Telford Club National
Saturday 25th April, 2009
Chill Factor, Manchester
And so after a few years thinking about how to make it possible, six months deciding to actually go for it and the best part of a year sorting it out forerunner A, Joanna Ryding, exited the start gate and the first ever Telford Club National was - as Murray Walker used to say - Go, Go, Go.
With a home slope that would need doubling in length and a facelift of a similar magnitude to somewhere in between Cher & Donnington Park the chances of Telford ever running the race on its own hill were about as less likely than a boat race not won by either Oxford or Cambridge. However the opening of Chill Factor an hour up the road in Manchester presented an ideal location and opportunity for the Club to add its name to the list of summer race venues.
With the weather controlled by a combination of the roof, superb snowmaking facilities and those gigantic refrigerator fans spectators were treated to the luxury of a guaranteed dry day of racing. Added to this was the somewhat rare but most welcome relaxed feel of the whole place. With the only rule being no wearing of ski boots beyond the changing area the Chill Factor staff appeared as laid back as Liam Gallagher performing a recital of Supersonic and given the incredible hassle experienced from specifically the legendary RoboScurityMan and generally all staff at just about every other indoor event this proved a more than welcome change.
Throw into the mix nice high ceilings and light levels that don’t make you feel like you’re entombed in a seventies night club, a viewing balcony that is worthy of it’s own description and most importantly a piste that doesn’t crumble and rut up after the first half dozen minis have been down it and the only conclusion to draw is that Chill Factor is without doubt the best place to go indoor ski racing in the UK.
In the minis race Emma Taylor continued her great start to the season with a 2nd place spot and Beatrice How on her Club National debut produced a brace fine runs to finish 4th. In the mini boys Nathan Breese left himself with too much to do after run 1 and had to settle for 3rd with William Lucas 9th, Edward Guy – again on debut – 16th and Joshua Ainsworth 19th.
With the girls race featuring a number of Telford heavyweights (and I do mean in regard to skiing ability) the possibility of a home win looked eminently possible. However, Danielle Polley spoiled the party by producing the fastest time in both runs to claim a deserved win. Not to be outdone however runner up Abby Clifford and 3rd placed Charlotte Mayer ensured that there was plenty of Telford representation on the overall podium.
In the categories Charlotte Gould’s 3rd place in Jun 2 complimented the 2nd placed Abby, whilst Claire Brown’s 2nd run DNF bought an abrupt end to her day. In Chi 2 Charlotte Mayer’s overall podium was more than good enough to claim 1st in category with Alex Bullock in 6th & Kelly Greenbank 7th. Charlotte Shrimpton posted 10th in Jun 1 with George Gould finishing 12th whilst in the Chi 1 category Claire Ainsworth finished 10th and Emmy Bullock in 15th
In the males race Callum Henderson made it a Scottish double in joining Polley on the winner’s step of the podium after overtaking first run leader Andy Roose on run 2 with Marek Behnke in 3rd.
So far as the Telford racers were concerned Ashley Breese led the charge dominating the Chi 2 (Chi 2! – I must be getting old) category. Marco Furio claimed 6th in Jun 1 to confirm the huge progress he has made over the winter with Joe Humfress placing 18th, Tarran Noble 21st & Anthony Bennett 23rd in the highly competitive category. In Jun 2 Jamie Conde claimed 13th place with Simon Wilkins finishing in 16th whilst in chi 2 Chris Yates perished on run 1 with Dieter Bowers claiming 21st. Jordan Fellows claimed 2nd in chi 1 and Daniel Taylor in 14th.
And so after a few years thinking about how to make it possible, six months deciding to actually go for it and the best part of a year sorting it out the first ever Telford Club National had been run, prizes given out, everyone – well almost everyone – went home happy and the race officials all got fed.
Eventually.
Thursday 28 May 2009
Wednesday 27 May 2009
Well here's to you Mr Robinson
Snowsport England Grand Prix Series
Race 2 - ERSA Grand Prix
Norfolk
Sunday 17rd May, 2009
The doom & gloom merchants continually tell me that plastic racing is on its last legs, that indoor dome racing is the future and that plastic will be finished in 3 years. There is no investment in plastic slopes apparently. Well, as slopes disappear faster than Ferraris with their keys left in the ignition it is often to argue against this point of view.
