With the frost barely defrosted off ski boot buckles and skis still sporting winter wax the Summer Dry Slope season metaphorically leapt from behind from behind the sofa and announced itself here. Now where did I put those rubber bungs for the bottom of ski poles?
Regular readers will be well aware of how impressed I am with the site and facilities at Welwyn. And with further building work in process the facility looks to be getting even better. All they need to do now is to bulldoze in a dual carriage way skimming the edge of Wheathampstead and add a water system under the ski slope matting and Bob’s-yer-uncle, everything will be absolutely perfecto.
On the slope Team Telford were out in decent numbers with ten racers evenly spread between boys, girls and minis. Jordan and Marco in particular were looking for a solid result in order to wipe sizeable amounts from their season opening 999.99 point BARTS ranking.
In the mini girls Emma Taylor opened the season with a great first run and proceeded to improve upon this time with runs 2 & 3, posting Team Telford’s first podium of summer 2008 with a well deserved 2nd place.
In mini boys Daniel Taylor and William Lucas led the charge in a category that Telford have traditionally done well in over recent seasons. Both boys can be well pleased with their performance with William saving his best run until last going on to collect a well deserved 5th place overall and collecting the scalps of a number of older, more experienced racers in the process. These did not include team mate Daniel Taylor however who produced possibly the day’s most consistent performance by a Telford racer, posting a trio of runs that none of his rivals could match in the process of claiming a thoroughly deserved 1st place in category.
With a number of high profile names absent from the start list of both the girls and boys fields the opportunity to record finishing positions in the upper echelons of the field was there and begging to be taken. Indeed, with both Claire Brown and Charlotte Gould featuring in the draw for the top 15 and Charlotte Shrimpton just outside hopes were high of (at least) equally impressive finishing positions. They did not disappoint. Georgina Gould, returning to ski racing for the first time since fracturing her arm in January posted a 17th Place in children 2, wisely ensuring that her 3rd run was the pick of her day. A feat matched by Charlotte Shrimpton whose 12.81 afternoon time propelled her into 15th place overall and a 7th place in category that suggests that winter 2007/08 has been well spent.
In the Junior girls category both Charlotte Gould and Claire Brown stepped up to the plate and produced an inter club race within a race driving each other closer and closer (if not beyond) the limit as they slugged it out for the final podium position in Junior 1 and overall finishing places within the top ten final standings. In run 1 Charlotte took the honours, Claire hit back in run 2 although Charlotte’s storming run promised great things until a missed penultimate gate left her in dnf territory and behind Claire in the overall standings. The post lunch rain helped to reduce friction under foot and after Charlotte’s barnstorming 12.1 piled the pressure on her team mate, Claire reacted superbly to post an identical time and seal 3rd in category and an excellent 8th place overall. However, whilst Charlotte was left to lick her wounds with 4th in category she should not be disappointed with her first ever top ten overall position. She raced well but this was to be Miss Brown’s day.
In the boys Joe Humfress, Marco Furio and Jordan Fellows were in action, with all three boys looking to make up as many places as they can on high end bib numbers. In Junior 1 Joe Humfress overcame the disappointment of a 2nd run dnf to post a fine third run time to claim 13th in category. Jordan overcame the disappointment on a 1st run dnf to somehow hanging on to a scrappy 2nd run before undoing much of the late morning good work with a result destroying 3rd run of 12.81 finishing 7th in category and 32nd overall. Sadly Marco failed to build upon a highly promising 2nd run of 12.94 straddling the penultimate gate for the second time in the day and therefore failing to claim a finishing position. Still, after incurring the wrath of yours truly for leaving his poles perched up against the fence at the bottom of the slope prior to run 2 he did learn something from the day and I seriously doubt he’ll be requiring the loan of Joe Humfress’s poles in the very near future.
All in all a good day for Team Telford. A hat-trick of podiums, three girls in the top 15 (without Abby) and Jordan survived one of his iffy days with Grand Prix entry criteria secured. Next stop Chill Factor. With cramped indoor conditions for spectating, refreshment prices that are guaranteed to provide a genuine Meribel feel to the facility and snow that struggles to hold a pole for any longer than an unguarded Warsaw prison cell it may be a patience testing Sunday. However, I for one can’t wait. Bring it on.
