Ski ‘gadgets’ at workshop

Press, 7 June 1982, Page 13

Ski ‘gadgets’ at workshop

the New Zealand ski-ing champion, Marcus Hubrich, of Wellington, demonstrates a “ski simulation board” during a dry-land training workshop at the Christchurch Polytechnic gymnasium over the week-end. Steadying the fitness training device is the Ski Association’s technical director, Mr Peter Hubrich, who demonstrated several other “gadgets” during the workshop, which was attended by about 40 skiers. The gadgets are used in

Austria to measure the potential of II to 14-year-olds for alpine ski racing and they also serve as excellent training devices. "Part of the idea was to make people conscious that ski-ing doesn’t just start when the first snow comes,” Mr Hubrich said. A breakdown in communications had meant the absence of some people expected to attend, but Mr Hubrich was pleased to see Robin Armstrong and Noel Dufty, from the Mount Hutt rare department.

He was disappointed that no New Zealand B team skiers were present, but there were three members of the national A squad, including Marcus Hubrich and Canterbury’s Mark Vryenhoek and Kate Rattray. Another leading Canterbury ski-racer, Mandy Vryenhoek, also attended. The Canterbury trio will soon be on the way north to Ohakune, where the New Zealand B team will begin a training camp on Thursday under the new national coach, Mr Dave Irwin, of

Canada. It is expected that the camp will last until the beginning of July, when the racers will move south in preparation for the Europa F.I.S. series at Mount Hutt. The training session on Saturday afternoon was supplemented with videotapes from the recent world alpine championships in Schladming, Austria. By "freezing” shots of the competitors in racing positions, Mr Hubrich was able to co-ordinate the video with the training excercises.