Prepping for the Regionals

With Special Olympics BC's Regional Alpine Skiing Qualifier now just around the corner, Cory has been training locally at Cypress, as well as with BC Adaptive Snow Sports in Sun Peaks, and of course with our good friends at Whistler Mountain Ski Club.

We've been trying hard to include a lot more fun in Cory's training routine with more free-skiing and more powder skiing when possible.

BC Adaptive held a 4-day All-Mountain Camp at Sun Peaks in late January and it turned out to be exactly what Cory was looking for.

It's a 5 or 6 hour drive to Sun Peaks, depending on weather conditions as there are several high mountain passes where snow and visibility can slow things down.  While we didn't encounter much snowfall, it was obvious there had been some big snowfalls earlier.

And as we get nearer to Sun Peaks, we're into some blue skies, which puts smiles on our faces!

By the time we get to our rented condo at Sun Peaks, it's back into snow...

And then the next morning, and Sun Peaks lives up to its name and reputation!

After a warm-up run or two, it's onto the race course on the Nancy Greene International Race Centre on the OSV run.  The OSV is a legacy from the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games...OSV is the Austrian abbreviation for Ski Austria as the Austrian Ski Team developed the run and even installed a chair for it.  On training days, it is closed to the public and on this day, BC Adaptive has exclusive 

use of the entire run.

Then it's down to business, as Cory eases into his first run through a race course in about a year, still remembering his signature start where he gets down low then pushes off.

The run is made up of 3 different race courses, none of them too long, on this first day of training.

It's obvious he is taking it slowly, not skiing a particularly aggressive line and not getting too close to the flag panels.  His body position is quite good but there are moments when he is too far back, characterized by his shins being perpendicular to the snow rather than at an angle to the snow.





nice and forward here, knees forward of his toes, keeping his whole body forward and pushing his skis for more speed and better edge pressure...

Here, his knees are more perpendicular, so not as much edge pressure, and his body is further back but his hands are up and forward in both...

Then it's back up to the top for another run through the 3 courses...and getting a bit more aggressive, brushing some gates out of his way.  And he makes another good move, reaching down at the finish line to stop the clock earlier than it would otherwise.  But he's a bit late so we'll have to work on getting that hand down a bit earlier...




Getting clearly more comfortable, more speed but a bit late turning at each gate...not unexpected considering the length of time since he was last in gates...going faster and faster.....









until he finally has to slam on the brakes a bit - see the snow spray obliterate him - in order to make a gate (with some Dad commentary along the way)





Really starting to get it together now with speed and a more aggressive line, though still a bit in the back seat...



working on timing....




and pretty much nails it for his last run of the day...good body position, brushing the gates and this time no big braking at that gate..




That does it for the 1st day of gate training so time for some fun!  How about some ski cross Cory?  on his at first then with a fellow Special Olympian




And of course, a day of race training is best ended with a beer in a hot tub.

With a bit of a snowfall overnight, the next day looks perfect once again.  A little soft dry powdery snow - champagne powder they call it in the BC Interior - over hard-packed snow makes it perfect for racing - fast but with good control.




Then back into a race course, this time sharing the OSV run with another group of racers:









Working on his signature start out of the gate...




and on his final run he gets to me so fast I barely had time to get the camera on him..





The day ends with a group photo of coaches, volunteers, and athletes attending the camp, taken right at the top of the OSV run.  Cory is in the middle with a few others in red jackets, Cory's the one in the bright green helmet.

And later that night, it's a lot of Sun Peaks champagne powder and race training is cancelled.  No problem for Cory - he just pops into his powder skis and off he goes with two terrific Sun Peaks Adaptive Skiing volunteers, Raechel and John.

And powder it was!

One of the coaches for the camp was Josh Dueck - Canadian Gold & Silver Medalist at the 2014 Sochi Winter Paralympic Games

What?  no beer?

Later it's a lovely walk through Sun Peaks village:

And yet more powder on our last day....

So if we set out to give Cory some race training combined with a lot of fun, it sure looks like the BC Adaptive Camp was a complete success.

Now over to Whistler...where things get a bit more serious...

 Whistler Mountain Ski Club has been terrific with Cory over the years as we believe he is the only athlete with a disability to ever train with the Club.  Looking for more gate training, we planned to join WMSC's U14 program for some Giant Slalom.  But when we arrived at Whistler, we learned that they had changed to Slalom and Cory had not brought his slalom skis with him.  Slalom skis are shorter than Giant Slalom skis since shorter skis allow for quicker more abrupt turns.  Fortunately, WMSC's Executive Director had a SL pair with him and graciously offered to lend them to Cory.

