THE VASS BLUE STREAKS

2012-02-12T16:45:00.000-08:00

With thanks to Edward Tai, here are some clips of the Blue Streaks in training action so far this winter:

Christie:

Daniel:

Fiona:

Jesse:

Mark R.

Siann

Victoria

New Blue Streak Season Underway!

2012-01-22T15:56:00.000-08:00

The VASS Blue Streak season is now underway and new Head Coach Andrew Macdonald already has the Blue Streaks working hard to prepare for a great new season of racing.

With thanks to Edward Tai for these images, here's Andrew giving some instructions to Blue Streaks Victoria, Mark, Jesse, Christy, Fiona, Daniel, Siann, and new recruit Remi, then leading the group through some basic training, and new Assistant Coach Mark Hopkins leads the group through some challenging 180 degree hops:

It's Registration Time!

2011-11-04T16:58:00.001-07:00

November is registration time for returning Blue Streaks and anyone wishing to join our exciting program for this coming winter.

Got to www.vass.ca/race-program to register.

It's the Off Season....

2011-07-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

...And the Blue Streaks are working, biking, kayaking, hitting the beach perhaps, maybe a bit of travelling, and some are even doing a bit of glacier ski race training at Whistler.

If you'd like to know more about the VASS Blue Streaks, either as a racer, volunteer, or supporter, just email us at m26316@telus.net.

Blue Streaks Golden in Whistler Races - with some Silver and Bronze too! Part 2

2011-04-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

Under sunny - no, cloudy - no, it was sunny - no, maybe foggy - no, sunny - no, snowy - well, under variable weather conditions, the VASS Blue Streaks carved a Golden trail on the Dave Murray Downhill race course over the weekend of April 16 & 17, 2011. And they added a bit of Silver and Bronze too.

The first day featured two races - the Rotary Giant Slalom and the DSABC Provincial Championship Giant Slalom.

Mark and Christie gave the Blue Streaks their first Gold Medals of the weekend by winning the Rotary GS:

Here's Christie's winning run in the Ladies Rotary GS, posting a time of 1:38.40 for her two runs, almost 2 seconds ahead of the second place finisher from Silver Star:

That was followed by Mark's winning runs of 1:15.71 in the Mens Rotary GS, and he had to deal with a sudden snow squall:

Cory's runs gave him second place with a time of 1:18.15:

And Jesse gave the Blue Streaks a podium sweep with a Bronze Medal time of 1:19.54:

Tamika won Bronze with a time of 1:24.63, giving the Blue Streaks five of six possible medals from the Rotary GS!

Victoria also represented the Blue Streaks very well, showing plenty of improvement from last year's race and finished with a time of 2:12.21:

Christie and Tamika with their medals:

Mark, Cory, and Jesse with theirs:

In the DSABC Provincial Championship Ladies Giant Slalom, it was Tamika's turn to take her place at the top of the podium with a Gold Medal time of 1:32.59:

Christie added a Silver Medal to her weekend's collection, posting a time of 1:38.95:

While Victoria crossed the finish line with a time of 2:10.05:

For the men, Mark repeated as Gold Medalist in the Mens DSABC Provincial Championship Giant Slalom, with a time of 1:12.73:

Cory won Silver with a time of 1:19.10:

And Jesse finished in fourth place, with a time of 1:20.02:

A great day of medal-winning racing for the Blue Streaks:

The next day, under definitely sunny skies, the Blue Streaks competed in the DSABC Provincial Championship Slalom.

Jesse gained the top of the podium for the men with a combined time of 1:59.30:

And Tamika was back on top of the podium for the Ladies with a time of 2:12.22:

With Christie right behind in 2:19.88:

Three of the Blue Streaks however were disqualified for missing a gate. Mark posted great times but unfortunately missed a gate near the end of his first run.

Cory straddled a gate which can be seen in this sequence:

And Victoria misses a gate just in front of the camera position here:

All in all, a very successful weekend of racing for the Blue Streaks winning a total of 12 of the 18 medals that were up for grabs.

We'll update again soon with a year end wrap-up...in the meantime, don't be shy. Let the Blue Streaks know you've visited their blog....leave a comment - you don't need an account, just post using the anonymous option and leave your name in the comment.

They'd love to hear from you!

Blue Streaks Golden in Whistler Races - with some Silver and Bronze too!

2011-04-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

Most of the Blue Streaks competed against racers from all over British Columbia at Whistler Mountain on April 16 and 17. And it was another very successful weekend of racing for the Blue Streaks.

Christie Tilton won Gold in the Rotary Giant Slalom while Tamika Broere took Bronze.
On the men's side, the Blue Streaks swept the podium with Mark Hopkins taking Gold, Cory Duhaime Silver, and Jesse Price Bronze.

In the BC Para-Alpine Championship Giant Slalom, Tamika Broere took Gold while Christie Tilton grabbed Silver. For the men, Mark Hopkins won his 2nd Gold medal on the day, and Cory Duhaime grabbed the Silver Medal.

The next day in the BC Para-Alpine Championship Slalom, Jesse Price added a Gold Medal to his haul of medals for the weekend while Tamika Broere won Gold and Christie Tilton won Silver.

That's a total of 12 medals for the Blue Streaks in 2 days!

Look for more details with photos and video to be posted very soon.

2011-04-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

Since the VASS Challenge Cup in mid-March, the Blue Streaks have been training hard to prepare for their final three races of the year, to be held at Whistler on April 16 and 17.

The snow continues to fall on our local mountains and there's now a base of over 6 metres - over 20 feet - on our racing home, Grouse Mountain.

