slalomplus

TSP and Extras Teams 9th August 2008

2008-07-20T08:28:00.000+01:00

The Squads for August 9th are below. The Extras Teams are open to nominations from all Teams competing in SRL. I work with Jean to co-ordinate nominations and manage Extras. As the season progresses, priority will be accorded to those who train regularly and who have not yet raced, and to kids over adults. Also, I’ll try to make sure that those who have notified me of events for which they are unavailable, are selected for other events. As ever, over the course the year, everyone who wants to race will get several opportunities.

TSP A: from POINTS FROM PREVIOUS RACES
May June July Aug Sep Oct
1 Olivia Mitchell under 9 22 23 24
2 Tom Paine under 12 n/a n/a n/a
3 Kieran Tyrrell under 12 14 0 20
4 Fraser Mitchell under 12 21 26 27
5 Luke Henry under 15 19 17 18
6 Billy Quantick under 15 n/a n/a n/a
7 Mike Stephens under 20 n/a 24 23
8 Phil Gardner under 20 n/a n/a n/a
9 Daniel Roberts under 20 21 23 18
10 Jo Luxton under 35 n/a n/a n/a
11 Rorie Scott under 35 n/a n/a n/a
12 James Baker under 35 n/a n/a n/a
13 Dave Brennan under 50 23 21 20
14 Chris Gardner over 50 n/a n/a n/a

TSP B from:
1 Oscar Henry under 9 n/a n/a n/a
2 Oliver Shaw TSP under 9 n/a ..9 4
3 Alexandra Jeynes TSP under 9 n/a n/a 9
4 Gabriella Anderson under 9 n/a 10 11
5 Luke Knudsen under 12 14 11 n/a
6 Jay Shaw TSP under 12 n/a 6 10
7 Shannon Tyrrell under 12 10 n/a ..3
8 Carmela Roberts under 12 7 6 10
9 George Henry under 12 ..4 n/a n/a
10 Lucy Quantick under 15 n/a n/a n/a
11 Phil Mitchell under 50 n/a n/a n/a
11 Charlie Quantick over 50 n/a n/a n/a

Extras A & B Teams: (as notified to me to-date)

Unless I’m requested otherwise, I will nominate all racers in TSP who are not selected for this month’s A & B Teams, for the Extras Teams and others notified to me by 6th August.

Known unavailabilities (all teams):
Ollie Andrew (August), Zac Dimes (May, June, July, Aug), Will Henty (May, June, July, Aug), Jack, Lauren & Simon Holdsworth (June, Aug, Simon July too), Robbie, Iain & David Innes (June, July, Aug, Sept, Oct), Tom Paine (May, June, July, Sept, Oct), George Henry (June, July, Sep, Oct), Oscar Henry (May, June, July), Luke Knudsen (July, Sept?), Alex Schranz (July and Aug), William Edwards (injured – May, June), Holly Hill (all), Richard Murfin (all, due to injury), Rob & Dan Poth (May, June, July, Aug, Sept), Lucy, Billy & Charlie Quantick (May, June, July), Millie Till (May, July – injury, Aug), Max Till (May, June, Aug), Phil Gardner (May, June, Sept, Oct), Richard Luxton (May, June), Ellie Dalton (June, July, Aug), Chris Gardner (injured – May, June, July), Robyn, Christian and Karen Marment (Aug), James Howells (July, Aug), Rorie Scott (May, June, July), Bryony and Chantelle Goddard- Jones (Aug)

Unknown availabilities (all TSP teams): I have not heard from:

James Baker, James Thomas, Dominic Willis, Sam Gapp

Please let me know your probable availability or unavailability as soon as possible as it helps me to plan ahead. August (9th) is usually the worst month for availabilities so if you can confirm availability for that event then your manager will be a happy man.

