BC Alpine announces 2019/2020 BC Ski Team as race season gets underway!

BC Alpine is excited to introduce the 2019/20 BC Ski Team athletes. Five returning members, joined by four new talents, have just completed 6 months of serious training, both on and off snow. They are prepped and ready to race!
Frances MacDonald (Grouse Tyee) is back from a knee injury that kept her out of the game last season. She is joined on the ladies' squad by teammate Ella Renzoni (WMSC), both now in their third season with the provincial team.

Marcus Athans (Apex/OST) and Asher Jordan (WMSC) are leading the charge on the men's side, and have welcomed Gerrit van Soest (Vernon/OST), Nathan Romanin (WMSC), Tait Jordan (WMSC) and Heiko Ihns (RMR/KZT). Myles Kowalczyk (WMSC), also named to the team for his third year, is still recovering from an injury sustained at the end of last season.

BC Alpine Head Coach Nick Cooper leads the team again this season, with BC Ski Team coaches Ryan Jazic and Morgan Pridy.

“We have a little bit of everything in this group and it will be fun to see them make strides over the season. I expect big things from our veteran group,” said BC Alpine Head Coach Nick Cooper. “Ella and Marcus have had great prep and are skiing better than they ever had. Frances has had an excellent return-to-snow and is making progress everyday. Asher has already had a fantastic start, winning one of the season opener Nor-Am slaloms, so we expect he’ll continue to build off that and be competitive at future Nor-Ams, Europa Cups and World Juniors. Our rookies have all made big changes in their skiing and we’ll watch for them to continue to build confidence as the year progresses. We have a small coaching staff for the multiple programs we are trying to run at a high level and I’m extremely proud of the work ethic and organizational skills that Morgan and Ryan bring to our team! Working with two professionals that I have complete trust in is the key to keeping things running smoothly. As always we’re excited for the season to begin, the ups, the downs, and all the in betweens!"

“As always, this time of year is very exciting," said BC Alpine VP Johnny Crichton. "All the hard work put in by the athletes and coaches over the prep period will be put the test. Any gaps in our training will become clear and show us what more we need to do. We have a diverse group of athletes, all with different needs. It will be a challenge for our staff to provide the best program for everyone, but that’s exactly what we intend to do - our coaches love a challenge!”

"BC Alpine´s vision is to develop world class athletes and inspire skiers for life", said BC Alpine CEO Anders Hestdalen. "The BC Ski Team athletes are on track to become world class athletes, and it's our mission to provide them with the foundation to win at the World Cup level. We are proud of the athletes on the team, the effort everyone puts in, and to be able to continue the success of the BC Ski Team with such an awesome group of athletes and coaches. Go BC!"