Gloucester Summer Race League

August 21st, 2007
As usual we were missing a number of skiers in August, but the results were good, with the A team and Hawks improving on their June performance. The A team were 3rd on the day and remain 4th in the overall season standings, now only 34 points behind the leaders. The B team have dropped to 8th overall, many skiers were missing from this team or filling A team spaces, and a good day for the Hawks with 81 points. Top of the league now are

Congratulations to Mark Hawkins who was first overall and won all 9 points in the afternoon, his first clean sweep ever.

There were notable performances also by Roger who missed 29 points due to a starting mixup in an afternoon race, Nick Miller who was 8th overall with good afternoon points, Nick Phelps who came 11th in the U13s with all 9 afternoon points and Oliver Weeks who came 8th in the U10s group with 7 afternoon points - a very impressive performance from a 5yr old. Thanks to Sally Phelps who stepped in at the very last minute, with a creditable showing in the morning, beating the men, and to Phil Deller who stayed and fought his way to 9 points in the afternoon after a morning crash.

Well done to all the first time skiers particularly Jonty Simson and Theo Millington who both achieved good morning points plus 9 in the afternoon, joined also by Sam Doherty on his 2nd race. Well done Jack Webb for achieving morning points, Jamie Conde for having a 100+ bib number in the afternoon and Sam Lee for a good morning time. Finally good consistent performances from Sophia Phelps and Alasdair Thorley, again just outside the top 20 in the U18 age group, both were 13 this year.

Skiers with 20 points:
Mark Hawkins(29), Roger Cromblehome(26), Nick Miller(24), Phil Deller (23),Rob Weeks (22), Emily Dawes(20), Oliver Weeks (20)

Skiers with 9 afternoon points:
Theo Millington, Jonty Simson, Phil Deller, Mark Hawkins, Oliver Millington, Nick Phelps, Giles Spencer

Top 30 placings:
Mark Hawkins(1), Nick Miller(8), Emily Dawes(15), Roger Cromblehome(18), Adam Lee(25), Jamie Conde(28)

Apres ski was at the Brewers Fayre, Tewkesbury where chocolate fondue was the winner.

The November race has been confirmed, 3rd November, normal start time.

Jane

Dry Southampton

July 23rd, 2007
Despite Saturday's GSRL being washed out, yesterday's Southampton Club National took place without a drop of rain falling from the sky! And what another excellent day's racing it turned out to be for most of the 15 MSC racers who took part.

In fact, the good news actually started before the racing even began with Emily, Harry and James qualifying for the top-15 starter position draw. (The start positions for the best-15 seed point racers are drawn randomly whilst all other start positions are ordered on seed points.) I don't think we've ever had anyone in the starter draw, let alone 3 racers!

As always, podium finishes first. Robbie took 1st in Male Masters and James 2nd in Male J2. Both were excellent results given the strength of these two age categories for this particular race. We also recorded our first top-10 overall positions with Harry and James coming 7th and 8th respectively in the Males and Emily finishing 10th in the Females.

Whilst not a long slope, Southampton still offers several challenges - a steep start ramp, an immediate dog-leg right followed pretty quickly by a sharp left turn over a ridge, and a bumpy final section. Quick times were possible on an interesting course so long as racers 'nailed' the off-set turn on the ridge and the exit from the final-section verticale. Looks like that race-line session on Thursday really paid off as most of our racers took it in their stride!

Nick took the MSC honours in the Mini Boys with an excellent 7th place and a time that would have seen him collect 249 points in the Males race! Dominic and Matthew recorded very credible positions and Duncan competed in his first SSE race as an unregistered day-performer (a very good way of gaining race experience).

In the Females, Emily (114.27 pts) just missed out on an age category podium finish. Sophia (225.96 pts) pushed Olivia (224.97 pts) all the way in a brilliant tussle and, in another MSC battle, Elisabeth (320.82 pts) fought back on the final run to pip Lucy (341.87 pts) who'd lead after the morning runs! Competitive, but friendly, rivalry like this is great for the Females as it will undoubtedly result in lower seed points just as it has done over the last couple of years with the MSC Males.

In the Males, Harry (70.21 pts) was only 0.38 of a second away from an overall podium finish, but had the honour of being one of only 3 racers in total (male and female) to record all 3 runs under 13 seconds. James (70.97 pts) maintained his fine form and Nick (119.20 pts) posted his best event points of the season! Also recording their best event points of the season were Robbie (130.31 pts), Jamie (233.07 pts - who will now go under 250 seed points when the next list is published in September!) and Alasdair (253.01 pts) who's now starting to show great potential!

SSE races take an awful lot of organisation and rely considerably on the support of parents. During the course of this season, MSC parents (Kate, Dave, Nigel, Maurice and myself - have I missed out anyone?) have been at hand to help out with the official duties and, at Southampton, Karen and Brian added their services to this list. Whilst the racers - quite rightly - take the glory (and the bruises!), it's also by providing official duty support that's added significantly to the MSC's rapidly-growing reputation as a race club of real stature. Thank you!

