SnowsportGB Newsletter Volume 7.
Latest News
* Zoe Gillings returns to form at the X-Games.
* Slow start for the British Ski Team at the World Championships.
* Franki Simonds wins overall title at the British Schoolgirls'
races.
* British Ski Team agree three year deal with UVEX.
Alpine
 Seven
days into the Alpine Ski World Championships in Are, Sweden
and events and good results from the British Land Alpine Team
skiers competing are still thin on the ground.
The key disciplines have yet to take place but there are
high hopes for Chemmy Alcott today (Friday) competing in the
Women's Super Combined. The opening weekend was a frustrating,
chilly time as both the Super G's were postponed due to high
winds and a mix of driving rain and snow. British team head
coach Mark Tilston described it as more typical of bad days
on Cairngorm, Scotland than Sweden.
Finlay Mickel missed a gate and skied out of the Men's Super
G in which Noel Baxter finished in a positive 38th, which
is a fair result considering his lack of Super G training.
The Women's Super G did not go well for Chemmy who finished
in 28th of the 34 finishers. In the Men's Super Combined on
Thursday Noel Baxter finished in 25th. Noel placed 22nd in
the Slalom after lying 38th from the downhill section in which
he was 3.8 seconds off the fastest time set by Bode Miller.
"It has been alright so far. Nothing special yet in
terms of the results, but conditions are much better now."
Reported Mark Tilston on Thursday evening, "Noel was
nothing spectacular. On one section in the downhill he made
a big mistake and got low and late and that cost him, and
in the Slalom there was some good skiing too, but he was late
in his line going in to the final, flat section and that was
just too expensive. There were three difficult 'turny' gates
at the finish and that was what caught him out. There were
some good positives to take from it; a top 20 for Noel would
have been a good result, but the Slalom is still his main
focus."
"The Super G's were both disappointing. Finlay is not
skiing well enough technically and that is why he made the
mistake he did. As he would say he is just not up far enough
with the volume control, not pushing himself hard enough,
not generating enough speed on the top sections. Noel only
did the Super G as preparation and experience and his skiing
was OK, but he did a good job."
"Chemmy's run was tentative and apprehensive. The fact
is it is the World Championships and she wants to do well
so much that it all definitely gets to her. She is trying
to address some technical issues with her skiing and is not
avoiding the important issues."
"She had a few bad days in Val d'Isere and that has
affected her, but her 18th in downhill training today was
much better, it a matter of trying to get the process of her
consistent good performance back on track and her confidence
is building."
Speaking on the Championships in general Tilston says "Overall
these championships have been good, so far. Well organised
and very Swedish and very cold. Of course there is no one
here to watch because it is minus 25C and we are up here where
there is nothing, in the very north of the world."
"The organising team are working so very hard up against
some real challenges. They did a phenomenal job to prepare
the courses. It is not dissimilar to Bormio where there were
no crowds and a real contrast to Sestriere and the Olympics
where you were really conscious of the big crowds and the
atmosphere, especially down the Slalom course where it really
raised the intensity. The hills are not difficult which makes
it a challenge to generate speed, but the good skiers still
do, and the cold snow is slow, so overall it is a real challenge."
Alain Baxter arrived on Tuesday and will have a full week
of training at the venue which has fond memories for him,
scene of his best ever world cup result, 4th in the 2001 World
Cup Finals Slalom.
"Kitzbuehel did prove for Alain that he can still do
it and he has been so close to getting back in to the Top
30. He will have a better start number than at world cup."
"I am massively disappointed that some of the younger
guys and girls did not make it here. There are other nations
here with skiers of lesser ability but I just don't think
we should bring skiers here just for the experience. It does
nobody any good to come to the World Championships and finish
40th or 50th."
Meanwhile there have been some good results from some of
the younger, up and coming alpine skiers. Dougie Crawford
finished 4th in the Austrian Junior Championships Super G
in St Lambrecht with Jan Michael Kochalski in 16th. In the
Giant Slalom Dougie finished 20th making a 26 point result,
with David Ryding in 31st. Crawford also won a FIS GS Race
in Pfelders, Italy in late January. Andy Noble made a 12th
and 13th in consecutive FIS Slaloms in San Candido, Italy
before a fourth in GS in Ravascletto/Zoncolan (ITA)
The British Schoolgirls' races were held in Flaine, France
at the end of January and despite the lack of snow races were
achieved on the Mephisto piste and not the Stade as planned.
