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).

Henderson & Walker uphold Scottish honour while Adcock & Prince set the pace in the Women's races

Two days of dry weather and fearless racing came to a conclusion at Hillend with the well supported Scottish Championships as the victories were spread around. Many come to Hillend in fear of the Wall and those that attack the most feared section of plastic matting in the country are rewarded with good times. Home slope advantage for many of the LSRA training group is threatened by some of the rising stars from the south.  As for the racing well Dan Wyatt gave the home racers a challenge but he could not upstage local racer Callum Henderson in the Slalom and Ross Walker pushed Henderson back to second in the GS. In the girls races, Shanna Prince made an uncharacteristic error at the top of the Wall in the first run to leave Rachel Adcock with an easy path to victory in the slalom though Prince made up for her mistake in the GS in taking victory.

As the longest slope racing takes place on during the summer in the UK, Hillend is not for the feint hearted and Friday Night practice is advised for those not accustomed to the bumps and steepness. Those that did not take the opportunity to tackle the slope and get acclimatised missed out and suffered come race day. This slope is unlike any other in the UK.  The first run saw Prince slide wide, go through the gate backwards and with this saw her chances of adding to her victories disappear. Charlotte Davies was another to crash out on her first visit to Hillend. Adcock's lead after the first run was commanding yet with Louise Bain and Rachel Tinkler lurking behind her, she could not relax.  Alessia Thomas Jackson's anticipated challenge evaporated after the steep as she tried to carry too much speed off the famous section.  While Bain was closer to Adcock on the second run to take a stranglehold on second place, Adcock still had too much in hand and was able to win.  Fiona Gibson took fourth overall ahead of Kate McShera. Further down the results there were age group wins for Stephanie Davies, a very impressive 8th overall, in Children 1, Bain took children 2, Tinkler junior 1 and Ireland's Kate McShera took the Junior 2 age group with Adcock the Seniors.

In the men's race Dan Wyatt had earlier expressed his desire to win the Slalom yet knew that he would face stiff competition from Henderson and Walker as well as an outside challenge from Euan McGhee.  Callum Henderson showed the form that gave him ITT status (Invited To Train) with the Scottish Team last winter as he destroyed the field on both runs to win by almost two seconds in front of Dan Wyatt. With Walker crashing out on the first run, a promising performance from Alasdair Holbourn saw him take third place overall.  Holbourn, from Gloucester, has matured as a racer over this summer after spending last winter out on the slopes and this was a just result for the hard work he has put in.  Fourth place overall went to another racer that is starting to make quite a name for himself: Dan Evans.  Evans, still only a children 2 racer, has started to grow and sporting his new red hairstyle, gave others a wake up call! Fifth overall was Connor Swain from Ireland. The age group victories were take by Ross Millican in Children 1, Dan Evans in Children 2, Andrew Davies in Junior 1, Callum Henderson in junior 2 and Dan Wyatt in the Senior group. As for the anticipated challenge of McGhee well he was happy with a crawling into the top 10 in ninth place just behind Lewis Maaaaavor!

For the Giant Slalom, hangovers were a plenty but the wind had calmed down. With Neil Farrish setting his last course before wandering off over the hills, the bet was on with t'other Neil of the Walker variety for the most DNF's! Both courses were set to be attacked and the fear on the faces as racers approached the Wall at speed made one glad to be watching from the side.  With many slopes no longer than 15 seconds, Hillend keeps racers on their toes for just over half a minute, almost snow length! Bravado and courage was needed for many to get down the course, he who braked came last!

Prince held a slender lead over Adcock after the first run in the girls race, a mere two hundredths of the second separated the two leading racers. Louise Bain held third just ahead of Fiona Gibson and a third Children 2 racer, Alessia Thomas Jackson in fifth overall.  Farrish's course was for the speed merchants and Thomas Jackson, who has struggled for much of the season with growth and new equipment, showed the rest of her age group that she is not quite willing to give up her mantle just yet.  Her disappointing first run was banished to the memory bank as she destroyed the second run to demote Gibson to second in the age group and Bain a disappointed third. If the three of them can push each other along with the absent Emily Evans and Emily Whitelock, the future looks promising for this bunch of girls.  Adcock was unable to overhaul Prince's slender lead yet still had the power to stay ahead of Thomas Jackson. A win for Prince ahead of Adcock with Thomas Jackson in third and Gibson and Bain rounding out the top five. The age groups saw Stephanie Davies edge into the top ten to take the Children 1 win, Thomas Jackson Children 2, Lisa McShera took Junior 1, Kate McShera Junior 2 and Prince the Senior Title.

Callum Henderson may have lead after the first run of the GS in the men's race but Ross Walker was not prepared to go quietly and armed with his GS boards pushed Henderson off the top spot.  The two of them were a class apart in the Men's race and with David Harrison injured, these two dominated the race.  Best of the rest saw Colin Armstrong push Dan Wyatt out of the podium placings also coming from two hundredths behind after the first run! The two hundredths theme was given further impetus as Seaaaaan Maaaaavor, fresh from celebrating his five A grades in his Higher's, beat Ireland's finest in Connor Swain by yes two hundredths! The age group prizes saw Paul Henderson take the Children 1 age group, Lewis John (seventh overall) the Children 2, Andrew Davies the Junior 1, Ross Walker Junior 2 and Dan Wyatt the senior prize.

As for the Duel Slalom, NUSSC and the rest some of the finest scholars on skis, not a dream team were deprived of victory by some marginal decisions against Simon Crisp. Three straddles in the final (two noticed by the jury and one just by your reporter) saw victory go to a Scottish Composite side including a wannabe Scot! (She knows who she is!)

Great racing and a great atmosphere! This was how racing should be!

Click here for the results!

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Check out the video on the LSRA site