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Whitewater freeskiers up to test in Fernie

Whitewater skiers once again showed that local terrain is perfect breeding ground for top quality freeskiing.
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Nelson's Trace Cooke during his spectacular run at the Jeep Junior Freeski Competition in Fernie this past weekend.

Whitewater skiers once again showed that local terrain is perfect breeding ground for top quality freeskiing.

At the Jeep Junior Freeski Competition in Fernie this past weekend, five Whitewater Freeski Team members found the podium in four categories that included competitors from all across BC and Alberta.

In the girls 12-14 category, Nelson’s Haley Cooke led after her first run of the competition. Cooke put down another solid run in her second attempt, but was edged out of first place by Fernie’s Alex Beswick. Cooke brought home the silver.

In the boys 12-14 category Whitewater’s Nigel Ziegler finished second and Jona Caney captured third in the competitive field that was captured by Whistler’s Cooper Bathgate. Sam Howard and Loki Wickman-Ratthe were also part of the mix in the category.

In the girls 15-18 category, Nelson’s Chloe Kuch finished just out of the medals in fifth place.

Nelson’s Sam Woodward came home with the gold medal in the boys 15-18 category. The 16-year-old just edged out fellow team member Trace Cooke who put down a stellar second run scoring a competition-high 38.70 from judges. Cooke finished .04 points behind Woodward.

Also taking part in the boys 15-18 group were Whitewater’s Jaiden Martinson, Jakob Vanhouten, Brendan Kelly and Ben LeMarquand.

This weekend the Whitewater team is off to Kicking Horse in Golden and next weekend will head into Alberta where Lake Louise will host. The Freeski Junior Championships are slated for April 4 to 7 at Revelstoke.