HBSS

This year’s skiing season has been dogged with undesirable weather conditions, time and time again and the Hawkes Bay Secondary School Ski Champs was no exception. On the scheduled day of competition, our Maunga dished up wet, snowy, gale force winds with poor visibility, forcing the upper mountains facilities to close for the day. The competition was postponed overnight. Sunday brought about a minimal improvement, allowing a reduced 12 gate Kombi Course on K Road to be set.

The Lindisfarne boys prevailed the gusting head winds, that caused havoc to many, coming out trumps, continuing the school’s dominance of this event over the years. Team 1 in 1st place and Team 2 finishing 2nd.

1st Place

Lindisfarne Team 1

Aidan Wilkins, Ned Brougham, George Brougham, Herbie Coates

2nd Place

Lindisfarne Team 2

Tom Goodison, Will Lowry, Ollie Clayton, Kees Tomlinson

Individual Results

Aidian Wilkins 2nd (Fastest Male)

Ned Brougham 3rd

George Brougham 4th

Herbie Coates 7th

Tom Goodison 8th

Will Lowry 10th

Ollie Clayton 11th

Kees Tomlinson 19th

NISSSC

The North Island Secondary Schools Giant Slalom event is held at Whakapapa with the Slopestyle & Skier Cross held at Turoa. Monday 16th of September was to host the Giant Slalom competition with the Slopestyle Ski and Skier cross events marked for Tuesday 17th, day two. However, our Maunga had other ideas! High winds put all racing on hold, day 1. Conditions deteriorated further causing RAL to close the Mountain both sides on day 2. This pushed all events out to Wednesday 18th September. Frustratingly many schools had not factored accommodation and travel into this extension. So a number of teachers and pupils were forced to return home, especially those sitting benchmark exams, our Lindisfarne B Team Will Lowry, Tom Goodison, Ned Brougham, Kees Tomlinson & Oliver Clayton graciously accepting their fate.

Lindisfarne A team were able to stay and compete thanks to the mammoth efforts, and expertise of Marian Campbell, who managed at short notice to get senior benchmark exams up the mountain for the boys to sit on the Tuesday cancellation day, in a controlled environment, in conjunction with Westlake Girls High, who were staying in the same lodge, and in the same predicament.

Wednesday arrived and brought the goods! The full GS courses were set, Seniors in Pinnacle Valley & Junior Boys on Gollum. With 400 GS competitiors, (248 Juniors, 124 Men, 124 Women & 157 Seniors, 62 Men, 95 Women), & over 100 teams the Lindisfarne A team boys produced great performances with outstanding results. Lindisfarne Team A finished 8th overall, their 4th top 10 finish in as many years. Aidan Wilkins finished fastest Junior Men, Herbie Coates 26th Junior men, Cole Scott 10th Senior Men, George Brougham 13th Senior Men & Harry Lowry 17th Senior Men. Will Lowry, competing as an individual finished 36th Junior men.

The boys continue to be ever grateful to Marian Campbell for her organisation, support and involvement with the ski teams, Mike Brougham and Shane Scott, the tireless course volunteer school representatives, year after year, whom without these people, the opportunity for the school to be represented would not be possible.

Four of our boys have been competing in the SSNZ NZ Youth Series Alpine skiing events accumulating national points. Cole Scott & George Brougham U19, Aidan Wilkins & Ned Brougham U16. Alpine skiing involves 3 disciplines, Super G, Giant Slalom (GS) & slalom and is raced at various Ski fields between the North & South Island. At the recent NI Champs the boys raced 2x Slalom & 2x GS courses and received some medal winning results. Aidan Wilkins Finished 1st U16 in all four of his races, Ned Brougham a consistent 12th U16 in both GS and 1xSlalom run, George Brougham claimed a 1st & 2nd U19 in both his GS runs and another 1st U19 in slalom. Cole Scott had a 1st U19 in GS and a 2nd U19 in Slalom.

Cole Scott & Aidan Wilkins will be competing at the Nationals in Wanaka 26th-28th September.

Article added: Monday 11 November 2019