Calgary, Canada – Four medalists with a total of 17 career Paralympic Winter Games podium results will lead a 13-member Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team (CPAST) this season that is focused on sustaining the momentum built by a strong performance at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, Alpine Canada Alpin (ACA) announced last week.nKarolina Wisniewska of Ottawa, Ontario, who has a total of eight career Paralympic medals from three Winter Games competitions, and Viviane Forest of Edmonton, Alberta, with an impressive five medals at the 2010 Games, return to pursue podium results during the IPC World Cup season and 2011 IPC Para-Alpine World Championships.
Ski-skier Josh Dueck Vernon, British Columbia, a silver medalist in the slalom at the 2010 Winter Games, and visually-impaired racer Christopher Williamson of Markham, Ontario, a three-time Paralympic medalist and overall Crystal Globe winner last season, have also been named to the team.
Canada’s para-alpine ski team officially began the new Paralympic cycle with physical testing and a training camp in Whistler earlier this month developed conditioning coach Maggie Phillips-Scarlett. The five-day training camp included weightlifting in the gym, bike rides in Pemberton, Whistler and Callaghan Valley.
“We put this camp together to keep the athletes motivated to train hard before they are back on snow in Chile at the end of summer. Being in Whistler, it was not hard to be motivated. The memories from the 2010 Paralympics are still fresh and provide a lot of encouragement for our athletes who want to build on the success that we had there a few months ago,” said CPAST Athletic Director Brianne Law.
“One of the messages that we hoped the athletes took away from last week was that the 2010 Winter Games are in the past and each of them is going to have to work extremely hard in order to achieve the success that we are seeking in the future. I really thought the athletes were focused and excited about the opportunity that a new season brings,” added Law.
Two new guides have been added to the CPAST team as Chloe Lauzon-Gauthier of Gatineau, Quebec, and Robin Femy of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, will be guiding Forest and Williamson, respectively. Lauzon-Gauthier, who raced for the Val Saint-Come Ski Club, was involved in ski racing for 20 years and has completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Therapy at the University of Ottawa. Femy has been racing for 17 years and was selected to the Provincial Quebec Ski Team in 2007.
The CPAST Team also introduced seven high-potential prospect athletes to a national team training camp, spending two days recently in Whistler for testing and off-snow skill assessment.
“We brought in the prospect athletes to introduce them to IPC World Cup team training and give them a sense of the commitment that is required to pursue a career in ski racing. Being four years away from the 2014 Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia, now is the time to increase the amount of energy and resources identifying for the new ski racers that will be Paralympians in the future,” said Law.
The 2011 season will be highlighted by IPC Para-Alpine World Championships beginning January 12th in Sestriere, Italy, the site of the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games. The TELUS Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Championships are scheduled to take place in Kimberley, British Columbia, in March.
2009/10 CANADIAN PARA-ALPINE SKI TEAM
(Name, Residence, Category)
- Andrea Dziewior, Nanaimo BC, LW 2
- Chloe Lauzon-Gauthier, Gatineau, QC, Guide
- Christopher Williamson, Markham ON, B 3
- Josh Dueck, Vernon BC, LW 11
- Karolina Wisniewska, Vancouver BC, LW 3
- Kimberly Joines, Rossland, BC, LW 11
- Kirk Shorenstein, Edmonton, AB, LW 6/8-2
- Matthew Hallat, Whistler BC, LW 2
- Morgan Perrin, Whistler BC, LW 3
- Robin Femy, Quebec, QC, Guide
- Viviane Forest, Edmonton AB, B 2
DEVELOPMENT GROUP
- Melanie Schwartz, Toronto, ON, LW 2
- Sam Danniels, Whistler, BC, LW 10-1