Ryding back into action, Jai walking to glory

British Indoor Championships
Chill Factor, Manchester
Sunday 26th April, 2009

With the Meribel slush still frozen onto ski boots and sun tanned goggle eyed faces still very much to the fore the British ski circus snapped closed its boot buckles, clicked into its bindings and descended into Manchester for the first big event of summer 2009.

With Chill Factore - Britain’s biggest and best indoor slope - hosting the event, the snow in prime racing condition and ski legs still full of Alpine training there was never going to be any need for excuses. This was indoor racing at its very finest.

In the girls race Jo Ryding, back in the start gate after two years decimated by a horror knee injury, took immediate control of the event producing a storming 1st run that left the rest of the field chasing her returning shadow. Indeed with a lead of over ½second Pendle based Ryding could even afford the luxury of being headed by Jun 1 racer and eventual runner up Alexandra Tilley in run 2. Third overall and winner of the Jun 2 category finished Telford racer Abby Clifford.

In the categories Hannah Parker claimed the runners up spot in the senior category with Monica Gash in 3rd. In Jun 2 Lucy Peel’s top 5 overall placing was enough to claim 2nd place whilst Charlotte Gould claimed 3rd. Fourth place overall was enough to guarantee Emily Whitelock 2nd place in Jun 1 behind Gordon Ski Club racer Tilley whilst Abbie Macey claimed 3rd in category.

In the children’s categories Telford & Snowsports racer Charlotte Mayer claimed top sport on the podium in the tightest category of the day, pipping Beth Widdup & Nia Jenkins by 0.04 & 0.05 seconds respectively. In the youngest category Xscape’s Bethany Soman claimed a comfortable victory with Isabel Kirk in 2nd & Freya Eaton in 3rd.

In the male race Torquay racer Jai Geyer confirmed his status as very much the man to beat on the British indoor circuit, dominating the event to post fastest times in both runs. Snowsport Scotland’s Callum Henderson pushed Geyer hard but eventually had to settle for the runners up spot with Ambition’s Ashley Hill in 3rd.

In the categories Tristram More-Molineux claimed 2nd spot in the senior category behind Henderson with Stuart Riches in 3rd. In Jun 2 Andrew Roose made the most of home slope knowledge to claim 2nd spot with Gerard Flahive in 3rd. Matthew Thompson followed Ashley Hill into 2nd place in the jun 1 category with Daniel Evans in 3rd.

In the Children’s event Telford racers closed out the top spot on the podium with Ashley Breese claiming the chi 2 category and team mate Jordan Fellows following suit to claim the victory in chi 1. In the older category Paul Henderson & Barney Lewis finished 2nd & 3rd respectively with Robert Poth 2nd & and Zach Barrow 3rd in the younger field.

The day however belonged to the event and sport as a whole. Fresh from the hullabaloo of a crammed week of racing in Meribel and Courchevel the entire field confirmed again that the depth of talent in British skiing is impressively deep and the future for British skiing is a bright as the sun that shone all day outside the impressive Chill Factore building.

Next stop Pendle Hill, though somehow I suspect the chances of seeing the aforementioned sun are about the same as those inside Chill Factore. Now where did I put that anorak?