Following on Madeleine’s 4th place finish was Rhonda Jewett in 12th place, which put her in as the 4th Canadian. She was closely followed by Brooke Gosling in 18th place. Kate Brennan finished 24th and Sara Hewitt was 42nd.
The Academy men gambled and double poled the flat but long course (1.4km) course on skate skis. The cold and slow conditions that arrived overnight made this a questionable decision by race time, and there were very few men in the field who took the gamble. Dan Roycroft had a good sprint to finish 26th. Dan is typically a much stronger distance skier and will be looking forward to top results on Friday and Saturday. Terrell Stephen was next up for the Academy in 43rd. Chris Butler finished a distant 56th, but a dropped pole halfway through the sprint probably cost him a high finish today. Butler’s pole strap broke just after the first climb on the course, forcing him to stop completely and wait while teammate Gord Jewett ran the pole up to him. He raced the remainder of the way without a pole strap and was looking at a certain top 20 finish without that mishap.
SuperTour racing continues on Friday with 10km and 15km individual skate races. The Academy athletes who raced today will all start again and will be joined by Gord Jewett who will only contest the skate race here.
Academy Launches Friends’ Program
A group of twenty Bow Valley business leaders met last Thursday November 19 for the launch of the Friends of the Academy luncheon. Thanks to all who joined us last week for the launch of the Alberta World Cup Academy’s Friends’ Program. Alberta World Cup Society Chair Dale Swanson hosted a lunch at the Grizzly Paw restaurant of Canmore leaders and encouraged the group to consider making a financial contribution and become a Friends of the Academy. Jumping at the opportunity, Canmore businessman Andrew Hicks (Hicks and Associates) and Banff entrepeneur Erwin Widmer (Tocino Swiss Italian Restaurant) presented Swanson with cheques, to which Swanson quipped “Now this is a very good example!”
Joining Dale Swanson at the podium were Academy athletes Gord Jewett, Canada’s 2009 50 km Champion and Junior Female Canadian Champions Marlis Kromm and Heidi Widmer. The athletes reaffirmed that the natural beauty, the terrain and the facilities found on a year round basis in the Bow Valley are critical ingredients for their success. And once athletes come to the Bow Valley to train, there is no motivation to train elsewhere. The athletes also emphasized that all forms of community support – financial, volunteer and moral, motivate them as they work hard towards personal goals and success on the world stage.
For more on the Alberta World Cup Academy click here.