But it was a cold day after a warm night and the snow was rock hard.  Many of the other skiers gave up after a run or two but Cory - as he always does - persevered and got numerous runs through a series of race course on the National Training Centre on the Ptarmigan run, closed off to the public.  Since the race course takes up only a part of Ptarmigan, it gives us both the opportunity to free-ski at top speed with virtually no one else around.  So yes, some work to do in the race course but a lot of fun too just getting there.

And even though it was set up for U14s, the icy snow made it very challenging....and he bails out on a few gates on the first part of this video.  But it's all good as it is a great way to get back into his first slalom race course since the Nationals in Newfoundland in 2016, and on borrowed skis too.

There's no bailing out on his next run through, though he does slow down to a crawl to get through the gates properly.  But there are features on this course - called hairpins and flushes where gates are in line vertically - that would never appear on a Special Olympics course - so it's great practice for easier races later.

But a minor mishap in the 3rd section as Cory gets caught up in a delay gate, but fortunately no crash no injury...

Still not a lot of speed, but good form as he brushes by each gate and his touchdown finish...

Then a lunch break as the sky turns blue

and after a few more good runs through the race course...

It's time to head home after a really good day of training...this is the Dave Murray Downhill run where the Mens Downhill was held at the 2010 Olympics, certainly our favourite run at Whistler..it is the second longest downhill race course in the world after Wengen in Switzerland....and this top portion is about a fifth of its total length....

there he goes...for a long and fun ride to the end of the day...

yep, he's the dot in the middle of the yellow circle...

A return visit to Whistler Mountain Ski Club the following week for more training...here's their club house on Rob Boyd Way in Whistler...

Whistler is showing off a bit on this day...excellent visibility and good snow coverage...

Cory had planned to work with the U14s again but they had changed to Slalom and Cory had his Giant Slalom skis, which are longer and rather unsafe to use in a Slalom course.  Fortunately, WMSC had a Giant Slalom course set up nearby, and the coaches there kindly offered their course for Cory's use.

Only later did Cory learn that it was a FIS course - designed for athletes one step below Team BC (not Special Olympics Team BC but the able-bodied Team BC) which is only one step below the Canadian Alpine Ski Team.  He was rather amazed when he learned he had race on a FIS course.

 And race he did indeed...showing plenty of speed here - and courage!  Maybe not technically perfect by any means but really fast, really charging down a challenging and long race course.

 Then back up to the top of the course....shown here next to the Solar Coaster chair on Blackcomb:

for a few more runs down this terrific course...going so fast his leaving jet-plane contrails behind!

So thanks to BC Adaptive and WMSC, Cory feels well prepared for the Regional Qualifier races in Kimberley

Of course, he also did some training with Special Olympics but for some reason, Sp O does not set up a race course very often.  Free skiing is important too but to me it seems like playing basketball without a net - you can certainly play but when it comes time to compete you likely won't be ready.  Only on two days this winter did Cory get to train in a course, and only short ones at that.  It's why he goes to terrific organizations like BC Adaptive and Whistler Mountain Ski Club to improve his racing skills.

So now it's off to Kimberley, BC where he will race Super G and Giant Slalom tomorrow and Slalom on Sunday.

A little late...

Cory has just started his ski season, quite a bit later than usual.  With a knee injury to his dad, and other commitments, it took until early January for Cory to get back on snow.

While the Regional Qualifier is in early March at Kimberley, for alpine skiing, all participants qualify for the Provincial Games at Silver Star, near Vernon, next year.  So it's not a critical year of competition for Cory but he surely intends to keep his winning streak going.  We know his main competitor has been training more often so Cory will certainly crank things up as the Qualifiers approach.

It was a warm, pleasant day last Monday on Cory's home mountain, Cypress Mountain in North Vancouver.

Cory's on his short slalom skis here, on a very familiar green run called Collins, just getting the legs back into form with lots of turning (and avoiding traffic!).  We are very fortunate to have such great skiing conditions with plenty of terrain to choose from, so close to home...our home in Tsawwassen as you can see in the distance at the end of the video below.

Cory will get into more serious training very soon, as we are off to Sun Peaks for the BC Adaptive All Mountain Camp - 4 days of gate training and free skiing.  Cory really enjoys this format as it's not "all work and no play"...gate training in the mornings then free-skiing with the race team in the afternoon.  And since Sun Peaks is really 3 separate mountains side-by-side, there are plenty of runs to enjoy.  Not to mention the hot tub at the rented condo at the end of each day, with a beer perhaps?

We'll update again after Sun Peaks.