I've updated the results spreadsheet and the BARTS seed points list.

There's now a very welcome break from competitive racing until the next GSRL and the British Indoor Championships (Castleford) on 18th/19th August. I think it's fair to say that, so far this season, we've taken enormous strides forward - coaches, racers and parents give yourselves a big pat on the back! Having spoken to lots of other clubs, it's very clear that the MSC now offers some of the most comprehensive (and advanced) race coaching around. Yes, there are still changes that need to be considered, but with the restructuring of Fridays, 'tougher' Tuesday sessions and, most notably, the Advanced Coaching sessions on Thursdays we've currently got an awful lot right - many thanks Roger!. Our racers continue to raise the performance bar (rapidly) which means that, in turn, we have to review how best to deliver the level/intensity of coaching they now - and will - require. We can use this gap in racing to start re-evaluating our coaching structure for next season in order to identify how best to deliver the right levels to the right people - the overall objective being to keep on raising (rather than simply maintaining) standards across all racer levels. We've had some (but not much) parent feedback but would very much welcome any further views before drafting any proposed changes.

Guy

Gloucester Celtic Cup Races

July 16th, 2007
Two days of Celtic Cup racing at Gloucester saw a smaller than usual number of MSC racers competing. But we still managed our fair share of podium finishes with Jane taking 1st place in Female Masters and Sarah achieving 3rd place in Female J2 - on both Saturday and Sunday, and Robbie took 2nd place in the Male Masters on Saturday. Many congratulations!

The updated results spreadsheet is here.

Guy

Gloucester Club National

July 9th, 2007
Another excellent day's racing at the Gloucester Club National on Saturday - and it didn't rain! With more and more MSC racers now hitting peak form it was no surprise to see so many record their best points and positions of the season.

Many congratulations to our podium finishers: Maxine (3rd Mini Girl), James (3rd J2 Male), Robbie (2nd Mas Male) and Jane (1st Mas Female). And to Harry (73.70 pts) our top male and Olivia (73.70 pts) our leading female. We really have achieved a fine collection of podium places this season - we're not that far off from completing a full set of age category podiums!

In addition to Maxine's success in the Minis, Nick recorded a fine 5th place and Matthew and Dominic came in 9th and 10th respectively. All great experience for when they eventually join the Children categories and start scoring seed points.

In the Females, Olivia's tremendous performance will see her seed points go under the 200 mark (Note to Olivia: don't forget to thank your Dad for all the ski prep he did!). Sophia (213.70 pts) also had a cracking series of runs and produced her best result of the season. Jane (341.91 pts) too recorded her best result and this saw her claim gold for the first time in her age category. Elisabeth (296.43 pts) unfortunately took another tumble but battled on bravely whilst Emily's attempts at the land speed record on skis regrettably failed to produce a finish time.

Another hot, brotherly contest saw Harry just pip James (76.52 pts) and, in so doing, record the MSC's lowest overall position of the season so far (12th). James, however, went away with a gong and seed points in the low 80s. In recording his best result of the season (101.04 pts), Chris's return to top form after a really tough start has been tremendous to witness. As has been the rapid development of Nick (123.59 pts) who continues to grow in stature with every race! Sam and Robbie both recorded 151.78 pts and deserve tremendous praise for converting their training form in to quality race form (and now find themselves barred from next years GSRL). Jake (157.70 pts) at long last produced the form that we all know he's fully capable of delivering - well done Jake for toughing it out! Adam (193.50 pts) just keeps on getting stronger and stronger and not only did he produce his best result of the season but his seed points will now fall below 200 when the next list is published - well done! Karl (461.85 pts) is now racing with lots more confidence and it's only a matter of time before his points start to reflect his true abilities.

Once again, well done to everyone and let's keep those points tumbling down!

The updated results spreadsheet is here and I've also the updated BARTS points list.

Guy

Wet, Wet, Wet!

July 1st, 2007
No, not the name of that ever-popular (er?!) band but a description of the weather conditions for the Stoke Club National on Saturday. On the positive side, a very wet slope and a fair course made for fast times and low points - and the MSC racers didn't disappoint!

Many congratulations to Robbie (155.77 pts) who won the Male Masters and looks all set to go under the GSRL cut off very shortly; and to Rachel (479.03 pts) who, in her first competitive event, picked up 3rd place in the Female Masters! Leading MSC female was Emily (94.41 pts) and MSC male was Harry (75.39 pts) - both of whom laid down very rapid times on all of their runs.

In the Minis, Freya came 5th whilst Maxine unfortunately got DSQd whilst looking set for a good time. Matthew came 10th and Nick a highly-credible 6th in a competitive boys' group. The female race saw Sarah (154.22 pts) produce her best result of the season and Olivia (208.48 pts) got quicker with each of her runs. Sophia (258.46 pts) is now consistently producing the form that saw her recently achieve the GP entry criteria and Elisabeth (299.34 pts) showed a welcome return to form after her fall at Pontypool last weekend. Jane looked well set to take home her umpteenth medal of the season before making an unfortunate mishap on her final run.

