People always dream of winning. Winning a house, winning a car, winning the lottery.
Last weekend, through hard work and determination, dreams were accomplished for some of Jasper鈥檚 youngest ski racers. With more than 400 athletes from across Northern Alberta, Jasper dominated the giant slalom race on upper Dromedary.
Several of Jasper鈥檚 U12 and U10 athletes had outstanding runs, catapulting them to the podium in their individual age categories. Those athletes include Griffin Shepherd (1st), Jake Kertesz-Knight (1st), Isabella Heinemann (1st), Sophia Mastrianni (2nd), and Skylar Shepherd (2nd).
Other exceptional performances came from Abby Carmichael, Allie Boese, Max Peregoodoff, Richard Webster and Cameron Duffy.
It was a bluebird day to kick off the first day of the Jasper Junior Olympics on Saturday, Feb. 28.
The Jasper Ski Team had 30 athletes competing in the event from ages five through to 11.
Day one had racers compete individually on two different courses over two runs for a coveted JJO Bell. The four- and five-year-old athletes spent a fun filled day flying down 鈥淭he Dream Team鈥� course on School House. The young athletes were all clad in pyjamas to support the local charity, Find The Common Thread.
The older athletes took part in Giant Slalom events on Dromedary. There were some excellent results from Jasper鈥檚 Nancy Greene athletes with top 10 finishes and plenty of smiles to go around. Especially impressive was the huge improvement in the athletes performances as the day went on, showing a real desire to improve and challenge themselves.
The team arrived at the mountain for another early start on Sunday morning, accompanied by some impressive goggle tans from the day before.
The Sunday team event consisted of a dual slalom where the athletes earned points for their club. It was a very long and technical course, but the Jasper team rose to the challenge and chalked up a good tally of points for their team. Spirits were high at the end of the day, and the athletes enjoyed some fun skiing around the mountain to cap off an extremely positive weekend.
Since November, the Jasper U12/U10 group, coached by ex-Jasper Ski Team racers Sadie Howe and Louise Knight, have been training two to three times per week at various mountains around the Canadian Rockies.
The young athletes kicked off the season with a taste of inspiration at the Lake Louise World Cup and are continuing to strive for excellence as the season progresses. They attended a provincial race at Nakiska in mid-February and over the upcoming weeks they will be dreaming of podium performances at Panorama, Norquay and Lake Louise.
The Jasper Junior Olympics performances bode well for this weekend when the Jasper Ski Team will travel to Panorama for the Linda Putnam invitational race.
The Jasper Ski Team would like to thank the parents, coaches, race organizers and Marmot Basin for all their support in making the race so successful, and a special thank you to the athletes for their hard work and fantastic spirit.
Louise Knight & Patrice Fortin Special to the fitzhugh
