Avalanche of medals snow problem for city’s squad Student skiers a qualified success
SNOWSPORTS
NEWCASTLE University swept the board at the northern qualification round of the British Indoor Snowsports Championships.
The stand-out performances by a number of athletes at the Xscape in Castleford, Yorkshire, saw 11 skiers and four snowboarders qualify for the finals next March.
These included two individual titles and a first-place finish for the mixed ski team and the team ski duals.
Undergraduate geography student Kirsty Guest scooped the gold medal in the individual ski slalom, while Archie Dawe secured first place in individual snowboard slalom.
Guest, from Perth, Scotland, said: “This was my first experience at the northern qualification races and the first time I have raced on snow for the university.
“The atmosphere and support within the teams and between the universities was fantastic and it was great to see so many competing.
“I think we were successful because everyone works really hard and wants to push themselves.
“The team event is really a case of where we all come together and the dynamics of the team are great with everyone supporting each other.”
Calum Pitkethly, competitions secretary for Newcastle University Ski and Snowboard Club, added: “The event acted as a prime opportunity to showcase Newcastle’s exquisite talent against tough Northern universities.
“We came into the competition with high expectations as a lot of our athletes come from snow skiing backgrounds.
“It was just a case of handling the pressure and replicating what we do in training to put down clean runs.
“In the end we could not be happier with the results.
“Our success was largely down to our professionalism and comradery.
“Although snowsports is very much an individual sport, we pride ourselves on supporting one another.
“Whether it be in competition, weekly training or S and C sessions, we are constantly working together to strive towards maximising performance.”
Team Newcastle snowsports athletes are now gearing up for the finals on March 20.
Guest added: “To win the team event would be the highlight and the goal for the indoor series.
“Skiing is an individual sport so everyone will be looking to do as well as they can in the individual events, where hopefully we can pick up a few podiums.”
Pitkethly added: “We will be expecting to win the team duals event and will be looking for some more individual podiums.
“Maintaining Newcastle’s position as one of the top snowsports universities in the country remains one of our main priorities and we will be training hard between now and the finals to secure this.”
The Newcastle University Ski and Snowboard Club is a member-based club, the largest club in Newcastle University.
It accommodates all levels of skier and snowboarders - from internationals to beginners.
For more information contact compsec@nussc.org.