Special Olympics Canada has just confirmed that they will be sending a team to the World Winter Games in Kazan, Russia (see photo below) in 2022.
Team Canada members will be announced in November 2020.
The story of a 35-year-old man with autism and a passion for ski racing, and his dream-come-true of representing Canada at Special Olympics World Winter Games. In 2020, Cory qualified for Team Canada and was due to compete at the World Winter Games in Russia in January 2023. Those Games were cancelled. Cory then had to restart the 3 year qualification process which culminated at the 2024 National Winter Games where Cory qualified for the next World Winter Games in Italy in 2025.
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Friday, July 3, 2020
After Sweden withdrew from hosting the 2021 Special Olympics World Winter Games back in December, and then the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, we knew it would take much more time than usual to find out when the Games would be held, where they would be held, and whether Cory is selected to Team Canada.
Well, we now know the Games will be held from January 22 to January 28, 2022.
And we now know the Games will be held in Kazan, Russia.
What we still don't know is whether Cory will be there wearing the Maple Leaf.
So a good time to review how Cory got to this point, so close to realizing a dream that started over 15 years ago. And the last 3 years certainly provided some new challenges to Cory.
Including some health issues, both minor and major, and Cory continues to suffer from foot pain that started earlier this year.
The first year of the current cycle was 2018, with the Regional Qualifier held in Kimberley. Cory represents Region 3 at Special Olympics British Columbia (Richmond, Burnaby, Delta). Being the only alpine skier from his Region, Cory was pretty much guaranteed to qualify for the 2019 Provincial Games, especially since in previous cycles, all participants in the Regional Qualifying races were invited to the Provincial Games the following year, unlike all other SOBC sport programs.
Cory had not lost an SOBC race since 2007, and was expecting to do well again. Though he certainly expected to be challenged by his main rival from North Vancouver. Until that racer broke his wrist in training and could not race at the Qualifiers.
So Cory was feeling pretty good about finishing first at the Regionals, though he knows anything can happen on race day.
And it did. Cory raced well, but did not win any of the 3 races, beaten by 2 newcomers from the Cranbrook area.
So now, while qualifying for the Provincial Games was still quite certain, Cory would have to work very hard to find a way to beat these two new athletes at the 2019 Provincial Games if he hoped to qualify for the National Games in 2020.
As it turned out, for the first time, not all athletes who participated qualified for the 2019 Provincial Games. And even though 2 racers beat Cory, neither of them qualified. There were no explanations provided, so we can only guess that the racers who beat Cory were not actually registered with Special Olympics.
So onto the 2019 Provincials we go, at Silver Star near Vernon. Again, expecting to do well but knowing that only 3 Gold Medal finishes would guarantee him a trip to Thunder Bay for the 2020 National Games.
It's a cold and very snowy couple of days at Silver Star. And very short race courses, which levels the playing field and makes even a small error very costly.
The first day goes very well, as Cory wins the Giant Slalom and Super Giant Slalom races, though the Super G was by a .49 of a second margin, it was close.
The next day would be Slalom, 2 runs to determine if Cory would grab his 3 Gold Medal. Then, about 10 minutes before he was to start his first run on the course, Cory had a seizure. They don't usually last long and neither did this one but he still had to get back into race mode in a hurry. And he did, winning by close to 3 seconds over the 2 runs.
So after the uncertainty of believing he would be competing against faster rivals, and then overcoming a pre-race seizure, Cory received a letter in early May, 2019, that he would represent BC at his third National Games.
A month later, attending the National Games would become much less important to us all. On June 20, after experiencing pain for a few weeks, Cory was diagnosed with cancer. He was fortunate with surgery taking place two days later, and within 6 weeks or so, he was declared free of cancer and has remained so ever since.
So by fall, it was back to work to prepare for the 2020 National Games. Starting with the terrific new full-time race program at Rocky Mountain Adaptive in Banff, Alberta, in early December, 2019:
and again in January 2020, where wind chill values dropped to -37C, which would turn out to be good training for the weather Cory would deal with at the National Games in Thunder Bay...
as well as with BC Adaptive at Sun Peaks...
