Canada Snowboard’s 2016-17 national teams feature a strong Comox Valley presence.
Three of the 35 athletes named to the national teams honed their skills at Mount Washington Alpine Resort. Canada Snowboard’s June 9 announcement included Carle Brenneman of Comox on the snowboardcross team along with Darcy Sharpe of Comox and Spencer O’Brien of Courtenay on the slopestyle squad.
It’s a return to the national team for Brenneman, who has been recovering from an injury. She was on the team in 2011. She has recorded strong finishes at events all over the world, including the X Games.
Sharpe moved to Whistler at a young age to train with the Whistler Valley Snowboard Academy. No stranger to standing on top of podiums, Sharpe placed second at the 2012 FIS Junior World Championships in Sierra Nevada, Spain.
His 2015-16 highlights include: 1st Mile High by Carlton Dry, 1st Burton Rail Days Tokyo, 3rd Winter Dew Tour, 4th Laax Open and 4th X Games Oslo 2015-2016.
O’Brien is considered to be one of the world’s most progressive slopestyle snowboarders.
Since switching from halfpipe to slopestyle, she has enjoyed a great deal of international success. The four-time X Games medallist won the 2013 FIS World Championship and realized a dream in 2014 when she went to the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Her 2015-16 highlights included: 1st X Games Aspen, 2nd Winter Dew Tour 2015-2016, 4th U.S Grand prix of snowboarding (Fenway Big Air), 4th X games Oslo (Big Air) 2015-2016 and 4th 2016 Corona World Championships of Snowboarding (Slopestyle) 2015-2016.
“Canadian riders will be looking to build off an outstanding 2015/2016 season, including multiple World Cup, X Games, FIS Junior World Championships, LAAX Open podiums as well as several NorAM titles,” Canada Snowboard said in a press release.
“Preparations for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics are well underway, with several Olympic and Paralympic test events taking place this upcoming season.
“Quebec City's Snowboard Jamboree and the IPC World Championships at Big White will highlight the domestic calendar alongside both Canadian national championships: Sport Chek Air Nation presented by Burton and Sport Chek Speed Nation.”