Canada's national alpine team has had a mixed bag of results to start the 2014-15 season.
At a World Cup slalom event in Levi, Finland on Nov. 15 and 16, Marie-Michèle Gagnon of Lac Etchemin, Que. was the only Canadian woman to make the final round, skiing to a sixth-place finish (1:55.51). She was fifth at the same event last year. Finishing 1.36 seconds behind winner Tina Maze of Slovenia, it was Gagnon's best international result in 10 months.
Mont-Tremblant, Que.'s Brittany Phelan did not qualify for a second run, and Collingwood, Ont.'s Erin Mielzynski did not complete her first run.
On the men's side, Lachute, Que.'s Julien Cousineau was the top Canadian at 16th (1:53.55), 3.15 seconds behind champion Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway.
Calgary's Trevor Philp and Toronto's Philip Brown did not qualify for a second run, while Calgary's Erik Read did not complete his first run.
At the season's opening race, a giant slalom event in Soelden, Austria on Oct. 25 and 26, Brown had the best result, finishing 21st with a time of 2:32.48, trailing champ Marcel Hirscher of Austria by 4.39 seconds.
None of Lac-Sainte-Marie, Que.'s Dustin Cook, Calgary's Tyler Werry, nor Philp qualified for a second run.
On the women's side, St-Saveur, Que.'s Marie-Pier Prefontaine was 24th with a 2:45.05, which was 5.8 seconds behind co-champions Anna Fenninger of Austria and Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States.
Toronto's Candace Crawford didn't complete her second run, while Mielzynski and Wakefield, Que.'s Mikaela Tommy failed to qualify for a second run. Gagnon, meanwhile, did not complete her first run.
Local national team members Robbie Dixon and Morgan Pridy didn't compete in either event. According to a
Calgary Herald report, Dixon suffered a broken leg while training in Switzerland this summer.
Prior supporting non-profit with ANNIVERSARY celebration
Prior Snowboards and Skis is having a birthday, but children the world over will receive the presents.
The Function Junction-based company is marking its 25th anniversary on Nov. 20 with a party at its 104-1410 Alpha Lake Rd. headquarters. As part of the proceedings, the company will be raising money for Playground Builders, a locally based non-profit that has built 175 play structures for kids in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Palestinian Territories.
The events begin at 7 p.m. with factory tours, and will include a silent auction, a raffle for ski and snowboard gear and a ski pass, music and pizza.
For more event info, search Prior's 25th Anniversary Bash on Facebook.