So on to the National Games in Thunder Bay in late February, where Cory would try for the 3rd time to earn enough points to be selected to Team Canada.
And he would once again deal with a health issue, plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Up until that week, it hadn't bothered him in ski boots but he was experiencing a lot of pain when we watched him do some training runs on the first day of the Games.
But he persevered and with a little bit of luck, earned the maximum number of points possible by winning 3 Gold Medals in his 3 races.
Gold in Super G:
Gold in Giant Slalom:
Gold in Slalom:
So not quite at the finish line yet, but hopefully we will know soon whether Cory will be travelling to Russia in 2022.
Spasibo!
Well, we now know the Games will be held from January 22 to January 28, 2022.
And we now know the Games will be held in Kazan, Russia.
What we still don't know is whether Cory will be there wearing the Maple Leaf.
So a good time to review how Cory got to this point, so close to realizing a dream that started over 15 years ago. And the last 3 years certainly provided some new challenges to Cory.
Including some health issues, both minor and major, and Cory continues to suffer from foot pain that started earlier this year.
The first year of the current cycle was 2018, with the Regional Qualifier held in Kimberley. Cory represents Region 3 at Special Olympics British Columbia (Richmond, Burnaby, Delta). Being the only alpine skier from his Region, Cory was pretty much guaranteed to qualify for the 2019 Provincial Games, especially since in previous cycles, all participants in the Regional Qualifying races were invited to the Provincial Games the following year, unlike all other SOBC sport programs.
Cory had not lost an SOBC race since 2007, and was expecting to do well again. Though he certainly expected to be challenged by his main rival from North Vancouver. Until that racer broke his wrist in training and could not race at the Qualifiers.
So Cory was feeling pretty good about finishing first at the Regionals, though he knows anything can happen on race day.
And it did. Cory raced well, but did not win any of the 3 races, beaten by 2 newcomers from the Cranbrook area.
So now, while qualifying for the Provincial Games was still quite certain, Cory would have to work very hard to find a way to beat these two new athletes at the 2019 Provincial Games if he hoped to qualify for the National Games in 2020.
As it turned out, for the first time, not all athletes who participated qualified for the 2019 Provincial Games. And even though 2 racers beat Cory, neither of them qualified. There were no explanations provided, so we can only guess that the racers who beat Cory were not actually registered with Special Olympics.
So onto the 2019 Provincials we go, at Silver Star near Vernon. Again, expecting to do well but knowing that only 3 Gold Medal finishes would guarantee him a trip to Thunder Bay for the 2020 National Games.
It's a cold and very snowy couple of days at Silver Star. And very short race courses, which levels the playing field and makes even a small error very costly.
The first day goes very well, as Cory wins the Giant Slalom and Super Giant Slalom races, though the Super G was by a .49 of a second margin, it was close.
The next day would be Slalom, 2 runs to determine if Cory would grab his 3 Gold Medal. Then, about 10 minutes before he was to start his first run on the course, Cory had a seizure. They don't usually last long and neither did this one but he still had to get back into race mode in a hurry. And he did, winning by close to 3 seconds over the 2 runs.
So after the uncertainty of believing he would be competing against faster rivals, and then overcoming a pre-race seizure, Cory received a letter in early May, 2019, that he would represent BC at his third National Games.
A month later, attending the National Games would become much less important to us all. On June 20, after experiencing pain for a few weeks, Cory was diagnosed with cancer. He was fortunate with surgery taking place two days later, and within 6 weeks or so, he was declared free of cancer and has remained so ever since.
So by fall, it was back to work to prepare for the 2020 National Games. Starting with the terrific new full-time race program at Rocky Mountain Adaptive in Banff, Alberta, in early December, 2019:
and again in January 2020, where wind chill values dropped to -37C, which would turn out to be good training for the weather Cory would deal with at the National Games in Thunder Bay...
as well as with BC Adaptive at Sun Peaks...