The males also produced a great set of results. After blasting his way down in the morning, Stuart's back (which he injured in training on Thursday) gave way and prevented him from starting his final run - you've got to get back (s'cuse the pun) in shape for next Saturday's Gloucester CN! James (86.76 pts) and Chris (117.88 pts) both produced their best results of the season and Nick (119.23 pts) smashed his way through the GSRL cut off - well done Nick! Sam (162.53pts) and Adam (202.32 pts) also achieved their season's best results and are now seeing a real return on their hard work in training. Olie (285.13 pts) just keeps on getting faster by the race and, despite making unfortunate errors on his first two runs, Alasdair (751.70 pts) showed everyone just what he's capable of achieving with a splendid final run. Karl (492.43 pts) also got progressively quicker as he continues to build race experience and Jake (argh!!) got DSQd on his final run after setting a sub GSRL cut off time in the morning - keep the faith!.

All in all, an excellent set of results. It was great to see 23 MSC racers competing but I think it's even better to see us now consistently producing real quality as well as the quantity. Many congratulations!

The results spreadsheet is here and, because so many MSC racers achieved their best points of the season, I've also updated and attached the BARTS points spreadsheet.

Guy

Pontypool Racing

June 25th, 2007
And what an exciting weekend it was too at Pontypool for the Celtic Cup races on Saturday and Sunday. With testing courses set on a wet, long and steep slope, Pontypool certainly delivered some great racing!

And the MSC roll of honour just keeps on growing with podium places for Jane (2nd on Saturday and Sunday in the Female Masters) and for Sarah (3rd in Saturday's Female J2). And there's more! A Giant Slalom competition was also held on the Saturday and, although this was an unseeded event, medals were still up for grabs with Freya taking 1st place in the Mini Girls, Emily 2nd in Female J1, Jane 2nd in the Female Masters and Robbie 3rd in Male Masters. Many congratulation to you all!

Saturday
In the Minis, Freya was unfortunately disqualified and Nick battled away to take 11th place in a very competitive boys category. In the Females, Emily once again lead the way with two very good runs and Sarah's time was unfortunately affected by a slip up on her first run. Sophia continues to score good points and is looking stronger in every race, whilst Elisabeth had a tumble on the first course but bravely picked herself up to complete her run. I think it was Bode Miller who once remarked that if you never crash you're just not racing hard enough! Jane continues to win medals galore - just where are you keeping them all Jane?!

In the Males, Chris had another two good runs and so did Adam who also looks to be getting stronger and stronger. Robbie was making his debut and certainly appeared to enjoy his first taste of competitive racing - always nice to go away with a medal! Olie and Jamie both continue to improve with every race and recorded their best results of the season so far. And that just leaves Harry who put behind him a first run crash (you're not alone Elisabeth!) into the Pontypool undergrowth with a very quick second run. Don't worry Chris, you're still leading the 'crash of the season' competition with your spectacular effort at Rossendale, closely followed by Stuart at Welwyn and then Harry in 3rd place.

As I've already mentioned, there was also a GS competition which proved to be very successful for MSC racers! The fastest MSC racers were Robbie in the Males and Emily in the Females.

Sunday
For those who had camped overnight, wasn't it just great to wake up, unzip the tent and look out on to a scene best resembling Glastonbury in its full muddy glory?! Fewer MSC racers braved the elements than on Saturday but in true 'ground hog day' fashion Jane won a medal and Harry crashed again on his first run!

In the Females, Lucy posted two fine runs and Jane cruised to another 2nd place in the Female Masters. I think it's now 2-2 in the Jane v Lucy contest!

In the Males, James made a welcome return to racing having completed his exams and passed fit by the Public Health Inspector following a dodgy sausage at a lads BBQ. Chris had an unfortunate fall on his first run just when things were looking all set for a fast time but managed to hang on to complete the course. Jamie and Adam are developing a really good contest between the two of them and this will definitely see their points dropping very shortly - great stuff! Harry's blitzkrieg approach is certainly producing very quick times and low seed points but pushing the limit on every run also has it's downside!

All in all, an excellent weekend! Plenty of medals, lots of fast runs and loads more experience gained by everyone who raced on what is one of the best (and toughest) slopes in the UK.

See you all at Stoke for this Saturday's CN!

Guy

BARTS seed list

June 25th, 2007
The latest seed list (BARTS 2007.3) has been published - see here for MSC racer points.

Lots of reductions for MSC racers!

Congratulations to: Emily, Sophia, Elisabeth, Jane, Lucy, Harry, Chris, Nick, Freddie, Adam, Jamie, Phil, Olie and Karl.

