Travers Takes Bronze, Moyer 9th at Whistler Cup
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| by Alan Cole |
April 19, 2009
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AVSC's Bobby Moyer and Dean Travers both posted top-ten finishes at the 16th Annual Whistler Cup international ski race at Whistler/Blackcomb, British Columbia, April 10-12. The Whistler Cup is the top North American competition for skiers aged 11-14 boasting a field of 390 athletes from 17 different countries all competing in slalom, giant slalom, super-G (for 13 and 14 year-olds) and Kombi (a combined slalom and giant slalom course for the younger racers). AVSC alpine coaches Pat Callahan and Rohan Verplank accompanied both athletes to the event.
While no American 11-12 year old J4s competed at Whistler Cup this year, AVSC's Dean Travers made the field as a citizen of the Cayman Islands. "Dean was quite a sensation being from the Cayman Islands and was one of the most popular racers there," said Verplank. "At first people heard the Caymans and did a double take but his presence soon took on a 'Jamaican Bobsled Team' cachet, except for the fact that Dean can really ski." Travers made the most of his opportunity with a ninth place finish in slalom. "Dean start with a tough first run in slalom and a hip check that scrubbed all his speed dropping him down to finish in the low 20s," said Verplank. "He bounced back and roared through the course in his second run for second place and good enough for ninth place overall." Travers followed up with a strong bronze medal performance in giant slalom but was unable to complete the tricky kombi course, however. "He was looking good in the beginning but blew out on the fifth gate," said Verplank. "I was impressed with Dean's skiing and it was a really productive competition," said his coach. "He got to train with both the U.S. and Canadian teams and had some great results."
14 year-old J3 skier Bobby Moyer came into the competition after placing first in the time trials to decide which three-member U.S. team he would join up with. Moyer joined Vermont's Danny Duffy and Montana's Eric Haferman as the top U.S. male skiers. Unfortunately, Moyer was unable to live up to his seeding in the competition itself, managing a lone top-ten finish in giant slalom in ninth place. "He carried a ton of speed in his events but missed a gate at the end of the slalom race and was unable to finish the super-G," said coach Pat Callahan. "He was leading the super-G by more than one second midway but he flew off a jump right past the next gate. It was a tough week for Bobby but his ninth place finish definitely helped the U.S. team win the overall title." Callahan praised the American team for their victory. "They were very solid this year and it was the best I've ever seen the team working together and supporting each other."
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For details, contact
Alan Cole
AVSC
(970) 205-5104
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