That is of course until you pull up on the car park at Norfolk Ski Club and witness first hand what is the very best ski facility on this wonderful island of ours. For me, plastic will always have a future so long as the guardians and administrators of our sport retain similar foresight and commitment to those at the Trowse based club. So with somewhat poor numbers attending the first Grand Prix of the summer Norfolk was probably the most appropriate venue to kick start SSE’s premier race series.
With two testing courses set racers were clearly going to blend attrition into the regular mix of speed and talent. Many would find them tough and many would fail to finish but Grand Prix courses are there to test racers – and these were certainly going to do that.
In the ladies race Caroline Powell kept her nerve, balance and line to chalk up what will surely be the first of a number of Grand Prix wins over the next few years. In producing two mistake free runs the Brentwood Park racer’s consistency proved too much for the rest of the field to match and when the timing sheets were published it was clear that Powell had created a comfortable buffer of daylight between her time and those of her piers.
Behind Powell, Emily Evans had to settle for the runners up spot after a big mistake on run 2 wiped out the comfortable lead built up after the morning run with Beth Widdup claiming 3rd overall.
The men’s race proved to be a real heavyweight tussle as Junior 2 category racers dominated proceedings. With 0.03s separating the top 3 after run 1 it was very much a case of waiting to see who blinked first on the afternoon’s course. 3rd placed after run 1 Michael Molloy had the perfect opportunity to nail a time and insert a bit of pressure on the racers marginally in front of him and this looked entirely probable right up until a last gate error resulted in elimination for the Norfolk based racer.
Penultimate racer Andrew Watson then nailed run 2, maintaining the gap back to Brad Morgan and so with the ‘luxury’ of a 0.01s lead after run 1 only Nicholas Robinson could deny Watson back to back Grand Prix wins. To his enormous credit Robinson reacted to Watson’s efforts magnificently and in posting the fastest run of the afternoon added his name to the competition won by his elder brother 12 months earlier.
In the categories David Hatcher claimed victory in the seniors with Ben Clark 2nd and Alexander Abbott in 3rd. Jun 2 saw Nick Robinson, Andrew Wason & Brad Morgan replicate the overall standings for 1-2-3 and in Jun 1 Daniel Evans prevailed over James Grant in 2nd and Daniel Molloy in 3rd. In the children’s categories Shaun Blyth returned to the winners step on the podium in fine style claiming victory by a clear 2 second margin from runner up George Davis and third placed Max Moss. In the younger category William Wheeler’s 2nd run was enough to squeeze Matthew Davis in 2nd with Nicholas Phelps in 3rd.
In the female categories Hannah Parker claimed top spot with Emily Goddard 2nd & Lesley Mearns 3rd. In Jun 1 Claire Brown claimed 3rd behind Caroline Powell & Emily Evans whilst in chi 2 Sarah Lambden in 2nd and Stephanie Davise in 3rd finished behind Beth Widdup. In chi 1 Jazmine Butcher’s 1st run proved the decisive factor in her victory with Emma Peters in 2nd and Beatrice Martin-Harrington in 3rd.
As ever the location and quality of facility in Norwich proved that there very much is still life in dendix both as a training and race surface. In Nick Robinson the day also proved that if you’re good enough you can still compete at the very highest level on any surface. Indeed combine a good quality mat with imaginative and testing courses and you will almost certainly end the day with the right winner. Take a bow Mr Robinson.
Race 2 - ERSA Grand Prix
Norfolk
Sunday 17rd May, 2009
The doom & gloom merchants continually tell me that plastic racing is on its last legs, that indoor dome racing is the future and that plastic will be finished in 3 years. There is no investment in plastic slopes apparently. Well, as slopes disappear faster than Ferraris with their keys left in the ignition it is often to argue against this point of view.
