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11 Apr, 2006 - British Junior and Childrens Ski Champs
After more than 20cms of fresh snow fell through the last 24 hours, the
biggest victory today was that earned by the race team on the former
Olympic piste in Meribel to rescue the Giant Slalom, the second and
final children's age-group event The British Land Junior & Children's
Championships.
After more than six hours of hard labour from the local race area team,
coaches and athletes a single run giant slalom was contested.
With 146 boys racing and an entry of 78 girls conditions proved tough
with a bumpy track which quickly became rutted and uneven, breaking
through in places to a hard icy crust below and slushy base in others.
Even some of the racers who made it on to the podium today admitted it
was probably their toughest giant slalom of the season.
James Filsell (14, Alloa, Clackmannanshire) proved conclusively that he
has the potential to at least emulate the successes of his coach Ross
Green, as he kept a cool head today to win the Boys' Giant Slalom title.
With a measured attack, absorbing the bumps well and sticking to an
aggressive line on the steepest pitches, Filsell won by 48 hundredths of
a second from Harry Brown (14, Nice), with Jack Evans (14, Stoke Poges)
taking bronze.
Filsell, started skiing at the age of three on the same diminutive 60
metre long dry ski slope that 2002 Olympian Green did, in the imposing
shadow of the oil refinery at Grangemouth in Central Scotland, has
foregone normal life in Scotland to train for the last seven winters
with the British Ski Academy in Les Houches, Chamonix. He has been
Britain's most successful
Children's age-group racer internationally this year, according to the
British Children's Team Coach Green, who himself finished 15th in the
Olympic Combined in Salt Lake.
"The course was really bumpy and I felt like I was holding on all the
way. It was certainly probably the toughest giant slalom I have done all
year in terms of the snow conditions. It was icy in places and slushy in
others so you had to really anticipate, with lots of changes." Said
Filsell who also won the British Alpine Racing Ski Clubs' Giant Slalom
in nearby Les
Menuires in January and is aiming at a place on the Scottish Alpine Team
for next season. His one early experience of training on Scottish snow
was not a positive one, breaking his leg on his first day training at
Glenshee.
"It is really close between all of us (who are on the podium today) but
it was probably down to strength and fitness today as much as anything."
"James is a very cool customer with a great temperament. He just seems
to know what he needs to do and how to get there. It was so tough today
and he just concentrated on doing the basics, nothing fancy and keeping
his head.
He is a skier who has a great future ahead of him." Commented Ross
Green, British Children's Team coach.
All three of the Boys' Children II podium finishers train with the
British Ski Academy.
Second placed Harry Brown added to his Slalom title which he won on
Sunday to ensure that he won the overall British Childrens' Boy's
Combined Champion title.
"I was not that happy with the way I skied today. I didn't absorb the
bumps the way I should have and allowed myself to get thrown off line
too much. I was desperate to win but I was also keen to get down. It
feels great to win the overall title. I think it's an important step as
you move up to race on the international FIS circuit next season. I
can't complain about the
result. I did some sloppy skiing today and that was not what was
needed."
The Boy's Children 1 title stayed on the European mainland as Piers
Solomon (13) who lives and trains near Engelberg Titlis in Switzerland
and also trains in Solden, Austria made a big impression at his first
British event. With an English father and American mother Solomon is
keen to go on to ski in British colours. Among his Swiss peers he his
ranked highly, recently
finishing seventh and ninth at the Swiss Children's Championships.
" I came here and thought I might have a chance to do well, but I am
delighted to win." Commented Solomon.
Both of the top girls in the Children II age-group race also live and
train in the Alps. Abigail McMahon (14) lives in Faverges near Annecy.
With several of the top seeds deciding to sit out the race in view of
the conditions, she won by 78 hundredths of a second over Louisa
Russell-Henry (14) who lives in Les Houches. McMahon won the Children II
Girls' Combined title.
"I am really pleased to win. It was hard and bumpy and I was getting
bounced around all over the place and I just wanted to get finished, but
I was always really positive. I was really positive in the start area
and had loads of good support from my parents and coaches here. It would
have been tight with some of the other girls if they had raced and I'm
sure I would
have given them a good race."
By way of contrast Perth's Charlie Guest, (13) races with the Scottish
Ski Club and has worked with the FAST Camps and also has a little time
at the British Ski Academy as the recipient of a Rannoch Bursary award
which funds young Scottish skiers to go to the Academy.
She headed a Scottish girls' one-two as she led home Aberdeen's Alex
Tilley by 1.43 seconds to not only win the Children 1 Girls' Giant
Slalom title but secure the British Children 1 Girls' Combined title.
Results:
The British Land Junior & Children's National Ski Championships,
Meribel,
France.
Giant Slalom: Boys Children 1 (Year of Birth 1993-1994):
1 P Solomon (DHO/Switzerland) 1:05.48,
2 D Hall (Torquay) 1:07:08,
3 T Kirton (BritishSki Academy/Cliffe, Kent) 1:07.22,
Children II (Year of Birth 1991-2) and Open:
1 J Filsell (British Ski Academy/Alloa) 1:02.82,
2 H Brown (British Ski Academy/Nice, France) 1:03.30
3 J Evans (British Ski Academy/Stoke Poges) 1:03.83.
Girls, Children 1 (Year of Birth 1993-1994):
1 C Guest (Scottish Ski Club/Perth) 1:17.40,
2 A Tilley (Gordon Skiers/Torphins, Aberdeen) 1:18.83,
3 S French (Newbridge, Isle of Wight) 1:19.36.
Children II (Year of Birth 1991-2) and Open:
1 E McMahon (Kandahar/Faverges, France) 1:10.52,
2 L Russell-Henry (DHO/Les Houches, France) 1:11.32,
3 D Polley (Muckhart/Alva, Clacks) 1:13.09.
Combined Championship:
Boys Children
1: T Kirton,
2 R Steudle (British Ski Academy/Sunningdale, Bucks)
3 P Solomon,
Children II:
1 H Brown
2 J Filsell
3 J Evans,
Girls Children 1:
1 C Guest,
2 A Tilley,
3 S French,
Children II:
1 A McMahon,
2 L Russell-Henry,
3 C McKinnon (Scottish Ski Club/Troon).
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