First serious race of my Under 16 race career – Year 1 and no better place than straight into a BSA sponsored GBR Race – Feels like only yesterday racing on stubbies !
Starting to like the Chill Factore snow – with two solid runs, Run 2 more cautious but straight onto the third step of the U16 Podium ! Result !
Ended up 14th Overall (and fastest YOB 2004)
Well done to Robbie and Joseph (also well done to Josh, Kieran, Kayne and the amazing Robbie Holmes & Emily (our new Evo pocket rocket!))
Back in early May 15 I tore my Medial Collateral Ligament whilst ski training in Hintertux and I thought it had ruined my GBR Indoor Race Series chances.
With amazing work from Paul @Elite Physio & Ben Reid I was back on skis at GBR Race 1 & 2 some 6 weeks later. My problem for the series I was only allowed to ski these first two races back like easy training runs, so I finished just in the points.
Race 3 in Glasgow a few weeks later I finished joint 2nd, which was all part of the rehabilitation process.
So this weekend Races 4 & 5 I was hoping to pull some points back and move up the GBR leader board. So with two 3rd places I managed to finish in 3rd place in the series behind two great U12 racers Jack and Kayne. Congratulations to Jack and Kayne .
Looking back over the 5 months from being dragged off the piste in Hintertux in a piste basher’s bucket, weeks on crutches, hours of gym work with Ben Reid of Ben Reid Performance Coaching and skiing with Ben, Glen and Mark D at SMK, @NordicaUK and Add Evolution a 3rd Place is amazing !
Looking forward to the Winter season, hard training, the move to U14 and full gates and hopefully with lots of hard work in the gym, off piste exercise and on piste training, these podium places will be back next year indoors.
Cautious Run 1 but made up for it on Run 2 finishing with a Joint 2nd with fellow SMK Racer Kayne, just behind Jack.
Starting to get back in winning ways again.
Everyone knows sleep is an important part of an athlete’s preparation!
Looking forward to the weekend of races @snow_factor @snowsport_scot GBR Race 3 and SSS Indoor Champs 
Race and training Nordica skis Prep’d
Last of the GBR Indoor Race Series and no chance of retaining a podium place in the U12 Series, but needed to push the second year U12’s hard.
Managed to lay down a fairly good first run, but managed to improve on my second run, something not many of the other could do. Left me with third place.
The results can be found here.
Again, a combined time would have placed me in an overall 2nd, but fastest run counts for U12s, but shows it is working for that eventual move up to U14!
Third place meant no chances of moving up from 4th in the U12 GBR Indoor Race Series, but have to be happy with 4th Place in my first year of U12s. If only I have scored a few points in my first two races !
One to watch, other than the U10s coming up, is Jack. Well done to Elliot, Harry and Jack. Next year this U12 title has my name on it !
Race 5 of the GBR Indoor Race Series, again in Manchester.
A fast first run, leaving me in 3rd after the first run, however Elliott pipped me with his second run. Only 0.14 second off 3rd and 0.40 seconds off 1st, so really catching the second year U12s.
The results can be found here.
A strong field in the U12s for Race 4 of the GBR Indoor Race Series.
Very good first run, recording a 15:55 seconds, and placing me in 2nd position. However good second runs by Elliott and Oliver pushed me back into 4th Place!, however the main aim was to close the gap to the second year U12, which I did with only 0.48 seconds from a 1st place and 0.05 seconds from a 3rd Place.
Again, really happy with my combined times, even though I didn’t improve on my first run time. A combined event would have given me a 3rd place. Never mind on to the next GBR Race weekends.
The results can be found here.
Its a long drive up to SnowFactor, however last year’s double header race weekend, GBR Race 3 and the Scottish Indoor Champs are a great event, and my Dad usually gets singled out to help, and he does this year, Starter on both days.
Strong field from the Scots and a few English and Welsh racers making the trip up, so it was always going to be a hard fought race.
I do love racing at the SnowFactor, (its strange how to warm to some slopes) and it obviously showed in my two runs, where I pushed Elliott a close 2nd, with a gap time of 0.73 seconds.
The full Race 3 results can be found here.
It’s Official – I am the UNDER 10 SNOWSPORT GBR & ATOMIC INDOOR RACE SERIES CHAMPION !
I cant’ believe it, this is amazing, in my first year of indoor ski racing and I won the SnowSports GBR Indoor Race Series for the Under 10 Age Category. I collected the Perpetual Trophy, a trophy to keep and a gift voucher from sponsors Atomic and Ski Bartlett on Saturday from SnowSports England CEO Tim Fawkes after the race at the Chill Factore in Manchester.
Out of the six races around the indoor courses around country, I ended up with three 1st Places, one 2nd Place, one 3rd Place and one race not attended. My SMK team mate Kayne came 2nd overall, so well done Kayne and congratulations to George with 3rd!
In 2014 I move up on the Indoor Series to the Under 12 age group, so the races will be harder, but as I told my Dad on Saturday, “my aim is to give back this U10 Trophy this time next year and collect the U12 one !”
Hopefully Kayne will be pushing for the U10 next year !
Thanks to SMK team and coaches and Gravity Snowsports (Glen and Ben) for their consistent improvement in my ski training, technique and fitness, my School for their ever increasing support, Snowsports GBR for introducing a new U10 perpetual U10 Trophy, and Atomic & Ski Bartlett for sponsoring the race Series and the gift voucher, all the parents and volunteers who make the races happen and to my Mum and (the amazing ski prep’ing) Dad for helping me win this Series !
BRING ON 2014 !
Zac Metheringham 