Local Big White Racers Make Their Mark at Whistler Cup
Posted On: April 11, 2012 |
Two local 12 year old ski racers fought their way to top 10 performances in GS at the 20th Anniversary Whistler Cup over the Easter Weekend. This world class event unites top ski racers from the ages of 11-14 from across Canada and around the world, with 20 countries competing and 400 athletes it is a showcase ski event.
Under blue skies and fantastic race conditions the K1 division saw Big White Racers take Giant Slalom with solid performances as Zane Torres placed an impressive 6th in men's while teammate Brooke Lukinuk a 9th on the ladies side. Lukinuk was very consistent all weekend long skiing steady and completing each race effectively which seemed to be the recipe for success. She finished with an 11th in Slalom and 12th in Kombi, making her the only Okanagan K1 racer to finish in the top 15 for all three races. "This is the best ski event I have ever attended, to be able to compete against some of the best skiers in the world and see where you rank at this age is pretty amazing" claims Lukinuk.
Other Big White recognitions go to Tyler Clark and Marcus Athans who placed 14th and 15th respectively in K1 Slalom, while Ella Alfonso in the K2 division took an a very notable 12th place in ladies Slalom.
To help celebrate the 20th anniversary edition of the Whistler Cup, organizers welcomed back former racers such as current Canadian Alpine Ski Team members Robbie Dixon and Michael Janyk, of Whistler, Manuel Osborne-Paradis, of Vancouver, B.C., and Erin Mielzynski, of Guelph, Ont. In addition Tina Maze from Slovenia who raced in the Whistler Cup in 1996 and 1998 also presented awards.
"It's great to have so many countries racing here and it's a great opportunity for Europeans to come and compete against Canada and other countries," said Maze, who has 38 World Cup podiums and is the reigning world champion in giant slalom. "The organization has been really nice and the volunteers did a great job. It was fun to ski again in Whistler and I look forward to coming back soon."
Photos Brooke Lukinuk in purple helmet, Zane Torres in green both focusing on the GS race in front of them.
Under blue skies and fantastic race conditions the K1 division saw Big White Racers take Giant Slalom with solid performances as Zane Torres placed an impressive 6th in men's while teammate Brooke Lukinuk a 9th on the ladies side. Lukinuk was very consistent all weekend long skiing steady and completing each race effectively which seemed to be the recipe for success. She finished with an 11th in Slalom and 12th in Kombi, making her the only Okanagan K1 racer to finish in the top 15 for all three races. "This is the best ski event I have ever attended, to be able to compete against some of the best skiers in the world and see where you rank at this age is pretty amazing" claims Lukinuk.
Other Big White recognitions go to Tyler Clark and Marcus Athans who placed 14th and 15th respectively in K1 Slalom, while Ella Alfonso in the K2 division took an a very notable 12th place in ladies Slalom.
To help celebrate the 20th anniversary edition of the Whistler Cup, organizers welcomed back former racers such as current Canadian Alpine Ski Team members Robbie Dixon and Michael Janyk, of Whistler, Manuel Osborne-Paradis, of Vancouver, B.C., and Erin Mielzynski, of Guelph, Ont. In addition Tina Maze from Slovenia who raced in the Whistler Cup in 1996 and 1998 also presented awards.
"It's great to have so many countries racing here and it's a great opportunity for Europeans to come and compete against Canada and other countries," said Maze, who has 38 World Cup podiums and is the reigning world champion in giant slalom. "The organization has been really nice and the volunteers did a great job. It was fun to ski again in Whistler and I look forward to coming back soon."
Photos Brooke Lukinuk in purple helmet, Zane Torres in green both focusing on the GS race in front of them.
