West Kelowna cross country ski team kick off season with numerous podiums

West Kelowna's cross country ski team, Team Telemark, wrapped up their first month of racing with a bevy of podium spots.

At this weekend's Teck Okanagan Cup, 51 racers took to the starting line. Telemark enjoyed several podium finishes, including golds from Ryker Ulansky (U10 Boys), Callie Washbrook (U10 Girls), Jake Ulansky (U12 Boys), Eva Ball (U12 Girls) and Chase Pighin (U12 Boys).

That same weekend, the Oldum Brown Biathlon BC Cup #1 race took place at Mt. Washington. Summerland's Jasmine Henry seized double gold in Jr. Girls (13-14) and Tamiris McNern took home two silvers. On the Jr. Boys side, William Bertrand also claimed double silvers.

On Dec. 8-11, at the Sun Valley Idaho US Super Tour, Garrett Siever won gold in the U20 Men's Free 10 km. Siever is also a member of the Nordiq Canada Olympic Development program. Evan Edwards and Finn Redman (who is a member of the 2022-23 BC Ski Team) took top 10 placings in the same event.

The classic sprint race saw Redman win gold in U18 and Siever take home third in U20. Alessia Galvagno (who is also a member of the 2022-23 BC Ski Team) took fifth in the U18 sprint, with Breagh Bridge just missing out on the podium in fourth.

In the first race of the season, the 2022 Nordiq Cup at Sovereign Lake, Siever placed third in the 10 km Individual Start Classic U20 Men. Evan Edwards placed fourth in the U18 sprint skate sprint event, with several other skiers qualifying for semi and quarterfinals.

“These events were a great start to the season and I’m really pleased with the results we’ve seen so far," said head coach Adam Elliot. "Our racers are well prepared for the busy race season we’ve got coming up in 2023!”

All the race results from the previous events are available here.

For more information on Team Telemark, click here.