A large contingent of athletes, coaches and parents travelled to Callahagn Valley near Whistler last weekend for the Teck BC Cup #1, and Coast Cups #2 and #3. This dedicated group of cross country ski racers has been training hard, and their efforts paid off with dozens of top-10 finishes in a competitive field of racers from around the province.
“There’s nothing like a road trip to really bring a group together,” said head coach Andrea Stapff of Campbell River. “It was great to see our devos, juniors and masters’ racers all skiing so well, supporting each other, showing wonderful team spirit and camaraderie. Athletes dealt extremely well with the challenging weather and variable trail conditions.”
Top 10 results in the classic technique race, are as follows: Atom boys – Ben Galik - 3rd. Peewee boys – Everett Wells - 4th. Peewee girls – Gillian Galik - 1st, Natasha Filanovsky -5th, Talia MacPhail-McGrady -7th. Bantam boys – Gavin Chatterton - 4th, Nate Holyome -7th, Joa MacPhail McGrady -9th. Bantam girls – Carly Ram – 5th, Madelaine Galik – 7th, Nikita Filanovsky – 9th. Midget boys – Hugo Henckel – 3rd, Rory Bratrud – 8th, Fynn Collins-Mann – 10th. Midget girls – Anna Chatterton – 10th. Juvenile boys – Aiden Noble – 2nd, Stephen Lamon – 3rd, Gabe Gledhill – 5th, Theo Lemay -10th. Juvenile girls – Emma Wong – 6th, Amelia Wells – 7th. Junior boys – Ross Lamon – 3rd. Masters men – Rupert Wong – 6th, Berend Henckel – 7th. Masters women – Marika Galik – 1st, Odette Lemay – 7th.
In the freestyle, or skate technique race, top 10 finishers: Atom boys – Ben Galik – 1st. Peewee boys – Everett Wells – 4th. Peewee girls – Gillian Galik – 1st, Talia MacPhail-McGrady – 4th, Natasha Filanovsky – 8th. Bantam boys – Gavin Chatterton – 3rd, Nate Holyome – 6th. Bantam girls – Carly Ram – 2nd, Madelaine Galik – 6th, Nikita Filanovsky – 6th. Midget boys – Hugo Henckel – 1st, Fynn Collins-Mann – 7th, Rory Bratrud – 9th. Midget girls – Naomi Swift – 8th, Anna Chatterton – 10th. Juvenile boys – Gabe Gledhill – 2nd, Stephen Lamon – 2nd, Aiden Noble – 5th, Theo Lemay – 9th, Finn Manktelow – 10th. Juvenile girls – Amelia Wells – 6th, Emma Wong – 7th. Junior boys – Ross Lamon – 4th. Masters Men – Rupert Wong – 7th, Gavin MacPhail – 9th. Masters women – Lynn Swift – 9th.
Stapff was impressed with the club’s performance.
“A huge thank you to all the parents, and especially the well-oiled support team of waxers and volunteer coaches that ensured athletes were best prepared to give it their all.”
This was the first race in the BC Cup series and second race in the Coast Cup series. Next on the calendar are the Western Canadian Championships in Red Deer, Alta. Jan. 19-21, and the BC Cup #2 in Prince George, Feb. 3-4.
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