Press Release.

Issued by Snowsport GB.

The British Land Junior & Children's National Ski Championships.

Meribel, France.

 

A week of intensive competition at The British Land Junior Ski Championships in Meribel came to a close today (14/4/06) with the Junior Slalom.  Although weather conditions on the day were fine, the sheer number of competitors and the heavy snow earlier in the week, resulted in a bumpy, challenging piste.

 

With overall titles also at stake, David Ryding (18, Cumbria) and Dougie Crawford (19, Bearsden) approached today’s slalom with a championship title apiece.  Initially, it was their closest rival over the Championship week, Dan Berry (19, London), who took advantage of a pristine 1st run piste to steal an early lead, however a big mistake, and a resultant seven second deficit, on the 2nd run put him well out of contention.  Crawford had under a second to make up on Ryding but executed an early exit from the second run course. Ryding, meanwhile, kept his cool and posted the fasted 2nd run time, despite the deepening ruts, to take the Junior Slalom title and the overall men’s crown.

 

Thomas Baldwin (15, Norfolk) completed his hat trick of Junior 1 titles.

 

The women’s event saw Mel Piper (18, Auchterader) leading her nearest rival, Louise Thomas (18, Dorking), by three tenths after the first run and looking for another victory to add to yesterday’s long awaited Giant Slalom win. The week’s leading Junior 1 skier, Sega Fairweather lay in 4th after the first run with a real chance of challenging for the overall, if not the slalom title.

 

Thomas, who skis with the England Team programme and missed last year’s competition through injury, battled down the tough second run course to overhaul Piper and take her first win of the week, having already made the lower steps of the podium the previous two days.  Her consistency was also rewarded with the Snowsport Scotland Trophy for the best overall female performance.

 

Fairweather (15, Swadlincote) could only managed second in today’s Junior 1 category, losing out on a 3rd title to Stephanie Ovenden (16, Cheltenham), however, her commanding performances, as one of the youngest racers in the field, have not gone unnoticed.

 

Snowsport GB Performance Director, Mark Tilston, stated, “In general, this has been a very encouraging championships.  I see two or three groups of young athletes, racing and training together and pushing one another to go faster. The youth development programme appears to be working well.”

 

He went on to say, “Sega Fairweather was clearly outstanding, and while there are technical improvements to be made, she has demonstrated that she is prepared to really go for it, which is half the battle.”

 

As the championships drew to a close, two special memorial awards were presented, both carrying a small bursary to assist young racers with training costs.  In it’s 10th year, the Kirsteen McGibbon Award went to Sophie Readman, while the newly established Joshua Varley Award for the best performance by an English skier went to David Ryding.

 

British Land Junior National Ski Championships, Meribel, France.

Junior Slalom:

Girls’ Overall: 1. L Thomas (Dorking)  42.33, 46.09, 1:28.42  2. M Piper (Auchterarder) 42.01, 46.76, 1:28.77 3. S Readman (Dunblane) 45.56, 46.08, 1:31.64

Girls’  Junior 1. S Ovenden (Cheltenham)  45.29, 46.84, 1:32.13 2. S Fairweather (Swadlincote) 44.48, 47.85, 1:32.33

3. M Bowman (Bearsden) 45.31, 47.67, 1:32.98

 

Boys’ Overall: 1. D Ryding (Kendal) 49.27, 53.46,1:42.73 2. G Samuels (Gt Missenden Bucks) 51.24, 54.42,1:45.66 3. A Mathieson (Milngavie) 50.79, 55.21,1:46.00

Boys’ Junior 1: 1 T Baldwin (Norfolk) 52.78, 55.69, 1:48.47 2. J Foster (Parbold) 56.45, 57.07, 1:53.52, 3. P Lomax (Malpas) 57.82, 56.79, 1:54.61

 

ENDS