Here's Alex getting up to some good speed on the bottom of the Expo run:

And here at the bottom of Centennial:

Then up at the top of Centennial, here comes Christie:

Fiona's turn at the bottom of Expo:

And Fiona again, this time at the top of Centennial:

Then Jesse, turning his way down the bottom of Expo:

At the top of Centennial:

And streaking down the bottom of Expo:

Then Mark takes a fun run at the photographer on Expo:

And then shows some excellent carving turns on Expo as well:

Siann takes a run down Centennial:

Tamika's turn to turn her way down Expo:

Now let's take a look at Victoria on Centennial:

And Vincent takes a couple of runs on Expo:

Cory makes his way down to the bottom of Expo:

The Blue Streaks take a run at the Peak, with Jesse, Fiona, Daniel, Coach Roy, Cory, Christie (who gets some unexpected airtime!), and Mark:

And when real race gates aren't available, the Blue Streaks show that they can improvise...

Why not come along for the ride:

And finally on their last official day of training on Grouse Mountain for the season, a bit of fun looking for speed:

First Jesse and Cory:

Then Victoria & Tamika:

And Mark and Coach Roy go head to head:

And that about does it for the Blue Streaks' training in 2011. All that's left is for the Blue Streaks to compete in 3 races this weekend at Whistler - the Rotary GS and DSABC Provincial Championship GS on April 16, and the DSABC Provincial Championship Slalom on April 17.

Come back next week to see how the Blue Streaks have done

The VASS Challenge Cup

2011-03-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

The Blue Streaks participated in the VASS Challenge Cup on Friday, March 11, 2011. The Cup is the major fund-raiser for VASS and combines a fun day of racing and the opportunity to win some great prizes.

Corporate sponsors are teamed up with one Blue Streak and prizes are awarded to the three most consistent teams. So far, the Cup has raised nearly $56,000 for VASS and the Blue Streaks, led by Victoria's $1180 and Tamika's $1000, have raised nearly $4600 on their own.

And it was a wintry day, snow and blowing snow, but the Blue Streaks' enthusiasm for racing always overcomes any conditions. Alex gets the Blue Streaks started:

Jesse showing how a good racer keeps his head up and looks down the course:

Daniel using his new skills at pole planting...the only way to start a great turn:

Here's Siann working hard at trying to get up on her ski edges:

Victoria leaning into a turn and look at those edges!

Vincent staying a ski tip ahead of his competition:

And Cory powering past a gate:

Tamika looking down the course and showing great body dynamics, but oh Tiger - those hands! And with Coach Roy right there watching too! Looks like there'll be a Coach to Tiger chat real soon!

Daniel, now that's one aggressive line!

Christie working on getting up on those edges too:

Tamika gets things started for the second run:

Mark kicks it up a notch

Vincent attacks the first gate:

Jesse eyes the finish line:

Coach Roy enjoying the day too:

Mark in full race form:

And finally Vincent crosses the finish line and celebrates the end of another very successful VASS Challenge Cup:

The Blue Streaks wish to thank all their sponsors and donors for helping VASS provide them with the opportunity to be a part of this program.

If you'd like to support one of the Blue Streaks, click here:
http://www.vasscup.ca/search.php

Or, to make a general donation to VASS, click here:
https://www.strategicprofitsinc.com/vass/donate.php

The Blue Streaks have a few more training sessions left this season as they look towards the season-ending Rotary GS and DSABC Provincial Championships at Whistler on April 16 & 17.

2011-02-13T13:37:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, February 10, the Blue Streaks had access to a lengthy and icy Giant Slalom race course on the challenging Centennial run at Grouse Mountain and really took advantage of the opportunity. The Blue Streaks attacked the race course with enthusiasm and showed some real improvement in their racing skills

First up is Christie, who's working on upper and lower body separation, keeping her upper body pointed down the race course while her legs and skis turn around the gates:

Here's Alex, who's working on keeping his hands forward rather than holding them close to his thighs:

Alex does a good job here of keeping his hands forward. This will help him shift his weight forward to provide him with better balance:

Let's check out Daniel now:

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Daniel loves to ski fast and is now learning to ski fast while turning which is what ski racing is all about. He has learned to do pole plants, which is the first step towards making good racing turns:

Fiona's turn:

Fiona does a good job at keeping her hands in front of her body, and she has recently learned to angle her poles backwards so that she can lower her hands and improve her balance. This seems to have given her more control than ever and her speed through her turns are really improving:

Here's Jesse:

Jesse has recently learned to keep his upper body pointed downhill and it has certainly made a big difference to his speed:

Siann's up now:

Siann too is working on angling her poles backwards so that she can lower her hands a bit and improve her balance:

Let's take a look at Tamika:

Tamika has been working on keeping her skis on the snow. She has a tendency to lift a ski and turn it as she moves around a gate. The skis can only work in the snow, not up in the air, and on this night in a GS course, Tamika does a great job.

Now it's Victoria's turn. Victoria is working on pole planting too and while she does it quite well in free-skiing, she hasn't quite yet been able to do so in a race course:

And here's Vincent:

And finally Cory:

Blue Streaks Master Whistler Race Course!

2011-02-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

Three Blue Streaks - Mark, Jesse, and Cory - entered their first ever Masters Race at Whistler Mountain on January 30.

The Blue Streaks looked great and performed well in a Giant Slalom race held under clear skies and crisp temperatures on the Lower Franz run. It was a twisty icy race course with 41 gates and provided a good challenge for our racers.

On this day, the Blue Streaks were coached by Whistler Adaptive Snow Programs' Chris Kent, a former member of the World Cup Canadian Ski Team. The Blue Streaks enjoyed an extensive course inspection with someone who has raced the world's most challenging race courses.

