The long winter may finally be giving way to spring, but it will be missed by some talented local skiers.
The Tawatinaw Valley Freeriders had another successful season in 2010-11, with 20 kids hitting the slopes throughout the winter months. Those skiers were spread between the Freeriders, Freestylerz, Jumps and Bumps and Junior Jumps & Bumps programs, and they all had their fair share of fun and success.
As the name suggests, the group’s home base is the Tawatinaw Valley Alpine and Nordic Centre, and the skiers were able to enjoy 10 weekends of great skiing thanks to the efforts of the crew at the Centre.
“Perry Prazak and his crew had the hill, terrain park, jumps and pipe in first-class condition,” said club president Toni Siegle. “We deeply appreciate the hard work they do to keep the hill in excellent shape, and hope people realize what a jewel we have in the ... Centre.”
Mother Nature played a role too, of course, delivering a long winter and plenty of snow.
Not content simply to enjoy the Tawatinaw slopes, however, the group attended a pair of competitions where the local skiers put their skills to the test.
First up was an event in Red Deer that was hosted by the Central Alberta Freestyle Ski Club. Five local athletes (Jaret Foster, Jesse Keats, Emma Siegle, Kara Siegle and Tyler Zadunayski) made the trip to compete in two events; moguls and big air.
The club viewed the event mostly as a learning experience, according to Siegle, but they still managed to have some success as they brought two medals home while some skiers registered personal best scores and rankings.
Later in the season, seven Tawatinaw skiers (Hannah Ducharme, Foster, Jenna Jadischke, Klaton Potts, Emma Siegle, Kara Siegle and Zadunayski) challenged themselves yet again, this time at a three-day competition in Grand Prairie.
Hosted by the Northern Extreme Freestyle Ski Club and held at the Nitehawk ski area in Grande Prairie, the competition featured three events; half pipe, moguls and big air.
The Tawatinaw group made a big statement at the event, bringing home a whopping 11 medals (three gold, four silver and four bronze). And once again, personal best scores were achieved.
“All of the kids did amazingly well,” said Siegle.
Though that was the last competition of the year, there was still a big treat in store for three of the skiers. On the weekend of April 9-10, Jenna Jadischke, Emma Siegle and Kara Siegle took part in a girls-only moguls camp at Marmot Basin, hosted by Olympian Jennifer Heil.
With Heil and other top-flight skiers and coaches sharing their knowledge, the trio enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience.
The snow may be gone, but the skiers will take part in water ramp training during the summer before getting started on dry land training in November.
For more on the club, contact Siegle at 780-348-5483.