Particular mention must go to our two new sub-100 points racers - Harry (85) and Emily (98.35) - and to Sophia for breaking the 250 points entry requirement for Grand Prix events.

Well done to everyone!

Guy

Sunderland

June 18th, 2007
Only Chris made the long trek up to Sunderland for Saturday's Club National. And, finally, the curse of his Dad was laid to rest as, in front of Martin's very own eyes, Chris successfully completed all three runs of a Club National!

And, three good runs they were too on what I've been told was another tough course. From what I've seen so far this year, it's become increasingly difficult to differentiate a CN course from that of a GP. If there's going to be such little difference then may be the time has come for SSE to consider applying the same penalty points (currently, a minimum of 10 for a CN and 5 for a GP).

Chris's good performance will see his seed points reduce to 148.72 when the next list is published on 25th June. Well done!

Given that the All England Championships are being held at Sunderland in September, it would be good Chris (or Martin) if you could pen a few words about the ski centre/slope as I'm sure this will be of interest to those MSC racers entering the Championships who haven't raced at Sunderland before. Thanks.

The updated results spreadsheet is here.

Guy

Gloucester Summer Race League

June 18th, 2007
Well done everyone, a good June Gloucester race. It was good to hear the cheering for our skiers, with a bit more practice we should be able to improve our reputation for winning races by the sheer volume of the cheering.

We haven't got the points and results yet, but we do know the morning times. There were about 140 skiers and places in the top 30 were:

In the U10 group Maxine Hancock was in the first 10 in her age group (14.77) and Dominic Plevnalis (15.25) had a good morning and all 9 points in the afternoon. Congratulations also to Jake Topping who achieved 9 afternoon points on his very first Gloucester race, and to Oliver Weeks who is still 5 and sped to 16.16.

In the U13 team we think Sam Allen won the group on his 13th birthday - well done Sam, he remains in the U13s all year. There were good improvements for Ollie Eaton (13.50) and Jack Webb (14.16). Sam Smith achieved 14.94 on his first race, and Josh Regan 17.41 - well done to both of you.

In the U18s top 30 places for Jake, Emily, Nick and Adam (see above), also good improvements for Jamie Conde (12.37), James Elgy (13.13), Sophia Phelps (13.27) and Fiona Jones (14.04).

In the adult groups Mark Hawkins went back into the top four, Rachel Eaton achieved two afternoon wins in her first race, Gerry Elgy had good morning points in the O50 (who said wrinklies?) group, and I managed all 9 points in the afternoon.

Finally the fore-running was sheer joy to watch, with Stuart Wickson recording the fastest morning time of the day by quite a margin (10.33) and he was pushed hard by Fern Barker of Gloucester in the afternoon.

I will let you have the results as soon as I know them.

Jane

Ipswich, Welwyn, and Stoke

June 11th, 2007
Another hot and sunny weekend saw many a hot performance from the MSC racers at the Ipswich Club National on Saturday and the Wycombe (held at Welwyn) Club National on Sunday!

A lot to report, but first the two main highlights. Having already this season won medals in the Male Senior (Stuart) and Female Masters (Jane) age categories, Harry charged down to take 3rd place in the mega-competitive Male Junior 1 category at the Ipswich CN and, in so doing, will take his seed points down to 85 when the next list is published on 25th June. Emily also used her cracking Ipswich result to take her seed points below 100 and, in the process, became only the second female racer in the club (after Nicky Millington) to break this milestone. Many congratulations to both!

On an Ipswich course (set by Sally Bartlett) that contained a pretty technical mid-section, Sophia recorded her lowest ever event points and so did Elisabeth who, unfortunately, just missed out on the medals by one place! Nick M also bagged his lowest event points which will see his next seed points of 171.60 getting very close to the GSRL cut off. Great news is that Chris continues to rebuild form with 3 clean runs. Unfortunately, Sam A straddled a gate whilst flying down and got DSQ'd. Stuart also got DSQ'd (on the very last gate!) when it seemed odds on that he would record his best ever event points - doh!!

On a fairly short Welwyn slope, the course (also set by Sally) had to include a difficult mid-section to prevent any racer from breaking the 10 second mark - any time below this would have been frowned upon by SSE. Inevitably, this lead to a higher than usual 'casualty' rate and good points were hard to get . Maxine raced really well to achieve 5th place in the Mini Girls and Freya continues to build her experience of SSE competitions. Nick P, after a crash on his first run, recovered well to take 10th place in the Mini Boys. After the dizzy heights of the day before, Emily couldn't achieve the same level of performance but, Sophia, again scored very well and will see her next seed points reduced to 240.40 which will allow her to enter Grand Prix events and National Championships - great stuff! Elisabeth also had another really good day and will see her seed points drop significantly to 280.77 and Lucy keeps on chipping away at hers and should come down to 383.10. As for the males, Stuart powered his way to 17th place overall and sub-100 event points whilst Harry, after coming to an abrupt halt on his first run, got things together for his final two runs. Chris's runs got progressively quicker and Freddie's form guarantees that a quick time is just around the corner. Jamie continues to build experience with every event and will no doubt see his points reduce further in the near future. Both Olie and Karl now have a couple of races under their belts and, like Jamie, will benefit greatly from the experience - keep up the good work guys and let's see those points tumble!

