XC BRAGG CREEK SKI AND BIKE SOCIETY
XC Bragg Creek Ski and Bike Society has a lot to celebrate this month with many of our athletes qualifying for the upcoming Alberta Winter Games to be held in Grande Prairie, February 16-19, 2024, and one athlete who attended the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games in South Korea, January 19- February 1.
The Alberta Winter Games brings together over 2000 of Alberta’s top youth athletes to participate in 18 different winter sports. Athletes are selected based on their performance at Zone competitions including the Alberta Cups and Calforex Cups held in Canmore earlier in the season. Congratulations to the following athletes who have already secured their places and will represent XCBC at the Alberta Winter Games later this month:
Biathlon: Emma Jackson (U12), Reed McArthur (U12)
Nordic Skiing: Hugo Borycki (U12), Isla Borycki (U14), Evelyn Peperkorn (U14), Logan Rostoker (U14), Ian Thomson (U16), Cadence Trainor (U16).
XCBC proudly celebrates Nordic skier, Avery Balbinada, who represented his native country, the Philippines, in Nordic skiing at the 4th Winter Youth Olympic Games. The games took place in the province of Gangwon in the Republic of Korea, which hosted the Pyeong Chang, 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Athletes competing in Gangwon 2024 benefitted from many of the facilities used for PyeongChang 2018, providing the participating athletes with the opportunity to compete in some of the same sites as Olympians did a few years before. The vision of Gangwon 2024 is to celebrate peaceful coexistence and unity through sport to create a better future together. At the time of article submission, Avery was en route to the games.
XC Bragg Creek Ski and Bike Society is also looking forward to hosting the Alberta Youth Championships for Nordic skiing at the West Bragg Creek trails, March 1-3, 2024.
Junior Coach Program
Part of XCBC’s mission is to develop citizenship and leadership skills in our young athletes. Our club’s junior coach and mentorship program has been a longstanding aspect of this aim. Older club members who are often a part of one of the performance teams gain leadership and coaching experience by becoming junior coaches. Junior coaches work alongside adult coaches to learn skills and provide support to our younger and beginning athletes, giving back to the club.
Andrew Thompson is one of our outstanding junior Nordic coaches and an integral part of the XC ski race team. Andrew knows how to work hard and have fun and nowhere is this more on display than in his role as an XCBC Jackrabbits coach. He excels at creating an environment where younger skiers can challenge themselves and have fun while learning foundational techniques. He is always helpful to other coaches and athletes and looks out for his teammates and younger club members. As a racer, Andrew is dedicated to improving his technique and tactical knowledge of skiing. As a result, he has made major improvements in his performance during the past two seasons.
For more information about XCBC’s programs and registration, please check out our website: www.xcbraggcreek.ca. See you on the trails!
Athlete Spotlight
An aspect of XCBC that we are particularly proud of is that our young athletes are well-rounded, multisport competitors. This month, we would like to recognize two of our athletes who exemplify these XCBC values:
Emma Hunt
XCBC Sport(s): Mountain Biking
Favourite WBC Trail: Merlin’s
Words from Coach Susanne:
Emma epitomizes hard work and consistency. She shines in our club with her amazing effort and continued improvement. Emma’s highlights last season included racing at the Alberta Summer Games, where her lap times got faster throughout the games, regardless of the high temperatures. We are so proud of her dedication and can’t wait to see her strength this spring!
Emma Jackson
XCBC Sport(s): Nordic ski, Biathlon, Mountain Biking
Favourite WBC Trail: Sundog (ski)
Words from Coach Allison:
Emma is a true club ambassador and multi- sport athlete. She qualified to represent XCBC at the 2023 Alberta Summer Games in Mountain Biking and will be representing XCBC at the Alberta Winter Games later this month in Biathlon. Emma always arrives at training with a smile. She works hard and constantly demonstrates excellent sportsmanship. She has a can- do attitude and embraces many of the challenging activities that XCBC offers.