The New Cycle Starts

The winter of 2017-2018 will mark the beginning of the new Special Olympics competition cycle for winter sports.  On March 3 & 4, 2018, Cory will compete in Special Olympics British Columbia's regional qualifier in Alpine Skiing at Kimberley, BC.

We've been to Kimberley twice before for the Canadian Adaptive Snowsports Association Annual Festival.  It's a terrific race venue with some nice wide runs with fun terrain changes, and usually terrific snow conditions.

With snow already fallen on the local Vancouver mountains, hopefully it will be as good a year for skiing as it was last year.  But for now, Cory is participating in Special Olympics basketball once again.  Up until this year, he has been part of SOBC Delta's basketball team, which is a Level C team but in reality more of a developmental team which was great for Cory as he learned to play the game.

But he has progressed quite well and this year decided he wanted to try playing at a higher level.  So he was given permission to join the Basketball program in Richmond, rated as a Level B team.  But in reality, that team has participated in Level A basketball as well.

So it's been a definite challenge for Cory to adapt to a much faster game, with much more physical play.  His first practice with that Richmond B team was on October 3 and it was clear he was a little lost, playing mostly on the periphery, rushing his shot-making, and somewhat afraid of the fast- moving ball at times.

But even two weeks later, he had adapted somewhat to the speed and physical aspect of the other players' skill levels, and was much more a part of the play, making some good passes, getting more inside around the basket and eventually making a good shot for a 2 pointer.

And the Richmond players and coach have been terrific, making Cory feel welcome and part of the team very quickly.  And at first, they were fine with just giving him a chance to get comfortable.




Cory also participated in a Functional Testing event with Special Olympics British Columbia.  This is a series of exercises designed to set base lines for various athletic skills such as stretching, leg strength, sprinting, planks, wall sits, etc.  The event took place at the Richmond Olympic Oval, a beautiful facility that was the site of the long track speed skating events at the 2010 Olympic Games.  Coincidentally, Canada's women's national volleyball team was practicing right next to the Functional Testing event and it was great to now meet a member of that team after Cory met the Canadian Women's Soccer Team, and of course Canada's Women Alpine Skiing team over the last few years.



Cory will continue with the Richmond Basketball program at least until the local mountains open and his regular Special Olympics ski program starts at Cypress Mountain in January.

However, he has changed ski program for this coming season.  When he first started back in 2006, Delta did not have a Special Olympics program of any type so he joined the Special Olympics ski program in Surrey, a neighbouring community.  A couple of years later, Delta formed its own SOBC local and started a ski program, which Cory joined.

After a few years, that program disbanded and Cory then joined the SOBC Vancouver ski program.  We knew the Head Coach of that program and with David Miller - a really good coach with a race background - working with Cory, things were going quite well.  Unfortunately, half way through the program last year, the Vancouver Head Coach suddenly decided to impose some unnecessary rules that affected Cory's skill development.  So we talked things over during the summer and Cory has decided to rejoin the Surrey team.

So stay tuned for some news from the beginning of the competition cycle as Cory prepares for the Regional Qualifier in March, the first step in defending his 2-time Provincial Champion status in 2019, and hopefully qualify for his 3rd consecutive Winter National Games.

BCAS Athlete of the Year!

After receiving the Canadian Adaptive Skiers Association last April, Cory has followed that up with the BC Adaptive Athlete of the Year!

Even though 2017 was mostly about fun skiing for Cory, the award does recognize his hard work and achievements at Special Olympics National Games in Newfoundland in 2016.

Law Enforcement Torch Run 2017

As he does every year, Cory ran with the Law Enforcement Torch Run - a major Special Olympics fundraising program - as it made its way through Ladner.

Glorious Day to End a Fun Season!

Cory ended his 2017 season with a day at Whistler in late May, a glorious day full of warm sunshine.  We'd been there just a month earlier - in a blizzard - so quite the change in conditions.

And no need for ski jackets on this day...

It was the last day of the winter season for Whistler, and it's busy but with a party atmosphere...we don't think we've ever seen such long lines for lifts at Whistler before...

And once again, as we did last month, we bumped into our good friend Bob Armstrong from Whistler Mountain Ski Club.   Bob was coaching a group of racers on Gandy Dancer - where Cory has trained and raced before - and kindly invited Cory for a run on their race course.  This has not been an intensive training season for Cory but invitations from Whistler Mountain Ski Club just can't be passed up - we believe Cory continues to be the only athlete with a disability to ever train with WMSC,   

Cory certainly wasn't prepared to ski through gates, and the course was more difficult than it looks since it was very rutty in the soft spring snow....and he bails out of a gate near the end...but we always appreciate an invitation from WMSC to train with them.