Here's Chris with some instructions for the Blue Streaks:

Mark led the Blue Streaks and completed his first run in 1.03.28, followed with a second run at 1.04.34, for a combined time of 2.07.72, placing him tenth out of 21 racers in his age group and 21 overall out of 57 male racers.

Cory made his first run in 1.09.03 and his second in 1.09.60, for a combined time of 2.18.63,

while Jesse did his in 1.11.88 and 1.14.28, for a combined 2.26.16.

So a great day at Whistler and these Blue Streaks are already looking forward to their next Masters race - their first ever Downhill - at Silver Star on February 13.

Blue Streaks in Training

2011-01-23T16:46:00.000-08:00

The Blue Streaks continued their race training last Saturday, and enjoyed racing against each other in a dual race course.

But first a warm-up run through a short stubby course, with Alex leading the way:

Then Jesse:

Fiona's turn:

Christie:

And Daniel:

Then it's off to the race course for some friendly competition. Cory and Jesse up first:

Followed by Siann and Alex:

Fiona and Daniel:

Then Christie and Mark:

This time Fiona takes on Alex:

Christie and Tiger:

Jesse and Cory at it again:

This time it's Fiona and Alex:

Siann and Victoria:

Now it's Christie and Alex:

Tiger takes on Mark:

Victoria and Alex:

Followed by Tiger and Siann:

Jesse and Cory:

Then Daniel challenges his dad!

Then it's Daniel and Christie:

And Coach Roy takes up Mark's challenge:

(The following still shots are courtesy of Edward Tai)

Look at this shot of Fiona...do you think the Blue Streaks enjoy their racing??

Victoria, much improved with her hands out in front!

Daniel concentrating on his pole planting:

Christie, here working on keeping her upper body pointing straight down the hill while turning:

Alex doing a good job of keeping his hands out in front of his body:

Mark, aggressive as always, always looking for more speed:

Siann obviously enjoys her racing too, and doing a great job of planting with one pole while turning the other pole backwards:

Jesse, looking down the race course as a good racer should:

Cory edging with good leg position while keeping his upper body pointing down the hill:

Tiger working on moving her body forward and keeping both skis in the snow through her turns:

And at the end of six hours of training, Jesse, Cory, and Mark lead the Blue Streaks down the last run of the day.

Jesse, Cory, and Mark will be racing next weekend at Whistler, and all the Blue Streaks will continue their twice-weekly training, so we'll update soon. Come back soon, the Blue Streaks love an audience!

2011-01-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

The Blue Streaks faced some very different weather conditions during their second week of training. While the forecasted steady rain did not materialize, visibility was sure a challenge on this day.

Yes, those are the Blue Streaks, up there in the fog:

Yet, under Coach Roy's encouragement and direction, the Blue Streaks worked hard on their skiing skills.

Let's start with Daniel...

trying the stubby course with no poles, to help improve his stance and balance:

And then, with the same courage and determination that is a hallmark of the Blue Streaks, Daniel, on only his 3rd training session, tries an unusual, challenging, and quick little obstacle course:

And then shows his form back in the stubby course:

Victoria in the obstacle course:

And in the stubby course:

Jesse's turn through the obstacle course:

Then trying the stubby course with no poles:

Jesse making those skis work through the snow!

Mark with no poles through the stubby course:

Then in action on the stubby course:

Jesse then Mark on the stubby course:

And finally Cory on the stubby course:

The Blue Streaks will be back in action next week. Look for an update then. We'd love to hear from you...leave a comment (you can do so without having an account...use the anonymous option).

1st Training Session of the Year

2011-01-08T21:10:00.001-08:00

Clear skies and a nice little layer of soft snow on Grouse Mountain greeted the Blue Streaks for their first training session of 2011.

Though it didn't take long for the first Blue Streak fall of the day as Tamika loses her balance and takes a small little tumble:

And it's not long before the Blue Streaks get down to work. Coach Roy leads the team through a short brush course:

Siann's first practice through a race course as a Blue Streak, Coach Roy will be working with Siann to teach her to lower her ski poles by angling them backwards rather than holding so high:

Fiona, similar to Siann, Fiona will be working towards angling her poles backwards so that she doesn't have to hold her poles so high:

Christie's turn...she's working on keeping her upper body pointed straight downhill and not rotate it with her legs:

Now Tiger, who needs to learn not to raise her skis off the snow as she turns...in racing, contact with the snow if crucial to good control:

Jesse, like Christie, will be working to keep his upper body from rotating with his skis:

Same with Cory:

And here is Daniel's first ever run through a race course of any type!

And parent volunteers Diana and John give the race course a try too:

Then Coach Roy puts the Blue Streaks through a drill that requires the team to hold their poles on top of their hands to teach them upper body stability:

And with The Peak run is great shape, the Blue Streaks take a shot at some speed!

First Christie:

Fiona:

Tiger:

Jesse:

Siann:

Then Mark:

Cory:

Daniel's turn:

Then it's back to the race course and Tiger goes first:

Fiona follows:

Next up is Siann:

Daniel:

Now Christie:

Then it's back to The Peak and Coach Roy leads the Blue Streaks down, with Tiger, Siann, Cory, Daniel, Christie, Fiona, Jesse, Mark, and John:

The Blue Streaks then tackle Blazes, a short but steep expert run with Mark leading the way:

Followed by Cory,

Jesse,

Fiona,

Tamika,

Siann,

and Daniel

And that was about it for the Blue Streaks first training session of the season. The Blue Streaks'first race is in early March so there's about 7 weeks of training ahead of them. Look for another update soon!

If you visited our blog, please leave a comment, you don't have to have a google or any other account, you can comment anonymously just include your name so we know who you are. The Blue Streaks would love to hear from all their fans!

