SKI CANADA MAGAZINE AWARDS
2010 Ski Canada Magazine Awards
The Ski Canada Magazine Award is an annual cash award given to young ski racers identified by their provincial ski racing organizations as among their best athletes and with the potential to move up to the highest ranks of ski racing. Funding for the Ski Canada Magazine Award is provided through the BMO Ski Canada MasterCard.
British Columbia: Alix Wells 
Alix (Rossignol) is a 13 year old K2 ski racer from Prince George, a small community in northern British Columbia. Alix is in grade 9 at Kelly Road Secondary School. Alix started skiing at the age of three at Purden Ski Village, a mountain just outside of Prince George. She worked her way through the Rio Tinto Alcan Nancy Greene Ski League and continues to train at Purden with the Prince George Ski Club. Alix is a straight A student who also plays volleyball and rep soccer. During the past few summers she trained on the glaciers at Whistler, Mt. Hood, and Farnham.
2008/2009 season’s results: K2 Nationals – Silverstar, BC – 3rd place Slalom, 5th Place Overall, Top 1995 female, Selected to Team Canada; K2 Provincials – Red Mountain, BC - 2nd Place Overall, Selected to Team BC.
Ontario: Mary Beth Hemphill
Mary Beth (Rossignol) lives in Uxbridge (home ski club is Osler Bluff) and has trained at the K1 and K2 Individual levels for 4 years leading up to her current FIS status with the Ontario Development Team. She was second overall last year at the President’s Choice K2 Nationals in Silver Star BC and 5th in SuperG, 6th in GS at the 2009 Whistler Cup.
MBH joined the ODT women’s team this past April. When asked how she is finding it she sounded committed and impressed, “Things are going well, this is a huge commitment but I feel like it is paying off, on and off the snow. I’ve been to Europe twice already and am enjoying it. Of course it is more intense than the K2 program, the on snow time is more intense, more runs, way more volume of skiing so it’s physically very challenging.”
Lorne Buckrell was one of the coaches to write about Mary Beth. “I’ve had the good fortune of coaching athletes for over 20 years and can tell you that MBH is truly one of a kind. What sets her apart for the competition is her work ethic, integrity and love of the sport. MBH lives and breathers the desire, determination and discipline required to make her a true winner and great person.”
Nova Scotia:
Sarah Byrne, Lauren Richardson, Jordan Gibson, Nick Harvey
Sarah Byrne skis (Elan) for the Wentworth Ski Race Club in Nova Scotia, and has been racing with Wentworth since she was five years old. She also trained with the Poley Mountain Race Club this past season. Both her father Gregor Byrne, and Coach Mike Clarke, CSCF Level III coaches, have been instrumental in her development over the past few years, alongside her Club Coaches.
Sarah finished in the Top Five at all Canada District East races, even against the older J1 and J2 category girls. In her K2 category, she earned 14 Gold, 2 Silver and 1 Bronze podium finishes, which entitled Sarah to qualify in first place for K2 Females for the Atlantic Canada East division to attend both the Nationals, held in Silver Star from March 30-April 3; and for the Whistler Cup held in Whistler a week later.
Next season, she will be moving up to J1 Race Division and looking forward to another season of both local races, along with a few FIS races.
Lauren Richardson (Atomic) is a member of Martock Ski Race Club in Nova Scotia. "Training three times a week at Martock in the winter with some of the most amazing coaches around has brought me to where I am now. This season I worked hard to recover from an ACL repair and managed to earn 16 gold, 2 silver and two bronze medals. After setting many goals this season, my accomplishments also include claiming the Founders Cup Overall Female Award, achieving Marble Cup Top Junior Female, winning Alpine Ski Atlantic Cup Series Champion, being named NSSAF Provincial Champion and finally being honored as top J Alpine Ski Nova Scotia female athlete for the 2009 season. In the future I plan to race for the McGill Varsity Ski Team and work towards competing in the 2011 Canada Games in Nova Scotia."
Jordan Gibson (Atomic) is 17 years old and has been a member of the Martock Ski Race Club in Windsor, Nova Scotia for the past 7 years. "This past 2008/09 ski season was probably my most successful season in terms of racing to date. Throughout it, I had a total of 13 podium finishes on the Atlantic circuit."
