By Leslie Cholowsky, Editor
Peighton Hampshire of Sedgewick, Owen Johnson of Killam, and Elizabeth Chambers of Brownfield have qualified in Alpine Skiing to attend the Alberta Winter Games, along with their coaches Tiana Holmes and Jacey Gamroth.
All three are members of the Valley Alpine Ski Club in Alliance, where they are currently in Levels 7 and 8, the top two levels, of the Nancy Green Ski Program, in addition to their race training.
The Valley Alpine Ski Club’s off-site race team is in just their second year back after a long hiatus since COVID shutdowns.
The team meets twice a week, Thursdays and Saturdays, with additional training days held off site in bigger areas like Nakiska.
All three skiers will be attending multiple other races this season, including races in Edmonton, Red Deer, North Battleford, and Jasper, competing in seven races in just 12 weeks.
The Alberta Winter Games are being held Friday, Feb. 13, through Monday, Feb. 16 in the Lakeland Region, co-hosted by Bonnyville, Cold Lake, and Glendon. The racers will be competing in Slalom events only for the games in Parallel Slalom and Dual Slalom.
Dual Slalom is a mixed team event where two teams, consisting of five racers each, male and female, race on tracks parallel to one another in a relay style.
Keltie Johnson of the Valley Alpine Ski Hill says that the Alberta Games is “Literally a once-in-a-lifetime event for most athletes. The Alpine Skiing is only open to U14 (12- and 13-year-old athletes) and the winter games are only held every two years. “It will be a beyond-amazing experience for local youth.”
She says the team currently has seven racers between the ages of 12 and 15 on the race team. “We are hoping this will continue to expand in the coming years.”
Johnson adds, “The race team is always seeking sponsors to help with the rising costs of training, travel, coaching, and team apparel required for local youth to compete.”
Johnson says that the Valley Alpine Ski Club has racers participating in Slalom, Giant Slalom, and Ski Cross (SX) racing, across both Alberta and Saskatchewan. She says Ski Cross, in particular, is an exciting event featuring multiple racers navigating turns, jumps, and obstacles simultaneously. “We are incredibly proud that every one of our racers earned at least one placement ribbon last season!”
This season, the Valley Alpine Skiers will be participating in a regional series race event that will include events in Edmonton, Red Deer, with the finals held in Jasper for Slalom and Giant Slalom. Racers will also be attending a four-day Ski Cross race/training weekend in North Battleford and another three-day event in Edmonton.
Races vary from two to four days in length.
Hampshire, Johnson, and Chambers will be representing Zone 4, which is a huge area, including Camrose and Red Deer. Each of the eight zones are allowed to send a total of 10 athletes, five males and five females. The remaining Zone 4 athletes are all from Red Deer.
Johnson says the qualifier race for the Winter Games was held in Red Deer on Dec. 20 at Rabbit Hill. “It was -32 that morning at the hill, but athletes from all over North Zone pushed through and raced for a spot at the winter games. Those are some tough kids!”
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