I've updated the results table and the seed points list.

I'm also aware that a number our racers took part in the Stoke fun race on Saturday and came away with a few medals - well done! I wasn't at this race so I was wondering whether any parent that was there could spare a few minutes to scribe and circulate a few words about how everyone got on?

One final point. As our racers achieve higher and higher levels of performance it's critical that skis, bindings and boots are regularly maintained and, in the case of skis, waxed and sharpened as often as possible - especially for races. Dry and blunt skis undoubtedly affect performance - which is a real shame given all the hard work that's being put in to training and the cost of entering races. Regular waxing will also protect ski bases and make them last a lot longer. So, if anyone has any questions please don't hesitate to ask me or Nigel or any of the other regular race-going parents or the experienced racers such as Stuart.

Guy

Sunny Pendle

4th June, 2007
Wonders will never cease - two consecutive days of sunshine on the moors of Pendle!

On Saturday at the Club National the MSC provided the largest contingent of racers from the 'away' clubs. This is now the second time we've achieved this in 2007 (the Hemel CN being the first) and clearly reflects the tremendous growth in the club's racing section!

Saturday's CN saw Freya and Olie making their debuts and both performed with great credit given the unique challenge of the Pendle slope (green matting, rollers, etc.). Congratulations once again to Jane who picked up 3rd place in the Female Masters! Emily narrowly missed out on breaking the 100 race points mark (only a matter of time!) and Sarah continues to show consistent form. Elisabeth's now on the points ladder with her first outing of the season and Lucy managed to chip off a few more points. And, Sophia recorded the best MSC position in the children age groups.

With the country's top male racers competing the lads were always going to have a tough day and this was reflected in their results. With falls for Jake and Adam and DSQs for Chris and Freddie, Jamie managed to record his second race result which will see him knock off a few points. As will Phil after another battling performance. And, despite a very iffy final run Harry managed to hold off James from grabbing the top MSC male spot.

The GP on Sunday produced (at last!) Emily's first sub-100 performance. Two cracking runs saw her record 89.29 race points - well done Emily! Chris unluckily clipped a gate and got DSQ'd and Harry, for the second day in a row, produced an excellent first run only to underperform on the final run.

As I've already commented, Pendle is tough because it's so different to all the other slopes. But it provides great race experience and everyone who competed (and, yes Jake, that does include you!) will have benefited from their trip up north.

Next weekend sees the 'tour' arrive at Ipswich on Saturday and Welwyn on Sunday. Once again, the MSC will be well-represented at both of these CN events. I know there are places remaining so, if you haven't yet entered, there's still time to give it a go! Pictures of the Ipswich slope can be found at here and of Welwyn here).

The updated results spreadsheet is here.

Rossendale Races

28th May, 2007
Yet another action-packed weekend of racing with the Arrows Club National on Saturday and the Inter-Regional Championships on Sunday (both held at Rossendale).

The Club National results have been added to the results spreadsheet.

Despite the forecast of 'orrible weather, eleven brave (or foolhardy?) MSC racers took to the notorious slopes of Rossendale to compete in the CN. On a good, but testing, course that brought the bumps in to play, MSC racers continue to impress the judges!

Many congratulations to Stuart (2nd in Male Seniors) and to Jane (3rd in Female Masters). Stuart's medal is much deserved reward for all the effort and desire to win that he continues to display week in, week out. And Jane, you better tell Dave that he needs to build another extension to display your growing tally of medals! Gaining experience of competitive racing at an early age is a big advantage when eventually moving up to the Children age categories at which point national ranking (seed) points become available. So, it was great to see Dominic making his CN debut as a Mini. And, despite being disqualified on his 3rd run, Dominic showed plenty of speed and determination - keep battling it out Dominic as it will be well worth it in the long run!

Despite an error on her 3rd run, Emily continues to show the speed that will almost certainly see her going under 100 seed points before too long. In fact, had Emily managed to replicate her 1st run time, she would have taken 2nd place in Female J1 - argh!!!!!! Lucy just piped Jane and, in so doing, will have shaved a few points off her national ranking when the next list is released this week.

As for the Males, Harry recorded the highest MSC overall position and just keeps on getting quicker and quicker - recording a tremendous 79.82 points. Must be the go-fast hair cut Harry! Stuart was one place behind Harry and, as I've already reported, took home a shiny gong for his endeavours. Nick and Freddie had another battle royal with Nick just taking the honours by 0.71 of a point! Adam cranked up the gears and recorded his best result of the season by some way! Congratulations to Phil - on two counts. Firstly, for also recording a PB and; secondly, for managing to squeeze in to his race bib unlike all the other racers in the Masters category! And, despite not finishing, it's simply a matter of time before Chris (similar to Emily) records a cracking result. Chris's form is definitely returning - and not just on the skiing front. His display of aerial acrobatics had the crowd gasping as he flattened the finish board without disrupting the timing gear! Chris - if only someone had captured this on video, you'd be famous on utube by now!

