Simon Wi Rutene

Tu Tangata, Issue 30, 1 July 1986, Page 43

Simon Wi Rutene

by Michael Romanos

SIMON Wi Rutene who is already one of three NZ skiers who have given this country international respectability in competitive skiing, is destined to go much further.

I spoke to the 20-year-old Wi Rutene at his parents luxurious home on the side of Lake Okareka near Rotorua less than 24 hours after he had returned from his fifth lengthy tour of the premier European skiing circuit.

The idyllic setting of the Wi Rutene lakeside home with its shrubbery, native bush and wide stretch of lawn leading to a launching area on the lake front, where graceful black swans glided by, must be a far cry for Simon from the fiercely competitive European ski fields, the cabin log fires and the snow. Always the cold, white expanse of snow.

He has not experienced a summer for six successive years and doesn’t know when he’ll ever catch up on one.

Of the Ngati Porou tribe on his father’s (Timi) side and British stock on his mother’s (Sue), the deep brown-skinned, black curly-haired, good looking young man said he sometimes feels he is only a Maori in colour.

“I’ve grown up in a different environment to other Maori teenagers since I was 13,” he said.

“Skiing is such an individual, competitive sport. When you are in the slalom startgate, you’re on your own. Your country and status are relegated to second. For the last five years I’ve learnt more about the French and German languages than Maori.

“But I’m not blind to the facts of Maori culture. Most of the competitors throughout Europe (which is a very large recreational and competitive skiing scene) know me as a New Zealand Maori.

Some of them are extremely interested in the Maori culture and where it fits into NZ life. Most people I meet are not aware that two cultures exist and there are some with ideas of the natives of NZ being primitive. So I’ve tried to set the record straight.”

Wi Rutene said he doesn’t feel so much he was a “natural” for skiing rather he was caught up by it which he says can so easily happen.

“There is the environmental attraction. I mean it’s not like playing squash for instance, where the view is only that of four walls. Skiing is so challenging because the variables change all the time. When the mind and body meld it becomes very satisfying. The competitiveness side of skiing requires a high degree of proficiency.”

Wi Rutene said he first touched snow when he went on an August school holiday to Mt Ruapehu as a nine-year-old. “I was hooked onto skiing instantly I tried it. I kept going back to the mountain every chance I got.” He said there was very little that set him apart from other kids except his interest level was high. “I could ski for the next 50 years and still be interested. When I got into competitive skiing I suppose it was the tenacity and killer instinct in me which took me up the scale. There were other kids with similar ability in technique but whereas I was prepared to chase goals and make rapid improvements, they were not. “I quickly found methods which suited my style and I didn’t let anything deter me. The most important thing in sport for kids is to imitate the body movement of people who at that stage have reached higher levels.” Wi Rutene said it is wrong for people to make generalisations on what makes a champion. He said each person has their own individual needs and have to make their own interpretations on what it takes.

Wi Rutene’s first skiing trip overseas was in 1979 and he has been away every year since. Funded by his parents and local Ski coaches, for the first two years he travelled to the United States for periods of six weeks to learn his craft. He worked hard, spending every day training on the ski slopes. In 1981 he went to Europe with the NZ “B” skiing team for six weeks and tasted his first international competition at aged 15. Because all competition is open, he competed against seniors and in his own words, he got “demolished” in four tournaments. “But it was the most valuable lesson I’ve had because it made me more determined to beat the hell out of these Europeans.” Since then he has returned to the European circuit each year for upwards of six months, competing at such famous spots as St Moritz and Elm (Switzerland) and Altenmarket (Austria). He has estimated he has been to 250 ski fields throughout Europe. At New Zealand champs, Wi Rutene has yet to win the national title. He has finished runner-up to Marcus Hubrich of Wellington on three occasions. In world champs he has competed in two - at Schladming in Austria in 1982 and in

