After starting the season off in victorious fashion, the season has not gone quite to plan since then Head Coach to the Delancey British Alpine Girls Team, Stefan Moser, explained to Racer Ready. Charlie Guest won the opening race of the FIS calendar and has been on the podium again since then but with the Australian New Zealand Cup (the equivalent of the Europa Cup down in Australia and New Zealand) fast approaching Moser has been a little frustrated in his charges. ...Â
"The races didn't go so well in the end, girls skiing fast but not able yet to produce in racing yet," explained Moser after the Coronet Peak races this week. While the race results did not go the way that the coach or the racers may have expected, sometimes you have to take a step backwards to take two steps forward. Moser felt that "the girls(Tilley and Guest) were able to make another step forward in summer on fitness sides and I am quite happy with skiing."
If there is one thing that he wants to see it is the consistency improved from training to racing: "I think they will be faster again, but we need get more consistent and still more killer instinct winner mentality when racing." With Polish racer Sabina Majerczyk winning both Giant Slaloms in Coronet Peak and Julie Mohagen from Norway winning the New Zealand National Championship Slalom and Switzerland's Carole Bissig winning the following days FIS Slalom, Moser felt that the three girls (Darcie Mead is training and racing with Charlie Guest and Alex Tilley this season) could have done better. Guest finished fourth in the second race and this was the only finish the three athletes achieved in the two slalom races.
Moser's frustrations were compounded by the fact that "they got beaten by people who they dominated in the training the day before so we need to find ways to make them stronger mentally."
While the summer block down in New Zealand is mainly geared to training, the races provide a good platform to see how things are going. "The girls need to find the flow also when racing not only in training," explained Moser. "All in all training is going rally well even if we had three weeks of very rough weather, but harder pistes and nicer weather now will give us another three good weeks."
While Alex Tilley has not had a result to talk of yet, Moser is happy to see her skiing 'superfast', "She took full risk in the first race and was superfast but came out," he explained. For Guest, Moser felt that a mistake on the second run in the slalom cost her a potential 15 point result.
Regarding the latest racer to join his programme, Darcie Mead, Moser explained that "Darcie is adapting to the changes we have made in her skiing and will take more time to get stable. Also she has to catch up on the fitness side as she was injured a lot last year."
The summer is all about putting the money in the bank in terms of fitness and getting the technique right. There is still a long way to go Moser feels but they are on the right track.
Coronet Peak Results
New Zealand Men's Giant Slalom Championship
New Zealand Women's Giant Slalom Championship
Fis Race Men
Fis race Women
New Zealand Men's Slalom Championship
New Zealand Women's Slalom Championship
Fis Race Men
Fis race Women
Picture: Charlie Guest competing at the Delancey British Alpine Championships in March 2014, credit RACER READY - all rights reserved
More action shots are available on www.racer-ready.ifp3.com