So on to the National Games in Thunder Bay in late February, where Cory would try for the 3rd time to earn enough points to be selected to Team Canada.
And he would once again deal with a health issue, plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Up until that week, it hadn't bothered him in ski boots but he was experiencing a lot of pain when we watched him do some training runs on the first day of the Games.
But he persevered and with a little bit of luck, earned the maximum number of points possible by winning 3 Gold Medals in his 3 races.
Gold in Super G:
Gold in Giant Slalom:
Gold in Slalom:
So not quite at the finish line yet, but hopefully we will know soon whether Cory will be travelling to Russia in 2022.
Spasibo!
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
RUSSIA!
Special Olympics has announced that the 2022 World Winter Games will be held in Kazan, Russia!
Totally unexpected venue! Now we wait to hear if Cory has been selected to Team Canada.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
CTV Vancouver Interview
the link to CTV Vancouver's feature on Cory
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-skier-wins-gold-after-beating-cancer-1.4866483
Special Olympics Canada tweet
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-skier-wins-gold-after-beating-cancer-1.4866483
Special Olympics Canada tweet
Sunday, March 22, 2020
A Long Wait
With the impact of the coronavirus crisis being felt in all areas of our lives around the globe, the selection process for both Team Canada and a new venue for Special Olympics' World Winter Games will likely take much longer than normal.
So staying optimistic and looking ahead to next year, and staying at home as much as possible, we'll start giving Cory's race skis a fresh coat of wax after having them tuned. And wax and wax and wax.
So staying optimistic and looking ahead to next year, and staying at home as much as possible, we'll start giving Cory's race skis a fresh coat of wax after having them tuned. And wax and wax and wax.
Monday, March 2, 2020
Triple Gold but it wasn't easy!
Cory's dream of representing Canada in Alpine Skiing took a HUGE - and painful - step forward last week at Special Olympics' National Winter Games in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
After dealing with a very sore jaw earlier this winter due to a tooth extraction, he was diagnosed with a severe case of plantar fasciitis just three weeks ago. Up until last week, he had felt little pain while wearing ski boots.
But that changed dramatically in Thunder Bay.
All was fine on departure day, an early morning start at Vancouver Airport. No, the Team's not flying "priority".
Via Toronto, where Team BC Alpine gathers for a photo, then onto Thunder Bay.
After a day of rest in Thunder Bay, there would be a day of training before competition started on February 26.
Loch Lomond Ski Area would be the venue for the Alpine Skiing events.
By the time we arrive, Cory has already started his training day, and spots us as he rides the chair back up.
Cory would wear bib #239 for these Games...
And all looks fine - if not particularly speedy, no need to take any risks in training.
So off to the Opening Ceremonies we go, at the Fort Williams Gardens...where we await Team BC's entrance...
And there they are! With Cory in front of the volunteer in red...
It's a large team so they are not seated in the usual spot on the floor, but in the stands...
and in a quieter moment, I ring my bell, and Cory finds us...he's just above the toque on the person standing in the aisle..
And with the lighting of the torch...
Our Governor-General - and former astronaut - Julie Payette opens the Games!
The next day would be 2 Giant Slalom runs for the purposes of divisioning and a 2-run Giant Slalom race.
Divisioning runs are used to place the racers against other racers of similar ability in Advanced, Intermediate, and Novice categories. In Jasper in 2012, and Newfoundland in 2016, Cory was placed in the top Division in Advanced, same division as the World Champion from Quebec. In 2012, Cory won Bronze in all 3 races, then in 2016 Cory earned 3 Silver medals. This time he was shooting for gold.
and everyone would see who we were there to cheer for!
Cory always does an intense course inspection, giving the course a really good look to help plan out his strategy...here with teammates and Coach Mark...
Team BC in the background at the top of the race course...getting ready to race...
In the first divisioning run, Cory seems to be in no hurry to get to the finish line, staying far from the gates and not carrying much speed. It's not a race, just divisioning, so maybe he's just being prudent and not risking a crash.