Bormio in Italy in 1985. He finished 27th in the slalom in Austria and 17th in the same event in Italy as well as 19th in the combination (slalom and downhill). The slalom is a downhill event where skiers round gates (flags) and race against the clock. The giant slalom has gates further apart which makes it less intense and the super G and downhill have gates further separated still. In the 1984 Olympic in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, the teenaged Maori skier finished 32nd in the giant slalom. In the slalom at Sarajevo Marcus Hubrich came 15th and his younger brother Mattias finished 17th. “As far as NZ goes, these performances in the world champs and Olympics have given this country their first world class skiers. NZ was a joke up until a few years ago on the international scene. For me these performances are hallmarks. They are goals reached. “The greatest satisfaction has been to compete with the best in the world. It’s spurred me on to be in their ranks. I don’t consider beating Marcus to be a goal. Whilst he has finished ahead of me in most of the international events before this year, it’s really been his maturity that has put him ahead of me.”

The latest (1985-86) Wi Rutene tour has been by far his most successful. Some of his potential was realised. Skiers who were whipping him only the year before have been either “killed” by the Kiwi or at least given a big fright. He won his first international tournament victory last February, winning the Dutch national champs in Eben, Austria by over four seconds in the giant slalom. Events such as this are usually won and lost by lOths and lOOths of a second. He gained a second placing in the slalom event at the Lowlands champs in Austria and in the Fis circuit he gained

six top 10 placings. These kind of performances lifted his world slalom rankings from 900 to around 280, giant slalom ranking to among the top 200, super G to 140th placing and downhill to “respectable”. He is NZ’s current No. 1 skier. After finishing his schooling at Rotorua Lakes High, Wi Rutene has been able to remain a virtual full-time skier since 1982. He spends a couple of months each year at home and then the rest of the time in NZ it’s around the skifields. Simon said his ambitions are to make the world top 15 and be a winner. “Once you get in to the top 15 there are megabucks to be earned. The elite of the skiers are earning plenty but that is only a side thing to me. If I don’t get there I have still learnt a lot. Rich in experience, huh? As it is now Marcus and I

are helping the skiing industry here in a big way. We are ambassadors for our country. The skiing resources here bring in more tourists than any other sport.” He was initially funded by his parents then sponsorship through Subaru and more recently, BP, the official sponsors of the NZ Skiing Association. He has also received four NZ Sports Foundation grants. Wi Rutene said it costs $25,000 each year to send him overseas. “The returns to NZ from this investment have already been felt we’ve put NZ on the skiing map as a skiing destination.”

Simon is a marketable commodity and for this reason he has one big gripe. He has made no earnings to date from his sport which after all is his career. He has to search for a sponsor for the 198687 period who is generous enough to allow him to put some funds aside. Wi Rutene praised Dr Peter Hubrich (the father of Marcus and Mattias) who has been the NZ skiing team manager over recent years. “Without his input of enthusiasm we wouldn’t be where we are now. Dr Hubrich is our mainstay. He’s so in touch with the scene in Europe and that is vitally important.” Wi Rutene said skiing is an exhaustive sport. “It needs explosive strength, endurance and agility. Every facet of fitness plays a part. If you’re stuffed halfway through an event, you’re finished. Technique helps to a point, but at world level it’s strength that counts.”

Off season, Simon is on a training programme of weights, running, gym workouts. In-season its largely skiing, skiing and more skiing. He said most of the skiers around similar ability on the Europe circuit get along fine and have great fun away from the competition. “Sometimes I look forward to bad weather because it gives me time to rest, listen to music and prepare my skis. Gear is important. I’ve now got very good skis and clothing which makes a lot of difference.” Dr Hubrich said Wi Rutene has a natural feel for skiing and is a natural athlete. “Simon motivates himself by going

out and doing what he believes to best for himself. He has some unorthodox training methods for building up his reflexes. But he has a lot of self confidence and a very developed feeling for skiing which enables him to accelerate and adapt.” The German-born Dr Hubrich thinks Wi Rutene has the potential to be in the top 15 in the world. “But the problem is in reaching this objective, he must be prepared to be domiciled overseas for much longer periods. It is too tough trying to twice peak every year the northern hemisphere season and then the southern hemisphere season. Simon needs to spend some summers in Europe in order to get his body properly tuned.”