ALPINE:

Manny O.P., Canadian speedsters set sights on Lake Louise Winterstart

Nov. 10, 2010 ― Alpine Canada 

Several Canadian Olympic alpine ski racers were in Calgary on Tuesday to launch the Bombardier Lake Louise Winterstart, as the world's best Olympic alpine ski racers prepare to kick off the new Olympic cycle in Canada later this month with the opening speed races of the FIS World Cup season.

The Bombardier Lake Louise Winterstart begins Nov. 27 with the men's downhill event followed by the men's super-G on Nov. 28. The women's event will take place the next weekend with downhills on Dec. 3 and 4 and a super-G on the Dec. 5.

"My goal in Lake Louise this year is to have two good races, not just one," said Manuel Osborne-Paradis, a 2010 Olympian who won the World Cup super-G at Lake Louise last season.

Osborne-Paradis placed 16th in the downhill the day before winning last year's super-G.

"Lake Louise a great place to start the season. It's not considered by the athletes to be the hardest, but if you make one small mistake at any time, you've lost your shot at the podium. So you have to have a flawless race to be on the podium," said Osborne-Paradis.

"I have been training a lot in giant slalom leading up to this race. That's what I did last year and it paid off, so I am hoping that happens again," he added.

Canadians have a rich history of success at the Bombardier Lake Louise Winterstart, with nine podium results in men's and women's races since 2006, including three at last year's event.

Osborne-Paradis (2009 super-G), Jan Hudec (2007 downhill) and John Kucera (2006 super-G) have won World Cup races at Lake Louise.

The 2010 Bombardier Lake Louise Winterstart is a free event for fans to attend and includes a public festival area.

ACA partner Panasonic will also be shooting some of the training runs in 3D, later providing supporters in Lake Louise on the women's race weekend with an opportunity to view television in 3D.

The 2010 Bennett Jones Lake Louise Business Forum, now in its eighth year, also brings a panel of business leaders to the event to provide insights on topics that are current and international in scope during men's weekend races.

Bombardier presents Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup commercial partners include the Government of Canada through Sport Canada, the Province of Alberta, specifically through Travel Alberta, and several other organizations who provide the event financial support.

"Canadian alpine ski racers have just completed the most successful Olympic cycle in our history and corporate Canada has played a significant role in the efforts of our athletes along the way. I applaud Bombardier for its shared vision of excellence as the title sponsor of this event and all of the partners that make the Bombardier presents Lake Louise World Cup a success on and off the ski hill," said ACA President Max Gartner.

"I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of the more than 500 volunteers who come to Lake Louise each year from across the world. The commitment of these passionate supporters ensures the highest standards of safety, competitiveness and fan enjoyment are achieved each year," Gartner said.

The Bombardier Lake Louise Winterstart is scheduled to get under way with a men's training run on Nov. 24. The final race of the event, a women's super-G, takes place Dec. 5. An international field of Olympic medallists, including Americans Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn, Julia Mancuso as well as international ski racing superstars Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway and Switzerland's Carlo Janka are expected to compete.  S-Magazine