Heil wins 7th National title… Gingras wins first
Calgary, Alberta, March 23, 2007 – Heavily-favoured Jenn Heil, 23, of Spruce Grove, Alberta, collected the seventh victory of her national championship career today by winning the women’s single-moguls final at Canada Olympic Park, while the men’s title went to Maxime Gingras of St-Hippolyte, Que.
“It felt really good, really fast. I just really went out and pushed it and went to my edge,� said the happy winner.
Maxime Gingras and Jenn Heil
Heil, who now lives in Montreal, still calls her first national title in 2000, when she won the moguls and dual moguls, her biggest.
“But besides winning that first one, I think this is the best one,� she said, alluding to the chance to compete in her native province of Alberta for the first time in seven years.
The silver medal went to Stephanie St-Pierre of Victoriaville, Que., who won the morning qualifier but wasn’t sure earlier in the day if she was going to compete.
A sore right knee has bothered St-Pierre since a February training camp at Salt Lake City. But she had her knee checked, took a Tylenol, and got ready to compete.
“I was skiing really well, but I made a little mistake in my bottom air. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t trust my knee, but overall it was still a good run,� said St-Pierre, who was also second at Nationals two years ago.
“I was second and Jenn skied better than me, so that was okay.�
Heil, who clinched her fourth straight overall World Cup moguls title this season, typically comes into the National Championships exhausted and perhaps more vulnerable.
After all, one fellow competitor was Kristi Richards of Summerland, B.C., who won single moguls at the recent World Championships to leave Heil second.
However, Richards fell after her second air in Friday’s qualifying round and didn’t reach the 16-skier final. She finished 21st.
The bronze medal went to Chloé Dufour-Lapointe, 15, of Montreal. That was also her best-ever finish at National Championships, after winning two medals at Junior Worlds a week ago.
Maxime Gingras, 22, began the season with the Canada Post National Development Team, but later in the season captured his first World Cup medal (silver) at Apex Mountain Resort in B.C.
Gingras’ victory Friday was also a first, as he had never been better than fifth in single or dual moguls at Nationals. He prevailed by 5/100ths of a point over roommate and World Cup team-mate Warren Tanner of Grimsby, Ont., who were eighth and sixth respectively at the recent World Championships.
“I heard the crowd after Warren’s run and I knew I had to do something big,� said Gingras. “So I just charged it a little bit. This was one of the best runs of my life.�
“This is a big day, this was a big season for me,� added Gingras, who scored 27.01 to Tanner’s 26.96.
“For me it was all about skiing my run,� said Tanner, who had a season-long slump until the World Championships.
“I wasn’t looking at it as the end of this season, but rather, as the beginning of next season.�
Edward Lortie of Ivry-sur-le-Lac, Que., who had never reached the National Championships finals, was third in 25.11.
2007 world moguls champion Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau of Drummondville, Que., did not compete because of a nagging foot injury.
The championships resume with aerials Saturday and dual moguls Sunday.
