March 30/31 marked the 14th year of the Rob Bosinger Memorial Race hosted by Banff Alpine at Mount Norquay. Rob was a prominent athlete, mentor, friend and father who carried his passion for ski racing through all walks of his life. In May 2005 Rob passed away due to cardiac arrhythmia at the age of 38, leaving behind his wife and son. In honour of his legacy his friends, family and community dedicated the Bozo Cup in his memory.

The knockout style race features head-to-head racing in a panelled slalom format. Each person continuing based on the winner of each race. Obstacles include two jumps, screaming commentators and less than practical costumes.

Registration saw the women’s pro category sell out for the first time in years following strong numbers in the amateur category. Men’s pro, amateur and masters categories were also close to capacity. Money raised from this weekend goes towards a set of scholarships for two young Alberta Alpine athletes and research and support for the Canadian Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) Foundation.

This year Alberta Alpine hosted the first practice night at COP for retired enthusiasts who may have needed more than one run to get back into it (cough* most of us). Coaches retired athletes and business professionals came out of the woodwork in preparation for the big day.

The spring weather graced its presence yet again as past, present national, provincial and local athletes queued up to support the cause. Cowboys, Retro and the Canadian Tuxedo were amongst many costumes paraded on the track. We’re pretty sure we saw a Kim Kardashian inspired costume amongst others! Coaches (sometimes) gave their past athletes a run for their money, while dads and moms arced like they hadn’t missed a race in years.

As part of tradition, Pete Bosinger opened the race by hosting a toast to everyone in attendance, celebrating the legacy of his brother as well as the community we continue to value.

Younger athletes even took some time off their training schedule to come and cheer on their coaches, parents and mentors (while giving some much-needed racing advice).

Pro winners

Best dressed “yip yip”

Mt Norquay GM Andre

The legend ‘Mix’

Not the easiest outfit to ski in

They may be restired, but they still got it!

The award for best Costume was awarded to Ross McKercher for his exquisite hand-made ‘yipyip’ design.

A big thank you to Damien and Maggie Mills who designed and curated new medals for this year’s participants. Thank you to the volunteers whom we all rely on the make this special day a success.

Sunday followed with Kinder Cup, U14 & U16 athletes battling it out on the course for top spot.

Story by Hannah Willinger, Photos by John Evely

2019 Bozo Cup Results

Women’s Pro

1. Mikayla Martin – Current Canadian Alpine Team Member
2. Georgia Willinger – past New Zealand Ski Team Member
3. Emma Carmichael – Current BAR FIS athlete

Women’s Amateur

1. Mariana Tellez – Past BAR athlete and current BAR coach
2. Lara Kattler – Past BAR athlete and current BAR coach
3. Emily Coles

Men’s pro

1. Paul Stutz – Past Canadian Ski Team Champion
2. Louie-Pierre Helie – Past Canadian Ski Cross
3. Cedric Gangon

Men’s Amateur

1. Cole Lamoureux – Past FIS athlete
2. Adam Matejko – Past FIS athlete
3. Cody Pederson – Past Alberta Ski Team Member

Men’s Masters

1. Andre Quenneville – Mt Norquay GM, past alpine racer
2. Pete Bosinger – Past Canadian Ski Team Member
3. Matt Hyndman – Past Alberta Ski Team Member

Head’s up! For those of you who are already transitioning into summer mode and stashing away your kids winter clothing, please keep an eye out for any winter jackets, snow pants etc they may have outgrown! The University of Calgary’s Faculty of Nursing is supporting a warm winter clothing drive with a local Calgary elementary school during the fall of 2019.
We would be grateful for your contribution! Please bring your gently used warm winter clothes for children, pre-Kindergarten to 6th grade, to the BAR end of season banquet, where there will be a collection bin with a sign ‘U of C winter clothing donations’.
We are looking specifically for:
• Jackets
• Hoodies
• Sweaters
• Snow pants
• Toques or warm hats
• Gloves or mittens

For any additional information or alternative drop-off locations, you can contact Ann-Marie Carroll at University of Calgary at amcarrol@ucalgary.ca or Chelsea Holmes at University of Calgary chelsea.holmes@ucalgary.ca.

Thanks for keeping our young Calgarians warm next winter.

