DuPratt is back, Bocock Wins first Nor Am Cup title

Mary Bocock. Photo: Alpine Canada

After a canceled super-G on Saturday, the men and women had a final Nor Am Cup race of the discipline at Whistler on Sunday to decide the season event titles. Unpredictable conditions required good balance, executing their line, and charging hard.

Bocock Wins it All

The ladies were up first, with the Stifel US Alpine team leading the charge in front of Alpine Canada. After achieving three podiums, a first and two third-place finishes in the earlier Nor Am Cup super-Gs, 19-year-old Mary Bocock entered the finals leading the rankings. After tearing her ACL last season, Bocock was on the road to recovery and capturing her first NorAm podiums and wins. In her first full year on the NorAm circuit, Bocock walked away, winning the final race at Whistler and securing a personal World Cup start quota spot by capturing the NorAm super-G title.

Just (+0.04) seconds behind was her Stifel US Alpine teammate Lauren Macuga. Macuga came off two downhill wins the prior days. Her race started strong with fast splits up top but she felt to be just behind the course in the final section of the course. Macuga was optimistic about coming into the series and earning a World Cup quota spot, and despite missing that mark in the super-G standings, ended up with a second-place finish for the day.

“I’ve been working on my race day performance,” said Macuga. “I’m hoping next year to really dial in my race day. I need to be able to turn on the switch and race instead of just skiing down the hill.”

Independent Tricia Mangan finished third, just (+0.10) behind Bocock. Mangan finished second in the super-G standings and secured personal World Cup quota spots in both downhill and super-G by the end of the Nor Am Cup speed events.

Read Takes Victory

On the men’s side, it was 25-year-old Jeffrey Read from Alpine Canada Alpin taking the win amongst a stacked group of guys. It was a straight course set with a couple of key turns that would make or break the run. Read led Stifel US Alpine member Isaiah Nelson by (-0.09), who was just (-0.03) ahead of teammate Erik Arvidsson.

“I thought I actually skied really well on the bottom,” said Nelson. “There were just a few turns on the top where I could have done a better job with my line. Although I was second, I was super excited to be close to Jeff which meant that I would get a really good FIS point result.”

The Road to Recovery

The biggest story of Sunday was Sam DuPratt. DuPratt finished fourth in Sunday’s race, just (+0.01) off the podium, but it was enough to secure the season super-G title. After breaking both legs in December 2020, he earned his return to the World Cup.

It wasn’t an easy day for DuPratt, knowing his entire career was boiling down to two races in Whistler. After one was canceled, DuPratt didn’t have a restful night of sleep before Sunday’s final race. He knew skiing safely wasn’t an option, so he came with the mentality of trying to win the race.

“Came a bit short of the win, but to walk away with the title was nothing short of relieving,” said DuPratt. “Many days felt like I was wasting my and everyone else’s time trying to get back to this sport. Getting a World Cup spot for next year makes it all worth it. I’m thankful to everyone that helped me get here.”

DuPratt’s teammate Jack Smith finished 12^th for the day. However, Smith accumulated enough points in the discipline to secure the other men’s personal World Cup super-G quota spot for next season.