Four freestyle skiers from the Tawatinaw Valley Freeriders ski club returned home from the Alberta Winter Games with big competition experience and Top-20 rankings to prove it.
The Games, hosted by Medicine Hat Feb. 13-16, is considered by many to be among the province’s premier winter sporting event, and while most of the skiers competed in the biannual games for the first time, almost all came away pleased with how the experience went.
“I think that all of our athletes did really well,” Freerider ski coach Trevor Lendrum said.
“Nobody was seriously disappointed with a bad run.”
Westlock skier Kieran Michalczuk, 13, who placed 12th in the slopestyle event and 25th in the mogul, said he was pleased with his performance, but was more focused on using the competition to gain experience and meet other skiers.
“There was a lot to do. There was a dance and stuff to do every night,” Kieran said. “We got to meet a lot of other zones, even people that were in our zone but who played different sports.
“It’s not just fun to compete. It’s fun to spend time with other skiers.”
Lendrum emphasized that while everyone enters competition looking to win, sometimes it’s important to develop other skills, too.
“Competing provincially, we already do that,” Lendrum said. “It can be a little overwhelming, but as far as the actual competition goes, its not too different from what they’re actually used to.”
Even so, sometimes it can be tough not to focus on the competition.
“I fell on my second run when I tried a 720 blunt,” Michalczuk lamented.
Kieran’s little brother Noah, 11, also had fun at the event, finishing 26th in slopestyle and 18th on moguls, despite an injury and competing in a higher age class than he was used to — the lowest age class at the Games is M14.
“I was happy with my moguls, but my slope didn’t go very well,” Noah said. “During training I threw out a muscle in my back so it really hurt and I had to scratch my first run.”
Busby’s Zachery Strydhorst, 12, also competed in the M14 event, placing 19th in slopestyle and an impressive 15th in moguls.
“I had my 720 perfect and then I landed with my ski off to the side a little bit,” Strydhorst said.
“I’m pretty happy because there were older kids in my age group.
“I’ll definitely try again.”
Tawatinaw’s Kolten Latreille, 14, was on his second trip to the Games and finished 13th in moguls and slopestyle.
Returning to the games, he said, has helped him develop as a athlete and branch out into skiing community.
“When you’ve been there twice already, I think that you open up to new people more,” Latreille said.
The most important thing, he added, was to relax and have fun.
“It’s important not to let the pressure get to you,” he said.
“When you’re just about to do your run, just have fun.”