First Day of Training - January 8, 2011

2010-12-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

The first day of Blue Streak training will be on Saturday, January 8, 2011 at Grouse Mountain.

If you'd like to know more about the VASS Blue Streaks, please email Michael at m26316@telus.net.

Off To The Races With The Blue Streaks

2010-04-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

The VASS Blue Streaks participated in the Annual Rotary Giant Slalom race at Whistler on Saturday, April 17, with a day of gate training the day before.

7 Blue Streaks competed with 7 racers from other organizations and took 5 of the 6 possible podium positions.

Here are Christie and Tamika, who finished in 2nd and 1st place respectively, and Victoria took 3rd place but unfortunately could not attend the awards ceremony, while in the mens' race...

Mark and Cory took home gold and silver medals.

The day before, the Blue Streaks trained hard on the Jolly Green Giant run at Whistler on April 16. Here are some of the Blue Streaks heading up to the race course, under great weather conditions:

Alex, Cory, Tamika, and Christie: (photo courtesy Edward Tai)

Victoria on the right and her mom: (photo courtesy Edward Tai)

Then Mark and Cory's dad: (photo courtesy Edward Tai)

Mark leads the team down for their first training run:

Followed by Tamika, our "mini-Mark":

Here comes Cory:

Then it's Christie's turn:

Alex on the attack:

Now it's Victoria on the course:

And then it's RACE DAY! Early morning registration at the Whistler Base,

And Coach Roy makes sure his Blue Streaks are ready to race AND looking good:

Then it's a glimpse behind the scenes of the world of ski racing, a bit of pre-race gondola ride banter:

Time for warm-up and stretches,

But what is this Blue Streak doing??

Coach Roy leads the Blue Streaks into their course inspection:

And now, look at this team photo...the Blue Streaks got to wear the same race bibs that were used at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games just a few weeks ago. Jesse in particular was pleased to be wearing #10 - Lauren Woolstencroft, Canada's 5 gold medal winning athlete, wore #10 in her Downhill race:

Time to race the first run of two and Cory is the first Blue Streak on the course in bib #4, and sets an early lead time of 43.21 seconds:

Alex is the next Blue Streak on the course, bib #6, and completes his first run in 61.72 seconds:

The next Blue Streak on the race course is Victoria, wearing bib #7, and she sets the bar for the ladies with a run of 74.01 seconds:

Then it's bib #9, Christie, and a time of 55.32 seconds:

Jesse, in that #10 bib, with a time of 44.12, less than a second behind Cory:

Then Mark, bib #11, streaks through the course with a time of 39.18 seconds:

And the last Blue Streak in the first run is our mini-Mark, Tamika in bib #14 and she finishes in 52.38 seconds:

So here are the standings after the first run:

Ladies: 1st Tamika, 2nd Christie, and 3rd Victoria & Men: 1st Mark, 3rd Cory, 4th Jesse, 7th Alex

Then it's run number two and the Blue Streaks race in reverse order. So up first is Tamika, who posts a time of 48.99, over 3 seconds faster than her first run.

Then, Mark, 39.08 seconds (1.0 seconds faster than his first run): (video courtesy of Edward Tai)

Jesse's second run...42.66 almost 1.5 seconds faster than his first run (video courtesy Edward Tai):

Now it's Christie's second run, and she too improves her time by 2.42 seconds, to 52.90:

After Christie it's Victoria's second run....72.46 seconds, 1.55 seconds faster than her first run: (video courtesy of Edward Tai)

Next up, Alex, who turns in a second run time of 58.69, over 3 seconds faster than his first run!

The the last of the Blue Streaks, Cory, with a second run of 41.08, over 2 seconds faster:

So the Final Standings:

Ladies, 5 racers:

Tamika, 1st Place, 1:41.37
Christie, 2nd Place, 1:48.22
Victoria, 3rd Place, 2:26.47

Mens, 9 racers

Mark, 1st Place 1:18.26
Cory, 2nd Place 1:24.29
Jesse, 4th Place 1:26.78
Alex, 7th Place 2:00.41

The Blue Streaks wish to thank Whistler Adaptive Snow Sports and their volunteers for their time and hard work in putting on this race.

And with that, the 2009-2010 VASS Blue Streak season comes to an end. A challenging year with poor snow conditions for sure. But under the enthusiastic leadership of Coach Roy, it still was a successful year, with obvious skill improvement and a whole lot of fun.

See you all in 2011!

Whistler Training and Paralympic Closing Ceremonies

2010-04-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

The VASS Blue Streaks continued their race training on March 20, 2010 at Whistler Blackcomb. They also had the unique opportunity to participate in the Closing Ceremonies of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games by skiing in a torch-light parade down Whistler Mountain.

They also had the chance to compete head-to-head with each other in the GMC Race Centre. Here's Patrick on the left, and Alex on the right, jumping out of the start gate:

With Nathalie trying hard to keep up to Patrick on her snowboard:

And a second run:

Tamika pushes off:

and starts to turn through the first gate on the course:

Then rivals Jesse and Cory give it a try:

Jesse setting up for the first gate:

Looks like Cory takes an early lead:

Not any more! - Jesse's right with him now -

Friendly rivals right to the finish line:

Their second run:

Mark bursts out of the start:

And then a great free run on Horstman Glacier, with Jesse leading the way, Cory, Alex, and Coach Roy:

At the end of the day, time to gather and get ready for the torch-lit procession:

And here they are in the procession, unfortunately, they didn't quite make it into the Closing Ceremonies telecast!

Blue Streaks in Training at Whistler Blackcomb

2010-03-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

The Blue Streaks headed north to train at Whistler Blackcomb, the week after the end of Winter Olympic Games and one week before the beginning of the Paralympic Games.

