Cory took a huge step towards being named to Team Canada 2025, at the Special Olympics National Winter Games at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary in early March.

Early morning warm-up, Cory in the yellow boots on the left, with the race course, in the middle of this photo, and the 1988 Olympic ski jumps - where Eddie the Eagle became famous world-wide for his courage and determination.

Cory won Gold in both Giant Slalom and Super Giant Slalom, and Silver in Slalom.  A total of 28 points, tied for 2nd overall.  In previous World Games, Canada has taken at least 5 alpine skiers and in 2022, named 15 male skiers, including Cory, to the Team.  It's looking very good for Cory's selection, but we'll have to wait a couple of months before it is confirmed.

In the Giant Slalom race on February 28, Cory's divisioning time placed him in the M2 Division of Advanced, the 2nd fastest division overall.  Just as he was at the 2020 National Winter Games in Thunder Bay.  And just as he did there, he was the fastest racer in that division - he won the first run by only .40 of a second but increased his margin to 1.4 seconds in the second run -  and earned himself a Gold Medal.  One down, 2 to go.

Here is one of his runs, with a little wave to the camera at the finish line:

 

Cory called to the podium...(after the silver medalist)...

GS Gold medal, presented by our Member of Parliament from Delta, and former Paralympian, Carla Qualtrough.

After the race, we noticed the gold medalist in the next division, Edward Bunkowski from Ontario, was only .01 of a second behind Cory.  Would that racer be bumped into Cory's division for the Super Giant Slalom the next day?  And challenge Cory for Gold?

The next day, February 29, it was very cold for the Super G, around -20C.  But Cory had recently trained at Sun Peaks in -40C weather, so he was well prepared.  Due to the cold weather, they shortened the divisioning to only one run instead of two, and ran the actual race immediately afterward.  So we had no way of knowing how the divisioning would work out.

As it turned out, there were only two divisions this time round, and Cory took first place in his division by a comfortable margin of 2.23 seconds.  Edward, the Ontario racer, fell during his run.

2 Golds in Cory's pocket - or rather around his neck - what would Slalom bring the next day...

Snow.  And lots of it.  So once again they ran the race immediately after the divisioning runs.  The soft falling snow was treacherous, and several racers fell, including two of the top 3 male skiers.  

So after the 1st run, Cory was in 2nd place overall, well behind the leader, but a second ahead of all other racers.

Then in the 2nd run, the leader - one of Cory's teammates - knowing how treacherous the snow was, really slowed down, thinking all he had to do was finish the race and gold would be his.  Well he almost slowed down too much as Cory was 3.6 seconds faster, and missed top division Gold by only .62 of a second!

With 2 of the 4 racers in the top division having fallen, Cory was moved up into that top division to earn himself a silver.   2nd fastest Slalom skier in the country!

So with this remarkable season just about over, we wait for an exciting phone call from Special Olympics Canada, hopefully by the end of May.  In the meantime, here are more photos from the National Games, Cory's 4th consecutive National Winter Games going back to 2012 in Jasper, in which he's won a total of 12 medals:  5 Gold (2024 & 2020), 4 Silver (2024 & 2016), and 3 Bronze (2012).

The lobby of the Nutrien Event Centre in Stampede Park in Calgary, on February 27, waiting for the doors to open for the Opening Ceremonies.

Team BC enters the arena....Cory is near the flag at the front, right next to a volunteer in a light blue jacket, and waves when he spots us.  I don't know who was chanting "Cory! Cory! Cory!"...

Seated and another wave...

The Opening Ceremonies underway, Teams on the floor, BC on bottom left now in white...

The arrival - on horseback, after all this is Calgary - of the Torch.  Law Enforcement officers around the world support Special Olympics with their Law Enforcement Torch Run and we thank them for their substantial contributions....

Lots of smiles after the Opening Ceremonies but the next day, it's competition time and things will get serious!  Cory with team mates Ron, Kailyn, Jesse, Matt, Coach Misty, and Chef de Mission Kimberly.

Team BC Alpine Ski Team at Canada Olympic Park, now known as Winsport.  

If you win it, you get to flaunt it, eh Cory?

And in 1st place, winner of the Gold Medal....Cory Duhaime!!

Special Olympics Canada does a really good job on its medals, these things are heavy!

Team BC with a lot of hardware, and should be very well represented on Team Canada 2025.  Note Cory and a couple of his teammates from Team Canada 2022.

With cousins Debbie & Diane, who traveled from Montreal to see Cory in action and celebrate with him....

Good friends Elaine & Bill were there to support Cory as well, with big smiles all around that gold....

Proud parents and Delta Member of Parliament Carla Qualtrough...a Canadian Paralympian 3 time bronze medalist...

Some shots of Cory in Slalom action, courtesy of Special Olympics Canada...

Proud & happy after a lot of hard work.....next stop.... hopefully the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games which will be held in Turn and Sestriere Italy, on March 8 - 16.  We'll find out soon if Cory will finally get his chance to ski for Canada and maybe add a World Games medal to his trophy wall.

