Red Deer Ski Club hosts provincial ski race at Canyon
Red Deer Ski Club welcomed athletes from across the province to a two-day event over the weekend to compete in the Alberta Alpine U12 Provincial Series.
About 160 athletes from different ski clubs took to the slopes of Canyon Ski Resort and competed in different races divided by gender.
A total of six slalom races took place on Saturday, three for the boys and three for the girls. Slalom races featured tighter turns around the poles along the course and are typically shorter distances than giant slalom.
At the end of the weekend, four giant slalom races will follow on Sunday. The main difference between giant slalom and slalom is that the poles are further apart and require more speed.
Coach and board member at Red Deer Ski Club Levi Lowry, weekends are important to athletes as they earn points based on where they place in events. After each weekend they are ranked below their competitors.
“It’s very challenging,” Lowry explained. “At that age there are some very competitive racers. I think the time they have spent in the snow up to this point is a big factor and how often they ski with their families or clubs.
“Obviously the more they ski the better they will do, and at that age you start to separate those who are competitive and motivated and those who ski casually.”
Approximately seven skiers from Red Deer Ski Club took part in the event and overall the club numbers about 50 athletes.
“I think they did pretty well,” Lowry said. “It’s a challenging competition for all clubs. The South Zone tends to do much better and we are in the North Zone.”
Was @SkiCanyon today to cover the U12 Alberta Alpine Provincial Series pic.twitter.com/c8IDE1xuvN
— Ian Gustafson (@IanGustafson12) January 22, 2023
This season Lowry explained that they had competitive racers in the older age groups but this weekend marked the start of the younger group’s season.
10-year-old Greysen Lowry, who competed on Saturday, said on Saturday he thinks he’s racing quite well and is enjoying skiing down the slopes.
This season was his third year at the club and has been training about three times a week to work on his skills. The youngster has been skiing for a number of years after asking his father if he could give it a try and plans to continue competing in the future.
On Saturday the race results looked like this:
Morning race #1
ladies
1. Sofia Pelkey - Lake Louise Ski Team
2. Anastasia Cuddihy – Mount Allan Ski Team
3. Carmen Bullock – Lake Louise Ski Team
Men’s
1. Carter Duffy – Rabbit Hill Ski Team
2. Henry Petersen – Mount Allan Ski Team
3. Nelson Grandoni – Westcastle Ski Club
Morning race #2
ladies
1. Carmen Bullock – Lake Louise Ski Team
2. Kaitlyn Joy – sunshine speedster
3. Olivia Henning – Bow Valley Quickies
men
1. Carter Duffy – Rabbit Hill Ski Team
2. Samuel Richardson – Fernie Alpine Ski Team
3. Nelson Grandoni – Westcastle Ski Club
Afternoon Race #3
ladies
1. Sofia Pelkey - Lake Louise Ski Club
2. Emma Berthiaume – Bow Valley Quickies
3. Carmen Bullock – Lake Louise Ski Club
men
1. Ronan Loria – Fernie Alpine Ski Team
2. Nelson Grandoni – Westcastle Ski Club
3. Merrick McHugh – Mount Allan Ski Team
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