Whistler BC, November 15, 2010 – Maelle Ricker joins the BC Provincial Snowboard Team for their last Dryland Camp prior to the season starting.
The three-day training camp overseen by Provincial Team Coaches Chris Nakonechny, Adam Higgins and Candice Drouin focused on assessing the athletes physical capabilities before hitting the slopes next week. When asked about Ricker’s participation, Nakonechny replies “It was our intention to help bridge the gap between Canada’s High Performance athletes and our Provincial Teams by inviting Maelle. We are hoping to provide a mentorship opportunity for these young riders.”
Ricker includes, “It was great to come see all the BC athletes at their last dryland camp before the winter begins. It’s obvious that learning the proper techniques to become stronger and quicker is going to be a huge advantage for not only this season on snow, but also during the years to come in these guys and girls careers.”
Both the Provincial Snowboard Cross and Provincial Freestyle Teams have been training since June. This training has included on-snow camps in Oregon, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. However, back home in BC there has been a major focus on Strength and Conditioning and the physical preparation required of elite athletes. There has also been a heavy focus on aerial training with the use of trampolines. The dryland camp this past weekend marks the end of the focused pre-season gym training before the Teams get back on snow when Whistler opens its lifts next Friday.
When asked about his impression of the 2011 Provincial Teams, Eric Soucy, the BC Team’s Head Strength and Conditioning Coach responds, “I’m very happy with how far this group of athletes has come. There has been a huge improvement in their body movement and awareness since June. I think that this is going to directly relate to their physical abilities on their snowboards this winter.”
Currently there are 11 athletes on the BC Provincial SBX Team and an additional 10 athletes on the BC Provincial Freestyle Team. The athletes compete in FIS and TTR events ranging from BC Snowboard Provincial Events to International World Cup races. The Teams train in two areas in the province including Big White and Whistler.
For further information please contact:
Andrew George
Athlete Program Director
BC Snowboard Association
Phone: 604 377 8337
Email: g1curious@hotmail.com
The BC Snowboard Association (BCSA) is a non-profit sport organization, which is the governing body of snowboarding within the Province. The BCSA is an organization that brings youth into a fun and supported environment while competing in a sport they love. Up and coming National Team riders and future pro athletes are bred through the BCSA and its programs.
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