Calgary, Alta. (October 19, 2021) – Alpine Canada is excited to introduce the athletes that will combine electrifying speeds with technical skill and power in a busy World Cup season with the Olympic Games on the horizon.
With a predominantly veteran team, Canada’s fastest skiers will be hunting for podium performances this season building on last year’s exciting results. Managing the Canadian Alpine Ski Team this season is High Performance Director, Phil McNichol, along with men’s head coach Mark Tilston and women’s head coach Manuel Gamper.
“We're extremely excited for all the athletes qualified to represent Alpine Canada this year and for the Games coming up in February,” says Phil McNichol. “It's always a hallmark experience for our sport, our team and our country to highlight ski racing."
Leading the women’s team with 245 World Cup Starts under her belt, Marie-Michèle Gagnon aims to be a podium contender and qualify for her third Olympics after sitting out in 2018 due to injury. Last season saw her with a third-place finish in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, on one of the most demanding courses of the World Cup tour and she will carry the momentum for a women’s team that has seen consistent success in the women’s slalom. Cassidy Gray made her World Cup debut last year in what will go down as one of the best starts to an alpine career for a Canadian in recent memory. She finished 26th in just her second career start and followed up with a 23rd place finish a few weeks later at the World Championships in Cortina. Britt Richardson, the team’s newest member will make her World Cup debut in the famed season opener on the Rettenbach Glacier high above Sölden, Austria this weekend.
On the men’s side, with breakthrough seasons on the World Cup circuit Brodie Seger and Jack Crawford will lead a strong alpine team who will use the experience gained last season to continue to turn heads on the international tour. With an impressive comeback mid-season, Brodie skied to fourth place in the Super G in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy at the 2021 World Championships, just 0.04 seconds off the podium. Jack Crawford also finished a close fourth in the alpine combined at the World Championships, in a demanding discipline that requires athletes be both speed and technical experts. These results show the depth of this men’s team, who have their sights set on success. Liam Wallace has also requalified after initially opting to pursue his education at the University of Alaska after making the team in 2019-2020. It was an extremely difficult proposition based on the pandemic, access to racing, and travel challenges, and he stepped up in an unprecedented manner to qualify this season.
"We've had very productive training this summer,” says McNichol. “We've been challenged with COVID and had to change our plans, spent more time in Europe, but have also been very lucky with the snow and training environments we had. Our athletes are fully prepped and ready for this season."
As athletes and Canadians alike look ahead to the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games, this talented and dedicated group of individuals will strive for excellence this season, making Canadians proud while performing on the world’s biggest stages.
Follow the #CANskiteam’s journeys as they work to inspire and unite a nation through sport.
Athletes named to the Canadian Alpine Ski Team (World Cup)
- Ali Nullmeyer (Toronto, Ont./Georgian Peaks Ski Club)
- Amelia Smart (Invermere, B.C./Panorama Ski Club)
- Asher Jordan (North Vancouver, B.C./ Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
- Britt Richardson (Canmore, Alta/Calgary Alpine Racing Club)
- Broderick Thompson (Whistler, B.C./Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
- Brodie Seger (North Vancouver, B.C./Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
- Cameron Alexander (North Vancouver, B.C./Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
- Cassidy Gray (Panorama, B.C./Team Panorama Ski Club)
- Erik Read (Canmore, Alta./Banff Alpine Racers)
- Erin Mielzynski (Collingwood, Ont./Georgian Peaks Ski Club)
- Jack (James) Crawford (Toronto, Ont./Georgian Peaks Ski Club & Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
- Jeffrey Read (Canmore, Alta./Banff Alpine Racers)
- Kyle Alexander (North Vancouver, B.C./Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
- Laurence St-Germain (St. Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que./Club de ski Mont-Ste-Anne)
- Liam Wallace (Calgary, Alta./Sunshine Alpine Racers)
- Marie-Michèle Gagnon (Lac-Etchemin, Que./Mont Orignal)
- Riley Seger (North Vancouver, B.C./Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
- Roni Remme (Collingwood, Ont./Alpine Ski Club)
- Sam Mulligan (Vancouver, B.C. /Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club)
- Trevor Philp (Calgary, Alta./Banff Alpine Racers)
- Valérie Grenier (Mont-Tremblant, Que./Club de ski Mont-Tremblant)
The Canadian Ski Cross Team and Canadian Para Alpine Ski Team will both be formally introduced later this fall prior to their first World Cup races of the season.
For more information or media inquiries please contact:
Kylie Robertson, Communications Manager
krobertson@alpinecanada.org | 403 770 3204
ABOUT ALPINE CANADA
Alpine Canada is the governing body for alpine, para-alpine and ski cross racing in Canada, as well as for Canadian ski coaches, providing education, certification, insurance and compliance with the coaching code of conduct. With the support of valued corporate partners and donors, along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Coaching Association of Canada, Alpine Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic, World Championship and World Cup athletes to stimulate visibility, inspiration and growth in the ski community. In 2020, Alpine Canada celebrated 100 years of rich tradition in competitive skiing in Canada.
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