By Matt Smider, Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club
A young crew of 20 Revelstoke Nordic skiers joined more than 200 athletes from across B.C. and northern Washington at West Kelowna's Telemark Nordic Club for the 2017 BC Midget Championships last weekend.
Midget Championships is an annual ski tournament geared towards fun and sportsmanship, and riddled with stiff competition for skiers aged 10-13.
On Saturday morning, skiers race a classic interval start event, while on Saturday afternoon, skiers donned costumes and clubs challenged each other in a four-person, mixed technique relay. Sunday found skiers sharpening their skills in tactical, head-to-head skate sprints.
Another weekend of stable waxing conditions took the stress off the technical teams and allowed the athletes to take centre stage.
Local highlights from the weekend included:
Two kilometre classic:
Elliot Wilson - 4th, 2004 boys
Maeve MacLeod - 3rd, 2005 girls
Nyssa Thomas - 5th, 2005 girls
Ruby Serrouya - 2nd, 2006 girls
Cameron Norrie - 3rd, 2007 boys
Tobin Gill - 5th, 2007 boys
Isobel Wilson - 3rd, 2007 girls
Elliot Wilson also received one of five prestigious Technique Awards for Saturday's morning event.
4x1.5 kilometre relay:
Dental Floss Typhoon: Elliot Wilson, Francesco Morrone, Cameron Norrie, Tobin Gill - 5th, boys
Revel Devils: Nyssa Thomas, Polly van Oort, Cassie Wolgram, Alexandra Luxmoore - 4th, girls
300 metre skate sprint:
Aislin Buchanan - 3rd, 2005 girls
Nyssa Thomas - 5th, 2005 girls
Ruby Serrouya - 1st, 2006 girls
Tobin Gill - 1st, 2007 boys
Cameron Norrie - 2nd, 2007 boys
Isobel Wilson - 3rd, 2007 girls
Team points were tallied after Sunday's sprints and Revelstoke skiers proudly captured second place out of 19 teams, well-positioned between the winning Larch Hills squad and ahead of host Telemark Nordic.
Kudos to the organizing committee for their hard work putting on a smoothly executed event. A big thank you to all Revelstoke Nordic parents for their ongoing support of our growing program. BC Midget Championships marked the end of a successful competitive season for many of our young skiers — congratulations team! While the younger crew rests and recovers, our older athletes will continue preparing for the 2017 Ski Nationals in Canmore from March 18-25.