Nick Harvey (Fischer) skis with the Martock Ski Race Club in Windsor, Nova Scotia. This year he won overall top male in Nova Scotia as a first year and was second overall in Canada District East. This qualified him to attended the K2 Nationals as well as the Whistler Cup.
Prince Edward Island: Willem Slauenwhite
Willem has been a member of the PEI Alpine Ski Team for the past five years and 2009 marked
his final year in the K1 age division. During his time with the team, Willem has trained under PEI
Alpine Ski Team coaches Dave Thompson and Shannon Bowie and played a principal role as a
contributing team member and representative for the sport on PEI.
Willem won 19 of 22 races in his K1 division which led to him being named top K1
male in the Atlantic region for 2009.
The highlight of the season, however was having earned the right to represent Atlantic Canada
while attending the 2009 Whistler Cup, where he finished 19th in a field of 84 racers in the slalom
and 23rd in the giant slalom.
Alberta: Jenna McIntyre, Taylor Dawson
This year’s recipients of the BMO Ski
Canada Award are Jenna McIntyre and Taylor Dawson. Racing out of
the Lake Louise Ski Club, 13-year-old McIntyre was 2nd in K1 and 5th (in her
first year) of K2. Taylor, 15, skis with the Fortress Alpine Ski Team on Atomic
skis and is 2nd in Alberta overall points with both slalom and super-G titles.
Previous Ski Canada Magazine Award winners
2009
ON: Connor Whelan
NB: Robert Overing, Cathleen Trafton
AB: Victoria Michauk, Filip Gigac
BC: Rebecca Bermel, Broderick Thompson
NS: Heather Doran & Thomas Boudreau; Emily Burns & Jarek Strecko
2008
BC: Madison McLeish, Jen Meyer
NS: Kate Scissons, Jordan Gibson, Lauren Steeves, James Boudreau
AB: Jennifer Saunders, Michael Law
2007
ON: Erin Mielzynski
NS: Colin MacPherson, Jarek Strecko, Nicola Hughes, Kate Wilton
BC: Brynne Benbow, Christopher Campbell
AB: Eric Read, Emma Carroll
2006
ON: Kelby Halbert
NS: Jarek Strecko, Garrett McLeod, Nicola Hughes, Kate Wilton .. paid
AB: Leslie Brenner, Gianpiero Giordano
NB: Kare Tonning 11 Turnbull Court, Rothesay, N.B., E2E 5W7, Adam DuPlessis
2005
AB:Andrea Bliss, Sean Alexander
BC: Alison Worsfold, Sasha Zaitsoff
NS: Lauren Steeves, James Boudreau, Garrett McLeod, Nicola Hughes
2004
BC: Stanislas Rey
NS: Kaila Topping, Kyle Hofrichter, Lydia Stevens, Garrett mcLeod, Brendan Wilton
AB: Kayla Leman, Cameron Stuart
2003
ON: Jonathan Gillham
NB: Vincent Coates, Nicole Laughlin, Jeff Daniels and Grace Eddy
ON: NOD: Kara Li Poldmaa
NS: Caitlin Owens, James Beaudreau, Adrienne Ngan, Kyle Hofrichter
YK: Allison Furniss, Daniel Ashley
AB: Shona Rubens, Carmel McElroy
2002
AB: Kristen Tarchuk , Jamie Sanderson
BC: Danielle Poleschuk
NB. Christine Morin, Vincent Coates, Amanda Price, Karen Lenehan, Daniel Soicher
ON: Adam Brown, Everett Findlay, Maggie Pattillo, Hillary Blackett
2001
AB: Gareth Sine, Katherine Austin
BC: Lindsey Ashley, Marcus Waring
NS: Kaila Topping and Marcell Ritter
AOS: Thomas Dolezel,
Kelly VanderBeek,
Justin Kowal,
Carolyn Wright
2000
NS: Peter Todd
AB: Brad Spence
BC Graham Kraft
AOS: Kelly Vanderbeek, Jonathan Gillham, Nick Zoricic, Carolyn Wright
1999
SOD: Kelly Vanderbeek, Jonathan Gillham, Nick Zoricic, Cheryl Vacchino
BC: Robbie Dixon, Paul Rokosh
NS: Stephanie O'Brien
Check here for an application for the BMO Ski Canada MasterCard.
