Alta Gas Report
Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club
April 2015
2014-15 was another successful season for the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club! For the past three seasons, Alta Gas has generously provided financial support for the club’s Head Coach position. This support has been paramount to the club’s ability to grow and develop its youth programming, in addition to increasing the profile of Nordic skiing within the community. The Head Coach is directly involved with coaching the Ski S’kool, adult classes, clinics, private lessons, the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Team and coordination of Headlamp Heroes.
Our Ski S’kool program effectively provided Nordic instruction to 84 3rd and 4th grade students from Arrow Heights, Ecole des Glaciers, Columbia Park and Begbie View. Each group took part in four weekly, three-hour sessions at the Macpherson Nordic trails. In addition, 40 1st and 2nd grade students from Begbie View were offered the opportunity to try Nordic skiing with a one-day introductory session. Finally, a new partnership was forged with the Revelstoke Secondary School and four physical education classes ranging from grades 8 -12 were each offered two, three-hour session at the Macpherson Nordic trails. Thanks to the generous support from our local school board and teachers, parent helpers and coaches, namely, Louisa Fleming, Nancy Martin, Tayla Koerber, Kendra von Bremen and Rob Evans.
New for the 2014-15 season was the addition of Adult Beginner classic and skate classes. 15 students participated in the beginner sessions, offered on a weekly basis over the course of eight weeks. Our technique-based Adult Intermediate and Advanced classes alternate between classic and skate technique for ten weeks. This program continued to be successful with 12 participants partaking in the five-session offering and three skiers opting for the full ten-session program. 11 skiers took part in the January One Day Clinic and 15 skiers sought private or semi-private lessons. Finally, the Wednesday Night Open training sessions gained momentum as a growing crowd of fitness enthusiasts were dedicated to the intensity-oriented sessions.
In its second season, the Headlamp Heroes Wednesday Night Race Series provided entertainment and competition on a monthly-basis. The series begin with a classic interval start event in December; King’s Court-style skate sprints in January; a skate mass start in February; and a mixed-technique relay in March. 140 participants took part in the race series, which was generously sponsored by Skookum, The Village Idiot, Valhalla Pure and Flowt. Thanks to Wade Viznaugh and Debbie Koerber for their respective leadership roles with course setup and registration.
The Revelstoke Nordic Race Team enjoyed much success during the 2014-15 season. There were a dedicated group of 17 Track Attack skiers (aged 9 -12) and 11 Junior Development skiers (aged 13+). Formal training sessions were offered twice weekly in the summer; two to four times weekly in the fall; and three to five times weekly while on snow (frequency dependent on level of development). In addition to formal group training, seven Junior Development skiers followed a year-round training program. Superb coaching support was integral to the program’s success, with newly trained T2T coaches Rory Luxmoore and Bruce Granstrom providing consistent support for the Track Attack and Junior Development skiers. Clare Peacock also offered coaching support throughout the entire season, while Matti Little led our summer program. Nikki Norrie and Revelstoke Nordic Race Team alumni Hanna Thompson and Brittany and Megan Evans generously offered their coaching services when available. Finally, a huge coaching thanks to Phil Wood and Zina Kocher for offering their expertise and enthusiasm at our Holiday Camp and Revelstoke BC Cup, respectively. Penny Page-Brittin was instrumental in her role as lead Wax Technician, receiving assistance from Lucie Bergeron, Beverley Brosch, Brad Park, Janette Vickers, Rory Luxmoore and Bruce Granstrom. In addition to the aforementioned coaching and waxing aides, a big thank you goes out to the parents and families of skiers for providing ongoing support throughout the season.
The 2014-15 began with our Revelstoke skiers attending Spring and Summer Talent Squad Camps in 100 Mile House, the Fall Regional Camp in Vernon and the On-Snow Talent Squad and Regional Camps in Whistler and Vernon. In December, racing season kicked off with the Sovereign Lake Open, the Rossland NORAM and the Okanagan Cup in Salmon Arm. January saw skiers head to the Prince George BC Cup, the Kamloops Okanagan Cup, the Western Championships in Canmore and our first-ever local BC Cup in Revelstoke. In February, a hardy crew trekked to the BC Midget Champs at Mount Washington and ended the month at the BC Championships in Kelowna. One Revelstoke skier, Emily Suchy, proudly represented our club at the Canada Winter Games in Prince George. Finally, the month of March brought Ski Nationals 2015 in Thunder Bay. Here are some highlights from the 2014-15 season:
Western Championships
1st Emily Suchy, 4km & 5km Para Nordic Sit Women
4th Simon Blackie, Midget Boys Skate Sprint
5th Simon Blackie, Midget Boys Skate Mass Start
6th Simon Blackie, Midget Boys Classic Interval Start
8th Beth Granstrom, Juvenile Girls Classic Interval Start
8th Elizabeth Elliott, Juvenile Girls Skate Sprint
8th Beth Granstrom, Juvenile Girls Skate Mass Start
9th Erik Brosch, Midget Boys Skate Mass Start
5th place team at BC Midget Championships
2nd Emily MacLeod, 2003 Girls Classic Interval Start
2nd Alexandra Luxmmore, 2004 Girls Skate Sprint
3rd Nelson Luxmmore, 2003 Boys Classic Interval Start
3rd Alexandra Luxmoore, 2004 Girls Classic Interval Start
Tied 5th place team BC Championships
1st Isobel Wilson, Atom Girls 3 Classic Mass Start
1st Tayla Koerber, Kate Granstrom and Sarah Newton, Open & Master Women Classic Relay
2nd Isobel Wilson, Atom Girls 3 Skate Interval Start
2nd Alexandra Luxmoore, Bantam Girls 1 Classic Mass Start
2nd Beth Granstrom, Juvenile Girls 1 Skate Interval Start
3rd Alana Brittin, Juvenile Girls 1 Classic Mass Start
2nd Ruby Serrouya, Pee Wee Girls 1 Aggregate
2nd Beth Granstrom, Juvenile Girls 1 Aggregate
3rd Lillian Vickers, Pee Wee Girls 1 Aggregate
3rd Alexandra Luxmoore, Bantam Girls 1 Aggregate
3rd Alana Brittin, Juvenile Girls 1 Aggregate
Canada Winter Games
1st Emily Suchy, 2.5km, 600m & 5km Para Nordic Sit Women
17th place team at Ski Nationals
1st Emily Suchy, 2.4km, 5.6km, 800m & 10km Para Nordic Sit Women
2nd Alana Brittin, Classic Interval Start
3rd Alana Brittin, Classic Sprints
5th Beth Granstrom, Skate Interval Start
5th Beth Granstrom, Skate Mass Start
10th Elizabeth Elliott, Classic Sprints
10th Elizabeth Elliott, Skate Mass Start
2nd Beth Granstrom, 2000 Girls Aggregate
3rd Alana Brittin, 2000 Girls Aggregate
5th Elizabeth Elliott, 2000 Girls Aggregate
The Revelstoke Nordic Race Team is proud of their accomplishments this past season and equally important is the continued growth in energy and enthusiasm for the sport of Nordic skiing. Congratulations to our Director of Youth Programs, Robyn Thomas and our Athlete Development Committee for their hard work orchestrating a successful year. Our club is grateful to Alta Gas for providing us the opportunity to develop capacity within our ski programs over the past three seasons.
Matthew Smider
Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club Head Coach