Kael Oberlander (middle) after finishing her races.

Image Credit: Big White Ski Club

Two Kelowna teenagers competed in Nor Am Ski Cross race at Nakiska ski resort last weekend, and both placed in the finals.

Kael Oberlander, 17, and Finley Cashin, 19, both took to the slopes last weekend representing the Okanagan. The pair both began skiing when their parents introduced the sport.

Oberlander, who has been skiing since she was three years old, won a silver medal and a gold medal.

“I don't think I'd rather represent any other place more than the Okanagan,” Oberlander said. “I think it's such a cool place... and it's a really good team. There haven't been that many skiers that have really come out of the Okanagan. It's more Alberta and Ontario. I just think the Okanagan and B.C. as a whole is just a good place to represent."

Cashin, skiing since the age of two, made it to the finals and finished in eighth and sixth place.

Although balancing school and social life while training for skiing competitions is difficult for the pair, neither of them want to do anything other than what they love.

Both faced injuries last ski season and though they were a little intimidated to get back on the slopes.

“I was pretty nervous actually. There were the 30 minutes up to going into the first race on the first race day, I was super nervous, but I just knew that as soon as I pulled out of the gate on that first run, it would go away,” Cashin said.

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Finley Cashin leading the pack skiing.

Image Credit: Big White Ski Club

Oberlander and Cashin agree one of the hardest parts of competing is the mental toll it takes to stay focused and energized throughout the weekend of competition, especially with all the concentration, examination and determination needed to race.

“Right before the final heat on the last day, I had a pretty bad run. I still made it through to the next round, but I just wasn't very happy with my skiing, and my confidence was a little bit shook. Right before the final heat, I just told myself, ‘you know, that heat doesn't matter, you still made it through,’ and then I had a really good big final. It was just kind of that mental battle, like not letting myself get too down.”

Oberlander and Cashin continue to ski in various competitions and travel to different countries to represent the Okanagan in the sport.

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