That is of course until you pull up on the car park at Norfolk Ski Club and witness first hand what is the very best ski facility on this wonderful island of ours. For me, plastic will always have a future so long as the guardians and administrators of our sport retain similar foresight and commitment to those at the Trowse based club. So with somewhat poor numbers attending the first Grand Prix of the summer Norfolk was probably the most appropriate venue to kick start SSE’s premier race series.
With two testing courses set racers were clearly going to blend attrition into the regular mix of speed and talent. Many would find them tough and many would fail to finish but Grand Prix courses are there to test racers – and these were certainly going to do that.
In the ladies race Caroline Powell kept her nerve, balance and line to chalk up what will surely be the first of a number of Grand Prix wins over the next few years. In producing two mistake free runs the Brentwood Park racer’s consistency proved too much for the rest of the field to match and when the timing sheets were published it was clear that Powell had created a comfortable buffer of daylight between her time and those of her piers.
Behind Powell, Emily Evans had to settle for the runners up spot after a big mistake on run 2 wiped out the comfortable lead built up after the morning run with Beth Widdup claiming 3rd overall.
The men’s race proved to be a real heavyweight tussle as Junior 2 category racers dominated proceedings. With 0.03s separating the top 3 after run 1 it was very much a case of waiting to see who blinked first on the afternoon’s course. 3rd placed after run 1 Michael Molloy had the perfect opportunity to nail a time and insert a bit of pressure on the racers marginally in front of him and this looked entirely probable right up until a last gate error resulted in elimination for the Norfolk based racer.
Penultimate racer Andrew Watson then nailed run 2, maintaining the gap back to Brad Morgan and so with the ‘luxury’ of a 0.01s lead after run 1 only Nicholas Robinson could deny Watson back to back Grand Prix wins. To his enormous credit Robinson reacted to Watson’s efforts magnificently and in posting the fastest run of the afternoon added his name to the competition won by his elder brother 12 months earlier.
In the categories David Hatcher claimed victory in the seniors with Ben Clark 2nd and Alexander Abbott in 3rd. Jun 2 saw Nick Robinson, Andrew Wason & Brad Morgan replicate the overall standings for 1-2-3 and in Jun 1 Daniel Evans prevailed over James Grant in 2nd and Daniel Molloy in 3rd. In the children’s categories Shaun Blyth returned to the winners step on the podium in fine style claiming victory by a clear 2 second margin from runner up George Davis and third placed Max Moss. In the younger category William Wheeler’s 2nd run was enough to squeeze Matthew Davis in 2nd with Nicholas Phelps in 3rd.
In the female categories Hannah Parker claimed top spot with Emily Goddard 2nd & Lesley Mearns 3rd. In Jun 1 Claire Brown claimed 3rd behind Caroline Powell & Emily Evans whilst in chi 2 Sarah Lambden in 2nd and Stephanie Davise in 3rd finished behind Beth Widdup. In chi 1 Jazmine Butcher’s 1st run proved the decisive factor in her victory with Emma Peters in 2nd and Beatrice Martin-Harrington in 3rd.
As ever the location and quality of facility in Norwich proved that there very much is still life in dendix both as a training and race surface. In Nick Robinson the day also proved that if you’re good enough you can still compete at the very highest level on any surface. Indeed combine a good quality mat with imaginative and testing courses and you will almost certainly end the day with the right winner. Take a bow Mr Robinson.
Pendle Proves a Breeze for Ryding & Watson
Snowsport England Grand Prix Series
Race 1 - NWSA Grand Prix
Pendle
Sunday 3rd May, 2009
With the current financial squeeze biting harder than a hungry crocodile and general corporate belt tightening of Simon Cowell proportions going on just about everywhere the loss of Grand Prix series sponsorship was hardly the most shocking news of the winter. Indeed given the state of the once valued British pound and the doom and gloom overwhelming the foreign travel industry it would possibly have been more of a surprise should Inghams have not suspended their generous sponsorship of the event.
The sport however has to go on and so with a reassuringly chilly and extremely blustery Pendle Hill providing the first challenge for racers in 2009. With the exam season on the horizon and little time to train plastic post Meribel a somewhat sparse start list assembled at the top of the hill, snapped their bindings closed and commenced battle for 2009 Grand Prix supremacy.
