Like most sports, the Alpine Ski team was back to a pretty regular season this term. We began with 2 months of dryland fitness training including balance boards, yoga, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and of course our regular Friday dodgeball game. In the New Year, we were back on the slopes, competing in 5 races at various ski clubs, racing both Slalom and Giant Slalom. Despite the weather this winter being a bit all over the place, for the most part, the snow held up on our mild race days (the coaches were definitely not overly upset by the lack of frozen fingers and toes on the hill). In the open division, our only two racers, Ottokar Kueper and Harry Wang faced tough competition. They earned respectable 22nd and 28th overall season finishes. I commend them for their resilience and their sportsmanship. They worked together and supported their other teammates in the high school-trained division. But, like the weather this winter, our race results in the high school trained division were a bit all over the place Most of our racers had amazing runs one week. Only to crash out the next These tenuous results left the team sitting in 3rd place heading into the CISAA Championship race behind St Mike's and TCS. At the Championship, the boys were focused and motivated to stay on their feet. Seamus Martin led the way placing first, (remember Seamus broke both his feet last June). Joining Seamus in the top 15 were four teammates: Yuan Yoshimi finished 5th, Ben Hilgendorff was 8th, Roan Binnendyk was 9th and Ethan Person came in 15th. These stellar runs propelled the team ahead, winning them the CISAA Championship and qualifying them to race at OFSAA. We were confident going into OFSAA. Our plan was to find that fine line in ski racing between skiing aggressively while staying safe. Unfortunately, we faced tough competition from outside of CISAA and earned a bronze medal in slalom on day 1, and 5th overall in Giant Slalom on day 2. While these weren't the results we were hoping for, we still managed to stay ahead of St Mike's and TCS with whom we battled all season. The boys should be proud of their accomplishments. One of the highlights of OFSAA Alpine is the banquet held for all teams. This year, Mr. Inglis was honoured with the Leadership in School Sport award. This award is presented annually at each OFSAA Championship to a teacher-coach who has made a significant contribution to the educational athletic program. The recipient of this award exemplifies the values of fair play and good sportsmanship while promoting enjoyment, personal growth, and educational achievement through school sport. Mr. Inglis has been coaching Alpine ski racing at SAC and has been involved in OFSAA Alpine for close to 20 years. He's led SAC to at least a dozen CISAA and OFSAA championships over this time and dedicates countless hours each winter to planning practices and organizing all the logistical details for the team to get on the hill multiple times a week. As his assistant coach for 10 years, I have learned so much from him and appreciate all he does for the team. He has truly built a consistent and strong ski racing program at SAC and is very deserving of this award. Before he announces the MIP & MVP award winners, I'd just like to take a moment to thank Ms. Elliott who stepped up and filled in as coach at two races this year while Mr. Murray and I were away with other school events. Her time and willingness to help out are greatly appreciated

Story by Carolyn Bilton, Alpine Ski Coach