Four skiers from Jasper’s Freeride Ski Team put it all on the line during the junior nationals held in Ontario last week.
With spring-like conditions, the skiers battled rain and subpar course conditions during the four-day competition held at Beaver Valley Ski Club, March 16 to 19.
“The weather was really warm and it was raining for the first two days of training,” said Nicholas Bazin, the team’s head coach.
“The snow was really soupy and slushy in the bumps and there were big holes in the landings.”
Fortunately, the weather improved with cooler temperatures and sunshine allowing the athletes to dial in their skills for the final two days of the competition.
Erza Jenkins continued his dominating season, collecting two medals for Jasper.
He placed second overall in the M14 category on Friday and third overall in the duo-moguls competition on Saturday.
“He did extremely well,” said Bazin, adding Jenkins likely placed in the top 20 when all the age groups are combined.
His teammate, Theron Boyer, also had a solid performance, placing 10th overall in the single-mogul competition in the M14 category.
Theron’s brother, Hunter Boyer, finished 19th in the M16 category after a tough two days of training.
“He struggled during the training, but when it came time for the competition Hunter was able to do a top to bottom run with only a few minor mistakes,” explained Bazin.
“It was a great to see him let go of his stress from training, which didn’t go super well, and focus on what he had in front of him and lay down some good runs.”
Alison Brown, the lone female athlete from Jasper, put together a top-10 finish, placing eighth overall in the F16 category.
“Alison was challenged by the course, but she was still able to pull off some of the biggest jumps I’ve seen her do all season,” said Bazin.
Piece Decore and Thomas Hladun also qualified for the junior nationals, but were unable to attend the event.
The next competition for the Freeride team will be the Alberta Championships held at Marmot Basin March 31 to April 3. The competition includes one day of training followed by a slopestyle, a single-moguls and a dual-moguls competition.
The Alberta Championships will also coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Jasper Freeride Team. Former coaches and athletes are expected to attend the four-day event.
For more information, visit www.jasperfreeride.com.
Paul Clarke [email protected]
