The 2019 Teck Coast Cup cross country ski race series wrapped up March 8 and 9 at Mount Washington, hosted by the Strathcona Nordic Ski Club. The annual Vancouver Island Loppet was also held March 9. Of six coastal ski clubs, Strathcona finished second in aggregate points behind North Vancouver’s Hollyburn for the Coast Cup series.
“This award is a wonderful reflection of the success of our racing and recreational ski programs. We have a team of hard-working volunteer coaches and parents, making cross country skiing a joy for participants of all ages, and a sport for life,” said chief of competition and past club president Len Apedaile.
On day one, Coast Cup #3 consisted of a team relay featuring bumps, sharp corners and steep banked turns. Relay teams of two skiers completed three laps each on course. Strathcona Nordic teams swept the podium in the Open & Masters Men category with Theo Lemay and Even Girard taking gold, Jeff Fretts and Gabe Gledhill finished second with Dave Pinel and Rupert Wong in third place. In other categories, golds were won by: Madelaine Galik and Vivianne Lemay in Midget Girls; Stephen Lamon and Calder Guimond Junior Boys/Men; Hugo Henckel and Gavin Johnson in Juvenile Boys; Clara Harmatiuk and Emi Errico in Atom Girls; Benny Pantuso and Caleb Rushforth in Atom Boys; Amelia Moore and Natasha Filanovsky in Peewee Girls; Tobin Kerr and Nico Schum in Peewee Boys, Yana Doeschner-Fretts and Nikita Filanovsky in Bantam Girls; and Sam Schum and Gavin Chatterton in Bantam Boys. Silver medals were won by Odette Lemay and Marilyn Atkinson in Open & Masters Women, and by Anna Chatterton and Naomi Swift in Juvenile Girls.
The Coast Cup #4 on day two was a skate technique mass start distance race. Placing top three in the Bantam Boys category were Gavin Chatterton with gold and Everett Wells in third. In the Bantam Girls category, Gillian Galik took silver and Nikita Filanovsky earned bronze. Midget Girls Madelaine Galik came in second. Atom Boys swept the podium with Owen Meldrum in first, Seymour Luoma in second and Kyu Smyth in third. Elyse Macluskie won a silver medal for Atom Girls.
Loppet 15k gold medal winners were Carly Ram, Zander Swift and Mike Tunnah. Theo Lemay, Anna Chatterton and Neil Holm won gold in the 30k. Full results: Zone4.ca.
For the first time, the club utilized a GoChip timing system, in which each racer wears an ankle bracelet with an active transponder chip that records times as they pass over a wire loop buried in the snow at the finish line.
Last on the agenda for the Junior Racers is National Championships in Gatineau, Quebec.
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