In the girls race a familiar figure returned to haunt the ambitions of every female in the field. With a knee injury sidelining Pendle racer Jo Ryding for the best part of 2 years it was going to be interesting to see if the rest of the field had been able to close what was - pre knee injury - a somewhat dominating gap. Indeed was there anyone out there in a position to mix it with the best of the best on plastic?
The answer, when it came, was about as conclusive as it gets and 15.25 seconds after Ryding flicked the start wand open she metaphorically swatted away the rest of the ladies field with a genuinely classy display of power skiing. Only Telford’s Charlotte Gould managed to limit the damage to less than a second as Ryding re-established herself as the female to beat in 2009. A safe second run allowed the field to limit the overall time differential between themselves and the winner but a winning margin of 1.72 seconds proved to be pretty conclusive.
With Charlotte Gould unable to maintain the fine form of her 1st run and 4th placed Alexandra Bullock perishing on the bottom section of run 2 there was plenty of opportunities for the rest of the field to compete for the overall podium places. However, consistency proved decisive as Gloucester duo Charlotte Davies & Emily Goddard combined experience and speed to close out the minor podium placings.
In the categories Hannah Parker posted 3rd in the seniors behind Ryding & Goddard, whilst Charlotte Gould’s super first run proved enough to claim 2nd behind Davies in Jun 2 with Emily Dawes claiming 3rd. Charlotte Shrimpton proved to be the best in the Jun 1 field with Alexandra Greasby and Georgina Gould claiming 2nd & 3rd respectively. In the Children’s categories Stephanie Davies edged out home racer Beth Widdup to claim the win with Nia Jenkins claiming 3rd. The closest category of the day however proved to be the youngest category as Beatrice Martin-Harrington edged out 2nd placed Megan Jenkins and 3rd Place Emma Peters by 0.05 & 0.20 seconds respectively.
Unlike the ladies the men’s overall race proved to be a real tussle as Cardiff duo Andrew Watson & Tom Hales found themselves split by 0.04s after run 1. In run 2 third placed home favourite Andrew Roose turned the screw on the Welsh pair with a fine run & time and suddenly the pressure was on. Who would crack? Who would prevail? Penultimate racer Hales gave it his best shot but a time of 14.53 opened the door of opportunity for Watson. A door that was ripped off its hinges moments later as the younger Cardiff racer faultlessly basted to a time of 14.14 and the first of what promises to be a number of Grand Prix wins in 2009.
In the categories the podium threesome of Watson, Hales & Roose locked out the rest of the Jun 2 field, whilst in Jun 1 another Cardiff racer Samuel Stephens managed to build daylight between himself and 2nd Placed Swansea racer Ashley Richards with Kaigan Witts in 3rd. Indeed it was quite a day for the Welsh male contingent with Masters victor Rob Hales posting 10th overall and Colin Davies (tied 7th) ensuring that 7 of the top 10 men came from that pictuesque corner of England that is hopeless at football.
In the children’s categories the Telford double act of Ashley Breese and Jordan Fellows claimed the honours with the Gloucester pairing of James Davies and George Davis 2nd & 3rd in the older category whilst the Pendle duo of Zach Burrow and Dougie Whitelock closed out the rest of the Chi 1 field.
However, this was most certainly Jo Ryding’s day. After the horror knee injury that every parent and racers fear it would have been easy to pack the skis and boots away and never race again. Ryding isn’t the average racer however and somehow I think that the rest of the girls field may well be reminded of this fact three or four times over the summer months.
The sponsor might have gone but the summer’s premier series is, like Joanna Ryding, most certainly back.
Race 1 - NWSA Grand Prix
Pendle
Sunday 3rd May, 2009
With the current financial squeeze biting harder than a hungry crocodile and general corporate belt tightening of Simon Cowell proportions going on just about everywhere the loss of Grand Prix series sponsorship was hardly the most shocking news of the winter. Indeed given the state of the once valued British pound and the doom and gloom overwhelming the foreign travel industry it would possibly have been more of a surprise should Inghams have not suspended their generous sponsorship of the event.
