ALPINE:

Cook fastest in training as GMC nationals descend on Nakiska

March 24, 2011 — Alpine Canada  

NAKISKA, Alberta — Dustin Cook has already won one national downhill title this year, and he's set his sights on claiming a second at the GMC Canadian Championships at Nakiska, Alta.

Cook, of Lac Sainte-Marie, Que., upset the best young U.S. ski racers on their home snow in February when he secured the U.S. national downhill title. However, because he's Canadian, the championship trophy officially remains in U.S. hands.

On Thursday, Cook made the perfect start to his bid for his first Canadian title when he clocked the fastest time of the day in the first downhill training run. Cook finished in 57.86 seconds, ahead of Kelby Halbert of Bradford, Ont., (58.55) and Calgary's Jan Hudec (58.62).

"This week is important to me. I would love to get a national title, for sure," said Cook, who was third in the giant slalom at the 2010 GMC Canadian Championships. "I'm pretty confident after that run. I made a plan at the top and did exactly what I wanted to do.

"I think I'm racing everything except for slalom. For sure I want to be on the podium in downhill, super-G and giant slalom. To perform in front of the head World Cup coaches and the guys from the team is never a bad thing."

Calgary's Tyler Werry of the Fernie Alpine Ski Team was the fastest junior, finishing fourth in a time of 59.07. World downhill champion Erik Guay of Mont Tremblant, Que., and Paul Stutz of Banff, Alta., did not take part in the training run.

The men have another training run Friday before competing for the national downhill title at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

On the women’s side, Quebec skier Victoria Stevens had the fastest run Thursday, clocking a time of 1:00.70. The Prospect Group athlete, of Mont Tremblant, Que., finished ahead of junior Julia Roth of Waterloo, Ont., (1:00.98) and Toronto's Madison Irwin (1:01.31), also a Prospect Group skier and a member of the Craigleith Ski Club.

Whistler's Britt Janyk and fellow World Cup racer Marie-Michèle Gagnon of Lac-Etchemin, Que., did not start Thursday's run.

The women also have a training run Friday, before kicking off the first of the national championship races with Saturday's downhill, which gets under way at 10 a.m.

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