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Janyk, Grandi go two for two

Speed events cancelled due to weather The Pontiac GMC Cup Canadian Alpine Championships wrapped up on March 27 after a frustrating 10 days of snow, rain, wind, rain and fog.

Speed events cancelled due to weather

The Pontiac GMC Cup Canadian Alpine Championships wrapped up on March 27 after a frustrating 10 days of snow, rain, wind, rain and fog. More than a metre of snow fell during the last seven days of the competition, prompting delay after delay.

The Weasel Workers put in a Herculean effort to keep the downhill and super G course clear of snow and ready for the race, but in the end the weather proved to be too much.

While locals and visitors were enjoying some of the best skiing of the season, the racers have been watching and waiting for a break in the clouds to do what they came here for. Many of them will go home disappointed.

At press time on March 26, the women’s super G event and downhill had been cancelled. The men’s downhill and a women’s FIS giant slalom remained on the To Do list, but with another system sitting on the mountains, it looked doubtful.

But hey, that’s racing.

Two athletes that have nothing to complain about are Whistler’s Britt Janyk and Canmore’s Thomas Grandi. They cleaned up in the technical events, each winning gold in both the slalom and giant slalom championships.

Janyk, 22, kicked things off on the first day of racing with a slalom win on March 19. She came into the nationals as the top-ranked Canadian on the World Cup slalom circuit in 16 th overall.

"Coming into the race I was the top slalom racer, and I was the most consistent on the World Cup all season, but the others skiers, Emily (Brydon) and Ali (Forsyth) are pretty strong, themselves," said Janyk. "I definitely had to ski hard out there to win. A race is a race, wherever you are."

This was Janyk’s first national slalom title, although she’s no stranger to the podium. At last year’s championships, she won gold in super G, GS, and the combined events, won silver in the slalom, and finished sixth in the downhill.

Janyk said it was an advantage to know her hometown race course so well, because she can ski it almost without thinking. It was also nice to have friends and family out there to support her, after spending most of her season in Europe.

"That morning I bumped into my mom, and we went up the chair together before the race. I was pretty relaxed, and I slept at home that night. The atmosphere racing at home is always nice," she said.

While the weather and the delays were distracting, she said that she’s used to these kinds of things by now.

"When you’re in this sport, that’s how it is," said Janyk. "You have to be ready, and wake up every day prepared to race whatever the weather is, and concentrate on what you’re going to do until the race is cancelled. It can be mentally draining keeping your focus up when there are delays, but we’ve all done it before and it’s the same for everybody."

Janyk was in second place behind Emily Brydon of Fernie after the first run by a gap of just 0.11 seconds. She went on to post the fastest second run of the day – more than 0.7 seconds ahead of the next fastest racer – to win the title with a combined time of one minute, 20.28 seconds.

Brydon took the silver in 1:20.91, and 17-year-old national team rookie Sophie Splawinski of Monreal finished third in 1:22.13.

From Whistler, Rachel Walker finished 16 th , Alison Leighton was 30 th , and Rachel Nixon, Danielle Robson and Kayla Benow were 34 th through 36 th respectively out of a field of more than 50 racers.

The men’s slalom ran on the following day, and to no one’s surprise the title went to Grandi. It was the 30-year-old’s 10th national championship title, which is a record for the men’s ski team.

"It’s good to have your place in the history books," said Grandi, who defended his slalom title.

The weather brought new snow to the course overnight and during the day, and although the course was cleared by volunteers, the second run was as choppy as they come.

"The second run – well, it was definitely a ride," said Grandi, who won both runs. "It’s not exactly World Cup conditions, but that’s just the way it goes. They worked really hard to get this race off today."

Grandi’s time of 1:46.28 put him almost two seconds ahead of Brad Spence of Calgary’s 1:48.03. Third went to Ottawa’s Ryan Semple with a time of 1:48.14.

With Janyk’s brother Michael out with a knee injury this season, Whistler’s presence in race was diminished considerably. Brian Bennett of Quesnel, a Whistler Mountain Ski Club (WMSC) skier and coach, picked up the slack and finished eighth with a time of 1:50.58.

Jeff Hume, a member of the national speed team, finished 18 th , WMSC alumni Aaron Civitarese and James Finlayson were 28 th and 32 nd . Chris Colpitts was 34 th and Robbie Dixon 45 th .

The organizers took advantage of a weather break on March 23 to hold the men’s GS, and Grandi rose to the occasion with his first double-gold performance in years.

His posted a strong first run, almost a second faster than David Anderson of Rossland, and managed to hold onto it after a slower second run to win with a time of 2:31.15. Anderson took the silver in 2:31.48, and Julien Cousineau of Lachute, Quebec, was third in 2:31.72.

"It caught me a bit off-guard how fast the second course was," said Grandi. "You had to have a quick tempo. I went too straight off the start and got caught in the ruts at the top, but I was solid down the last pitch. It was a good race."

Whistler Jeff Hume, liking the faster course, finished in fourth place after starting with Bib 54. Brian Bennett was solid once again, finishing eighth once again in 2.32.72.

WMSC alumni Manuel Osborne-Paradis was ninth, Jeff’s brother Scott was 13 th , James Finlayson was 21 st , Ben Chaddock was 30 th , Robbie Dixon 33 rd , Aarson Civitarese 35 th , and Chris Colpitts and Tyler McNabb 50 th and 51 st respectively.

The following day the workers managed to get off the only speed event of the week, the men’s super G.

Erik Guay of Tremblant, Quebec successfully defended his national title in that race with a one-run time of 1:31.97. Darin McBeath of Calgary was second in 1:32.32, and Whistler’s Jeff Hume earned the bronze medal in 1:32.76.

For Whistler, Mike Giannelli and Brian Bennett were 10 th and 11 th , Manuel Osborne-Paradis was 16 th , and Scott Hume 17 th , Robbie Dixon 19 th , Marcus Waring 25 th , Ben Chaddock 26 th , James Finlayson 29 th , Aaron Civitarese 33 rd , and Chris Colpitts 64 th .

The last event held before press time was the women’s giant slalom on March 25.

Britt Janyk was the woman to beat once again, posting the fastest first run by 1.47 seconds, then following up with the second-fastest second run.

"There was a little bit of pressure to defend my title, and I had a really good race," she said.

For her, the real pressure was off once the World Cup season ended.

"For me these races are about national titles and trying to win a little cash for next season. The races are more important for young skiers so they can see how close they can be to us, and for the skiers who do well, it’s also a chance to get noticed by the national team," she said.

Janyk’s combined time of 2:36.66 was 2.13 seconds faster than Brigitte Acton of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and 2.31 seconds faster than Gail Kelly of Ste. Anges de Beauce, Quebec.

Allison Forsyth, a past GS champion and former racer with the WMSC, finished fourth.

Other Whistler races include Alison Leighton in 26 th , Rachel Walker in 28 th , Kendall Benbow in 37 th , Rachel Nixon in 39 th , Anastasia Skryabina in 40 th , Charlotte Whitney in 47 th , Kayla Benbow in 49 th , and Danielle Robson in 50 th out of close to 70 racers.

For complete results from the Pontiac GMC Cup Canadian Championships, visit Alpine Canada Alpin at www.canski.org.