Two B.C. snowboarders and another from Calgary who thought they’d qualified for next month’s Olympic Games in Nagano are trying to figure out who flunked math. Whistler’s Lori Glazier, West Vancouver’s Maelle Ricker and Calgary’s Tara Teigen were named, along with Vancouver’s Natasza Zurek, to the Canadian Olympic halfpipe team last week. This week it looks like only Zurek may be going. The problem stems from confusion over the FIS ranking system. Because snowboarding was added to the Olympics after Nagano won the Games, the Japanese asked if the number of entries could be limited to 20. The FIS complied, which means only the top 20 halfpipe riders in the world will be permitted to compete, and no more than four competitors from any one nation. The problem stems from which FIS list is being used. A new list was published Monday and only one Canadian was in the top 20. The Canadian Snowboard Federation, which told the Canadian Press this week it was trying to contact the FIS, noted that four Canadian women were in the top 20 in the December FIS list. However, it appears the CSF may not have understood the system. "The latest list at the Whistler World Cup event Dec. 9, we had four women spots," CSF Executive Director Mike Wood told the Canadian Press. "Since then all of our women have been consistently in the top 20." FIS points lists are updated regularly during the winter season. A rider’s two best results during the previous 12 months are used to determine their ranking. Two first place finishes in World Cup events in the last 12 months would ensure a number one ranking. However, because of the number of events in the last year, there could be several riders all with number one rankings. The CSF says Zurek is the top ranked Canadian rider, but Karl Ricker says they are going by an old points list and his daughter Maelle is actually the only Canadian in the top 20. "If Maelle hadn’t come third at San Candido last week no Canadian women would be going to the Olympic halfpipe," Karl Ricker said. Maelle has two third place finishes in the last year, which ranks her 19th in the world. Karl Ricker says there were indications when the Canadian team went back to Europe after Christmas that their rankings might be in trouble.
