Prince George’s Purden Ski Village was the site of the first Giant Slalom Para Female race in the Canada Winter Games’ Alpine skiing event on Monday and it turned out to be a golden opportunity for 14-year-old Mel Pemble.
The Victoria skier raced her way to the top of the podium in her first contest of the 2015 Games.
A few hours later, New Westminster’s Kristina Natalenko, 15, won silver in Giant Slalom Female.
“The nerves came this morning but I tried to push them back and I guess it worked,” said Pemble.
In just her fourth season racing, and her fifth season skiing, Pemble started the day’s event with a conservative approach.
“I took my first run a little more carefully that I would have liked but I was feeling it out,” she said. “I was actually a little surprised at how fast I was on that one. Then by the second run, I went all out.”
Pemble, who also races in able-bodied events, was fourth out of the gates in the eight-woman event. She posted a fast final time and when she looked at the scoreboard, saw that she was in the top spot. The only issue was, there were four skiers still to race.
“I was really hoping for a podium finish coming into this event,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting gold but when I saw how fast I skied I was really happy. The really hard part was the waiting.”
When the final skier’s time was posted Pemble knew the gold was hers. That realization was emotional and took a bit of time to set in.
“The suspense was so hard and when I knew I had gold, there were so many mixed emotions – relief, excitement…I felt really really like ‘oh my god.’ “
For Kristina Natalenko, earning the silver medal was an honour.
“I was really excited and I feel like I really represented B.C.,” said Natalenko. “My second run went better than my first run because I had a cleaner line and I was pretty happy with my ski.”
Though not in medal contention, Team BC Giant Slalom racers finished in the following places: Ella Renzoni (8), Katie Fleckenstein (10), Brook Lukinuk (12), Nicole Mah (16), and Sierra Ashley King (19).
Armstrong’s Chelaine McInroy finished fifth in the Giant Slalom Para Female event.
The men's Gymnastics team followed the lead set by the female team yesterday and took home a bronze medal in the Team event. Aaron Mah, Steven Chaplin, and Michael Sibley have qualified for the Men's All Around competition on Tuesday.
In other Team BC sporting action on Monday, the ringette team defeated PEI by a score of 7-4. The male curling team remains undefeated; they competed against New Brunswick and won by a point, finishing up 7-6. In wheelchair basketball, B.C. defeated Manitoba by a score of 61-29 but then fell to P.E.I 54-60 in the evening game.
At the CN Centre, B.C.’s female hockey team got its first win against PEI with a final score of 5-1 and will play next on Wednesday.
Team BC’s male and female target shooters posted two fourth-place finishes in the air rifle contest.
Speed Skaters off to Fort St. John
Our long track speed skaters are off to Fort St. John to finish their competition at the indoor oval. Make sure to follow their results on Twitter and send them a good luck message using #TBCSpeedSkating or on our online form.
Canada Games TV: TODAY
The inaugural episode of Canada Games TV Today began this evening, with a live showing in Games Plaza in downtown Prince George. A first of its kind partnership between Canada Games Council and viaSport brought 21 BCIT broadcast journalism students to Prince George to produce, edit, shoot and host a behind the scenes take on the Canada Games experience and the many human stories that emerge when the country comes together for sport. From athlete profiles to alumni features, Opening and Closing Ceremonies highlights, as well as a view from the competition sidelines, Canada Games TV Today is unique opportunity to bring the Games to life through the eyes of the future broadcasters of Canada.
Tune in to the rest of the episodes, which go live Monday-Friday at 5pm PST (5:30pm PT for French version) online or at Games Plaza for a live viewing at Games Plaza. You can also join the conversation on Twitter at #CGTVtoday
Check out the preview and Episode 1 here...
Story of the Pins
It’s no secret that pin trading is a common Games tradition – it has come to life here in Prince George as well. In order to ensure our Team BC athletes are well equipped to take part, and to provide them with a special keepsake of their Games experiences, Team BC has created a set of 3 pins, that when placed together, depict a dug-out canoe, a traditional form of travel. Inspired by the work of the elders of the Lheidli T’enneh Nation, the design gives meaning to the journey each athlete has taken to get to Prince George. Lheidli T’enneh are part of the Dakelh people, who are known as the “people who travel by water” and the word Lheidli means “where the two rivers flow together” symbolizing the entire country, from the east to the west, coming together to compete. Read more...
Tomorrow's Schedule
09:00 Ringette Female Pool B - BC vs SK
09:00 Target Shooting Air Pistol - Team Male Finals
09:30 Archery Compound - Female/Male Quarter & Semi Final
10:00 Alpine Skiing Giant Slalom Para Male Finals - Run 1
10:00 Biathlon 10 km Sprint Male Final
10:00 Biathlon 7.5 km Sprint Female Final
10:00 Curling Male Pool B - Draw 5 Sheet C - BC vs NS
10:05 Freestyle Skiing Moguls Female/Male Qualifications
10:45 Alpine Skiing Giant Slalom Male Finals - Run 1
10:45 Archery Compound Female Bronze and Gold Match
11:15 Target Shooting Air Pistol - Team Female Finals
12:00 Archery Compound Male Bronze and Gold Match
13:00 Alpine Skiing Giant Slalom Para Male Finals - Run 2
13:00 Freestyle Skiing Moguls Female & Male Finals - 1 Run
13:30 Alpine Skiing Giant Slalom Male Finals - Run 2
14:15 Archery Recurve Female & Male Quarter and Semi Finals
15:30 Archery Recurve - Female Bronze and Gold Match
14:00 Ringette Female Pool B AB vs BC
16:45 Archery Recurve Male Final - Bronze and Gold Match
17:30 Gymnastics Artistic - All Around Female Finals
19:00 Wheelchair Basketball Mixed Pool B - 10 - BC vs SK
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Unofficial results. Click here for official medal standings
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