Under beautiful blue skies, the Blue Streaks worked hard at improving their racing skills with some of them preparing for the Regional Qualifying Race with Special Olympics a week later.

Before we go on, the Blue Streaks wish to extend their best wishes for a speedy Blue Streak recovery to Des Price, Jesse's dad (far right in red jacket), who crashed later in the day and broke his shoulder. We all look forward to seeing you back on your skis next season, Des!

First up on the race course is Patrick:

Then Fiona speeds past a gate:

Tamika looking down the race course, like good racers do:

Cory well up on his ski edges:

Here's Alex, working hard at keeping his skis parallel:

Jesse attacking:

And Mark going for it as he always does:

The Blue Streaks discovered a new ski cross run at Whistler and quickly took a thrilling ride through the turns and over the rollers. Here, Coach Roy leads Mark, Jesse, and Cory::

After a full day of training, time for a stroll through Whistler Village, all dressed up for the Olympics and Paralympics.

Then a stop by the International Paralympic Committee symbol:

The Blue Streaks returned to Whistler on March 20 for more training and to participate in the closing ceremonies of the Paralympic Games. So we'll have another update soon.

Coach Roy Leads The Blue Streaks To New Heights!!

2010-03-05T13:11:00.000-08:00

The Blue Streaks enjoyed a new experience yesterday - ziplining on Grouse Mountain during the VASS Challenge Cup. Dicey snow conditions forced cancellation of the race that's normally held on Cup Day, but thanks to the generosity of the good people at Grouse Mountain, the Blue Streaks took to the skies.

Roy went first to show the Blue Streaks how it's done...

Here we go then....Roy and me:

Here come Mark & Tamika:

Christie & Jesse:

Cory & Alex:

Then, to make things more interesting, we zipline over a small pond:

Jesse & Christie:

Cory & Alex:

And Roy has the last ride:

The Blue Streaks are off to Whistler on March 6 for some slalom gate training and then some of them will compete at Silver Star near Vernon, BC in Special Olympics' Regional Qualifier on March 13. So keep on eye on this blog for a Blue Streak update soon.

ANOTHER BLUE STREAK SWEEP!

2010-02-13T14:59:00.001-08:00

Blue Streaks Mark, Cory, and Jesse swept the podium in both the Slalom and Giant Slalom races at the recent Western Canadian Paralpine Championships at Sun Peaks Resort.

In the Giant Slalom, under snowy conditions...

Mark wins Gold...

Cory picks up silver:

and Jesse bronze:

A pre-race visit from a special guest...here's Cory with Nancy Green:

The Blue Streaks going up for some post-race free-skiing:

Later Nancy presents the medals to our Blue Streaks:

Jesse

Cory:

and Mark:

Now racing slalom, the next day:

Jesse, bronze:

Cory Silver:

And Mark with Gold:

And the Blue Streaks looking great with their fellow medal winners:

ALEX CARRIES THE OLYMPIC FLAME! Part 2

2010-02-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

A few more photos courtesy of Edward Tai:

ALEX CARRIES THE OLYMPIC FLAME!

2010-02-09T12:57:00.000-08:00

Today, all the Blue Streaks are very proud of their teammate Alex who carried the Olympic flame through New Westminster.

A huge crowd with many of Alex's family, friends, co-workers, fellow Blue Streaks, and of course his mother Pat (in the centre under the banner looking just a bit proud of her son) were on hand to cheer him on.

And then Alex arrives:

With a couple of Blue Streak teammates, before...

getting on his way - look at all the people!!

Nice uniform Alex, not quite as cool as your Blue Streak jacket, but very nice:

And a smile as Alex sees his mom:

And a video - the big bang at the beginning is just the Royal Westminster Regiment's guns saluting this Blue Streak's very big day - listen to all that cheering!

Look for more photos to be added later this week.

Congratulations, Alex!!

February(!) Training

2010-02-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

The VASS Blue Streaks continue to train in spite of some very unusual February conditions. After the warmest ever January in Vancouver, snow conditions continue to deteriorate. But with Coach Roy's encouragement, the Blue Streaks continue to work hard to improve their racing skills.

Always an early start for the Blue Streaks, before sunrise on Saturday morning, the base of Grouse is dressed up, not for Christmas, but in Canadian red for the Winter Olympic Games now only 6 days away:

And now here come Blue Streaks Mark, Fiona, Cory, Tamika, Jesse, and Alex:

Coach Roy with some one-on-one work with Blue Streak Victoria:

Jesse free-skiing, making the best of the snow conditions:

With Tamika close behind:

Fiona making some nice carving lines in the snow - and working on keeping her shoulders facing straight down the hill:

And Olympic Torch Bearer Alex (only 3 days to go now!):

And Mark's obvious enthusiasm for speed makes him a perfect leader for the Blue Streaks:

And a shot of the new wind turbine at the top of Grouse:

And the Olympic city below:

Now for some serious training, a little bit of a stubby course set up on the Peak:

Mark:

Fiona, then Alex:

Cory:

Jesse:

Tamika in the stubby course:

And getting some air!

Then Tamika and Roy lead the Blue Streaks for their last run of the day:

Look for a couple of updates in the next few days - a recap of the Western Canadian ParaAlpine Championships where Mark, Cory, and Jesse put some Blue Streak blue on the podium and of course photos and video of Alex carrying the Olympic Torch!

Come back soon, and leave a comment before you go for the Blue Streaks.

Who Needs Snow???

