FALL RIVER: A Fall River girl is excited to put her best foot,, err ski, forward at an upcoming competition south of the border.
Caroline Hilton, a Georges P. Vanier Junior High Grade 8 student, is heading to the Eastern Canadian Cam Am championships in Maine at the end of this month. She competes with the Wentworth Ski Race Club at Ski Wentworth.
“I’m really excited to go,” she said in a recent interview at a Fall River coffee shop. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.
“It’s been a really kind of crazy experience for me, because I didn’t ever think I would really make it because it’s only top two in Nova Scotia. I never thought I could be up at that level and getting to be there is really exciting.”
The Eastern Can Am Championships are held yearly at the end of each ski race season and welcome over 140 of the top alpine ski racers from the Eastern USA, the Atlantic Provinces, Ontario, and Quebec. Competition includes Super G, Giant Slalom and Slalom events and a skills competition.
Hilton will be racing in all three disciplines, although she says the Slalom is her favourite.
“I would definitely have to say that Slalom is probably my best discipline,” the 13-year-old said. “I like it the best, but I also really like Super G because of the speed.”
She said she’s been mentally preparing for the competition through training and visualizing it as not a big deal, just like any other competition. Only this will be the first in awhile given the COVID-19 restrictions.
“I’m taking some really take some deep breaths and trying to not overthink it, because then I’ll just get all out of focus,’ she said. “I’m not expecting to do top three, but I’m hoping that I’ll do as good as I can do.”
Hilton is in the age range that she could represent the province at Canada Games if her results show she is among the tops in the province. It’s seven girls and seven boys that make the team, she said.
“Based on where I am right now, I could definitely make it,” said Hilton. “I’m just trying to see how I do and like gauge how I do it, because that will probably give me a bit better understanding of how I’ll do it and if I need to step it up to make it.”
She wanted to thank her parents and coaches for getting her to where she is now.
“My teammates have also pushed me to be as good as I am,” she said.
