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Victoria Whitney finds groove with national training group

Whistler skiers train with B.C. Ski Team
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According to plan, if not according to schedule, Whistler's Victoria Whitney was selected to join the Canadian Alpine Ski Team's training group for the 2009-2010 winter season.

She has been with the program since early May, spending a week at Sunshine Village training on snow before heading to the University of Calgary and Canada Olympic Park for a month of dryland training with the team.

She returned to Whistler on Sunday to train independently for three weeks, then will return to Calgary for another training session before flying to New Zealand.

"It's not really a huge step up (from the B.C. Ski Team). Training is training, dryland is dryland. The biggest difference for me is that I was the only girl on the team last year and was with guys through the season, so it's a little different that way," she said. "There are also ore coaches and there's more support, and a few experts here and there - it's not a lot different, but it is the next step."

Whitney has paid her dues at every level.

She spent most of the 2007-2008 season on the sidelines with a torn ACL, but made a huge impact returning to the B.C. Ski Team last season with a super G win at a Nor-Am Cup race at Panorama, a bronze medal in a Nor-Am giant slalom at Nakiska, and numerous top-10 results in all four disciplines while racing in North America and Europe.

Her season ended with a serious crash at the World Junior Championships in Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany, and a helicopter ride to the hospital where she was diagnosed with extensive bone bruising to her tibia, and some damaged muscles in her knee. She considers herself lucky, because she was back in training after a few months for an injury that can take half a year to heal.

She's now 100 per cent and looking ahead to a season that will include Nor-Am races, more Europa Cup events, and possibly a chance to race in a World Cup.

"Last year Georgia (Simmerling on the development team) got to race at Lake Louise, so it's possible," said Whitney, who turned 19 last week. "Sometimes at Lake Louise if they can get more people through the training runs they'll decide to let a couple more racers go through. It's really last minute, but there's a chance."

Whitney will focus on her strengths next season, which means the speed events of downhill and super G, as well as giant slalom. She is not focusing much attention on slalom, but will race a few Nor-Ams if she gets an opportunity.

Her goal is to be on the podium at her Nor-Am races, and in the top-five at Europa Cup events. She is also chasing quota spots that go to overall winners in Nor-Am disciplines, and anyone who ranks in the top-two of the Europa Cup circuits.

"I had a top five in (a Europa Cup in) Italy last year, and I had a win here (in Nor-Am), so I know I can get there," she said. "I just need to be more consistent, and better, and hopefully I can get a World Cup spot."

While it's an honour to be promoting to the national training team, it's also a huge commitment for Whitney who will have to pay team fees this season.

"It's just the way it works, the lower down you are the more you have to pay. At the top the World Cup teams don't pay anything... but hopefully I can get carded this year, which would help," she said.

Right now Alpine Canada is allotted up to 30 cards a year by Sport Canada, which provides athletes with a monthly cheque to go towards team fees, travel and other cost-of-living expenses.

"They basically go down the national team by rank, but a few of the athletes on top with the World Cup team will give up their card because they earn enough and can pay for their skiing. I know Erik Guay and Genevieve Simard give up their cards, which allows a few cards to trickle down from the top to the bottom," she said. "It's a really amazing thing and it makes a big difference to skiers that are at the bottom and working their way up."

Whitney also has some assistance from team sponsors, and locally the Whistler Construction Company has helped her out for the past three years, and she's looking for more assistance to help her pay her team fees.

At home, Whitney is planning to spend some time on her road bike - she raced in Kelowna last week - and to do a few rides on her mountain bike as well. She has a free entry in the Test of Metal next weekend after winning her age category last year, but has only been on one mountain bike ride this year and may decide to pass.

"I asked my coach if it would be okay to race and he said to go ahead just don't get injured... which kind of put that idea in my head," she said. "For years I was one of those people online on New Year's day rushing to sign up, and now I have a free entry I may have to pass. I'm still torn, but sitting this one out might be the smart thing to do."

Whistler skiers join B.C. Ski Team camp

Whistler skiers were among the athletes picked to train with the B.C. Ski Team's summer training group, which will be focused on dryland and on-snow training through the summer months.

The B.C. team includes Whistler's Conrad and Morgan Pridy, Tyler Werry and Sarah Freeman of Fernie, and Whistler Mountain Ski Club (WMSC) veteran Joceyln Ramsden.

The team will be joined by six other high-potential racers, who will be trying out for spots on the provincial development team that will be named in November. That group includes Whistler skiers Michael Cadman, Spencer Morris, William Konantz and Ford Swette from the WMSC, as well as Sarah Elliot from Big White and Celine Rytz of Fernie.

Several younger athletes at the K2 (age 13 to 14) and J1 (15 to 16) level were invited to the B2B (Best to the Best) Performance Camps hosted by B.C. Alpine this year. That team was named in May to coincide with a physical testing camp, with athletes heading to an on-snow camp at Mt. Hood, Oregon for the last week of June. Dusan Grasic, head coach of the Canadian men's World Cup technical team is a guest coach for that camp.

The list of WMSC skiers invigted to B2B and the camp include Mackenzie Patterson, Kailee Darlington, Charley Field, Daniel Kwong, Justin Hayto, Broderick Thompson, Logan Pehota and Blake Ramsden.