U.S. Coach For Womersley

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32221, 13 February 1970, Page 15

U.S. Coach For Womersley

'From MR HUDSON TURNBULL, manager of the New Zealand ski team, for N Z P A ) VAL GARDENA. The 21-year-old New Zealand ski-ing champion, C. Womersley (Canterbury), will have the benefit of an American coach over the latter stages of the world championship.

One of America’s top skiers, D. McCoy, who was a member of the squad from which the United States world championship team was chosen, offered to coach the young New Zealander after seeing him in action in a number of pre - championships races. Now, we are the New' Zealand ski team—with a manager. a coach and one racer. The championships finish this week-end with the, downhill _ qualifying race—each competitor must have a non-

stop run to qualify—on Saturday and the main event on Sunday. Womersley was eliminated from the slalom last week-end when he fell during both runs but finished sixty-second and fifty-seventh in his two legs of the giant slalom. While his slalom technique has improved tremendously, i his downhill racing is! slightly below par, and for this reason the coaching of McCoy should be invaluable.; In events leading up to the world championships. Worn-! ersley did not fare too well, largely because of the poor; quality of the snow. At the Madonna Di Cantpiglio meeting. he skied as well as ever, he has done but fell victim! to some of the roughest giant slalom courses he has raced! over. I On his first run he missed a gate and was disqualified, but in the second giant slalom event, where he started in eighty-sixth position, he finished with a combined placing of fifty-seventh, which was highly commendable in the circumstances. Womersley’s times were 1! min 38,095ec and 2min 4.66seci compared with the winning! times of Imin 22.745ec and Imin 51.01 sec. The winner was an 18-year-old Italian, Gustavo Thoeni. After this week-end, the action moves to Austria where there will be a World Cup B grade competition, comprising downhill, giant slalom and slalom, on February 17 and 18. I'"" " '