Ned Ireland's break out season on the Nor-Am ski circuit has earned the Okanagan Centre athlete a spot at the world junior ski cross championships in Italy.
Ireland will also race at the German and Italian nationals, before returning to Canada for the final Nor-Am of the season and the national championships at Sunshine Village in Banff.
Ned is now ranked second Canadian in the men’s ski cross Nor-Am circuit after reaching the podium twice, earning a first and a third in the recent race at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. He was also fifth and seventh place in Beaver Valley, Ontario.
Ned grew up at Big White Ski Resort and Okanagan Centre and has been climbing up in the rankings over the last few months with solid performances at all of the races.
He continues with his second year in human kinetics at UBCO and feels his area of study ties in well with his chosen sport.
Ireland follows a Big White Racer tradition, with Olympic medalist Kelsey Serwa and Canadian ski cross national men's team member Ian Deans, also from Lake Country, leading the way.