2010-01-24T21:19:00.000-08:00

Who needs snow??? Not the Blue Streaks. As the following photos and videos show, lack of snow doesn't stop the Blue Streaks from benefitting from Coach Roy's instructions, drills, and encouragement. Early on the morning of Saturday, January 23, the Blue Streaks headed up their home mountain - Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, BC - for their 3rd training session on snow so far this winter.

Patrick, Jesse, Cory, Victoria, Christie (in her brand new Blue Streaks jacket!), Alex, Mark, parent/volunteers Heather & John, and Coach Roy ready to get going....but where's Tamika??

Coach Roy demonstrating correct body positioning as Cory and Jesse look on:

As Chee interprets for Patrick:

And Patrick then gives it a try:

Newest Blue Streak (well, Pink Streak for now!) Victoria demonstrates her newest skill - good hand position in front of her body:

And with her dad keeping a proud eye on her, starts moving down the hill keeping her hands where they should. Now just which direction are those skis going Victoria??

Here's Cory working on a knee-touch drill, pushing those Racetigers hard into the snow:

And Alex close behind (so how's the snow up there Alex?):

And now Victoria gives it a try:

And a candid moment in the life of a Blue Streak hard at work:

Well, at least Coach Roy is still working hard, demonstrating yet another drill ("when do we actually get to ski?", an unidentified Blue Streak murmurred)

Well, the coach heard that so it was then time to ski - but on one leg!!!

OK, you can ski on both legs now, but not too fast!

Victoria trying hard now to get those skis working together:

Time for the Blue Streaks to get some serious skiing in now, so here they are at the top of the Peak:

And as the Blue Streaks roar to the bottom of the Peak, Mark does his best Bode Miller impression:

After Jesse and Mark make quick work of a slalom course....

It's lunch time for the Blue Streaks!!

Next weekend, Mark, Jesse, and Cory will proudly wear Blue Streak colours at the Western Canadian Para-Alpine Championships at Sun Peaks near Kamloops to compete in Giant Slalom and Slalom races. So look for a new post to find out how they did!

And leave a comment for the Blue Streaks before you go - they'd love to know you dropped by for a visit!

A Challenging Start

2010-01-21T22:27:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a challenging start to the Blue Streaks' new season with poor snow conditions through most of the month of January. But some of the Blue Streaks, with Coach Roy leading the team, managed to get in some excellent training at Grouse Mountain last Saturday.

The first, but quite likely not last, team picture of the new season, with Jesse, new Blue Streak Victoria, Alex, Fiona, Cory, Mark, and Coach Roy:

And the sun rises as Coach Roy leads us through our warm-ups, with Alex, Fiona, Mark, and Cory making the big strrrrrretch:

Later in the morning, the Blue Streaks earning their name on The Peak.

First, Mark:

Then Cory:

Fiona's turn:

And Jesse:

Then the Blue Streaks tackled a short slalom course, with each having two runs through the gates:

First Cory:

Jesse's next:

Mark:

And finally Fiona:

The Blue Streaks once again show their commitment to improve their racing skills by getting in a bit of training and getting the season started in a year where it seems they'll have to work hard to find good snow.

Some of the Blue Streaks will be heading to Sun Peaks Ski Resort near Kamloops next weekend for the Western Canadian Para-Alpine Championships, so come back soon for news from Sun Peaks where the snow conditions will a lot better.

New Season About To Start!

2009-12-30T18:59:00.000-08:00

The Blue Streaks, with some new team members, will be back in action starting on Saturday, January 9th, 2010.

We wish to say farewell to Paul, Kyle, Patrick, Greg, and Andrea. You were all great teammates and The Blue Streaks hope to see you back one day.

And welcome to Jeff and Victoria! We look forward to skiing and racing with you soon!

Thank You Carley!

2009-10-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

All we can say is YOU made a good program GREAT! All the Blue Streaks wish you all the best with Vanoc, Carley.

BLUE STREAK ALEX WILL CARRY THE OLYMPIC TORCH!!

2009-09-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

Alex has been chosen to carry the 2010 Olympic Torch!! He will run with the Torch through Richmond on February 9, 2010.

Congratulations Alex! Your fellow Blue Streaks are proud of you, and just a little envious too!!

2009-07-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

It's July in VASS-land. Time to look back and post some stuff we missed in the lead-up to the Provincial Championship race back in April.

Some of the Blue Streaks participated in a Disabled Skiers Association of BC "Building Excellence Camp" on April 18 at Whistler. We posted Part One back in April and promised Part Two. So here it is...

A Blue Streak team photo at lunch:

Cory, me, Mark, Jesse, and Alex:

And then Christie and Tamika joined us:

Then back out to the top of Whistler to view videos from the morning session and get feedback from the coaches, before heading to the Olympic Downhill run.

Kyle, Jesse, Cory, Mark, Alex, and Tamika:

Jesse, Cory, Mark

Jesse, Cory, me (Cory's dad), Alex, and Tamika:

And the Streaks now getting ready for their run down the Olympic Downhill. Most of the Blue Streaks have never been on this run before. It's called the Dave Murray Olympic Downhill and is named after a Crazy Canuck who skied with the Canadian team back in the 80s. He has since passed away.

It's a long course, the second longest in the world, with several steep pitches, a wonderful hairpin turn called Coaches Corner, and it hosted several World Cup races up until the 90s, and then a World Cup event again in 2008. It will of course be the home of the Alpine Skiing events at the 2010 Olympic Games, next February. There is no race course set up on this day. There is a lot of traffic - recreational skiers - and a lot of bumps have been built up during the day, combining to limit the speed that the Streaks could attack the run.

None of them expressed any apprehension - this is a talented, hard-working, courageous ski racing team. After all, they are the Blue Streaks!