Many thanks to Kate, Dave and Maurice for acting as race officials - I know this was much appreciated by the Arrows club.

On to the Inter-Regional Championships. On a wet, windy and lightening-fast course, teams from up and down the country battled it out in a thrilling contest of high skill and bravery. Such was the commitment on a very rapid course with a series of tight final gates, it was inevitable that there would be plenty of spills. Unfortunately, in winning their place in the quarter final, Lauren Cadman in the West Midlands A team (our own region) fell badly and broke her collar bone. I have sent her a 'get better soon' message from the MSC. Regrettably, this meant that the A team wasn't able to continue. Our B and C teams put in sterling performances with the C team also fighting it out for a place in the quarter finals. Many congratulations to the following MSC racers who represented the West Midlands region:

Stuart Wickson, Dan Yeomans, Emily Dawes, Harry Hornsby, Chris May, Nick Miller, Olivia Waller, Adam Lee and Jake Chamberlain.

And finally! The next set of seed points will show big improvements for many MSC racers. This trend is fantastic for the club! Let's really keep the momentum going at Pendle next weekend - a slope with green matting and more sheep than humans!

WMSA Schools Race, Telford

23rd May, 2007
The annual WMSA schools race took place on Sunday at Telford. There were over 150 racers and the MSC was well represented and achieved the following medal positions:

Harry Hornsby 1st U16 Male and 1st Male Overall
Freya Eaton 2nd U10 Female
Adam Lee 3rd U12 Male
Elisabeth Thomas 3rd U12 Female
Nick Phelps 3rd U12 Male

Many congratulations to everyone who took part from the club! The full results can be found on the Telford Ski Club's site.

Guy

PS I still haven't received the Stoke fun race results but I think Elisabeth Thomas achieved 3rd place in her age group - well done!

Norwich and other races this weekend

21 May, 2007
There were a number of races this weekend and, as yet, I haven't received all the results. I do have the SSE results from the Norwich Club National and Grand Prix and these are set out here. The WMSA schools race (in which MSC racers did very well) and the Stoke fun race results will come through shortly.

The Norwich CN saw Jake and Jamie making their SSE debuts. Well done to Jamie who successfully completed his runs and now has points on the board! And, bad luck to Jake and Olivia who unfortunately didn't finish theirs. Whilst Sarah continues to build form, Emily recorded her best points of the season so far and Harry posted another low score (beating his big bro for the first time!). Only Sarah and Emily competed in the Norwich GP which, unfortunately, took its toll on Emily who didn't finish her 2nd run and Sarah's time was significantly affected by a mishap on her 1st run.

The Arrows CN takes place at Rossendale this Saturday in which there will be 12 MSC racers competing - another great turn out. This will be the last race before the next set of seed points is published so go for it!

Guy

May Gloucester League Results

17th May, 2007
The results from May were excellent. Midland A came 3rd, and the top 4 positions were:

Slalom Plus A 242
Western Counties 233
Mid A 229
Glos A 220

Midland B were 9th with 116 points and Midland Hawks 12th with 69 points. Full results are here.

The results have taken some time to come out as there were a number of problems, but these are the results that now stand. In the U13 and U18 groups the points don't always match the position in group, as Sam Allen was awarded 5 extra points coming 3rd in U13 instead of 8th in U18, but the remaining group points were not adjusted.

There were 11 people scoring 20 points or more:
Robbie Beak (27), Phil Deller (25), Maxine Hancock (24), Dave Hancock (24),Emily Dawes (24), Gerry Elgy (23), Sarah Dawes (22), Sam Allen (22), Jane Lee (22), Nick Miller (21), Mark Hawkins (21)

Skiers achieving 9 points in the afternoon:
Maxine Hancock, Olivia Waller, Robbie Beak, Sarah Dawes, Gerry Elgy, Marcus Plevnalis

Skiers in overall top 20:
Mark Hawkins (6th), Emily Dawes (14th)

There were 10 skiers in their first Gloucester race, some racing for the first time ever, others with previous races as individuals but new to the working together experience of team racing. Welcome and congratulations to all of them, particularly to Gerry Elgy (yet again), Dominic Plenvalis (11th of 32 in U10 )and Freya Eaton (16th in U10).

There was the usual tough competition in the U13 and U18 age groups. In the U18 group of 29 skiers well done to all skiers, there were some really good performances and improvements on last year. Fastest were Emily Dawes (age 15, 4th), Nick Miller (age 14, 7th) and Adam Lee (13 last month, 10th) and in the U13 Sam Allen (3rd).

