Calabogie racers prepared for the challenge

Anne Lefebvre

February 20, 2013

The final regular-season races are drawing to a close for Calabogie’s alpine athletes, leaving them well-prepared for the Championship Races in March. U12 and U14 have completed their race schedule, while U10 and U16 have just one more race to go. Then it’s full steam ahead into the championships and U14 Provincials.
The U16 gang raced in a slalom at Mont Cascades Feb. 9 and followed it up with a GS at Calabogie Peaks Feb. 10.
Aylen Ferguson (Carp) sped to 21st in the slalom and doubled the feat in GS with another 21st. Chris Pepin (Kinburn) did not finish his slalom race, but hung on in the GS to carve his way into 25th position.
The U10s travelled to Mont Cascades Feb. 16 for a panel slalom. This race requires the racers to execute short radius slalom turns, while going around the bigger, panelled gates.
CSRCs newest racers continue to improve each day. Louise Stonham (Arnprior) ripped down the course and in 11th place, while Carly Alexander (Carp) displayed her carving skills for 24th. Nicole Duff (Pembroke) was right behind in 26th.
The boys tore up the course as well. Jeremy Van Grunsven (Odessa) laid down not two, but three solid runs after a timing error on his first run, and was just off the podium in sixth place. Alex Wroe bettered his first run with a smoking second run which put him into eighth. Wyatt Campbell-Brunke rounded out the top 10 with a 10th place finish. Evan Sharma (Kingston) sped to 14th. Carson Lefebvre (Calabogie) was sitting in seventh following his first run, but DQed in the second run. Thys Blok (White Lake) showed perseverance after crashing in his first run, hiking back up the hill, and completing the race, while Nicholas McDermid (Burnstown) skied hard in both runs but was DQed in his second.
The U12s had a busy weekend with a panel slalom at Vorlage, Que. Feb. 16 and a Kombi race at Edelweiss, Que. Feb. 17. The boys skied with their usual aggressiveness and posted some nice times. Sam Alexander (Carp) raced into third place, picking up a bronze medal, while Tyler Lefebvre (Calabogie) was in sixth. Connor Allen (Manotick) laid down two good runs to land in 17th, and Owen Barr (Carp) continued to improve, attaining 25th position. Zach Wroe (Burnstown) displayed determination. After missing a gate, he skied back up and around it and then laid down a strong second run for 40th. Ryan Geddie (Kanata) upped his game to come in 49th. Sean Swayze (Braeside) and Jack Alexander (Carp) had some of the faster times of the day, but only completed one run each.
The girls were solid on the hill. Alyssa Steggall (Stittsville) had an eighth place result, while Annabel Wight (Kanata) and Tess Schreider (Kingston) continue to improve, placing 37th and 43rd respectively.
The Kombi race was a fun experience for all. A Kombi is a technical race requiring racers to react quickly, as it combines slalom and GS into one run, complete with delays, flushes and hairpins.
Jack Alexander snagged a silver medal, and Tyler Lefebvre was less than a second off the podium in seventh. Connor Allen, who has been coming on strong of late, landed in the top 10, 10th, for the first time. Zach Wroe was solid, racing to 20th. Owen Barr had to race the course three times after a starter error, but skied strongly for 27th. Ryan Geddie bettered Saturday’s results to come in 45th. Sam Alexander and Sean Swayze were podium-bound after one run, but both blew out of the second run. Alyssa Steggall was 25th after difficulty on her second run, while Annabel Wight skied hard for 43rd and Tess Schreider completed all her turns to land in 48th.
It was another Kombi race for the U14 group Feb. 17 at Mont Cascades. Lauren Ferguson of Carp was the top Calabogie girl, finishing 28th overall. Emma Schreider (Kingston) and Jessica Earle (Greely) came speeding into 33rd and 34th. Lauren Campbell-Brunke (Renfrew) was set to land in the top 10 again this season, but a broken gate got in her way and she was DSQed. She rallied on her second run, picking up a sixth place time. Sam Duff (Pembroke) was another top 10 racer, finishing 10th. Jack Hamilton (Burnstown) had a strong finish to his regular season with a 30th place, while Liam Maclean (Manotick) pushed hard for 49th. The crowd cheered with enthusiasm for Alex Duff (Pembroke) who, after crashing on his first run, came back with a blistering speed on his second. Travis Reid (Kingston) and Connor Maclean (Manotick) also had one strong run each.
Next up, U10 and U16 close off the regular season, followed by championship racing for all of the athletes.