The start of the race course is being redesigned, making it steeper and faster at the beginning. The start formally took place to the left of this photo, but the new start that will be used for the Games is the ramp you see in the distance between the two Blue Streaks and Tamika's pink jacket. Coach Carley is on the right of the photo.

Here's Jesse having a good look at the top area of the run. The race course pretty much ends at the valley below, so it's a long course that tests not just a racer's courage, but his or her endurance too.

The old start hut on the left:

Here, Coach Carley examines the start area and first part of the course before instructing her race team:

And Coach Carley, in the middle, and Guest Coach Paul on the right, giving instructions to the Blue Streaks.

And now we see the Blue Streaks taking on a part of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games downhill:

First, a good look at Tamika:

Then, Alex, a bit of Jesse, Cory, Mark, and a bit of Kyle:

Now that's the only video we have of the Blue Streaks on the Olympic Downhill, simply because that run is just too much fun to stop and do some filming - sorry!

Well, that's about it for the Blue Streaks 2008-2009 ski racing season. It was certainly a memorable year - though it arrived a bit late and we were all getting anxious, the snow was plentiful and relatively dry. A lot of great clear weather, with just one rainout. And most importantly for the racers, more race opportunities than ever.

A huge thank you to our outstanding coaches - especially Carley and Roy, as well as Roger, and Guest coaches Paul and Phil, all of whom bring their skills, their experience, their passion, and their patience to the team at every session.

A safe summer everyone! Enjoy it 'cause though it may not feel like it at times, the Blue Streaks will soon be back on snow, showing everyone who is willing to watch, that a disability is not necessarily a barrier to achievement.

What's a Blue Streak? A Blue Streak is courage, commitment, hard work, and perseverance. On skis, on a snow-covered mountain, in a race course, and of course wearing the coolest jackets.

Come on December!!!

(Oh, and leave a comment, tell the Blue Streaks what you think of them...click on "comments" below and tell us you were here. You don't have to have an account of any kind, post anonymously and leave your name in the comments if you wish!)

BLUE STREAKS ROCK WHISTLER! Part Three

2009-05-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

Disabled Skiers Association of British Columbia Provincial Championships Race Day - Whistler Mountain , April 25, 2009.

Race skis waiting for racers...

And here they are...Blue Streaks Christie, Cory, Patrick, Jesse, Mark, and Tamika:

Though Mark appears to be experiencing a "wardrobe malfunction":

The race course with Whistler Village below:

And the Blue Streaks in action:

First, Mark's first run, a real Blue Streak with a best time of the day of 40.61 seconds:

And Patrick's first run through the course, with a time of 64.07 seconds:

Now Paul's first run, 52.08 seconds:

And Tamika, 61.83 seconds, but unfortunately missed a gate and was disqualified:

The scoreboard after the first run:

Run #2 for Mark, who unfortunately misses a gate near the end of the course, and is disqualified:

And Paul's 2nd run, in 50.44 seconds:

The final scoreboard, showing Cory in first place and Jesse right behind:

And now, it's party time...last race of the season, the Blue Streaks' work is done.

Cory with his mum, next to my Blue Streak jacket, Coach Roger, Mark, with Anne & Coach Carley & Tamika:

Coach Roger with Mark and Anne, our VASS President:

Time for medal presentations...first Christie's silver medal:

Then Jessie's silver:

And Cory's gold medal:

Mark congratulating Cory:

Now, for some reason, there is no dessert served at the post-race banquet, and since the Blue Streaks passion for ice cream rivals their passion for ski racing, a trip to Cows in Whistler Village is quickly arranged, in spite of the rather coolish evening temperature.

Tamika evidently enjoying her ice cream with her mom and Coach Roger:

And the Blue Streaks are passionate about their ice cream, right Coach Roger & Mark?

A bit of horsing around with a cow:

And finally, the Blue Streaks with Coach Roger, President Anne, and a whole bunch of supporting family:

Thanks for a wonderful year everyone!

So one more Blue Streak event for this year, our year-end wrap up, so we'll update after that, and there are more photos & videos from the "Building Excellence" camp that some of the Blue Streaks attended before the Provincial Championship race.

So stay in touch, eh? And leave a comment...it costs nothing, not a penny, to tell us you were here and what you think of the Blue Streaks!

BLUE STREAKS ROCK WHISTLER! Part Two

2009-04-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Disabled Skiers Association of British Columbia Provincial Championship Race Day - Whistler Mountain, April 25, 2009 and the Blue Streaks are ROCKIN'!

Here they are assembling at the top of the Whistler Village gondola early in the day:

Mark, Christie, and Cory

Check out Coach Roger's shocking orange helmet! And it matches his boots and his gloves!!

Still, not quite up to par with the Blue Streak jackets there, Roger.

Even with all that glitter!

Kyle and Patrick with Nathalie, ready to go:

The first run of the day:

So many Blue Streaks streaking by too fast to identify them!

Back up on the Emerald Chair and the Blue Streaks get a first good look at the race course they are about to conquer:

And the start area with a lot of volunteers working hard, including Anne our President, in the lime green jacket in the middle of things:

And now it's time for course inspection, where the Blue Streaks take a close look at the race course and get advice from Coach Carley on how to approach each segment - speed control, line, looking ahead.

Looks like Paul is about to ask a question!

Patrick and Mark with Coach "Sunkist" Roger:

More advice from Coach Carley

And Coach Carley is so good at this she can even do it with her eyes closed!!

And our own Blue giant, Patrick, get ready to tackle the...

...the Jolly Green Giant! That's two great days - one in 2008 and now in 2009 for the Blue Streaks on this race course.

And the rest of the Blue Streaks are ready to rock!

Mark, looking very relaxed...