Saturday also saw some more good teamwork and worthy of a mention are Karen Conde who recorded the times in the morning and joined the start team for the afternoon, Sarah Dawes, Jerry Phelps and all the Dads who helped the younger skiers at the start, Fiona Jones for an excellent team contribution in the head-to-head and Valerie Waller for providing a superb apres ski meal. We were unusually quiet, the commentator was disappointed with the lack of support for some of our racers in the afternoon, not the usual Midland cheering, so there's some improvements to be made here.

Finally this was the first race for Kim and me as race managers and we would like to thank everyone for their help and support. Well done teams, a really good first race.

Jane

Hemel Race News

7th May, 2007
Fantastic to see so many MSC racers at the Hemel Club National on Saturday and the Hemel Grand Prix on Sunday. With 17 racers competing on Saturday and sporting their new MSC hoodies (many thanks Sally!) we looked a great team! And, I received several comments from other race clubs on how far the MSC had come over the last couple of years - respect!

As for the results - well, a bit of a mixed bag. But they need to be put in to perspective. Firstly, we saw debuts from Maxine, Karl and Alasdair in the Club National and all three did really well on their first outing! It was always going to be tough for the males as David Ryding competed in both competitions and stormed to victory by massive margins in each one making the event points some 30-40 higher than they would have otherwise been. And, in the Female Grand Prix, the margin of Jayme Baggio's victory had a similar impact on the points as did David's. So, bear this in mind when looking at the event points.

The Club National produced great results from Olivia who broke the 200 points mark and from Sophia who dived under 300 points! In the males, Nick M secured his Grand Prix qualification points and, in the brother of all battles, James just piped Harry on the last run! Stuart provided a couple of spectacular crashes in the Club National but pulled it all together with a tremendous 18th place (out of 106) in the Grand Prix - very tough courses resulting in nearly 50% of the males not finishing! After not troubling the scorers in the Club National, Emily also had an excellent Grand Prix and finished with 150 points.

The MSC racer results are attached. And, the first seed points list of season is meant to be published this week and this should see several big improvements. I'll circulate this when it comes out and explain to new racers how it's calculated.

Guy

Inter-Regional Championship Squad Selection

3rd May, 2007
The full squad for the Inter-Regional Championships at Rossendale on Sunday, 27th May has now been selected. For the first time in the history of the West Midlands region our strength/depth allows us to enter 3 teams. The selected squad members are:

Lauren Cadman (Stoke)
Abby Clifford (Telford)
Alex Bullock (Stoke)
Charlotte Shrimpton (Telford)
Jasmine Adams (Stoke)
Piers Cadman (Stoke)
Stuart Wickson (Midland)
Dan Yeomans (Midland)
James Hornsby (Midland)
Paul Bunton (Stoke)
Chris May (Midland)
Ben Adams (Stoke)
Harry Hornsby (Midland)
Tom Mclaughlin (Stoke)
Freddie Meyer (Midland)
Josh Streeton (Stoke)
Adam Lee (Midland)
Ben Cooper (Telford)
Ashley Breese (Telford)
Chris Yates (Stoke)
Olivia Waller (Midland)

Each team comprises 7 racers (with at least 2 of the opposite sex). The final A, B and C team selections will be made after the races this weekend at Hemel. These selections will be based principally on seed points and, with the next set due to be published after the Hemel races, there are still a few places in each of the teams yet to be finalised.

Many congratulations to all the Midland racers selected!

Guy

Rossendale and Bromley

30th April, 2007
The weekend's race results are here. 11 MSC racers competed in the Celtic Cup at Rossendale and the Club National at Bromley.

Nick and Sam made their debuts at Bromley and both did really well! Nick broke the 200 points mark with 192.62 and Sam was just over with 217.53. Another good set of results will see them both achieve the Grand Prix qualifying points criteria!

Rossendale saw Jane and Phil making their debuts (at the combined age of c.200) and both survived! In fact, Jane returned with a Bronze (on Saturday) and a Silver (on Sunday) - well done Jane! The Deller family competition saw Phil edging out Lucy with a fine 2nd run. Chris had an off weekend for his high standards and Adam bounced back on Sunday after not finishing on Saturday. Emily and Sarah both had solid starts to the season on what were testing courses on a demanding surface. Freddie recorded two fine runs and Harry stormed to 109.42 points on Sunday after kicking himself for a disappointing 2nd run on Saturday (after a really good 1st run).

So, all in all, a very good start to the season for MSC racers with medals and PBs. Next weekend sees the tour arrive at Hemel for a Club National on Saturday and the first Grand Prix of the season on Sunday. Big and very strong fields for both the males and females - I bet the lads are so pleased to see that David Ryding has entered both!

All results are posted on the Britski.org site. You can also check out the www.skiresults.co.uk site for comprehensive analysis of all racer performances.

Guy

First Weekend of the Season

27th April, 2007
Good luck to everyone who's racing in the Celtic Cup at Rossendale and the Club National at Bromley. 11 MSC racers competing on the first weekend of the SSE/SSW season must surely be a record(?)!

