For the nine to 12-year-olds on the Larch Hills Junior Race Team it was another action packed weekend at the Teck BC Midget Championships hosted by the Telemark Ski Team out of Kelowna. This race was for kids born between 2004 and 2007. Saturday was an action-packed day, starting with a two kilometre interval start classic ski race.
The afternoon was the highlight relay event. Teams of four are formed and the first two racers classic ski and then second two racers skate ski a 1.5 km course. There are only two categories for the relays, boys and girls. Costumes are worn and some teams make a real effort and don pretty fantastic costumes.
Saturday night the host club held a banquet for all racers and then Sunday the King’s Court Sprint races were held.
This event was especially exciting to watch at Telemark as they had a 300m course for the 2006/2007 kids and a 500m course for the 2004/2005 kids. Both race courses were running at the same time, making for very exciting spectating. Larch Hills was, once again, the dominating team and won the overall team trophy collecting 274 points to the second place Revelstoke team with 114 points.
Top-five finishers from Larch Hills amongst the 2004 girls were: first, Julianne Moore; second, Samantha Vukadinovic; third, Zara Bucher; fourth, Isabelle Wilkie and fifth, Katie Thielman. Top finishers from the 2005 boys were: second Mitchell Bond; third, Frankie Ayotte and fourth, Eric Moore.
Hilary Vukadinovic finished second amongst the 2005 girls.
Jonathon Breugem won third place among the 2006 boys and Ben Milne was fifth.
Dawson Bond won the 2007 boys race and Max Calkins was second. Jeremia Bucher was the fastest of the 2007 girls.
For the relays, the top Larch Hills boys’ team, The Rainbow Unicorns, came third with Jabin Zuidhof, Eric Moore, Jacob Hepburn and Mitchell Bond. The powerful Larch Hills girls took first and second place in the relays. First was the Beach Bums made up of Julianne Moore, Talia Brown, Teslyn Bates and Samantha Vukadinovic. Second was the Lucky Larchies comprised of Isabelle Wilkie, Katie Thielman, Hilary Vukadinovic and Zara Bucher.
The Kings Court Sprint race always adds a bit of drama and heartbreak as a fall or tactical error in one of the heats can cost a skier the win.
Top five finishers in this event by age were: 2004 girls, first, Samantha Vukadinovic; second, Zara Bucher; third, Julianne Moore. In the 2005 boys: fourth, Mitchell Bond; fifth, Eli Decker; 2005 Girls first Hilary Vukadinovic. In 2006 Girls: fifth, Tianna Zuidhof; 2007 Boys fourth Dawson Bond and fifth Max Calkins; 2007 Girls, first, Jeremia Bucher.
This was the last race of the season for most of the younger skiers. The older skiers are preparing for Nationals which are happening over Spring Break in Canmore. Many Larch Hills ski families will be making the trek over the mountain to either compete in or spectate and see the best skiers in the country compete.