But by the 2nd divisioning run, it's clear that something is wrong...he's staying away from the gates and starting his turns late, or as his mother says here in the background..."he looks slow as molasses!"
he just doesn't look right...standing up straight...
And his combined time of 1:05.17 puts him in 8th place overall, 14 seconds behind the former World Champion from Quebec, far below his silver medal performance in 2016.
While parents have limited access to racers during competition, I get permission to speak with Cory for a few moments and discover that his plantar fasciitis is really hurting his foot. He is concerned that if he gets too close to the gates that he may hit one and make his foot worse. He had not experienced foot pain in his ski boots before, so he is really worried.
So we talk about the 4 years of preparation for this moment, and that somehow he has to find a way to overcome that foot pain and still race at his best.
We also talked to the medical staff and agreed to provide Cory with Tylenol a short period before each race.
On the bright side, Cory gets dropped a division and will not need to go head-to-head with the former World Champion any longer. It's a lucky though definitely painful break.
So back onto the racecourse, where there would be two runs to determine the winner..Cory's first run is fastest in his division, though a main competitor from Ontario had a crash, with a time of 1:02.22...
and in perfect form as he approaches the finish...something Cory had been working on, keeping his hands high up by his chin to push the wind around his body...
Cory's 2nd run is a bit slower at 1:03.27 and he is beaten by the Ontario racer who had crashed...
But he has the fastest combined time for the 2 runs and he has now won his first ever Gold medal in Alpine Skiing at the National Games! (he won Gold in 5-pin bowling at the National Summer Games in 2010). He's a National Champion! With a combined time that is fast enough to be 3rd behind the World Champ and another Ontario skier!
So a terrific result in spite of the foot pain, and he's all smiles on top of the podium!
The next day, February 27, is the Super Giant Slalom, 2 runs with the first run being only a training run, and only the 2nd run counting towards the medals...
We awake to find this on the front page of the local paper...
It's another cold day, sunny but much windier than the previous day, with the wind driving straight up the race course...will the wind affect the results? Cory's perfect tuck form could make the difference on this day...
Cory tells me his foot is much better on this morning, and his training run shows it, the 3rd fastest overall and 3 seconds faster than anyone else in his division...
And for the 2nd run - the one that counts - it's a closer race, an Ontario racer stops the clock at 57.76, just .75 seconds slower than Cory's 57.01, which is faster than any other skier but the world champion, just like 2016. GOLD #2!
Nice and close to the gates...
It's slalom for the last day of competition and it's a perfectly sunny day, but even windier than the day before. And his foot is painful again.
His first slalom run is fastest in his division, but again an Ontario skier crashes...
And the skier who crashed in the first run beats Cory in the 2nd run, but Cory's combined time is again the fastest in his division, and 4th fastest overall. TRIPLE GOLD!
Cory was the only racer who used a "touch-down" at the finish line, stopping the clock a fraction of a second with his hand rather than waiting for his knees to reach the laser - something else he has been working on.
on the podium with teammate Jordan in 2nd place...
After dealing with a very sore jaw earlier this winter due to a tooth extraction, he was diagnosed with a severe case of plantar fasciitis just three weeks ago. Up until last week, he had felt little pain while wearing ski boots.
But that changed dramatically in Thunder Bay.
All was fine on departure day, an early morning start at Vancouver Airport. No, the Team's not flying "priority".
Via Toronto, where Team BC Alpine gathers for a photo, then onto Thunder Bay.
After a day of rest in Thunder Bay, there would be a day of training before competition started on February 26.
Loch Lomond Ski Area would be the venue for the Alpine Skiing events.
By the time we arrive, Cory has already started his training day, and spots us as he rides the chair back up.
Cory would wear bib #239 for these Games...
And all looks fine - if not particularly speedy, no need to take any risks in training.
So off to the Opening Ceremonies we go, at the Fort Williams Gardens...where we await Team BC's entrance...
And there they are! With Cory in front of the volunteer in red...
It's a large team so they are not seated in the usual spot on the floor, but in the stands...
and in a quieter moment, I ring my bell, and Cory finds us...he's just above the toque on the person standing in the aisle..
