Tuesday, February 18, 2020Calgary, AB (February 18, 2020) – After more than a month-long break from NorAm races in Canada, the tour was back and busy in Quebec and Ontario. The men’s tour stopped in Mont Edouard, QC on Feb. 3 and with a deep field from the US, Canada, Norway, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Germany it proved to be an incredible week of ski racing that followed. Starting off with the men’s slalom, Canadian Alpine Ski Team member Simon Fournier (Montreal, QC) stood on the podium in 3rd place. He then had a podium repeat the next day, this time upping the ante to the 2nd step. Asher Jordan (North Vancouver, BC) was able to get on the podium on Feb. 6 rounding out a strong couple days of racing for Canada, and then Jeff Read (Calgary, AB) closed the deal, ending the week on top of the podium in the parallel slalom.
Fournier, coming off a month of racing the World Cup circuit in Europe, was excited to be back competing in North America and to get on the podium in a couple races.
“I was happy about getting some more flow with my slalom. I had a few tough months in Europe without getting many second runs, so going back and putting a whole race together felt good. I was happy about this step forward, but I still want more. I think NorAm’s are super important in my development and now after getting a lot of World Cup experience I can go back to a circuit I know really well.”
A little further west in Collingwood, ON the women’s NorAm circuit was off to a busy start. The deep field was made even more competitive by members of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, Ali Nullmeyer (Toronto, ON), Candace Crawford (Toronto, ON), Mikaela Tommy (Ottawa, ON), Erin Mielzynski (Collingwood, ON), Amelia Smart (Invermere, BC), Stefanie Fleckenstein (Whistler, BC), Roni Remme (Collingwood, ON) and Laurence St-Germain (St-Férréol-les-Neiges, QC) all making the trip. Remme and Nullmeyer found their homes on the podium in both slalom races each finishing in 1st and 2nd on opposite days.
“It was nice to get some solid results under my belt, especially with such a competitive field. I think NorAms are important because they give you a chance to really push yourself. You get multiple chances to keep working and building on what you did the previous day which is a nice change of pace from the World Cup circuit.” said Nullmeyer.
NorAm races are a huge production and include many volunteers across all of the venues. “On behalf of Alpine Ontario I would like to thank the Race Crews and Program Directors at our resort hosts Georgian Peaks, Osler Bluff and Craigleith Ski Clubs as well as Robyn Skinner and the rest of the team at Alpine Ontario.” said Bill Reeves, Executive Director of Alpine Ontario Alpin.
While in Collingwood the women’s team participated in the Fast and Female event, which is a program offered to empower girls with skills for sport and life. They took part in some physical literacy activities, signed autographs and inspired the next generation of skiers to find their own excellence.
While the action was taking place on the hill, the Alpine Ontario (AOA) Women’s Coaching Initiative wassupporting the development of women ski coaches in Canada. The group of 18 female coaches was led by Jenni Stielow, Senior Manager of Coach Education with Alpine Canada. “Increasing the diversity of coaches brings many benefits; mixing people with diversified backgrounds allows each member of the organization to learn and grow. When we raise the representation of influential, confident female coaches, it will strengthen the sport of skiing in Canada, and we all win.” Stielow continues, “One of the outcomes of this project was to establish a solid development pathway and mentor for each participant. The network and relationships made during this project will elevate our female coaches’ ability to progress, learn and succeed along their high-performance path.” The initiative was sponsored and supported by Alpine Ontario, Alpine Canada, provincial staff coaches and Robyn Skinner as they helped to create a magical opportunity for the coaches.
Results
Feb. 3
| Men's Slalom |
| 1st AJ Ginnis (USA) |
| 2nd Benjamin Ritchie (USA) |
| 3rd Simon Fournier (CAN) |
Feb. 4
| Women's Giant Slalom | Men's Slalom |
| 1st A J Hurt (USA) | 1st Jett Seymour (USA) |
| 2nd Alex Tilley (GBR) | 2nd Simon Fournier (CAN) |
| 3rd Adriana Jelinkiva (NED) | 3rd Bridger Gile (USA) |
Feb. 5
| Women's Giant Slalom | Men's Giant Slalom |
| 1st Alex Tilley (GBR) | 1st River Radamus (USA) |
| 2nd Nina O Brien (USA) | 2nd Kyle Negomir (USA) |
| 3rd Paula Moltzan (USA) | 3rd Erik Arvidsson (USA) |
Feb. 6
| Women’s Slalom | Men’s Parallel Slalom |
| 1st Roni Remme (CAN) | 1st Jeff Read (CAN) |
| 2nd Ali Nullmeyer (CAN) | 2nd George Steffey (USA) |
| 3rd Paula Moltzan (USA) | 3rd Jimmy Krupka (USA) |
Feb. 8
| Women’s Parallel Giant Slalom |
| 1st Roni Remme (CAN) |
| 2nd Adriana Jelinkiva (NED) |
| 3rd Stefanie Fleckenstein (CAN) |
Full results can be found on the FIS website.
The next NorAm series will take place in Whiteface Mountain, NY February 10 - 13, 2020.
For more information or media inquiries please contact:
Whitney Hunter I Manager of Communications
whunter@alpinecanada.orgI 403-471-6032
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 celebrates 100 years of rich tradition in competitive skiing in Canada.
