205 skiers from across London raced at the London Schools Ski Race on Sunday (14 June). They included first timers alongside experienced racers in a day that combined fun with serious sport.
For many skiers, it was their first race and, even, the first time they had had an opportunity to represent their school in any sport.
The LSSR Cups for Primary and Secondary were taken by Surbiton High School and The Hall after an exciting Dual Slalom knockout. Other schools picking up Gold medals for their teams were Gillotts School, Eltham College, Berkhamsted School, New Hall School and St Albans School. The awards were presented by Skicross champion, ranked 54th in the world, Ed Drake.
Schools raced in teams of four skiers in different age categories, from Year 2 to Year 13. The fastest three times in each run counted towards the final time for the team.
In the Dual Slalom, teams of four raced head to head with each other in a relay. It was a knockout competition with the winner of each heat going through to the next round. It created an exciting finish to the day as schools cheered on each member of their team to the finish
Commenting on the race, Dominic McGonigal Race Director said, “It was great seeing so many children taking the sport seriously and having a lot of fun. I was impressed by the first time racers who navigated a challenging Slalom course and showed the results of their training in recent weeks. We also saw some expert skiing from the experienced racers who gave us consistently fast runs. I particularly want to thank our main sponsor Basecamp, our prize sponsor BSA and our other supporters for making this such a good event.”
The London Schools Ski Race was held on Sunday 14 June at Gosling Ski Centre, Welwyn Garden City. The main sponsor was Basecamp. The prize sponsor was British Ski Academy. Other supporters were Skiplex, Ski Bartlett, Ski Bitz and Snowsport England. For more information about the London Schools Ski Race, please visit www.LSERSA.org.