And with the lighting of the torch...
Our Governor-General - and former astronaut - Julie Payette opens the Games!
The next day would be 2 Giant Slalom runs for the purposes of divisioning and a 2-run Giant Slalom race.
Divisioning runs are used to place the racers against other racers of similar ability in Advanced, Intermediate, and Novice categories. In Jasper in 2012, and Newfoundland in 2016, Cory was placed in the top Division in Advanced, same division as the World Champion from Quebec. In 2012, Cory won Bronze in all 3 races, then in 2016 Cory earned 3 Silver medals. This time he was shooting for gold.
and everyone would see who we were there to cheer for!
Cory always does an intense course inspection, giving the course a really good look to help plan out his strategy...here with teammates and Coach Mark...
Team BC in the background at the top of the race course...getting ready to race...
In the first divisioning run, Cory seems to be in no hurry to get to the finish line, staying far from the gates and not carrying much speed. It's not a race, just divisioning, so maybe he's just being prudent and not risking a crash.
But by the 2nd divisioning run, it's clear that something is wrong...he's staying away from the gates and starting his turns late, or as his mother says here in the background..."he looks slow as molasses!"
he just doesn't look right...standing up straight...
And his combined time of 1:05.17 puts him in 8th place overall, 14 seconds behind the former World Champion from Quebec, far below his silver medal performance in 2016.
While parents have limited access to racers during competition, I get permission to speak with Cory for a few moments and discover that his plantar fasciitis is really hurting his foot. He is concerned that if he gets too close to the gates that he may hit one and make his foot worse. He had not experienced foot pain in his ski boots before, so he is really worried.
So we talk about the 4 years of preparation for this moment, and that somehow he has to find a way to overcome that foot pain and still race at his best.
We also talked to the medical staff and agreed to provide Cory with Tylenol a short period before each race.
On the bright side, Cory gets dropped a division and will not need to go head-to-head with the former World Champion any longer. It's a lucky though definitely painful break.
So back onto the racecourse, where there would be two runs to determine the winner..Cory's first run is fastest in his division, though a main competitor from Ontario had a crash, with a time of 1:02.22...
and in perfect form as he approaches the finish...something Cory had been working on, keeping his hands high up by his chin to push the wind around his body...
Cory's 2nd run is a bit slower at 1:03.27 and he is beaten by the Ontario racer who had crashed...
But he has the fastest combined time for the 2 runs and he has now won his first ever Gold medal in Alpine Skiing at the National Games! (he won Gold in 5-pin bowling at the National Summer Games in 2010). He's a National Champion! With a combined time that is fast enough to be 3rd behind the World Champ and another Ontario skier!
So a terrific result in spite of the foot pain, and he's all smiles on top of the podium!
The next day, February 27, is the Super Giant Slalom, 2 runs with the first run being only a training run, and only the 2nd run counting towards the medals...
We awake to find this on the front page of the local paper...
It's another cold day, sunny but much windier than the previous day, with the wind driving straight up the race course...will the wind affect the results? Cory's perfect tuck form could make the difference on this day...
Cory tells me his foot is much better on this morning, and his training run shows it, the 3rd fastest overall and 3 seconds faster than anyone else in his division...
And for the 2nd run - the one that counts - it's a closer race, an Ontario racer stops the clock at 57.76, just .75 seconds slower than Cory's 57.01, which is faster than any other skier but the world champion, just like 2016. GOLD #2!
Nice and close to the gates...
It's slalom for the last day of competition and it's a perfectly sunny day, but even windier than the day before. And his foot is painful again.
His first slalom run is fastest in his division, but again an Ontario skier crashes...
And the skier who crashed in the first run beats Cory in the 2nd run, but Cory's combined time is again the fastest in his division, and 4th fastest overall. TRIPLE GOLD!
Cory was the only racer who used a "touch-down" at the finish line, stopping the clock a fraction of a second with his hand rather than waiting for his knees to reach the laser - something else he has been working on.
on the podium with teammate Jordan in 2nd place...
