The Men’s Canadian Alpine Ski Team will have nine skiers participating in the Bombardier Lake Louise Winterstart training runs, Alpine Canada Alpin announced today.
Training runs begin on Wednesday prior to Saturday’s Bombardier Winterstart downhill and Sunday’s Bombardier Winterstart super G races.
Erik Guay (Mont-Tremblant, QC), a FIS Alpine World Cup downhill winner in 2007 with nine career World Cup podiums, is joined by Manuel Osborne-Paradis (Vancouver, BC), who finished the Winterstart downhill in second place in 2006 and Jeffrey Frisch (Mont-Tremblant, QC), the 2006 Pontiac GMC Canadian downhill champion.
John Kucera (Calgary, AB), the Bombardier Lake Louise Winterstart SG winner in 2006, is also racing along with François Bourque (New Richmond, QC), who has been on a World Cup podium four times, and Robbie Dixon (Whistler, BC), who finished fourth in a SG last season in Kvitfjell, NOR.
Men’s Team head coach Paul Kristofic said six Canadians will race in Saturday’s downhill while there will be seven Canadians in the SG on Sunday.
“Training has been really good. Everybody’s healthy and has been working really hard. We have had a long training period here in Canada, mostly at Nakiska, and everybody’s definitely ready to get things going,” said Kristofic.
Alpine Canada Alpin will announce details of the ladies team early next week.
Organizers of the ‘Bombardier presents Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup’ received approval last Wednesday from the International Ski Federation (FIS) to proceed with final preparations for the opening speed events of the 2008/2009 Men’s FIS Alpine World Cup season.
The weekend’s races are televised in Canada by CBC and are expected to reach an audience of more than 140 million viewers worldwide.
Lake Louise first hosted a World Cup race in 1980 and has seen five Canadians reach the podium in the last two seasons, including victories by Kucera and Jan Hudec (Calgary, AB).
BOMBARDIER LAKE LOUISE WINTERSTART
Men’s Canadian Alpine Ski Team – Scheduled to participate in downhill training (Six to compete in the downhill race)
François Bourque – New Richmond, QC (Pin Rouge)
Robbie Dixon – Whistler, BC (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Jeffrey Frisch – Mont-Tremblant, QC (Mont Tremblant)
Erik Guay – Mont-Tremblant, QC (Mont-Tremblant)
Louis-Pierre Hélie – Berthierville, QC (Mont-Ste-Anne)
John Kucera – Calgary, AB (Calgary Alpine Racing Club)
Manuel Osborne-Paradis – Vancouver, BC (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Paul Stutz – Banff, AB (Banff Alpine Racers)
* Stefan Guay – Mont-Tremblant, QC (Mont-Tremblant)
Men’s Canadian Alpine Ski Team – Scheduled to participate in Super G
François Bourque – New Richmond, QC (Pin Rouge)
Erik Guay – Mont-Tremblant, QC (Mont-Tremblant)
John Kucera – Calgary, AB (Calgary Alpine Racing Club)
Robbie Dixon – Whistler, BC (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Jeffrey Frisch – Mont-Tremblant, QC (Mont Tremblant)
Manuel Osborne-Paradis – Vancouver, BC (Whistler Mountain Ski Club)
Stefan Guay – Mont-Tremblant, QC (Mont-Tremblant)
* competing in super G only
