6.1°C Mostly Cloudy 
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The Kimberley North Star Racers are ready for round two of the 2010 B.C. Provincials.
After competing in a field of 160 racers in the first round of provincial speed events at Panorama Feb 4 to 8, the 14- and 15-year-old racers are trained up and prepared for the technical events to be held at Kelowna’s Big White Resort March 6 to 9.
At the well-prepared Old Timer run at Panorama, the Northstar Racers posted very good results and set themselves up for a shot at Nationals and the prestigious Whistler Cup.
In the Super G and Giant Slalom races on the boys’ side, Aiden Wilson showed that perseverance and training pay off big time by posting personal bests all weekend. In the three separate Super G’s Aiden posted two 16th’s and a 23rd.
Kyle Mitchell improved steadily over the three races by finishing 35th, 31st, and 27th. Tyler Messer was clocked in the speed trap at over 80 km/h, beating out two-thirds of the field.
On the girls’ side, second-year K2 girls Becky Bedell and Gina Norton led the charge. In the Super G’s, Becky laid down a seventh and 11th. Gina was in the hunt with a 15th and 10th. In the third Super G both Gina and Becky attacked hard but crashed out and did not finish. As a first-year K2, Hope Blissett was forced to start back in the seed with a high bib number (63) but finished an impressive 36th and 41st, earning her two “Most Improved” awards.
In the two days of Giant Slalom racing, Aiden Wilson again skied great with a seventh and 17th. Kyle Mitchell posted a 48th and a crash. Tyler Messer was determined to improve but crashed hard.
For the girls both Becky and Gina did not finish the first race. In the second race Becky Bedell rang up a 14th and Gina Norton placed 32nd. Hope Blissett was unable to start due to an old injury that flared up.
The team is now off to Kelowna for the technical events — two Slaloms and two more GS’s. Keep your eyes on these athletes as you may be seeing them in future Olympics.
