Jan 17, racers gathered from across the Kootenays to participate in the third Kootenay cup of 2016. The race was held in Nelson and racers were spread across 22 categories with years of birth ranging from after 2011 until before 1965. Blackjack’s first skier, Soleil Bitting, started her Bunnies category 0.4km race at 10:30. That race was followed by the Atom’s 0.8km race, the Peewee’s 1km and the Bantam’s 2km. Blackjack skiers included Isla Bitting, Oliver Bell, Cullumn Hawksbee and Keegan Taylor with podium finishes by Hannah Krampl, Sophia Maturo, Marek Krampl, Cedar Wink, Maya Maturo, Abbey McLean, Lukas Piggot and Johann Taylor-Gregg. After missing her start by over a minute, Blackjack’s first junior racer, Jasmine Drolet, managed to catch and pass all the competition in her Midget girl’s 3km race and claimed first place two minutes ahead of her fellow Blackjacker Sabien Edney. Five minutes later the Midget boys crossed the finish line with Blackjack’s Evan Taylor claiming third place. The next start including Blackjack junior racers was the 11:30 start of the 11km Master’s A men, Master’s B men, Junior boys and Open men which concluded with Remi Drolet claiming first and Keiran Marchand claiming second in the Junior boys. The last start of the day for Blackjack racers was at 11:40 when the Juvenile girls, Juvenile boys and Junior girls started their 7.5 almost completely flat race course. This race finished with Michaela McLean and Bronwyn Moore winning first and second in the Junior girls and Sophie Edney claiming second in the Juvenile girls. At the end of the day the Bunnies and Atoms got ribbons, all the podium finishers from the Peewee to the Midget category received medals and the top three from the Juvenile category and older got to pick a chocolate bar instead.

~ Sophie