Young But Experienced Skiers

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31576, 13 January 1968, Page 13

Young But Experienced Skiers

'A VERY young, but very experienced, team of seven ski racers has been selected to represent New Zealand at the 1968 Winter Olympic Games at Chamrousse, France. There are no real surprises in the team, as all seven skiers have proved their right to represent New Zealand. Only the absence of Miss K. Guy (Canterbury) occasioned surprise when the team was chosenMiss Guy has been New Zealand's top women racer for the last few years and is national giant slalom champion. She won every race she entered last year and is the only national title-holder not in the team. But, if she is most unfortunate, the other skiers have earned their places. The team is:— Miss M. Blakely (Auckland). — Aged 17, Miss Blakely is still at school. She first sprang to prominence in 1961 when, aged only 11, she finished fourth for the North Island women’s combined title. In 1962, she was fourth in the giant slalom and seventh in the downhill at the national championships. For the next four years her progress was not spectacular but last year she raced in Australia and won the Australian national slalom title, finishing fourth in the combined. She then came to Canterbury and finished fourth in the slalom, giant slalom, and combined in the Bata Cup.

A month later she won the North Island slalom and combined titles; and moved on to win the New Zealand downhill, slalom, and combined titles, finishing third in the giant slalom. This year she won the North Island slalom, giant slalom, and combined. After finishing third in the national giant slalom, she won the slalom and combined titles. Her selection was considered a foregone conclusion. Miss A- Reid (Otago).— Although only 21, Miss Reid is almost a veteran racer, having finished third in the national downhill and fourth in the combined in 1959 at the age of 13. She has been one of New Zealand's top women racers ever since although her career was checked in 1961, when she was chosen -for the New Zealand team to Australia, by a broken leg in a practice run. Her greatest year was in 1962 when she won the slalom, downhill and combined titles at the South Island championship. After an indifferent period for several years she returned to the New Zealand team against Australia in 1965, with third placings in the national downhill and giant slaloms. After a year in Europe

she finished second in the national combined this year, with high placings in both slalom and giant slalom races. R. Palmer (Auckland): Only 21, Palmer is a genuine international racer. After finishing fourth in the North Island slalom in 1961 and sixth in the 1962 national giant slalom, he had a season’s ski-ing in Europe at the age of 17. In 1964 he finished second in the North Island slalom and combined titles and was included in the New Zealand team against the Swiss. In 1965 he finished second in the national downhill and combined titles, and represented New Zealand against Australia. Since then, Palmer has been in Europe. His record, as a lone racer in big-time sport, has been little short of miraculous and he is certainly the finest ski racer New Zealand has ever produced. Still short of his physical peak, there was never any doubt of his selection for Chamrousse. T. Huppert (Wellington): A reinstated instructor, Huppert has raced consistently well during the last two seasons and is North Island and New Zealand combined champion. The son of immigrant parents, he first won promin-

ence in 1962 when he took the national giant slalom and downhill titles. After several years instructing, Huppert returned to amateur racing last year and rapidly gained the limelight with good displays in Australia and in the Bata Cup. He went on to win the North Island slalom, giant slalom and combined titles, and, a week later, won the national downhill race and finished second in the slalom. This year he again won the North Island slalom, giant slalom and combined; and finished second in both the national slalom and giant slalom to win the combined. C. Womersley (Canterbury): The latest of a ski racing family, Womersley’s career has been interrupted. Because he is a “fast” racer his results have often been hit or miss but for the last six years he has been marked as a national prospect. Since 1963, when he finished equal second in the South Island slalom at the age of 15, he has been a top flight racer. In 1964 and 1965 his results were chequered because of his quest for speed but he might well have made the New Zealand team in 1965 against Australia had he been available.

Last year he finished fourth in South Island slalom, giant slalom and combined; second in the Canterbury slalom; and skied well at the nationals before crashing in the slalom. He entered only two races this year—winning the national slalom and crashing spectacularly at high speed in the giant slalom. His selection is an investment for the future. It is in the win or die racers like Womersley that New Zealand's ski racing future lies. M. Gardner (Canterbury): Two years older than Womersley, Gardner would have been desperately unlucky not to have been .included in the team. 1 After a year overseas, this almost unknown racer won the Canterbury slalom and combined titles in his first major outing, in 1965. He skied consistently at the South Island championships but sprained an ankle at the nationals when certain of a place in the New Zealand team. Last year he retained his Canterbury combined title and raced brilliantly in Australia to win the Australian slalom and combined titles and finished second in the giant slalom. He won the Bata Cup giant slalom and finished

third in the national downhill and fourth in the combined, . This year he came equal fourth in the national giant slalom. Gardner is another fast racer whose results have been remarkably consistent considering his speed. He is unlucky proper downhills are so seldom held in New Zealand as this is his forte. M. Dennis (Canterbury): Like Huppert, Dennis is 24 years old and, also like Huppert, is an outstanding giant slalom racer. Since coming second in the Canterbury giant slalom in 1964, Dennis has been consistently successful and represented New Zealand against Australia in 1965. A West Coast school teacher, Dennis has had to make considerable sacrifices to race—including threehour trips each way every week-end to ski at all. He has also been a very unlucky racer—if he could have kept his balance at just one gate at the 1966 national slalom he would have been national combined champion. He had previously finished second to Huppert in the downhill. At this year’s nationals he came third in the slalom and giant slalom, and was second in the combined.

THE POWERFUL and smooth service of the Davis Cup tennis player, B. E. Fairlie, is shown in this magic eye sequence of Fairlie when playing in the New Zealand championships at Wilding Park.