Alpine Canada – Alpine Canada names eight racers to Worlds’ team

Calgary, Alta. (Jan. 28, 2019) – Alpine Canada has named eight athletes – four men and four women – to its ski cross team competing at the 2019 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships in Park City, Utah, Feb. 1-2.

Among the highly-decorated team are 2018 Olympic ski cross champions Brady Leman (Calgary/Calgary Alpine Racing Club) and Kelsey Serwa (Kelowna, B.C./Big White Ski Club), as well as 2014 Olympic champ Marielle Thomson (Whistler, B.C./Whistler Mountain Ski Club).

Brittany Phelan (Mont-Tremblant, Que./Mont-Tremblant Ski Club), who finished second at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, Korea, has also been named to the team, as has Canadian veteran and 2011 World Champion Chris Del Bosco (Montreal and Vail, Col./Ski and Snowboard Club Vail). Rounding out the Canadian contingent are Toronto’s Kevin Drury, as well as World Championship rookies Mikayla Martin (Squamish, B.C./Whistler Mountain Ski Club) and Reece Howden (Cultus Lake, BC / Club Apex Ski Club), who placed fourth in PyeongChang last February.

“We have a nice mix of veterans and some of the up-and-coming talent on our team who have been making their mark on the World Cup circuit this year, and that’s an important mix as we head into a world championship in the first year of this latest Olympic quad, and build towards 2022,” said Stanley Hayer, ski cross Head Coach “We’re looking forward to hitting the snow at Solitude and giving Canadians another great day of racing to cheer about.”

Only Phelan, Martin, and Howden are staring down their first world championship racing, although Phelan and Howden are no strangers to competing on the big stage, having been part of the 2018 Olympic team and finishing second and fourth, respectively. Martin and Howden have both been solid in World Cup racing this season, each earning two top-10 finishes in their first full seasons on the circuit.

Del Bosco and Serwa have shown they know how to win at Worlds; both were crowned champions on U.S. snow in 2011.

Training at Solitude begins on Wednesday, Jan. 30, with qualifications set for Friday, Feb. 1. Race action begins at 1 p.m. MT/3 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 2, and will be live-streamed by CBC Sports, as well as featured on CBC Sports’ Road to the Olympic Games at 2 p.m. MT/4 p.m. ET.
Follow Alpine Canada on social media to get the latest about our athletes and more:

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, www.alpinecanada.org

ABOUT ALPINE CANADA

Alpine Canada is the governing body for alpine, para-alpine and ski cross racing in Canada, as well as for Canadian ski coaches, providing education, certification, insurance and compliance with the coaching code of conduct. With the support of valued corporate partners and donors, along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Coaching Association of Canada, Alpine Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic, World Championship and World Cup athletes to stimulate visibility, inspiration and growth in the ski community. In 2020, Alpine Canada will celebrate 100 years of rich tradition in competitive skiing in Canada.

For further information, please contact:

Lisa Dornan | Comms & Brand | Alpine Canada | 403-333-6366 | ldornan@alpinecanada.org

Catherine Lacasse | Media Relations |Alpine Canada |819 421-0353 | cat@catherinelacasse.com

PJ Kwong | Media Relations |Alpine Canada |416 898-3095 | pjkwong@pjkwong.com