Ski-inq coach has high hopes

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34013, 29 November 1975, Page 4

Ski-inq coach has high hopes

(By

KEVIN TUTTY)

The season just concluded did not rim smoothly for the national ski-ing coach, Ron Sargent. He was the centre of a quarrel over the selection of the New Zealand Winter Olympic team. and criticised for his lack of attention to the national squad.

But Sargent weathered all the accusations and concentrated on preparing for the winter Olympics at Innsbruck in February a team he hopes will be New Zealand’s most successful.

The selection row arose when Jon Jarvis, winner of all three men’s events at the national championships at Mount Hutt in September, was not chosen in the five-man Olympic team. Sargent would not be drawn into discussing the controversy before he left New Zealand last week, except to say: “it’s no use crying over spilt milk. The decision was made by the four selectors, and it was not made lightly. The team was given a tremendous amount of thought."

One of the accusations levelled at Sargent was that he did not spend enough time with the national A and B squads, because he spent too much time on New- Zealand Ski Association business.

This he was more willing to discuss. “I did have a lot to do for the New Zealand association, but someone had to do it and I was the logical one,” Mr Sargent said.

“What the association needs is a full time winter manager, who can look after much of the work involved in preparing for races. Last year there was a manager and this helped a lot.”

Because there was no manager last season it was

inevitable that he became involved in the administration of the New Zealand circuit races. With a squad of 15 racers, Mr Sargent admitted that at times he could have used an assistant coach, and the ideal would be to have a trainer and masseur as well. But in New Zealand having so many team officials was not realistic. Mr Sargent was uncertain whether he would apply for the national coaching job next season, but left New Zealand convinced ski-ing will progress rapidly in the next four or five years. “In the three years I have been in New Zealand the sport has been experiencing a boom, and this must increase the number and standard of racers in the next few years.” Already there are hintsof increased standard. Women’s ski-ing is especially strong and there are a number of young men strengthening the top of their division. New Zealand racers could improve at a greater rate if they made better use of the facilities available, Mr Sargent said. The racing programme finished too early in the season — the end of September — but there was still good snow on several fields a month later. The racing programme usually lasts about 12 weeks, consisting of six weeks of training and six weeks during which the circuit races are held.

“The Europeans race and train for 10 months of the year,” Mr Sargent said.

“In New Zealand when the circuit races are finished the season ends, but there is still a month of good snow left and more if the racers were allowed to train on the Tasman or other glaciers.” There was no need for competition in this period. The skiers would benefit

greatly just by training. “Some of the best training you can get is on ice, which you would strike on the glaciers,” he said. At present three fields in New Zealand — Mount Ruapehu, Mount Hutt and Cornonet Peak — are awaiting ratification as international courses, which will enable them to be used for F.I.S. races. It is proposed in the future to hold a South Pacific circuit, and this would be a tremendous boost to ski racing, Mr Sargent said. But the success of such a circuit would depend on the support of the European nations, If they did not bother to send teams to the southern hemisphere in their off season, the circuit would not get off the ground. Since the national championships finished at the end of September, the fivestrong Olympic team has had the benefit of six weeks of intensive training at Mount Hutt.

Mr Sargent said all five had “come a long way since the nationals,” and he expected them to do well in Europe if they

adapted themselves to the conditions.

There will be a series of World Cup races in January — 11 races in 20 days — and this will give the team experience of what to expect at Innsbruck. “We will have to make full use of any advantages that come our way. We want to do better than any previous New Zealand team, and one of our aims is to try to match the Australians, who are not too far ahead of us.” Mr Sargent will meet the team when it arrives in Europe in mid-December.

In the meantime the skiers — Stuart Blakely, Brett Kendall, Robin Armstrong. Sue Gibson and Janet Wells — are having a spell from ski-ing. but are continuing with a physical fitness programme.