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The Teck BC Cup Series is the premier cross-country ski race season in British Columbia. It includes two interval start races, two mass start races, two individual sprint competitions and one relay race. These are held annually at three different locations throughout the province. The BC Championships is the final event in the series.
For the 2022-2023 race season, the first event (BC Cup #1) was held in Whistler Olympic Park in the Callaghan Valley, venue for several sporting events of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. A classic technique sprint competition followed by an interval start freestyle (skate) race were held in early January.
For the second round of racing (BC Cup #2), Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club played host to a two-day event at their Mount Macpherson trail network. A freestyle technique sprint competition and a mass start classic technique race were held mid-February.
To wrap up the series, Telemark Nordic Ski Club located on a plateau above the western shores of Kelowna hosted the BC Championships. Three days of racing early March included a mass start freestyle technique race, an interval start classic technique competition, and a freestyle technique relay event.
At the end of the BC Cup Series, aggregate awards were provided to the top three finishers for each year of birth. Scores were earned from the six individual competitions - the interval starts, the mass starts, and the sprint races, Relays were not included in the overall awards calculations.
A ski racer must have competed in at least four events to be eligible for the overall awards. The winners were determined by points from the competitor’s four best (of a possible six) races. A minimum of two classic and two freestyle technique competitions had to be included among the four to determine the points.
For the first time since the inception pf the race program, Fernie Nordic Racers were represented at the BC Cup Aggregate Awards. With strong, consistent racing throughout the season, Ella Fuller was 3rd in the 2009 U14 Girls, Louison Dubief was 3rd in the 2006 U18 Girls, and Coach Kate Woods placed 1st in the Open Women category. Honourable mention to Wes Robinson-Shaw who was 4th in the 2005 U18 Boys category. What an exceptional year of racing for these talented nordic skiers!
If you’ve been following along at the 2023 Canadian National Cross-Country Ski Championships currently taking place in Thunder Bay, Ontario, you will have seen that British Columbian nordic racers are amongst the most competitive in the nation in athletes under 20 years of age. These BC Aggregate Awards prove that Fernie is producing some of the very best cross-country skiers in the nation. No small achievement for our little town.
Kudos to the volunteer coaching team and all the support personnel who help make this possible, as well as the enthusiastic support from the community at large. The athletes are filled with gratitude for the opportunity to represent Fernie on the provincial stage, and gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.