Timberland Ski Club racers Austin Boehm and Cole Turner are on the slopes today at the BC Winter Games in Mission.
The skiers, both 12, have been busy training with the Nancy Greene program at Mt. Timothy Ski Area with their coach, Chris Nowotny, and will represent Zone 8 at the Games, which run Feb. 20-23.
The alpine ski racing event will be held at Hemlock Valley Resort. The Zone 8 team consists of six other athletes: Prince George’s Isabelle Gibson, Ella Lawrence and Jordan Ahlmstrom, and Quesnel’s Alefa Sakakibara and Kelsey Lefebvre.
The boys will be accompanied by parent chaperone Mike Boehm, Austin’s dad, and their Zone 8 coach, Alice Muirhead.
Austin and Cole will begin competition today in slalom, giant slalom and ski cross, in the boys’ 12- to 14-year-old division.
Lisa Young, TSC director and co-ordinator, said although the boys will be in tough competing against other older racers, everyone will be rooting them on.
“We are so proud of Cole and Austin and know they will represent Williams Lake and their hill, Mt. Timothy, well,” Young said. “For the past couple of months the boys have been training hard with their coach. Adam Piccolo, general manager at Mt. Timothy, has been great at grooming the runs so the boys have a safe course to practice on.”
At the zone finals in Prince George Austin finished third in slalom and Cole placed fourth in giant slalom.
On Thursday, the duo attended the opening ceremonies. Today, Saturday and Sunday, they’ll be on the slopes competing.
“I’m confident they’ll compete well and in the spirit of the Winter Games,” she said.
Also competing at the BC Winter Games this weekend are Cariboo-North East (Zone 8) hockey players Laine Grace, Sarah Hermsen, Faith Outhouse, Grace Outhouse, Tamara William, coach Roy Call and manager Jane Nicol, plus figure skater Dawn Henley.