Cobergers moving north to train

Press, 28 July 1989, Page 48

Cobergers moving north to train

By TIM DUNBAR Two of New Zealand's best women skiers, Annelise and Adele Coberger, are moving out of Canterbury to do their training for the rest of the season. The move follows a coaching dispute at Mount Hutt. The two national A team members will head north for Whakapapa, Mount Ruapehu, tomorrow morning. They would have gone to another Canterbury skifield, Porter Heights, but there was insufficient snow for training. While the two Cobergers have been free ski-ing up at Mount Hutt since the snow arrived, they have had virtually no gate training. ■ According to the young women's father, Antan Coberger — himself a former New

Zealand ski champion — they "have been forced to train out of the province. What he described as the“central reason" was the cost of race coaching at Mount Hutt. Both racers would have been required to pay S2SM for 12 weeks training which he regarded as excessive. Mr Coberger said that the two Canterbury racers had wasted at least a month of training time while the dispute had been going on and he was upset at the attitude of the ski-Held. “The two girls have already spent four months or more overseas (training and racing in Europe) — and now they can’t train in their home district “They have got a very big welcome from £ Whakapapa, no strings attached," Mr £ob-

erger said. “Most of the New Zealand women’s ski team will be training there.” Annelise Coberger, aged 17, is New Zea*' land’s top ranked slalom skier with a world ranking of 159 for that discipline. Her potential is considerable. Because of their lack of gate training and the travel costs, the two Cobergers will not be contesting next month’s Coronet Cup series in Queenstown. Nor will they be coming south for any races in Canterbury except for the. women’s F.LS. series scheduled for Mount Hutt In mid-September. They will be racing on the North Island circuit for the Porter Heights Ski Club and training at Whakapapa under the FrenchCanadian coach, Louis Blanchard. Both are present members of the Canterbury | team.