Tamika, likely wondering when she can GO!

Kyle

And friendly rivals Jesse and Cory keeping an eye on each other!

That's it for Part Two...look for Part Three including more race video next!

And hey, leave a comment, it's free!!

BLUE STREAKS ROCK WHISTLER! Part One

2009-04-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

The VASS Blue Streaks rocked Whistler Mountain during the Disabled Skiers Association of British Columbia Provincial Championships on Saturday, April 25, 2009.

Residents, visitors, and liftees all reported many instances of bright blue lights streaking mysteriously across the mountain. Some even took photographs of the phenomenon - the photo above is courtesy of Whistler visitor Dwayne Michaels.

The truth is definitely out there...

Actually, those blue streaks of light were the VASS Blue Streaks racing to championship glory with 3 podium finishes!

Christie and Jesse each earned a silver medal, while Cory took home Gold!

Here's Christie (middle) just after receiving her silver medal:

And Cory (second from left) and Jesse (second from right) with their medals:

The Provincial Championship race was held on the Jolly Green Giant run at Whistler Mountain under brilliant blue skies (certainly a good omen for our Blue Streaks), on excellent "racer" snow - fast, hard, and smooth - and a pleasant temperature of minus 2 degrees C.

There were two runs of a Giant Slalom course, each with 30 gates. Christie's first run clocked in at 56.58 seconds, and she improved dramatically on her second run to 52.52, for a total of 1:49.10, less than 2 seconds behind the winner. Congratulations Christie!

In the men's race, Jesse ran a 47.10 in his first run, while Cory put in a time of 45.25 seconds. Jesse had the best second run with a time of 43.88 while Cory's second run was 44.83. Total time for Jesse 1:30.98, just behind Cory's total of 1:30.08, putting two Blue Streaks at the top of the podium.

Mark posted the best run of the day with a 1st run time of 40.61, but unfortunately missed a gate in his second run and did not finish. But Mark's "ski my hardest every time" attitude makes him a real winner as well.

Paul just missed the podium with a total time of 1:42.52, and Patrick's 2nd run at 60.39 seconds showed some of the best improvement from the 1st run of the racers. And unfortunately, Kyle missed a gate on his 1st run - those gates at the bottom were tricky and many racers, including Kyle, had the misfortune of missing one of them.

OK, now let's see our Blue Streaks in action!

First Christie's silver medal performance:

Run #1:

And Run #2:

Now Jesse's silver medal runs:

#1:

and Jesse's 2nd run:

Here's Cory on the first of his gold medal runs:

And Cory's #2:

Race Day started with racer registration at the base of Whistler Mountain. Here's Tamika looking over her registration form:

And Paul doing the same:

Jesse and his dad, with Coach Carley and Coach Roger:

Then Cory's turn to sign in:

Coach Carley in conversation with Tamika's mom & dad, Heather & John:

And Coach Carley with Coach Roger - reminiscing about their own racing days perhaps??

Then the Blue Streaks board the Whistler Village Gondola for the long ride up the mountain - here's Coach Carley with Patrick:

Next post we'll continue with the Blue Streaks Rocking Whistler on Race Day!

BLUE STREAKS ROCK WHISTLER AT DSABC CHAMPIONSHIPS

2009-04-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

Watch this blog for an update soon!

April 4, 2009 - "Building Excellence" Race Camp, Whistler, BC Part One

2009-04-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Today, some of the Blue Streaks travelled the Sea to Sky Highway to beautiful Whistler Blackcomb for 2 days of training in the Disabled Skiers Association of BC "Building Excellence" ski racing program. This was a fabulous opportunity for the Blue Streaks to work with provincial coaches at one of the world's best ski resorts, which of course will be host to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games next February.

In fact, the Blue Streaks had the opportunity to ski the exact same run that will be used for all 4 Alpine events at the games (downhill, Super G, Giant Slalom, and Slalom), and we'll have some video to show the Blue Streaks in action on the Olympic downhill run - it's called the Dave Murray Downhill.

First, a gloriously beautiful day at the base of Whistler:

And Blue Streaks Cory, Alex, and Mark getting their day's instructions:

Now on the Whistler Village Gondola on the way up top with Blue Streaks Alex, Kyle, Cory, Jesse, Tamika, and Coach Carley.

Blue Streak Kyle and Christy:

Christy and Blue Streak Tamika:

Blue Streaks Cory and Jesse:

Tamika and Coach Carley:

Now for final instructions from Guest Coach Paul at the top of Whistler Mountain:

And Kyle enjoying the view, with Whistler Peak and the Peak Chair in the background

And finally, the Blue Streaks are skiing Whistler - doing warm up runs with lots of small turns:

First Alex:

Then Cory:

Then Mark: (with the new Peak to Peak Gondola in the background at the start of the video)

Kyle:

And Tamika:

Jesse:

Now guest coach Paul is videotaping the Blue Streaks on a good lengthy run for review with them later.

Alex:

Cory:

Jesse:

Kyle:

Mark:

And Tamika:

Now you can come along and ski with the Blue Streaks on a run called Highway 86, a rather long and flat traverse (meaning it crosses the mountain, linking different runs and chair lifts), but the Blue Streaks find speed wherever they can get it!

First, a brief chat with guest coach Paul and we catch up to Alex:

Takes some speed and some time to catch up to Kyle, Tamika, Cory, and Mark here:

Then trying to keep up with Cory and Mark, who eventually disappear from view!

And it's all the way to the chair before we find Mark & Cory again, but we do get a wave from coach Carley on the way!

Next post will be from Part Two of the Blue Streaks' Building Excellence camp, including their run on the Olympic Downhill.

Tell us what you think - leave a comment!