Rossendale
Chris May (Sat and Sun)
Adam Lee (Sat and Sun)
Jane Lee ( Sat and Sun)
Harry Hornsby (Sat and Sun)
Emily Dawes (Sat)
Sarah Dawes (Sat)
Lucy Deller (Sun)
Phil Deller (Sun)
Freddie Meyer (Sun)

Bromley
Sam Allen
Nick Miller

I don't know the Bromley slope as it hasn't been used by SSE for a few years although I understand that big improvements have been made and it's not long at 120m.

Rossendale is also back on the scene after a 4-year gap. Stuart, James and Harry were up there last Sunday and said that the top half of the slope's matting was very poor - sharp edges are an absolute must! All of the main slope matting was meant to have been renewed (a requirement for regaining its slope homologation) in time for this weekend but they've only replaced a section of the bottom half. With the Arrows Club National, the All England Championships and the Inter-Regional Championships also being hosted by Rossendale there's going to be a few concerns! I'm aware that there's now a debate over the fairness of holding the inter-regionals at Rossendale because the dual slalom courses would have to be set on different qualities of matting making one side significantly grippier than the other.

Guy

Stoke Race Results

23rd April, 2007
Saturday's race results at Stoke are here. Well done to all the MSC racers competing - it was good to see some of our 'new' racers taking part (Oliver and Freya Eaton and Jack Webb).

I don't have Sunday's Telford race results yet but will circulate these when I get them

Fun Races

27th March, 2007
Just in case you haven't already got these dates in your diary.

Saturday, 21st April - Stoke
Sunday, 22nd April - Telford (this is the first leg of the WMSA inter-club competition)
Saturday, 19th May - Stoke
Sunday, 20th May - Telford (this is the WMSA schools race)
Saturday, 9th June - Stoke (this is the 2nd leg of the WMSA inter-club competition)
Saturday, 21st July - Stoke
To be arranged - The Ackers

I haven't yet received entry forms for any of the Stoke fun races or the WMSA schools race.

I have, however, the Telford fun race entry form for 22nd April. This is the first leg of the WMSA inter-club competition (i.e. Midland v Stoke v Telford). It is principally aimed at young and/or inexperienced racers. It's a good opportunity for people not necessarily looking to register with SSE or are to young to enter SSE races. The idea is that each club nominates 6 of their competing racers (usually spread across the age groups) with the best 4 performances to count for team points. All nominated racers must have either no SSE seed points or more than 250 (using the 2006 end-of-season seed points list). Entries need to be sent in by 18th April - all details are on the entry form.

All entries have to be made on an individual basis. And, if you are going to enter, please can you let me know so that I can advise Telford of our 6 nominated racers in advance of the race day.

I think this would be a good race for our keen Friday evening youngsters. Please, therefore, could I ask any of the Friday evening parents to spread the word - thanks.

Guy

Summer Race Season Approaches

26th March, 2007
With the British (artificial surface) race season starting at the end of April, I'm conscious that there are a number of MSC racers yet to compete on the circuit who I'm sure would like to know more about these races.

Races are held up and down the country virtually every weekend until mid October. They are organised by the UK's governing bodies - Snowsport England, Snowsport Wales, etc. Each race provides an opportunity for competitors to earn seed points - which determines the national rankings. There are four different levels of race - Club National, Celtic Cup, Grand Prix and National Championships. The Gloucester Summer Race League is not included as this is a 'fun' competition and does not carry seed points.

In the meantime, you can get details of all the races on the Britski web site (look for summer race calendar). And, check out the Snowsport England web site for racer registration details.

Guy

MSC Snow Racers

22nd February, 2007
With the British snow racing season now well under way, MSC racers have recently been competing in France. Results so far:

British Alpine Racing Ski Clubs (BARSC) Championship - Val Thorens
FIS Junior Slalom

Harry Hornsby - 43rd overall (66 starters) and 29th in J1 age category. (British entries: 26th overall and 17th in J1)

British Schoolboys Championships - Les Menuires
Childrens Slalom

Sam Allen - 32nd overall (106 starters) and 8th in CH1 age category. (All British entries)

These were the first snow races for Sam and Harry - congratulations to both!

Sam's is currently training over in France with the British Ski Academy and his next races are at the Welsh Championships in Champery on 7th/8th March. Harry will next be racing in the Scottish Championships in Courchevel on 6th/7th April and the English Championships in Puy Saint Vincent 9th/10th April. Both will be competing in the slalom and GS events.

I'm aware of one or two other MSC racers thinking of entering the English Championships (the Scottish Championships are for FIS racers only). If anyone else is interested and wants to know more (believe me - it's complicated!) then please get in contact with me.

It's great to see MSC racers once again competing on snow. It would be really good to see our numbers grow - we've doing on it on plastic, now let's do it on the real stuff!

Guy