N.Z. ski team meets

Press, 23 November 1987, Page 30

N.Z. ski team meets

Simon Wi Rutene (Rotorua), Mattias Hubrick (Turoa), Nils Coberger (Canterbury) and Chris Mosaed (Raetihi) will be doing two weeks of technical training as a lead-up to the start of the international ski-racing circuit in Europe.

• The New Zealand skiers hope to do well enough In the races to qualify for the Calgary Winter Olympics by the selectors’ deadline of December 28.

According to the secretary of the New Zealand Ski Association, Adrian Farnsworth, a lack of snow in Europe and the limit of two

skiers per discipline in World Cup events will be a problem for the Kiwis.

Wi Rutene, the national champion, has already been training on the glaciers with the Austrian A and B teams for some weeks and his form had been "quite exceptional,” Mr Farnsworth said from Auckland.

Among that elite group Wi Rutene was fifth fastest in the giant slalom and only 1.5 s behind the top times. “He still has a lot of work to do in slalom,” said Mr Farnsworth.

Meanwhile a member of the New Zealand women’s

team, Jane Blair, of Queenstown, who turns 16 soon, has been training with the Ger-

man team and has amazed observers by beating every girl of her age group In the giant slalom. Her first races will be in two weeks. Biair is staying with the great Rosi Mittermaier, who

won two gold medals and a silver at the Innsbruck Winter Olympics in 1976. Another Olympic hopeful from Queenstown, the downhiiler, Bruce Grant, is training with Steven Lee and other

members of the Australian team.