Next up, an enjoyable 4 days of skiing at BC Adaptive's All Mountain Camp, with half days of gate training and half days of free-skiing in great snow conditions, at Sunshine Village in Banff, Alberta.

And some regional qualifying tournaments in June for softball and soccer.  There's more to life than a ski hill!

Stay tuned!

 Cory braved some extremely cold temperatures last week at Sun Peaks, as he continues his preparations for Special Olympics' National Winter Games in Calgary on February 27 to March 2.

Cory's first run through a race course this season....

And later, an uncharacteristic crash.  He'd been working on something new and it didn't quite go as planned...

 

 It was BC Adaptive's All Mountain Camp, one of Cory's favourite training programs.  It's usually 4 days, with mornings dedicated to gate training, and afternoons to free skiing with coaches.  But under these conditions, day 2 is cancelled.  So it's an indoor training day, watching videos.

Day 3 is just as cold and another cancellation.  But Cory decides to go and try to at least get some skiing in - the snow is in excellent condition after all.  And it pays off, as we discover Sun Peaks Racers are setting up a Giant Slalom race course on the OSV run at the Nancy Greene International Race Centre.

We politely explain about the cancellation, and ask the Racers' coaches if Cory could do a few runs in their course, and they say "sure!".  And what a course it was, 42 gates, and Cory manages to put in 5 runs through it for a really good day of training, considering the extreme cold.

Cory with Frost Tape, to protect against frostbite.

Then on the last day, temperatures moderated slightly, so it's a go for BC Adaptive to set a series of race courses on OSV, a total of about 60 gates.  Again, Cory manages to get in 5 or 6 runs, around 300 or so gate turns, which is a great day in ideal conditions, a terrific day of training in such cold temperatures.

Cory will now continue with his weekly Special Olympics ski program at Cypress and look for more gate training opportunities elsewhere as well.  We'll update again soon.

 Cory was invited to speak once again, this time at the Sports Celebrities Festival in support of Special Olympics British Columbia.

It was a memorable evening, Cory did a great job and the audience seemed to enjoy it with laughter and applause.  The event raised over $440,000 for SOBC.

Cory's preparations for the 2024 National Games will soon move from dryland training to being on snow, with 4 days of gate training planned for mid-January at Sun Peaks, as well as our weekly sessions at Cypress beginning early next month.

In the meantime, enjoy his speech.

 

Cory was invited to speak at a Special Olympics fundraiser at the Mayfair Golf Club in Richmond on June 15,2023. His speech was a big hit with plenty of laughs and applause and he helped raise over $60,000 for SOBC.

 

 It is official - Cory has qualified for his fourth consecutive Special Olympics Canada National 
Winter Games, to be held in Calgary next February!

The Games also serve as the qualifier event for the 2025 World Winter Games, to be held in Turin, Italy.

While waiting for that good news, Cory participated in BC Adaptive's All Mountain Camp at Sunshine Village, near Banff, Alberta, - a four-day camp featuring gate training and free skiing.  It's an excellent combination of training and fun skiing, in a spectacular and still wintry setting:

This camp is for everyone....

Working with Alpine Canada Coach Mark:

Ready to Go!

Sitting in his Special Olympics 2023 Provincial Winter Games souvenir shirt, our last day at Banff Sunshine is likely Cory's last day of this unforgettable season.  Training for Calgary 2024 can wait...

This eventful ski season isn't quite over for Cory yet. Last week, he participated in the Canadian Adaptive Snowsports (CADS) Annual Festival in Kimberley, BC. Under sunny blue skies, Cory did some gate training in the mornings for 4 days in a row, with free skiing in the afternoons, plus a final full day of free skiing. It's a format that Cory really enjoys - a good combination of work and fun - and it's an event that he has been attending since 2014, when it's been held in western Canada, as it alternates with Eastern Canadian venues.






While not as large as Whister Blackcomb and Sun Peaks, Kimberley still offers a lot of fun terrain and is rarely crowded, even on weekends. It's one of our favourite places to ski. The race course was on a run called Dreadnaught, the yellow circle here...





We stayed in a rented condo at the base of the hill, where we may have discovered a good omen. There were several framed prints of ski hills around the world, including one for Sestriere, Italy. If Cory qualifies for Team Canada again next year in Calgary, he will ski for Canada at Special Olympics' World Winter Games 2025 in Sestriere.

Our arrival at Cranbrook airport, plenty of sun and snow in the mountain peaks...

In full Special Olympics Team Canada uniform for this week...

And proudly showing the telltale signs of taking tight lines through the race course, hitting gates with his forearms as he races by them....

Time for lunch...

Hungry athlete...

Next month, there is BC Adaptive's All Mountain Camp - a similar format to the CADS Festival - in Banff. Cory hasn't decided yet whether he will attend.