On a less daunting piste Franki Simonds won the first slalom
race, with Steph Ovenden finishing second from a start number
of 131, and Liz Palfrey third. Franki Simonds was again on
top of the podium in the second slalom race with Scottish
Schoolgirl Amanda Rennie finishing second and Elizabeth Stevenson
was third.
Franki Simonds won the overall award with the Children 1
winner Emily Evans surprising everyone with a tremendous 2nd
overall. Hannah Parker was third in the overall award.
The races were organized by the Ladies' Ski Club and sponsored
by World Challenge Expeditions.
Snowboard
There were some strong results delivered by the British Snowboard
Team following the World Championship's in Arosa, Switzerland.
Dan Wakeham secured 16th place in the Half Pipe World Cup
event in Bardonecchia. This result leaves Dan 26th in the
current World Cup rankings. Not far behind Dan is Sam Cullum
who has show good results this season and his 21st in Bardonecchia
was his best ever in World Cup.
Following on from an excellent performance by leading snowboard
cross athlete Zoe Gillings in the Winter X-Games where she
finished 7th in a field made up of the same athletes who competed
at the Winter Olympic Games in Turin 2006, Gillings achieved
another Top 10 when she finished 8th out of a field of 50
in a Europa Cup event in Chamonix. This result was bettered
when Gillings took second spot the following day, demonstrating
to all that she has recovered in full from her foot injury
of last year and recapturing the form which makes Gillings
such a great prospect for the future.
Freestyle
 Great
Britain Mogul hopefuls Martin Nankoo and Ellie Koyander competed
in the first FIS Europa Cup races of the season in Airolo,
Switzerland.
The field of skiers was particularly strong with a powerful
Russian contingent made up of their Olympic and World Cup
Squads. It came as no surprise in the first race that these
Russian Olympians dominated the female event, with Dymchenko
(six times World Champion) taking Gold, Cherkasova ( three
times Olympian) taking Silver and seasoned Europa Cup skier
Olga Orlova taking Bronze.
The podium was similar on the second day of events other
than Katherina Foerster of Germany who nosed Orlova out of
3rd place to capture the bronze. 15 year old Ellie Koyander
skied two very confident races taking a top 15h position on
each day.
Martin Nankoo had mixed success in the men's event. The first
day saw him land his first air only to find that his rear
binding had partially snapped. With his boot rattling around
in his ski he was lucky to make a top to bottom run finishing
in 26th . The race was won by Russian World Cup skier Andrey
Volkov, Silver to Baptiste Francillon of France and Bronze
to Andreas Zimmermann of Germany. The second day saw the slope
deteriorate and the weather closed in with snow and wind driving
across the course. A slight loss of balance before the second
kicker saw Martin regain his composure just at the base of
the kicker where he managed to pull a technically demanding
front flip landing him in 33rd place. Volkov was again on
the podium with gold, Artem Smirnov of Russia in second and
Vaclav Novak of Czech Republic in third.
Martin travels to La Plagne, France for two World Cup races
and Ellie to the next leg of the Europa Cup circuit in Bad
Wiesee Germany
British Championships
Stockbroker, Wills and Co. who are bib sponsors of the 2007
British Land National Ski Championships will be hosting a
Champagne 'Downhill Party' on the evening of Monday 26th March
2007. The event, which will be held in Le Poste, will be the
first of several social events happening during the week of
the championships.
The principle sponsor of the championships The British Land
Company Plc., will host a Gala dinner on the evening of Thursday
29th March in the company of the patron of the federation,
The Earl of Wessex, at the Hotel Allodis.
Further details of all the social events which are scheduled
during the Championships will be announced in future newsletters
and via www.snowsportgb.com.
Other News
SnowsportGB announce they have agreed a three year pool supply
deal for the British Ski Team with German helmet and goggle
supplier UVEX. This deal which will take effect from May 2007
will end the long relationship The British Ski Team has had
with Scott.
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