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Revelstoke’s Nordic Ski Club impressed at the BC Cup in Whistler with multiple medals

The competition took place in Whistler over last weekend
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The article was contributed by the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club.

The first BC Cup of the season took place in Whistler this past weekend, and 19 Revelstoke skiers made the trek over several mountain passes to compete under the iconic rings from the 2010 Olympics. Revelstoke athletes ranged from 12 to 51 years-old, emblematic of the “sport for life” concept that cross-country skiing represents.

Saturday consisted of classic sprint races, which are much like a track and field event, with a qualifying round followed by heats that progress to a championship in the afternoon. The moist Whistler weather meant that our wax techs were hard at work applying sticky klister to ski bases to create the grip needed for the wet, slippery tracks.

Livia McMechan shows off her powerful polling technique. (Maja Swannie Jacob)

On Sunday (Jan. 8), skiers raced using the skating technique, with distances ranging from 2.5–10 kilometres. The Whistler course was particularly tough — meant to challenge Olympic-level skiers with steep climbs and tight, fast, descents that didn’t allow for much recovery. Coaches yelled “work the downhills,” to squeeze out every second from the speedy, wet, snow. For some athletes, it was their first time competing at the Whistler Olympic park, and the excitement spurred several podium finishes and personal bests for the young skiers.

Saturday Classic Sprint Race

2005 Maeve MacLeod 1st

2006 Ruby Serrouya 2nd

2007 Lutza Berkenbosch 4th, Tobin Gill 5th

2008 Maya Royle 4th, Fiona Woodman 5th, Cedar Jacob 3rd, Kieran Macintosh 8th

2009 Livia McMechan 8th, Ember Smith 9th

2010 Hamish Woodman 4th, Micayla Macintosh 7th

2011 Sela McMechan 2nd

Masters: AnneMarie Gill 4th, Robyn Thomas 5th, Zach Hill 3rd, Brendan MacIntosh 8th, Rob Serrouya 22nd

Sunday Skate Race

2003 Marlie Molinaro 1st

2005 Maeve MacLeod 1st, Nyssa Thomas 5th

2006 Ruby Serrouya 1st

2007 Lutza Berkenbosch 5th, Tobin Gill 7th

2008 Maya Royle 4th, Fiona Woodman 3rd, Cedar Jacob 3rd, Kieran Macintosh 13th

2009 Livia McMechan 10h, Ember Smith 9th

2010 Hamish Woodman 2nd

2011 Sela McMechan 3rd

Masters: Rob Serrouya 32nd

Cedar Jacob rips around a tight corner. (Maja Swannie Jacob)

The key theme to a BC cup is to have fun, to promote participation, and prepare kids for skiing competitively as they get older. For athletes aged 16 to 20 years old, the event took on a slightly more serious tone because it was a qualifier for the Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island in February. Like the Olympics, Canada Games are a multi-sport event that happen every four years, with athletes from 20 winter sports representing British Columbia on the National stage.

Six female and male skiers from across the province are selected to represent Team BC. By coming first and second in their U18 categories, Maeve MacLeod (17) and Ruby Serrouya (16) automatically qualified for the Games, along with Marlie Molinaro who won the U20 category. Alexandra Luxmoore was also selected, meaning most of the female squad representing BC will come from Revelstoke!

Four Revelstoke Masters also raced over the weekend, and although they are too old to go to Canada Games, it’s clear that they imagined the glory of these events while skiing under the rings.

For Whistler, hosting 460 competitors served as a dry run for the World U20 and U23 ski championships that will be held in two-weeks at the Whistler Olympic Park. Four Revelstoke athletes will be traveling to Prince George next week, attempting to qualify for the world championships. Other upcoming events include the second BC Cup, which will be held in Revelstoke on Feb. 18 and 19.

All photos contributed by Maja Swannie Jacob



Zach Delaney

About the Author: Zach Delaney

I came to the Revelstoke Review from Ottawa, Ontario, where I earned a Master of Journalism degree from Carleton University.
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