Squamish's Mikayla Martin continued her string of strong performances, finishing in seventh place in two separate Super G races at the 31st annual Bob Parsons Memorial alpine ski races in Whistler.
Originally scheduled to take place on Saturday (Feb. 12) and Sunday (Feb. 13), the Saturday sessions were cancelled after 55 centimetres of fresh snow made the course unraceable. It was up in the air whether the course would be ready for Sunday but the efforts of parent volunteers did the trick, readying the course.
Whistler Mountain Ski Club (WSMC) head coach Rob Boyd said he was impressed with the athletes' perseverance in the trying conditions.
"The light changed through the day, from nice sunshine and good visibility to flat light and fog at the bottom for others," he said of Sunday's races. "And thank you to the athletes who put in some amazing efforts, for dealing with cancellations, delays and some tough racing conditions to come through with some great results."
Martin's first race saw her battle more than 50 other competitors to finish in seventh place with a time of one minute, 18.82 seconds. Kelly Steeves of Whistler placed first in the morning race, blazing through the course in 1:14.99, more than a second faster than the second-place racer.
It was a different race but identical result for Martin in the afternoon Super G race. She put together a time of 1:19.63, again placing seventh. Steeves had another solid run, posting the best time from the WSMC at 1:18.01, good for third place.
The Bob Parsons race is a long-running tradition in Whistler and it's all based on devoted parent volunteer dad Bob Parsons. He formed and led the infamous Weasel Workers who were named after the Weasel section of the downhill. In those days, there were no winch cats and that section had to be boot packed, shovelled and raked by hand.
Parsons was Chief of Course for all of the major downhill races at Whistler until his death in 1979. He believed that young racers should have the opportunity to taste the excitement of the speed disciplines, downhill and Super G, in a controlled environment. For many of the racers last weekend, the races were their first opportunity to train and race the Super G.
The overall Parsons trophy was awarded to Steeves for the girls side and Seger Nelson from Big White, who placed first among the boys. Continuing the Parsons legacy, Bob's daughter Chris Leighton held the plaque on which the skiers' names would be engraved. Her brother, Jim Parsons, is one of the K2 coaches.
WMSC's K2 racers will challenge the slalom course at Mount Seymour on Saturday and Sunday (Feb. 19 and 20). Meanwhile, the top 18 K1 boys and girls in the Coast zone will compete against the best in the West at the K1 Western Championships.
For complete results of the Parsons races, visit www.bcalpine.com/news/.
