It can be frustrating for a racer when all your team mates are making promising results and for one reason or another things do not go for you. Ambition Racing’s Olivia Ward has seen her teammates over in New Zealand score solid results in the eighties and she has struggled. In the two races at Coronet Peak (8th and 10th August) Ward showed that she too can score in the same region and below. First Ward scored a 76 point result in a FIS Giant Slalom and then backed this up in taking 18th place from a start number of 28 in the New Zealand National Championship Slalom that saw her score an 80 point result, her best ever slalom result to date.
After the races in Coronet Peak Ward posted on her Facebook page (Olivia Ward Alpine Skier): “Some good races the past few days, with some good and bad but I have gained loads of positives and managed to score a good result in Slalom!! Onto some more training.”
Olivia Foster has slowly been edging towards breaking the 100 FIS point barrier during her stint in New Zealand and in the Coronet Peak FIS Slalom on 8th August smashed in an 89 point result.
In Mount Hotham, Australia Megan Riley has been consistent in her results as she has finished with three results all on 112 points, two in Giant Slalom and one in Slalom where she finished on the podium in third place.
The Vinter brothers in Mount Hotham have also been pushing each other on to impressive results as both scored sub 80 point results in the Mount Hotham National Championship Giant Slalom races before a string of Did Not Finishes have blotted the copy book. Also racing in Hotham is Charles Rankin and he is making solid progress towards breaking the 100 point barrier.
In South America at Cerro Catedral, Megan Clarke scored a solid 98 point result in the Argentinian National Championship Slalom in taking 16th, a career best FIS point result. Ireland’s Tess Arbez scored an impressive 34 point result in the Giant Slalom. Arbez finished 10th in both Slalom races scoring a 49 and 56.
With training camps in full swing for many racers the choice of racing or training comes into focus. 2001 year of birth New Zealander, Alice Robinson has made a real name for herself in scoring a 14.90 result in the 7 August Giant Slalom. The bar has been set!