Gavin Rowell had already tasted success on the Western Canadian ski cross championship trail when he won both days of racing at Lake Louise in early February.
So when the series came to Prince George at Tabor Mountain Ski Resort for the third of four series stops, Rowell was ready to rock.
The 15-year-old Prince George Alpine Ski Racers team member blasted his way through the heats and posted a gold-medal finish Saturday, then finished second Sunday in the under-16 boys event. For Rowell, an alpine slalom specialist vying for a spot in the Whistler Cup championships next month, the chance to race at home in a snow cross event was a bonus in what has been his best-ever racing season.
"It was tight at the end, I messed up when I just landed flat up on one of the rolls and lost some speed," said Rowell, who ended up second-best to Phil Tremblay of Lake Louise in the race for first on Sunday.
Rowell, who says he's competed in five or six ski cross events over the past two seasons, was in Big White on Jan 18 and raced in the time trial used to pick the Canada Winter Games ski cross team, finishing sixth. Only the top two boys made Team B.C. Rowell went on to finish second in the Western Canadian series the following day but that had no bearing on his team standing.
Right after his races Sunday, Rowell travelled from Tabor to Apex Mountain near Penticton to compete in this week's CanAm races, along with Lucas Gairns and Kate Martin of the Prince George Alpine team. If they make the cut for Whistler Cup, they won't be racing ski cross. The 23rd annual alpine event, April 3-5, includes slalom, giant slalom and super-G races. Rowell competed the last two years at Whistler Cup.
Cody Strickland, 15, who finished third in the under-16 boys class Sunday raced in only one other ski cross event before the weekend, a fun race at Tabor last year, so he was pleasantly surprised to leave his home hill with a medal.
"My last race was my best one, there was only one guy (Tremblay) in front of me, probably six feet between me and first," said Strickland, who was fifth on Saturday. "It's a fun course but I wish the jumps were bigger. I landed on the back of a guy's skis and rode it for a corner, but I stuck it."
Strickland is part of the Tabor Freestyle Club and slopestyle skiing on the Tabor terrain park is more his thing. The switch to ski cross required different equipment and a radical change in his outdoor attire.
"I just got some race skis and decided to do it," he said. "I didn't much care for the tight clothing, I prefer my baggy park clothes. I'm pretty happy with third, I did alright with it."
The two-day event drew 74 skiers. Other category winners Sunday were: Women -- Under-18: Abby McEwen, Calgary; Under-16: Chantel Wilkerson, Smithers; Under-14: Emma Carmichael, Lake Louise; Under-12: Kaitlyn Fynn, Lake Louise; Under-10: Zoe Pohl, Prince George; Men -- Under-14: Zachary Stanier, Lake Louise; Under-12: Jacob Hoskins, Prince George; Under-10: Isaac Hausot, Prince George.
