Team BSS racer Charlie Guest secured the series victory in the Australian New Zealand Cup Series after the last race in the 2013 ANC Championship was cancelled due to the weather. Guest had put herself in a commanding position by leading the first run before the weather came in and forced first a postponement and then when the weather did not get better the following day, a cancellation. The result of this is a series win ... for Charlie and guarantees her an earlier start in the Europa Cup for this coming season.
Guest said afterwards:"I am so happy to have won the yellow bib for the ANC GS overall title, having bib 31 in Europa Cup will be a massive advantage.I have made good improvements with GS this summer, so hopefully I can keep this going throughout the European season."
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Charlie Guest (centre) with the rest of the ANC series winners for 2013[/caption]
With the BOA selection criteria for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games requiring a minimum of a top 20 result in the Europa Cup, Guest has given herself a great opportunity to make the team that will go to Sochi when it is announced in January. Guest only made her debut on the Europa Cup last winter at the Slalom in Melchsee Frutt in Switzerland in January. On that day she finished 41st but has since improved immensely and has also raced in her first World Cup Slalom. Stefan Moser took the decision to enter both her and Alex Tilley in the World Cup races last winter on the back of some promising results. The huge step up from FIS through Europa Cup and on to the World Cup was a steep learning curve but if you are going to get to the top of the sport, you have to make your bow at some time. In Flachau for the World Cup Slalom, Guest was unfortunate to lose her stick coming out of the start but this did not deter her and she admitted to having learnt lots from the experience. Guest was not the only racer to lose her stick that night either!
With racing in New Zealand now completed for the 2013 Southern Hemisphere season, Guest and Tilley have plenty of trophies to bring back having taken one win and three podiums by Guest and two wins and one podium by Tilley.
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Charlie Guest training in New Zealand[/caption]
Guest and her training group including Alex Tilley, have benefitted from the support from Delancey, Catlin and others as well as the support from Head skis. Coached by Stefan Moser, the team are now heading home for a well deserved break before heading back to Austria to begin the assault on the northern Hemisphere season.
Follow Charlie Guest on Twitter: @Charlie_Guest1
To see her FIS results through the season click here