The spirit of St. Patrick was alive and well March 16/17 for the annual Caribou Cup hosted by Banff Alpine at Mount Norquay.

The warm weather brought a long-awaited spring vibe that was perfect for the weekend race. The sun radiated through the panels as over 200 athletes from over 18 clubs participated, including teams from Saskatchewan. Since the race came to fruition in 1978, thousands of athletes have launched out of the start gate in this U12 championship. Making this year the 41st installment of the Caribou Cup!

Saturday hosted 4 GS (giant slalom) raced runs on Rob’s Run showcasing some wickedly fast skiing from across the province. Athlete results were chosen on the best/fastest run of two in the morning and best of two in the afternoon. Three teams tied for first in the girls’ division, followed closely by the boys who had solid first through third finishes.

Sunday saw some more spectacular weather with the team event commencing in front of the Mount Norquay lodge. Many parents could be seen cheering on their children from the sidelines or from the patio (the best view, from our biased opinion). Many even dawned their St. Patrick’s day spirit with lucky green hats and dazzling glasses.

The team event witnessed a record-breaking 1800 starts and 9 race runs in the Round Robin style race. Racers were mixed and paired with athletes from different clubs and put into groups, each group totaling 10 athletes each. This was done as an opportunity to contribute to our racing community by meeting children from other teams while racing in a team environment.

Many athletes stuck around after their runs or raced up to the start to cheer on their teammates, embodying the team spirit many coaches and parents actively encourage. There was never a dull moment in either area!

Adding to the energy was Coach Ross and parent Betty Jo could also be heard commentating the race in live time, everything from reminding everyone to wear their sunscreen to introducing each athlete and their team, with a few jokes tossed in between.

At the end of the rainbow finish line was a photo for each athlete provided by Malcolm Carmichael, our local photographer.

A big thanks to the clubs who traveled to attend the race, to the volunteers, Mount Norquay and our sponsor Caribou Lodging Company for making it possible to continue to host such a monumental tradition.

Story by Hannah Willinger, Photos Malcolm Carmichael

Our own Crazy Canuck Ken Read recently wrote about the history of the Caribou Cup. Find that story here:  https://skierone.com/2019/03/17/the-caribou-albertas-premiere-u12-alpine-ski-race/

– Eight men, seven women to represent Canada in Are, Sweden, Feb. 4-17, 2019 Calgary, Alta. (Jan. 31, 2019) – Alpine Canada is sending a mix of experienced veterans and up-and-coming racers to the first FIS Alpine World Championship of this Olympic…

https://alpinecanada.org/news/alpine-canada-names-15-athletes-to-fis-alpine-world-championship-team

https://www.skiracing.com/premium/where-ski-racing-character-and-career-development-intersect?fbclid=IwAR3aKPAfEXXgyaEfKuG8KAPEatHnEOApEZgE-bzM4kZHhiiKfGhhFfkF4n0

Mt Norquay opened today along with other Big resorts.  Our U16 crew are getting their ski legs back this morning at Mt Norquay, and managed the first chair of the season with coach Jim! Smiles all day!

We still have a couple of spots available in our Bow Valley Quikies programs.
More details

Q18 – Starts December 8/9
Athletes are on snow 18 days over the season, choice of Saturday’s or Sundays.  Athletes follow the Snow Stars program, with lots of mileage around the mountain. 3 day camp in the Christmas holidays, and monthly in house Cookie Cup races. More details

Q18 Development – Starts December 8/9
Aimed at athletes aged 13-15.  Program designed to continue skill development while introducing skiing from a coaches/tail gunners perspective.  Introduce safety, working with young athletes and skill progression.  Work with an experienced coach, also has a kinesiology background.

Q16 – Starts December 15/16 – for athletes aged 5 years old. More details.

U10 & U12 – start next week

Register now: https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=18393&lan=1&cartlevel=1

Great event from Tech Shop on the weekend.  1400 runners joined this event to start of the 2018/2019 winter season with a 5 mile night run in Banff, Alberta.  Thank you to all the Banff Alpine Racers and Banff Lodging Company volunteers for holding such a fun night.

Check out the results:

https://racedaytiming.ca/results/2018Winterstart5Mi?page=2