The sport however has to go on and so with a reassuringly chilly and extremely blustery Pendle Hill providing the first challenge for racers in 2009. With the exam season on the horizon and little time to train plastic post Meribel a somewhat sparse start list assembled at the top of the hill, snapped their bindings closed and commenced battle for 2009 Grand Prix supremacy.
In the girls race a familiar figure returned to haunt the ambitions of every female in the field. With a knee injury sidelining Pendle racer Jo Ryding for the best part of 2 years it was going to be interesting to see if the rest of the field had been able to close what was - pre knee injury - a somewhat dominating gap. Indeed was there anyone out there in a position to mix it with the best of the best on plastic?
The answer, when it came, was about as conclusive as it gets and 15.25 seconds after Ryding flicked the start wand open she metaphorically swatted away the rest of the ladies field with a genuinely classy display of power skiing. Only Telford’s Charlotte Gould managed to limit the damage to less than a second as Ryding re-established herself as the female to beat in 2009. A safe second run allowed the field to limit the overall time differential between themselves and the winner but a winning margin of 1.72 seconds proved to be pretty conclusive.
With Charlotte Gould unable to maintain the fine form of her 1st run and 4th placed Alexandra Bullock perishing on the bottom section of run 2 there was plenty of opportunities for the rest of the field to compete for the overall podium places. However, consistency proved decisive as Gloucester duo Charlotte Davies & Emily Goddard combined experience and speed to close out the minor podium placings.
In the categories Hannah Parker posted 3rd in the seniors behind Ryding & Goddard, whilst Charlotte Gould’s super first run proved enough to claim 2nd behind Davies in Jun 2 with Emily Dawes claiming 3rd. Charlotte Shrimpton proved to be the best in the Jun 1 field with Alexandra Greasby and Georgina Gould claiming 2nd & 3rd respectively. In the Children’s categories Stephanie Davies edged out home racer Beth Widdup to claim the win with Nia Jenkins claiming 3rd. The closest category of the day however proved to be the youngest category as Beatrice Martin-Harrington edged out 2nd placed Megan Jenkins and 3rd Place Emma Peters by 0.05 & 0.20 seconds respectively.
Unlike the ladies the men’s overall race proved to be a real tussle as Cardiff duo Andrew Watson & Tom Hales found themselves split by 0.04s after run 1. In run 2 third placed home favourite Andrew Roose turned the screw on the Welsh pair with a fine run & time and suddenly the pressure was on. Who would crack? Who would prevail? Penultimate racer Hales gave it his best shot but a time of 14.53 opened the door of opportunity for Watson. A door that was ripped off its hinges moments later as the younger Cardiff racer faultlessly basted to a time of 14.14 and the first of what promises to be a number of Grand Prix wins in 2009.
In the categories the podium threesome of Watson, Hales & Roose locked out the rest of the Jun 2 field, whilst in Jun 1 another Cardiff racer Samuel Stephens managed to build daylight between himself and 2nd Placed Swansea racer Ashley Richards with Kaigan Witts in 3rd. Indeed it was quite a day for the Welsh male contingent with Masters victor Rob Hales posting 10th overall and Colin Davies (tied 7th) ensuring that 7 of the top 10 men came from that pictuesque corner of England that is hopeless at football.
In the children’s categories the Telford double act of Ashley Breese and Jordan Fellows claimed the honours with the Gloucester pairing of James Davies and George Davis 2nd & 3rd in the older category whilst the Pendle duo of Zach Burrow and Dougie Whitelock closed out the rest of the Chi 1 field.
However, this was most certainly Jo Ryding’s day. After the horror knee injury that every parent and racers fear it would have been easy to pack the skis and boots away and never race again. Ryding isn’t the average racer however and somehow I think that the rest of the girls field may well be reminded of this fact three or four times over the summer months.
The sponsor might have gone but the summer’s premier series is, like Joanna Ryding, most certainly back.
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