By Brad Calkins
Contributor
The Larch Hills Junior Race Team and the Larch Hills Nordic Society hosted the second event in the 2022 Teck BC Cup series over the weekend.
The event ran Feb. 12 and 13, and included a free technique sprint event on Saturday, and an interval start classic technique event on Sunday.
The classic technique courses, designed by the event organizing committee, were challenging and included skiing up the Roller Coaster and Ermine Frolic trails. Finishing with “The Beast” for all but the youngest skiers made for fun spectating.
Distances varied with one-kilometre for the youngest athletes, a two-lap course for Paranordic competitors, and up to 15 km (four laps) for the U18, U20, U23 and Senior Men competitors.
More than 400 athletes registered for the event, representing clubs from B.C., Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
This event marked the first major multi-club event at Larch Hills since early 2020, and competitors, volunteers and spectators alike were thrilled to be back out competing, socializing and enjoying the sunshine while participating in a healthy outdoor activity! While volunteers were a bit rusty having not held an event for so long, they rose to the challenge and everything came together for a great race weekend.
The first day was held in two parts, starting with a sprint qualifier in the morning between 9 and 11 a.m. Each competitor skied a short course appropriate for their age group, spaced 15 seconds apart. It was a race against the clock to determine a seeding order for the sprints in the afternoon.
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A faster time in the morning qualifier helped ensure athletes received a better position to reach the final.
Once the heats started, two formats were used. For younger athletes a “King’s Court” format was used where there is no elimination. This was great for younger kids as they get to race against four to six other similar-age athletes multiple times without getting knocked out in the first round. Older athletes faced elimination rounds as they progressed to the final.
Full race results are available on Zone4.
Weather conditions were variable in the weeks leading up to the Teck BC Cup #2, with cold conditions, warm conditions and a lack of snow right before the event. While near zero conditions with older snow meant getting out the Klister for waxing, everyone enjoyed the warm sunshine and blue skies on both days of the event.
The final event in the series, the three-day Tech BC Championships, takes place in Prince George March 4-6, and Larch Hills’ athletes are looking forward to another opportunity to see what they are capable of!
The Larch Hills Junior Race Team would like to extend a warm thank you to all the event sponsors, Teck Resources Ltd., the approximately 100 volunteers, athletes and Cross Country BC in making the event possible.
For more information please contact Sadie Gibson with Cross Country BC at 250-545-9600 or email office@crosscountrybc.ca, or Brad Calkins with the Larch Hills Jr Race Team at 250-517-7080 or email bradcalkinsstock@gmail.com.
newsroom@saobserver.net
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