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Whitewater takes the Lake

Another great weekend for the Whitewater Freeride team at a national event in Lake Louise as 17 of the 21 athletes made it to the finals.
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Two Whitewater Freeride team athletes Haley Cooke (left) and Savannah Leishman at the race start

It was another great freeski weekend for the Whitewater Freeride team at a national event in Lake Louise as 17 of the 21 athletes made it to the finals.

Jona Caney took first in the male 15-18 category and Nigel Ziegler placed third. Haley Cooke placed second in the female 15-18 category.

Unique to this event was a 7-11 category (typically only at regionals) where Ryan Kelly placed third.

The kids checking out the venue. Photo by Peter Velisek.

“The caliber of skiing in this category was super high,” said coach Peter Velisek. “In all of them actually. These events bring a constant learning and challenge for them as they have to pick their own line to ski down the venue and then ski it to the best of their ability under the added pressure of the competition.”

The first two days were dedicated to qualifiers with good snow but inconsistent light made it tricky for the athletes.

“Snow conditions were great as it was hard snow but consistent and grippy,” said Velisek. “It would be great visibility for some athletes and then clouds would roll by creating really flat light for other athletes adding a big challenge and disadvantage.”

For the finals day on Sunday, Velisek said when the clouds broke and the sun shone brightly, “The vibe was high and all the athletes were skiing really really well.”

“As coaches we were super proud of all the kids,” said Velisek, who was accompanied by coaches Pete Then and Jon Whelan.  We've seen a real growth in their confidence of what they want to ski and how they want to ski it.  And beyond that, it is really nice to see how supportive they are of each other and how they look out for each other as a team.”

While the kids have this weekend off, Whelan will be competing in an adult freeski in Lake Louise. The next team scheduled competition will be in Whistler in two weeks.

Nelson's Jona Caney (centre) placed first and Nigel Ziegler (second from the right) came in third in the male 15-18 category.

FINAL RESULTS

Male 7-11

Ryan Kelly: 3rd

Adam Kuch: 9th

Male 12-14

Jesse Thurston: 4th

Elias Lutz: 6th

Noah Mcbrair: 10th

Ezra Foy: 19th

Female 15-18

Haley Cooke: 2nd

Savannah Leishman: 6th

Male 15-18

Jona Caney: 1st

Nigel Ziegler: 3rd

Sam Woodward: 4th

Sam Howard: 7th

Harper Henderson: 8th

Sol Butler: 9th

Dale Cushway: 12th

Sam Kuch: 22nd

Kaden Foy: 27th