The Larch Hills Junior Race Team attended the second BC Cup race of the season this weekend hosted by Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club at the Mount Macpherson Ski Area, just a few minutes south of Revelstoke.
The first day of Nordic skiing consisted of a short interval sprint qualifier followed by Kings Court style sprints. Traditionally, the Kings Court sprints see four to six skiers face off in a short sprint, and then after each round the skiers are moved up or down in heats depending on their finish, allowing all skiers to ski multiple times. However, a large turnout of skiers meant the race organizers had to change the format to elimination rounds as there were too many skiers to have everyone complete all rounds. Masters skiers competed in a 5-kilometre classic interval start race.
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Sunday saw the temperature turn a bit colder and skiers faced icy conditions and increased difficulty on the newly developed race trails at Mount Macpherson. In addition to new race trails, the ski area also had expanded parking and a new, gentler beginner trail to get out of the stadium and access trails.
Day 2 of the BC Cup #2 was a freestyle mass start ski over varying distances depending on age. Distances ranged from 1.5 km for the youngest Atom skiers up to two laps of the 5-km course for the oldest.
The Larch Hills Junior Race Team sent more than 85 skiers to the event and had many top five finishes, including first-place finishes by Kai Cadden, Isaac Engel, Ian Orchard, Jeremiah Bucher, Trond May, Ben Van Bergeyk, Sheila Corbett, Arlo and Thola Heckrodt, Gideon Breugem, Reese Major, Sophia Van Varseveld, Natalie Wilkie and Tom Hansen.
Saturday saw top finishes from: Kai Cadden (first, Atom Boys 2), Ezekiel Liebich (third, Atom Boys 2), Isaac Engel (first, Atom Boys 3), Tye Major (second Atom Boys 3), Ian Orchard (first Pee Wee Boys 2), Joel Giesbrecht (second Pee Wee Boys 2), Kai Hansen (third Pee Wee Boys 2), Gideon Breugem (third Pee Wee Boys 1), Aidyn Zuidhof (fifth Pee Wee Boys 1), Reese Major (first Pee Wee Girls 2), Saphirra Bucher (third Pee Wee Girls 2), Keira Cadden (fifth Pee Wee Girls 2), Audrey Liebich (fourth Pee Wee Girls 1), Cole Bukmeier (third Bantam Boys 2), Max Calkins (fifth Bantam Boys), Kian Smith (third Bantam Boys 1), Peter Liebich (fourth Bantam Boys 1), Jeremia Bucher (first Bantam Girls 2), Grace Foulger (fifth Bantam Girls 1), Frankie Ayotte (second Midget Boys 2), Hilary Vukadinovic (second Midget Girls 2), Zara Bucher (second Juvenile Girls 1), Samantha Vukadinovic (third Juvenile Girls 1), Claire Van Bergeyk (second Juvenile Girls 2), Julianne Moore (fourth Juvenile Girls 1), Lys Milne (fifth Juvenile Girls 2), Maggie Rodwell (second Junior Girls 1), Maggie Beckner (fourth Junior Girls 1), Kate Milne (second Junior Girls 2), Trond May (first Juvenile Boys 2), Ben Van Bergeyk (first Junior Boys 2), Calvin Hepburn (fourth Junior Boys 1), Alexander Corbett (fourth Junior Men 20-29), Jeff Orchard (second Masters men 40-49), Sheila Corbett (first Masters Women 40-49), Megan Brooke (fourth Masters Women 40-49), Alan Corbett (third Masters Men 50-59), Daphne Brown (third Masters Women 50-59).
Top 5 finishers on Sunday included: Kai Cadden (first Atom Boys 2), Arlo Heckrodt (first Atom Boys 3), Tye Major (second Atom Boys 3), Thola Heckrodt (first Atom Girls 1), Kai Hansen (third Pee Wee Boys 2), Gideon Breugem (first Pee Wee Boys 1), Reese Major (first Pee Wee Girls 2), Keira Cadden (fifth Pee Wee Girls 2), Colby Cadden (fourth Bantam Boys 2), Max Calkins (fifth Bantam Boys 2), Asher Zuidhof (third Bantam Boys 1), Kian Smith (fourth Bantam Boys 1), Jeremia Bucher (first Bantam Girls 2), Madeleine Wilkie (third Bantam Girls 2), Trond May (Juvenile Boys 2), Calvin Hepburn (fifth Junior Boys 1), Ben Van Bergeyk (fifth Junior Boys 2), Sophia Van Varseveld (first Juvenile Girls 2), Samantha Vukadinovic (second Juvenile Girls 1), Zara Bucher (third Juvenile Girls 1), Isabelle Wilkie (fourth Juvenile Girls 1), Natalie Wilkie (first Junior Girls 2), Luke Heckrodt (third Masters Men 30-39), Tom Hansen (first Masters Men 50-59), Sheila Corbett (first Masters Women 40-49), Laura Hepburn (third Masters Women 50-59), Daphne Brown (fourth Masters Women 50-59).
Related: Larch Hills skiers make top times in first round of Teck BC Cup
Larch Hills will host the final BC Cup championship races over March 1-3, while the next two events on the team’s race calendar are the Western’s hosted by Telemark Nordic in West Kelowna (February 8-10) and the Tech BC Midgets Championships hosted by Sovereign Lake Nordic Feb. 16-17.
Submitted by Brad Calkins
