Calgary, Canada (Thursday, January 30, 2003) - World Cup bronze medallist Mélanie Turgeon and veteran Thomas Grandi lead a team of the 14 best Canadian Alpine Ski Team racers into St. Moritz, SUI, for the 2003 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, Alpine Canada Alpin vice-president of athletics Joze Sparovec announced Wednesday.

Six women and eight men qualified to compete in the World Championships that begin with opening ceremonies on Saturday and run until Feb. 16.

“Being named to the World Championship team is a great honour for these young racers,” Sparovec said. “The World Championships is the largest ski racing event outside of the Olympic Winter Games and we are here to build experience and go for the podium.”

Turgeon’s race performance has been building since Christmas as she won a bronze medal in super-G at Cortina and has three other top-10 finishes.

“This is my 6th World Championships, and it would be special to win that medal. Hopefully on that day you are on the top of your game and everything falls into place,” said Turgeon, who placed 7th at the 1999 Worlds in Vail, Colo. Turgeon, 26, of Quebec City puts it into high gear for the super-G next Monday.

Grandi, 30, of Banff, Alta., has been a rock of consistency this year with seven top-15 placings this season in slalom and giant slalom. He is Canada’s top-ranked male skier in the World Cup standings.

The other members of the Canadian women’s team are Emily Brydon, Allison Forsyth, Britt Janyk, Geneviève Simard, and Kelly VanderBeek. On the men’s side Julien Cousineau, Erik Guay, Jan Hudec, Jeff Hume, Vincent Lavoie, Jean-Philippe Roy and Ryan Semple will represent Canada.

“We’ve got a great blend of experience, consistency and enthusiasm in this young team,” said Ken Read, president of Alpine Canada Alpin. “Our veteran racers have had a consistent season, and many of our younger athletes stepped up to pull off top-15 and even top-10 results this season, helping increase the depth of the Canadian team. World Championships is an important event in alpine ski racing, and this is a strong group of racers heading off to represent Canada. Everything is possible in that kind of environment.”

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships are held every two years and bring together the best athletes from every snow-sport nation.

Here is a snapshot of the 2003 Canadian Alpine World Championship Ski Team:

(Name, Age, Hometown, Ski Club, World Championship Results)

Women’s Team

• Emily Brydon, 22, Fernie, BC, Fernie Snow Valley, 7th K, St Anton 2001, 12th SG, St. Anton 2001
• Allison Forsyth, 24, Nanaimo, BC, Mount Washington, 6th GS, St. Anton 2001,10th SL, Vail 1999
• Britt Janyk, 22, Whistler, BC, Whistler Mountain, 23rd GS, St. Anton 2001
• Genevieve Simard, 22, Val Morin, QC, Montcalm, 26th GS, Vail 1999
• Mélanie Turgeon, 26, Quebec, QC, Mont Ste-Anne, 7th DH, Vail 1999, 10th SG, St. Anton 2001
• Kelly VanderBeek, 20, Kitchener, ON, Chicopee, 3rd SG, World Juniors, Tarvisio 2002

• Julien Cousineau, 22, Lachute, QC, Mont Tremblant, 4th SG, World Juniors, Verbier 2001
• Thomas Grandi, 30, Banff, AB, Banff Alpine Racers, 7th K Sierra Nevada 1996, 8th GS, Sestriere 1997,13th SL St. Anton 2001
• Erik Guay, 21, Tremblant, QC, Mont Tremblant, 9th GS, World Juniors, Verbier 2001
• Jan Hudec, 21, Banff, AB, Banff Mountain Academy, 4th DH, World Juniors, Verbier 2001
• Jeff Hume, 23, Whistler, BC, Whistler Mountain, 4th SG, World Juniors, Pra Loup 1999
• Jean-Philippe Roy , 23, Ste-Flavie, Qué, Mont Comi, 8th K, St. Anton 2001
• Ryan Semple, 20, Ottawa, ON, Mont Tremblant, 5th SL, World Juniors, Verbier 2001