North Island Primary School Champs held up by the Weather

While Treble Cone finally turned up some powder on Saturday, the bad weather that troubled the Winter Games has moved North this week to hold up the North Island Primary School Champs scheduled to start Tuesday.

A record 391 ski racers from Primary and Intermediate schools throughout the North Island are standing by to compete in three divisions hopefully starting today Wednesday 2 September 2009.

138 Senior Boys, years 7 & 8, will compete alongside 83 Senior Girls. Approximatly half of these alpine racers will combine with some of the 104 Junior Boys, years 3 to 6, and 66 Junior Girls. The other half will compete for the senior teams trophy.

The junior ski racers from contributing primary schools, who do not combine with the seniors, compete instead for the junior trophy.

The mixed age and sex ski racers will race against each other for points, but on 4 separate courses, under the direction of National Park School's team led by Terry Hemmingsen, Natalie Gavegan and Janine Harvey.

Some of the star performers listed to race include Meyer Neeson (Sacred Heart Girls), Lauren Armstrong and Victoria Slegers (National Park), Conrad Barry (Kristin), River Jones Gardner (Albany), Hamish Walton (Bethlehem) a promising NZ Whistler Cup rep lost this season to rowing, Austin Davies (Parnell College), and Kings School's Toby Eady. Nick Brokenshire leads a first time Sacred Heart Boys entry of two teams.

On the Junior course Hazel Wells, Harriet Cory-Wright and Jasmine Craddock will lead Ponsonby Primary's title defence. The boys race will feature Plimmerton's Jackson Rich, King's Schools Knowles brothers, Upper Harbour's Jes Jones Gardner who fore ran the recent Mt Hutt K Cup races, and a host of younger siblings of past years' proven race performers eager to make their own mark.

The first race will be a GS and racers times are divided into 20 bands from fastest to slowest. Accordingly they score points from 20, 19, 18 ...down to 3, 2, and 1 point. The best 4 of 5 team results count and a first day team score over 72 is usually good enough to put in contention for a podium place.

On day two, exciting dual slalom races are held between adjacent finishers from the GS race. First races second, third v fourth ....down to 137th v 138th etc.

The winner takes 4 points and a successfully finishing defeated racer scores 2 points. Dead heats are common as volunteer officials compete furiously at the finish line and photo finish equipment gives way to heated debate.

Finishing at all can be important as a team's possible result ranges from 16 points for 4 wins, down to zero if they all crash and burn...and naturally helmets are compulsory, for the kids, and advisable for the parents.

Tony Gavigan
Turangi
021 075 3704

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