Top 10 finishes across the board for Team BC in moguls

By Drew Todd, Team BC Mission Staff

The moguls competition kicked off Tuesday with Team BC showcasing their team’s depth in both the men’s and women’s divisions.  All six athletes who competed qualified for the final run and placed within the top ten.

On the women’s side, Sofiane Gagnon (Whistler) came fourth, followed by Mackenzie Schwinghamer (Kelowna) in fifth, Madison Parker (Port Moody) in eighth, and Elena Gaskell (Vernon) in ninth.

Flipping from the park events (slopestyle and big air) to moguls made a huge difference for moguls specialist Schwinghamer.  When asked if she felt more comfortable out there, Schwinghamer simply stated, “ohhhh ya.”  The toughest adjustment?  “Getting used to my moguls skis again and the skinniness of them.”  Still, Schwinghamer had no difficulty getting off her favourite trick on the slopes, the backflip.

As for the men, Noah Spence (Penticton) ended up sixth and Kyle Parker (Port Moody) finished seventh.  Another who prefers moguls over park events is Parker (Kyle).  When asked if he felt a tad out of place earlier in the week, he responded with, “yep, it’s kind of weird.”

The solid performance by Team BC is crucial for Wednesday’s dual moguls event as seedings are determined by the single events.  

The moguls course will be running fast tomorrow, so there are plenty of opportunities for big scores and personal bests.  “The course is firm, but should be okay,” said Parker (Kyle), at the end of the today’s events.  Duals moguls kick off in the morning.

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