With all the medalists from the entire event...just to the left of the Thunder Bay sign...
In 2010, when Cory won Gold in 5-Pin bowling at the National Games in London, Ontario, we celebrated with an ice cream cone. Well, time to celebrate again, it's a tradition!
So, he's now a National Champion, in Slalom, Giant Slalom, and Super Giant Slalom. Only 2 other racers won 3 Gold medals. Selection to Team Canada normally takes a few weeks, and this year, now that Sweden has pulled out of the 2021 World Games, and a new venue has yet to be announced, it may take longer to find out if Cory will fulfill his dream of skiing for Canada. But he's done everything he can to make that happen.
Team BC arrival back at Vancouver Airport....
Mission Accomplished? Not quite yet...just one step - hopefully not a painful one - to go.
And maybe, just maybe, the next update will include a Maple Leaf.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
The Rocky Mountain Adaptive full-time race program proved so good for Cory back in December that he decided to return to Banff for 4 more days of some of the most intensive race training he's ever been a part of. He had already planned to attend BC Adaptive's All-Mountain Camp at Sun Peaks, so what's another 6 hour drive, eh. Each way.
So that means it's a 12-13 hour drive from home to the Banff area, and we wake up to a snow day in Vancouver, a relatively rare event which paralyzes the city.
We don't drive all the way to Banff and stay in Sicamous, about half way, and the drive is fine..even in avalanche country...
More snow the next day and in some places it's tricky driving...there's a road - and a truck - there somewhere...
But we do make it safely to our rented condo in Canmore, which is about a 40 minute drive to Sunshine Village Ski Area near Banff, where we will reunite with the Rocky Mountain Adaptive Ski Team.
Cory gets a chuckle when people tell him to "have fun skiing!". It's always an early start - for this camp it's a 530am alarm, and on this day - January 17 - it's chilly: -26C.
Then it's a lot of work doing a few warm up drills, working on technique, then a race course inspection and a slip to remove excess snow, before finally getting to ski the race course, maximizing the time allotted to get as many runs through gates as possible. It's fun yes, but it's a lot of hard work to improve too. And then there's all that coaching feedback telling him what he must do better!
8am at Sunshine Village...
By the time we are in the gondola, the sun is rising on a spectacular Rocky Mountain venue...
And it's terrific conditions for a Giant Slalom training day....here under the watchful eye of his coaches...Cory continues to work on more up-and-down body movement....
It's a beautiful but chilly morning so a few more runs through the course before switching to technical free skiing in the afternoon.
And it's up to the top of the mountain - above the tree line - for free skiing...where it's blustery and cold...
So it's a well-deserved soak in the hot tub for Cory to end his day...
The next day is certainly no warmer...check out that wind chill!
And due to the extreme cold, the chair lift up to the race course is frozen...but that won't stop Cory from getting in his training runs!
It's slalom on this day...
and though it doesn't look fast from this camera angle, following Cory down the course shows his speed...
Later, during the afternoon's technical free skiing, Cory's coaches work with him to improve his starts...
But shortly after, a touch of frostbite on Cory's nose means an end to his day.
And it's warmer the next day, January 19, warm enough for Cory to train only in his race suit.
The next day, January 20, gives us ideal race training conditions, cold enough for good hard snow but warm enough to train in a race suit. And as always in race training, an early start...
The coaches with Rocky Mountain Adaptive have been terrific with Cory. They understand that at this point - with about a month to go to the Nationals - that Cory's technical skill development is less important than just finding a way to higher speeds through race courses. Coaches Gavin and Kirk start to encourage Cory to attack the race course with a straighter more direct line as they believe he has the technical skill now to do that. This course is steep with hard snow at the top and Cory has difficulty making those perfect carves that add speed, but by the last couple of runs here he is clearly attacking the course more directly and hitting more of the gates.
Then it's onto Sun Peaks back in British Columbia for BC Adaptive's All-Mountain Camp. This is a much less-intensive race program with race training only in the mornings. But the head coach of the program is the head coach from Rocky Mountain Adaptive so Cory can continue working on just finding more speed.
