Squamish's Mikayla Martin is one of two Whistler Mountain Ski Club skiers to make the BC Alpine women's provincial ski team.
Along with fellow rookie Stephanie Fleckenstein of West Vancouver, Martin will wear B.C. colours this year at the Nor-Am level.
Martin, 17, comes into the year with some pedigree after she posted a fourth-place finish in the downhill on her home course at the Canadian National Ski Championships in March after a middling start to the season. She credited current women's head coach Ryan Jazic of Whistler with helping her get on track to place herself among Olympians.
"That was a pretty solid result for me," she said. "(The season) started to pick up in March. We had a training block in February and I started figuring things out.
"It was the top of the turn (that was the issue). I wasn't rolling on very well at first and then we did a bunch of drills with Ryan and then I started to get it, get the free-falling kind of feeling (to increase speed)."
This season, the self-described "gutsy" skier still hopes to further increase her speed by putting pressure on the front of her boot to bend the ski more and create more bounce.
In other WMSC news, the club will hold its annual fundraiser, the Dust-Up at Dusty's on Saturday, Dec. 6. The event takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. Snacks and two drinks per person are included in the $100 ticket price. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.wmsc.info.
