th.
The weekend also consisted of two downhills.
In the Nov. 30 event, Remme and Grenier finished back to back in 35th and 36th while Gagnon was 44th. Austria's Nicole Schmidhofer skied to the win over Switzerland's Michelle Gisin and Germany's Kira Weidle.
The Dec. 1 race had plenty of similarities as Remme and Grenier once again found themselves in order, but in 36th and 37th, respectively, while Gagnon finished 40th. Schmidhofer won this race as well, with fellow Austrian Cornelia Huetter in second and Gisin taking third.
Full results are available online at www.fis-ski.com.
Read takes 19th in Beaver Creek GS
Canada's men also had to wait until Sunday to pull out their best result of the weekend in Beaver Creek, Colo.
Erik Read posted a 19th-place finish in the giant slalom, 2.06 seconds back of winner Stefan Luitz of Germany. Austria's Marcel Hirscher and Switzerland's Thomas Tumler rounded out the podium.
On Dec. 1, Ottawa's Dustin Cook had the best speed result of the weekend, earning a 21st-place finish in the super-G. Cook was 1.25 seconds back of winner Max Franz of Austria, with Switzerland's Mauro Caviezel earning second and a three-way tie of Aksel Lund Svindal and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, both of Norway, and Italy's Dominik Paris in third.
Other Canadians were: Jeffrey Read (33rd); Whistler's Brodie Seger (48th); Benjamin Thomsen (54th); and Sam Mulligan (60th).
The week started with Thomsen earning a Canada-best 38th in the downhill on Nov. 30, with Seger in 48th, Cook in 57th, Whistler Mountain Ski Club alum Jack Crawford in 59th and Mulligan in 61st. Switzerland took the top two steps, with Beat Feuz earning the win and Caviezel in second while Svindal took a solo third.
WMSC athletes, alums compete at Mount Norquay
A plethora of current and former Whistler Mountain Ski Club (WMSC) racers hit the top 30 in FIS action at Mount Norquay, Alta. on the weekend.
WMSC alums scored sixth place in three of the four slalom races, with Riley Seger doing so in the men's event on Dec. 1. Others starring in that event were Nathan Romanin in 15th, Myles Kowalczyk in 16th, Jack Forsyth in 22nd, Konstantin Petkovic in 24th and Tait Jordan in 26th.
Meanwhile, Kyle Alexander took sixth on Dec. 2, with Kowalczyk in 10th, Jordan in 11th, Forsyth in 14th and Petkovic in 15th.
On the women's side, Ella Renzoni took sixth on Dec. 2, while Julia Ross and Gemma Bexton took 24th and 29th, respectively.
In Dec. 1 action, Renzoni was 11th.
Full results are available online at www.fis-ski.com.
WSS volleyball squad victorious
The Whistler Secondary School (WSS) Storm finished its season on top of the Sea to Sky.
The senior girls' Gold squad won the division final 3-2 over Pemberton A last month to cap a successful season. The team finished 5-1 in the Sea to Sky regular season, while also winning the consolation final of a tournament in Burnaby.
Coach Andrew Long said in an email that he was proud of what the team accomplished, especially as they were a "coachable" group.
"With a roster of 16 players, which is a lot for a volleyball team, it was important for the group to play well as a team. At various times during the (final) match, there were different combinations of players on the court, and players had to do their jobs with those different players around them, which they did well. Those that were not on the court also did a great job of supporting the on-court players during this exciting and lengthy match," he wrote.
The Blue squad, made up entirely of Grade 11s, fell to Pemberton A in the semifinal in a close match that saw them drop the third set by a 15-13 final.
WSS is also seeking more volunteer community coaches and referees. Those interested can contact athletic director Katrina Chevrette at kchevrette@sd48.bc.ca or 604-905-2581.
Two WSS hoopsters earn scholarships
The WSS Storm senior girls' basketball team saw two of its leaders make an impression at the inaugural Big Ticket Tournament at Simon Fraser University last weekend.
Both Ayden Kristmanson and Pietra Kamstra earned $1,000 scholarships at tournament's end.
Whistler finished 1-2 at the event, besting Burnaby South before dropping its next two.
