L a t e s t  n e w s ..... Rachel Adcock and Gerard Flahive win both races at Scottish Dry Slope Championships ...

'The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams' (Eleanor Roosevelt).

Evans and Riches take wins, Roose and Garden make rest stand up and notice

With the weather holding out and a relaxed atmosphere, the British Championship weekend at Norfolk Ski Club started off in a style that showed the best of the racing.  With the main attraction, the British Championships happening on the Sunday, the English Open was a chance for racers to put their mark down and show the rest what they could do as well as showing their intentions! Laura Garden is one of a group of racers that has slowly been expanding her experiences further afield yet on her home slope the Junior 1 racer, who started 18, gave the rest of the field a wake up call with a blistering first run that saw her lead the pack from Charlotte Evans. For Evans this was a wake up call that she needed having missed the Scottish and All England Championships due to other commitments. Evans struck back in convincing fashion on the second run to take the victory with Garden in second with the narrowest of margins separating Garden, Rachel Adcock and Alice Thelwell in second third and fourth! Abby Clifford took fifth place. 

The men's race was no less exciting and a great advert for the sport as Andy Roose lead after the first run but with a group of some of the best dry slope skiers in the country behind him.  Roose crashed out on the second run which gave a delighted Stuart Riches victory on his home slope. Riches has made steady progress in the last few seasons and has been a regular top ten finisher on the GP Series this year. With home slope determination, he forced his way down the second run to haul himself ahead of Marc Telling.  Equal time with Riches on the second run was Dan Wyatt. While Wyatt was a little slow out of the blocks on the first run, he still forced his way onto the podium in third with his impressive second run. Craig Ruddick and Benn Hall finished off the top five overall.

Sadly for Roose, the pressure of proving that last year's British title was no flash in the pan got the better of him on the second run half way down. With a little more experience he may have held off the gas a little to ensure victory but the talented lad knows only one way to race and that is flat out. Coming from the same training group as David Ryding, Roose is a strong lad and will learn from this experience.  Standing at the top of a slope with the crowd watching at the bottom knowing that you have it all to do to still win, can be daunting yet a great feeling.  For Roose, the heartache was there yet for Riches who benefitted from the mistake, credit is due. Riches will spend the winter training and learning race craft at the BSA this winter yet he has many years ahead of him to win the bigger races. This is just a stepping stone for him!

Garden has built up a strong presence on the local regional races in the Eastern Region and with the race on her home slope it was little surprise to her local support that she had put in such a good run on the first run.  Many of the more recognised racers trailed in her wake and this was a call they needed to get out of their comfort zone.  While Garden succumbed to the pressure and expectation a little on the second run taking the fifth quickest time, she had enough in time to hold on to second place.  The first run saw the top nine racers separated by less than two tenths of a second but it was the fact that nobody outside the Norfolk and ERSA region had expected it to be Garden leading the pack that was the excitement.  Missing from the leading bunch was Alessia Thomas Jackson after she had made a shoddy mistake and had skied no where near her potential on the first run yet raised her game on the second run. This run, smooth and precise was a complete opposite to her first and with the fourth quickest time saw her move back into the top ten.

The age groups in the girls race saw local girl Nia Jenkins win the Children 1 age group with Thomas Jackson the Children 2 group, Evans won the Junior 1 age group with Abby Clifford taking fifth overall to win the Junior 2 age group and Rachel Adcock the senior category. Mary Ondrusz took the Masters age group. The large field saw many of the age groups keenly contested and the victory spoils went the way of Shaun Blyth in Children 1, Ashley Hill in Children 2, Michael Thelwell (10th overall) took Junior 1 with Riches taking the Junior 2 age group. Marc Telling took the senior group and a rather bemused Shane O'Connor the Masters age group after David Blackwell straddled the last gate!

With the snow racing industry showing limited support for the event, Dynastar - Lange, Elan, Sh+ and Komperdell all had masses of interest along with Snowfit and regular supporters of the summer racing Ski Bartlett. With posters flying off the Dynastar stand, it was the fathers that were interested in the subject matter far more than the young racers! Julia Mancuso has never been so popular!

Congratulations to all the racers as well as Norfolk Ski Club's heady band of volunteers for putting on a great race with a great atmosphere around the finish area!