Tony Naciuk from Alberta came out strongest with a two-run time of 1:42.67. Naciuk achieved the second best run of the morning and the third fastest run of the afternoon, good for the overall victory and his province’s first medal at these championships. Earlier this week, he had realized a solid sixth place result in the super combined.
“I’m really happy to win this medal for my province,” admitted Naciuk. “I had a great day of racing; the snow was perfect, the weather was great, and the courses were awesome. I knew I had a good chance at the podium.”
Gabriel Presseault from Quebec, who set the pace in the first run and enjoyed a 0.10 second lead ahead of Naciuk entering the second run, had to settle for silver with an aggregate time of 1:42.72. Presseault was pushed back to second place overall after skiing the fourth best run of the afternoon.
“I had a really good first run,” said Presseault. “Unfortunately, my second run wasn’t as good. I had the chance to race here last year and I know the hill well so I tried to attack as much in the second run but it was a bit too much. Things didn’t work out as well as I had hoped but I’m still very happy with the result.”
Joel Charron from Ontario rounded out the top three with an aggregate time of 1:43.25. Charron, who was sitting in fourth place after the opening run, managed to win two more spots following a solid second run in which he clocked the second best time.
“I was so excited for the GS race,” said Charron. “I went to bed earlier than usual to be in top form and it paid off because I had a lot of fun in the race. I probably could have had a better result if I hadn’t made a mistake in the first run. Fortunately, I pulled off a strong second run and won a few more places.”
President’s Choice Staff Keep Racers Warm... inside and out!
Throughout the race week, President’s Choice staff have served warm soup, hot cider, cereals and treats to athletes, coaches, parents, and volunteers in the Silver Star Mountain Village and at the Paradise Camp site. All treats have been very well received by the hungry athletes and the cold course workers.
On Wednesday, some President’s Choice staff went above and beyond the call of duty, halting their soup service to help racers stranded on the chairlift.
As the story goes, near the end of the yesterday’s ladies’ giant slalom race, the entire mountain encountered a power outage which stopped the chairlift located at the race track.
Having just completed their races, some racers were stranded on the chairlift during the power outage without jackets or pants. Fortunately, those athletes who were in the chair located near the top of the hill - besides the Paradise Camp – were assisted by President’s Choice staff who noticed their discomfort and managed to throw President’s Choice jackets to them.
As the power resumed, the athletes were able to retrieve their personal belongings and perhaps... end their day with a hot and comforting President’s Choice soup!
Tomorrow’s Racing Action
Racing at Silver Star Mountain Resort will conclude on Thursday with the ladies’ and men’s slaloms. The first racer will leave the starting gate around 9:30 a.m.
Live, online timing is available for the duration of the Championships at:
http://canski.live-timing.com/races.php?pc=1
Did you know...
Silver Star Mountain has received 29 centimetres of new snow in the last 24 hours and 64 in the last seven days... and it keeps on coming!
President’s Choice Canadian K2 Championships
Schedule of Race Events
(*subject to change depending on the weather)
Race Hill: Gypsy Queen, Putnam Creek - Silver Star Mountain Resort, B.C.
Audience access: Take Comet 6 Pack chair to top of mountain; Bergerstrasse to Putnam Creek; Aunt Gladys to Gypsy Queen to start area; Skiers right of Gypsy Queen to Quicksilver; Cut off to High Lead to continue skiers right on Gypsy Queen to Finish area.
NOTE: Skis are required for all media and spectators to get to the finish area
Friday, April 3 – Races scheduled start time 10:00 a.m.
• Slalom - Ladies & Men
• President’s Choice Awards Ceremonies (following end of race ~ 3:30 p.m. in Silver Star Village)
ABOUT THE PRESIDENT’S CHOICE CANADIAN K2 CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2009 President’s Choice K2 Canadian Championships are hosted by the Vernon Ski Club at Silver Star Mountain Resort near Vernon, BC from March 30 to April 3, 2009. This event involving 172, 13 and 14 year-old ski racers from across the country features girls’ and boys’ Super G, Super Combined, Giant Slalom, and Slalom titles. For more information about the President’s Choice Canadian K2 Championships please visit the official event website at www.k2championships.com.
EVENT INFORMATION:
Garry van Soest
Race Chairman
Cell:250-307-5177
email: garry@vansoest.ca
Marie-Hélène Thibeault
President’s Choice K2 Championships
Media and Communications
Tel.: (403) 826-4351
mthibeault@activ8communications.com
David Primorac
Senior Director, Public Relations
Loblaws Companies Limited
Tel: 905-459-2500 ext. 3634
david.primorac@loblaw.ca