And what better way to celebrate the end of a terrific ski season - after his best season ever of racing in 2016 - with a nice cold Guinness at the Dub Linh Gate pub in Whistler village!

A Very Special Guest

It was some very special skiing last week for Cory at Whistler.  His cousin, Bryony, whom he hadn't seen for about 20 years, flew over from England to ski with us for a few days.  While we didn't get much sunshine, we got some terrific skiing in, including a day of light, fluffy powder - a rarity in Whistler which normally gets a fair amount of moisture in its snowfalls, but especially rare in mid-April when rain would be far more likely.

In fact, it was winter-like conditions for all 3 days, with a light snowfall on the first day.
Here they are - with Bryony's friend Stephen (since it's such a special visit, we'll forgive him for his dark-side snowboard) - on Ptarmigan.

Now Ptarmigan is a run that Cory is very familiar with, as it is where the National Training Centre is located so Cory has trained and raced on this run numerous times.  It is often closed to the public, but not on this day so we were excited to have them ski this run with us.




It's a terrific run for racers....long and wide, with lots of terrain changes.  Lots of opportunity for speed when conditions are good.  And the snow was perfect, very firm below some soft new snow.  Now when Cory trains on Ptarmigan, it's pretty much the only run he skis on all day, and Whistler Blackcomb has over 200 runs.  So I figured he would want a change and head over to some of the other good runs.  But on this day, it was so good, he said he wanted to do another run on Ptarmigan, so around we went to the Garbanzo chair to go back up.

And a good thing too, as we met Manny Osborne-Paradis, back at the top of Ptarmigan,  He was there doing a promotional photo shoot but kindly took a moment to come over and chat with us.

Manny has been on the Canadian Alpine Ski team for several years and just finished an excellent comeback season, after several difficult years, putting him a terrific position for the 2018 Olympics in Korea.  He wished Cory well, told him to not give up and to keep working on his racing, just like he has.  And Cory was invited to train with Whistler Mountain Ski Club this summer - Manny said he could very well be there too so the Olympians may meet again soon.

And of course we took Bryony and Stephen onto the Dave Murray Downhill run, the site of the Men's Downhill for the 2010 Olympics.  Here's Cory & Bryony in the old start gate, ready to go head-to-head on the Olympic run.

And after a great day on the hill, gotta have some hot-tubbin' time...and a beer or two...

The next morning, plenty of spring rain as we board the Blackcomb Gondola...

But in the alpine, in front of Blackcomb's Glacier Creek Lodge, it's full-blown winter:

And at the very top, outside Horstmann Hut, there's a blizzard raging!

And so with very limited visibility, might as well take a hot chocolate break...

It's been a snowy winter!  Over 13 metres of snow fell on Whistler Blackcomb this winter...42 feet of the white stuff!

After our break, it's back out into the blizzard, and being above the treeline, there's not much to see but white in every direction....

and it feels like we are the only 4 skiers on the mountain...then the visibility improves...

and Cory gets to enjoy that terrific sensation of powder snow around his shins and knees...not the usual stuff for a racer, where hard pack ice-like snow is the norm...

Bryony makes it obvious she's enjoying the "incredible" snow too...

And Stephen loves his pow!

Bryony showing her good form on the slopes...

Cory again in knee-deep powder (those markers are not boundary markers, Cory would never ski out of bounds...they are just visual references to mark the Blue Line run...handy in white-out conditions)

Even deeper snow further on Blue Line

(This video contains coarse language, viewer discretion is advised)

And a "toe-st" in the hot tub to end a terrific day with Bryony and Stephen in Whistler powder!

The next morning is race day, and OMG, Cory doesn't win, how can that be???  Good God, even the dark-side boarder beat him...better forget about this powder skiing Cory and get back to work!!!

It's still snowing hard on Whistler, but it's time to head home, or at least to the airport to say goodbye to our very special guest skiers.

But first a stop at one of our favourite Vancouver eateries, and our Montreal friends and family will definitely recognize the name and know right away what we all had for lunch!

And the goodbye...and come back soon okay (though we can't promise knee-deep powder every time!)

a last tearful hug with Bryony's aunt, Cory's mum...it was all so so good.

So what a terrific end to a terrific season.  Cory wanted to spend more time on his powder skis just having fun, with less gate training and Mother Nature cooperated with so much snow that every time on skis was just better than the last.  He wasn't on snow as often as he normally is when he trains, but certainly this year, and especially with Bryony in Whistler, it was quality over quantity.

Cory will decide later if he trains with Whistler Mountain Ski Club this summer.  If he does, that would likely be late June or early July.  For now it's back to his 2 Special Olympics summer sports:  soccer & softball.

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