Even in the fog...
And a first for Cory, he gets so close to a red gate near the end of this run that he has to move his head out of the way, a real indication that he is taking a much more aggressive line and shortening his race course.
No fog on the next morning, as Sun Peaks lives up to its name...
The All-Mountain Camp wraps up with Cory and Coach Jamie from Rocky Mountain Adaptive looking really pleased with Cory's progress.
Cory races at the National Games on February 26 & 27, less than a month away. He may plan to do more training but we all feel that he is ready to take on that World Champion from Quebec once again.
So that means it's a 12-13 hour drive from home to the Banff area, and we wake up to a snow day in Vancouver, a relatively rare event which paralyzes the city.
We don't drive all the way to Banff and stay in Sicamous, about half way, and the drive is fine..even in avalanche country...
More snow the next day and in some places it's tricky driving...there's a road - and a truck - there somewhere...
But we do make it safely to our rented condo in Canmore, which is about a 40 minute drive to Sunshine Village Ski Area near Banff, where we will reunite with the Rocky Mountain Adaptive Ski Team.
Cory gets a chuckle when people tell him to "have fun skiing!". It's always an early start - for this camp it's a 530am alarm, and on this day - January 17 - it's chilly: -26C.
Then it's a lot of work doing a few warm up drills, working on technique, then a race course inspection and a slip to remove excess snow, before finally getting to ski the race course, maximizing the time allotted to get as many runs through gates as possible. It's fun yes, but it's a lot of hard work to improve too. And then there's all that coaching feedback telling him what he must do better!
8am at Sunshine Village...
By the time we are in the gondola, the sun is rising on a spectacular Rocky Mountain venue...
And it's terrific conditions for a Giant Slalom training day....here under the watchful eye of his coaches...Cory continues to work on more up-and-down body movement....
It's a beautiful but chilly morning so a few more runs through the course before switching to technical free skiing in the afternoon.
And it's up to the top of the mountain - above the tree line - for free skiing...where it's blustery and cold...
So it's a well-deserved soak in the hot tub for Cory to end his day...
The next day is certainly no warmer...check out that wind chill!
And due to the extreme cold, the chair lift up to the race course is frozen...but that won't stop Cory from getting in his training runs!
It's slalom on this day...
and though it doesn't look fast from this camera angle, following Cory down the course shows his speed...
Later, during the afternoon's technical free skiing, Cory's coaches work with him to improve his starts...
But shortly after, a touch of frostbite on Cory's nose means an end to his day.
And it's warmer the next day, January 19, warm enough for Cory to train only in his race suit.
The next day, January 20, gives us ideal race training conditions, cold enough for good hard snow but warm enough to train in a race suit. And as always in race training, an early start...
The coaches with Rocky Mountain Adaptive have been terrific with Cory. They understand that at this point - with about a month to go to the Nationals - that Cory's technical skill development is less important than just finding a way to higher speeds through race courses. Coaches Gavin and Kirk start to encourage Cory to attack the race course with a straighter more direct line as they believe he has the technical skill now to do that. This course is steep with hard snow at the top and Cory has difficulty making those perfect carves that add speed, but by the last couple of runs here he is clearly attacking the course more directly and hitting more of the gates.
Then it's onto Sun Peaks back in British Columbia for BC Adaptive's All-Mountain Camp. This is a much less-intensive race program with race training only in the mornings. But the head coach of the program is the head coach from Rocky Mountain Adaptive so Cory can continue working on just finding more speed.
Even in the fog...
And a first for Cory, he gets so close to a red gate near the end of this run that he has to move his head out of the way, a real indication that he is taking a much more aggressive line and shortening his race course.
No fog on the next morning, as Sun Peaks lives up to its name...
The All-Mountain Camp wraps up with Cory and Coach Jamie from Rocky Mountain Adaptive looking really pleased with Cory's progress.
Cory races at the National Games on February 26 & 27, less than a month away. He may plan to do more training but we all feel that he is ready to take on that World Champion from Quebec once again.
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