Young Vernon skier chosen for BC development team, sets sights on Team Canada

Photo: Derek Trussler

A budding young Vernon skier and potential future Olympian has been selected to the BC Alpine Development Team.

Oliver Young is the No. 1 ranked B.C. slalom racer under 19 years old.

Young has been racing for seven years and is one of five male athletes selected to the development team.

This allows him to train year round, and a Make a Champ campaign has been launched to help him on his way and help cover equipment and other costs.

Young previously raced with the Parkland Racers Ski Club and Edmonton Ski Club, and joined the Vernon Ski Club after his family moved to B.C.

During his first season in Vernon, he was named overall club champion at just 13 years old – and held onto the title for two more years.

In his second season here, he placed in third in giant slalom at the BC Winter Games.

In his last year with VSC, he qualified for the U16 National Championships, but the event was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He currently skis with the Okanagan Ski Team at the FIS (Fédération Internationale de Ski) level.

This past winter, Young placed third in U19 slalom and was the fastest U18 racer at the FIS Senior National Championships in Ontario.

"I'm very excited to return to the national championships next year, where I hope to be at the top of the podium," he says.

With the BC Development Team, he is training in Whistler, Chile, and Europe throughout the summer and fall.

"The purpose of the team is to develop athletes to the Canadian national team, and I am thrilled to have this opportunity.

"My goal for the past five years has been to qualify for the BC Team, and now that I’m there, I can set my goals higher – to ultimately make the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, to race on the World Cup Tour and furthermore, represent Canada at the Olympics."

As of Monday, the campaign had raised $7,100 toward a goal of $20,000.