Marcus Hubrich sole N.Z. skier in Europe

Press, 27 November 1982, Page 64

Marcus Hubrich sole N.Z. skier in Europe

By

TIM DUNBAR

Instead of taking up a generous offer from the Italians to join their training camp this month all but one member of the New Zealand A ski team are languishing at home. New Zealand’s sole representative in Europe is the national men’s champion, Marcus Hubrich (Wellington), who left home on November 2 with extremely limited funds. The 19-year-old Hubrich has already spent one week training with the Italians and another with the Norwegians, both in Solden, Austria. Meanwhile the other New

Zealand A team members invited to train with the Italians have been forced to stay at home because of a lack of finance. Kate Rattray (Canterbury) and Bruce and Christine Grant (Queenstown) are all now looking at the United States as a “second-best” choice after Europe for training and racing over the northern winter. Hoped-for subsidies from the New Zealand Sports Foundation have failed to materialise in spite of urgent pleas from ski officials during the last two months. Marcus Hubrich had to pay his own way over to Europe, raising half the $2500 air fare through a

part-time job over the New Zealand winter — and borrowing the rest. “Marcus is now on the way (from Switzerland) for another week with the Italians at their training camp in Vai Senales,” said his father, Mr Peter Hubrich. “All that costs money. I expect an S.O.S. call soon.” Mr Hubrich, the New Zealand Ski Association’s technical director, said from Wellington that the Sports Foundation had been a “tremendous help” to the four top A team members for the New Zealand season. The foundation had announced developmental grants in August to six skiers. Each of the A team

quartet received $lOOO and two B team members, Simon Wi Rutene (Rotorua) and Mattias Hubrich (Wellington), $5OO each. According to Mr Hubrich, that help had made the A team feel relatively safe about further assistance to train and race in Europe for this vital pre-Olympic season. The Grants were dependant on such a subsidy and with nothing forthcoming from the foundation Queenstown businessmen were trying to raise $2OOO to get them away overseas. But it seems now that a United States destination is the best thpt can be done. Mr Hubrich said that the

United States Ski Association had invited national team members there on an exchange scheme. “On one hand that’s tremendous, but potential Olympic skiers have to'experience European conditions.” “Americans have to go to Europe, too,” Mr Hubrich said. “Europe has different slopes, different snow conditions, different mentality. That’s where the music plays, that’s where you have to go.” Any New Zealand A and B team members in . Europe will at least have a coach. The N.Z.S.A.’s alpine director, Mr Andreas Hefti, has apparently found a European coach (thereby saving an air

fare) to take care of them on the international ski-racing circuit. It is hoped that Marcus Hubrich will be joined in Europe later by two B team members, his younger brother, Mattias, and the 16-year-old Wi Rutene. But they wilt have to find the money themselves. Mr Hubrich said that it was “a very great pity” that the Grants would be denied the chance to train in Europe. During the last northern winter the Sports Foundation had supported four A team members, including the Grants, but now it seems skiing is not particularly high on its priority list.

“The Sports Foundation is sympathetic, but not able to help,” said Mr Hubrich. "We came after the Commonwealth Games. Our sport is the wrong time of year.” New Zealand’s impact in world ski-ing has hardly been great, but racers such as Bruce Grant, seventh in the international downhill at Mount Hutt last August, have made considerable forward steps. Before the national team's “Super” coach, David Irwin, returned to Canada in September he predicted that Grant, Marcus Hubrich, and Wi Rutene could all be among the top 30 in the world within two years.