Member Profiles

Jacqui Benson

Jacqui was on the Canadian Junior National Team for 3 seasons (1999-00 —2001-02), was a member of the BC Development Team for two seasons (1996-97—1997-98), and was a member of the BC Ski Team for eight seasons (1998—2006)before declining her nomination. She was nominated in May, 2003 to join the National Development Ski Team in Canmore. Jacqui was the Canadian Aggregate Champion for Juvenile Girls in 1997-98 (2 Gold, 2 Silver medals)and for Junior Girls in 1998-99 (2 Gold, 1 Bronze). She placed second in the Junior Girl category at the 1999-00 Canadian Championship (2 Silver,1 Bronze), third in the Junior Women's category at the 2000-01 (1 Bronze) Canadian Championship at Valcartier, Quebec and fourth in the Junior Women's category at the 2001-02 (2 Bronze) Canadian Championship at Canmore, Alberta. Jacqui started her career as a senior in November 2002, having won 13 medals as a Junior at Canadian Championships 4 Gold, 4 Silver, and 5 Bronze. She added a bronze medal to her collection at the 2003 Nationals and tied for 3rd in overall placings in the Senior Women Category.

Jacqui has won two Continental Cup medals as a senior--third in Val Cartier in 2003 in the 10km Classic Mass start and second in Rossland in 2007 in the 15km Classic Mass Start.

Jacqui also received each of the annual Premier's Athletic Award for Cross Country Skiing between the 1998 and 2004 seasons.( The Premier's Athletic Awards recognize the top Male and Female athletes from 50 sports participating in the BC Athletic Assistance program. Each athlete is nominated by their provincial sport organization based on outstanding performance, and other achievements in their sport during the competitive period of the year.)

Jacqui was the first female recipient of the CCBC "Athletes of the Year Award" as a result of her strong 1999-00 ski season. Jacqui was also named the CCBC "Female athlete of the Year" each of the seasons between 2000 and 2004. Coach Jim Burbee was instrumental in helping Jacqui achieve her success.

In 2007 Jacqui represented Canada and the University of Northern BC at the World University Games in Torino, Italy placing eleventh in the 5km classic race. This was the highest ranking ever by a Canadian (male or female) in cross country skiing at the Universaide.

Jeremy Campbell and Fiona Coy

Jeremy and Fiona joined the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club Biathlon group as coaches in 1989. In 1992 they became the ski club's Head Coaches for Biathlon. They have coached the BC Team at National Championships in 1994, 1999, and 2000. They were named BC Coaches of the year for 1997 and 2000.

Fiona was named the 2006-7 female Coach of the Year by Biathlon Canada.

For more information about Jeremy and Fiona view their contribution to the club on the Spirit of Dedication page

Ed Day

Ed represented Canada in the 1976 Olympics at Innsbruck, Austria. He helped Canada to a 12th place finish in the relay. Ed also won 8 medals at the National Championships (3 Gold, 2 Silver, and 3 Bronze—2 Gold in individual competition)

Eric de Nys

Eric is a retired BC Ski Team athlete (6 years between 1992-1998) who trained two years as a senior athlete at the National Training Centre in Canmore. As an athlete he was a medal winner at the National Junior Championships and skied for Canada at the 1993 World Junior Championships. Eric was the BC Development Team coach for the 1999-00 year. Eric completed the National Coaching Institute Program at the University of Calgary and was awarded an $8,000 Petro Canada Olympic Legacy Sports Scholarship by the COA in 2000.

Eric began his coaching career at the Foothills Ski Club in Calgary and as a part time assistant with National team coaching. In May 2003, Eric was named the National Development Team coach at the Canmore training center.

Doug Gudwer

Doug Gudwer championed and dominated cross country skiing on the provincial, national, and international levels for nearly a decade during the 1970's. In 1973, at age 18, Gudwer was the U.S. Junior Champion and in 1974 he added the title of Canadian Junior Champion to his name. Doug skied on the winning national relay team four times in five years, including the 1976, 1978, 1979, and 1980 teams. In Norway, West Germany and the United States, Gudwer won gold and silver medals including a seventh place in the 1979 World Cup held in Vysoke Tatry, Czechloslovakia and overall champion in the Nor-Am Championships. In the American Birkebeiner Ski Race (7,000 competitors) Doug placed 15th. In all, he won 10 Gold, 5 Silver, and 7 Bronze medals at Canadian Championships. In spite of all his success on the international stage, Doug also enjoyed the family atmosphere of the Club and the travelling to provincial races with other athletes, including coach Rolf Pettersen. Doug Gudwer currently resides in Calgary, Alberta. He was inducted into the Prince George Hall of Fame at the Sports Excellence Banquet on October 15, 1999.

Chris Halldorson

Chris was a member of the BC Biathlon team during the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 seasons. Chris was a member of the Canadian Junior National Biathlon team during the 1999-2000 season

Niilo Itkonen

Niilo was the 1952 Canadian Cross Country Ski Champion. In 1964 Niilo was the Head Coach of Canada's Cross Country Ski Team in the Olympics at Innsbruck, Austria.

Lauri Karjaluoto

Lauri won Bronze individual medals in the Senior Nationals at Huntsville, Ontario(50km) in 1972 and at Mont Ste. Anne, Que. (15km) in 1974. He also teamed with Ed Day, Hans Skinstad, Doug Gudwer and Rolf Petterson to win two Gold relay medals and a Silver relay medal at Senior Nationals. Lauri was in the best condition of his career when at age 50 he placed 2nd and 3rd in the individual races (50-59 age category) at the World Masters Championship at Canmore.

