December 6, 2006 (Sun Valley, Idaho) – Canada’s Sean Crooks was in familiar company when he stood atop the podium on Wednesday in the men’s 1.5- kilometre sprint race, surrounded by his countrymen and teammates as Canadians took the top-six spots.

The Thunder Bay, Ont., native narrowly missed the top-16 cut off after a wipe-out during the qualifying round. However the 23-year-old capitalized on the opportunity of getting into the finals and managed to sprint his way to the top of the podium.

“I almost didn’t make it into the sprint heats,” said Crooks. “I crashed on one of the downhill sections during qualifying, but managed to sneak into 14th position, which was good enough to move on. In the finals, I knew the tough uphill section near the end of the course was going to make or break the race, so I really hammered it and that was the difference.”

Crooks was joined on the podium by fellow national team member Phil Widmer of Banff, Alta., and Drew Goldsack, the current NorAm circuit leader, who hails from Red Deer, Alta.

On the women’s side, it was American Laura Valaas who was the victor. Calgarian Shayla Swanson, who posted the fastest qualifying time, took home the silver medal, while Perianne Jones of Almonte, Ont., claimed the bronze.

The Super Tour continues in Sun Valley, Saturday with a five kilometre classic competition for the women, and a 10-kilometre classic race for the men.

Cross Country Canada is the governing body of cross-country skiing in Canada. Its 45,000 members are athletes, coaches and officials, including members of the Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team and Canadian Disabled Cross-Country Ski Team. Cross-country skiing is Canada’s optimal winter sport and recreational activity with more than one million Canadians participating annually.

Super Tour Sprints

Men (brief):

1. Sean Crooks, Thunder Bay, Ont.
2. Phil Widmer, Banff, Atla.
3. Drew Goldsack, Red Deer, Alta
4. Dan Roycroft, Huntsville, Ont.
5. Stefan Kuhn, Canmore, Alta.

Women (brief):

1.Laura Valaas, USA;
2. Shayla Swanson, Calgary, Alta.
3. Perianne Jones, Almonte, Ont.
4. Tara Whitten, Edmonton, Alta.
5. Sarah Deitch, Fort Smith, NWT.

Complete Results:www.summittiming.com