Bjorger Pettersen

Bjorger was born in Norway during the war and immigrated with his family to Canada when he was eleven. He grew up in Prince George where his family became very involved with cross country skiing. His father John was a leader in many areas within the sport, including Chair of the Western Division (this was before there was a BC Division called Cross Country BC).

Bjorger started as an athlete and coach. He first coached for the Hickory Wing Ski Club (now called the Caledonia Nordics) in Prince George. In the 60's he was hired by the Canadian government to coach for the Northwest Territories Experimental Ski Training Program (TEST) in northern Canada. The Firth sisters were members of this program and Bjorer was their coach for many years.

In 1971 Bjorger became the first full-time coach for the Canadian Cross Country Ski Team. He was later Chair of the National Ski Team Committee, and had many other roles in the sport in Canada, including head coach of the BC Ski Team, Chair of Cross Country BC, and Chief of Competition at the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Probably Bjorger's greatest contribution to cross country skiing was during his lengthy tenure as Canadian delegate to the FIS (International Ski Federation) from 1972 to 1997. He is recognized within cross country skiing for having a significant influence on change for the betterment of the sport.

He sat on many World Cup, World Championship and Winter Olympic juries. He was Technical Delegate or Assistant Technical Delegate at three Olympics, the last one being at Lillehammer in 1994. In 2000, Bjorger was elected an honorary member of the FIS Cross Country Committee.

In summary, Bjorger has been coach, jury member, Chief of Competition and Technical Delegate or Assistant Technical Delegate at eight Winter Olympics. He is the only person in the history of cross country skiing to have been Technical Delegate or Assistant Technical Delegate at three Winter Olympics.

On April 18th, 2000 the Canadian Ski Council recognized nine individuals who had the greatest impact on the sport and industry of skiing in the past century. Bjorger Petterson received the Canada Ski Council Millenium Award along with Nancy Green Raine, Jerry Johnson, and Hugh Smythe.

Rolf Pettersen

On October 25, 1997, Rolf became one of the seven original inductees into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame. Rolf competed in the 1968 Olympics at Grenoble, France. A comprehensive profile can be viewed on the Rolf Pettersen Award page of this website.

Hans Skinstad

Hans represented Canada in the 1976 Olympics at Innsbruck Austria. He helped Canada to a 12th place finish in the relay. Hans won 22 medals at the National Championships (6 Gold, 12 Silver and 4 Bronze--4 Gold in individual events)

Megan Tandy

In January 2006, Megan qualified for one of four spots on Team Canada's Youth Biathlon team at Val Cartier, Quebec when she placed first on the final day of competition. Her overall results at the qualifying races placed her in the number two spot in Canada for her age group.

Megan represented Canada at the World Youth Championships in Presque Isle, Maine in February 2006. In the 10km Individual race she shot 17/20 which was the best shooting in her category, putting her in eighth place. This was done under very windy shooting conditions. Thirty-second and thirty-eigth placings in the individual races (eighth in the relay team race) were also achieved in Maine, but as a result of her individual top ten finish at the World's she joined the Canadian team at the European Championships in Langdorf-Arbersee, Germany during the last week of February 2006. During March Tandy won a gold and a bronze in the Youth Women's Category at the 2006 North American Championships in Valcartier.

In 2007, Megan qualified for Canada's youth team a second time and competed at the World Junior Championships in Martell, Italy. Megan placed thirteenth,twenty-eighth, & fiftieth in the Individual events and was part of the relay team that finished sixth.

After winning three races at the North American Championships, Megan won three gold medals at the National Championships in Charlo, N.B. Those results helped take the sting out of a tenth place result at the Canada Winter Games. As a result of Megan's strong showing she was named the 2006-07 Female Athlete of the Year by Biathlon Canada.

Stay tuned!

Dave Wood

Wood is a 3M NCCP level 4 certified cross-country ski coach and was recognized in 2002 for his outstanding contribution to coaching in high-performance athleticism with the awarding of the 3M Coaching Canada Award. Dave spent 33 years in Prince George as a skier and coach. Dave moved to Canmore,Alberta in 1994. At Canmore, he was head coach of the Junior National Team for four years. Dave began coaching the the Senior National Cross Country Ski Team in 1998, out of the Bill Warren Training Centre. He has also helped the Cross Country Ski Team at five Olympic Winter Games, and five World Championships as coaching support and wax technician.

During the 2000-01 and 2001-02 ski seasons Wood's team, then composed of five women, achieved remarkable success on the international circuit. Beckie Scott won the first ever Olympic medal for a Canadian cross-country skier in February, 2002 in Salt Lake City. There were also 9 top 30 Olympic results among Daves athletes-a feat unprecedented for any Canadian Olympic cross-country ski team. The 2000-01 ski season was also reflective of Daves strong coaching abilities when the Womens Team skied to a silver-medal winning performance at the World Cup in Soldier Hollow.

His athletes were thrilled when their coach was recognized for his tireless efforts. Daves dedication to the sport is unparalleled, cites team member Sara Renner, who initiated the nomination procedure.His unwavering belief in his athletes and never-ending work ethic made him a most deserving recipient for the Canada Coaching Award. Beckie Scott quotes,

"Dave is a fun and enthusiastic leader in our sport. He is a coach who is available 24 hours a day and has developed a successful national team. He supports his athletes and shares his great knowledge. Daves love for the sport is summed up in a favorite quote: Sports are like wrestling a gorilla. You don't stop when you get tired, you stop when the gorilla gets tired."