HAVE I MISSED ANYONE OR GOT ANY AVAILABILITIES WRONG
TELL CHRIS GARDNER 07795 121020 BY NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY 6th AUGUST IF YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE

Lightning Strikes Twice

2008-07-08T10:37:00.001+01:00

The Mini-onslaught in June had taken everyone by surprise. Several of TSP’s youngest racers had announced their arrival in emphatic terms. Follow that! For the July 5th event, consolidation might reasonably have been the goal. But June’s diminutive heroes had tasted blood, and the ruthlessness with which they set about today’s opponents was X-rated entertainment.

On a gusty day, TSP ‘A’s age profile fell again. James Howells had declared the wedding-crashing-season open, and was giving his wardrobe an outing. No matter, in stepped teen-legend Rich Luxton for his first race of the year. After a year long injury, Max Till was back too, taking on the under 15s. Otherwise, there were Charlie’s New Angels, Bryony Goddard-Jones, Robyn Marment and Olivia Mitchell, the merciless duo, Creagle Marment and Fraser Mitchell, bendy Mike Stephens, and sheet anchors in the form of Dave Brennan and Chantelle.

Tim Andrew’s gammy leg meant that the B’s fielded 9 again. Their attack would be led by under 12 Kieran Tyrrell (still smarting at June’s bad day at the office), fast-improving Luke Henry in the under 15s, Desperate Dan Roberts (determined to show up well in the under 20s), and Jolly Jack Holdsworth, yet another under 9 contender. They were joined by Gabriella Anderson also at under 9, Carmela Roberts, Shannon Tyrrell, Ollie Andrew and Lauren Holdsworth.

The Extras numbers were plundered at the last minute, leaving a Super 6. TSP supplied Oliver and Jay Shaw, as well as Alexandra Jeynes on her debut. The rest came from Avon, George Case, Georgina Cooper and Rebecca Penman

Turny at the top, fast in the middle and with a sting in the tail – that was the morning course. And by lunchtime TSP ‘A’ had surged to a 20 point lead over Gloucester ‘A’.

Yet again, the charge was started by the under 9s. Olivia, Robyn and Bryony took 2nd, 3rd and 4th in age group, a mere 0.26 sec splitting the threesome. They are looking really convincing, egging each other on to greater achievement every race. Erstwhile Angels Steffi, Ellie and Suzi, please greet the new kids on the block.

Creagle and Fraser were next up at under 12. Creagle laid down a zippy 13.22 for 4th in age group, an impressive 29th overall. But Fraser went bananas. Runs of 12.27 and 12.14 were little short of sensational as he took the under 12s crown and 12th fastest overall. There is no more exciting skier in Race League on current form.

Max, Dave and Mike all battled well with 4ths and 7th in their groups, but none could live with Fraser’s pace. After an unusual DNF, Chantelle squeaked past Fraser with 11.99 (just fast enough to avoid a clash in the duals) for 2nd in the under 50s. Ever Joe Cool, Rich Luxton laid down 11.50 despite flying through the finish backwards, but topped that with a scorching second run in conventional style of 11.08 for 1st in Group and 2nd overall.

Yet the ‘B’s were not to be outdone. Dan, Kieron, Luke and Jack are all on the heels of their ‘A’ Team contemporaries and showed why. Dan had the temerity to pip Fraser’s time with 12.07 for 5th in under 20s. Dan is starting to match his strength and aggression with better technique. Kieron bounced back with 13.77 for 7th in group whilst Luke’s 13.41 in under 15s was quick enough for 12th – yet another racer who is improving with every outing. Jack reminded us that he’s not far off the Angels with an excellent 10th.

Gabriella should be pretty pleased with 15th as she picks up more racing experience. Carmela, Shannon, Lauren and Oliver also raced with great heart in very competitive groups.

The Super 6 also punched above their weight. Pride of place to George and Alexandra with 8th and 17th in under 9s group, and Georgina 10th in under 12s. Good skiing girls! Oliver, Jay and Rebecca laid down respectable times, too.

It has to be said that Oliver and Jay race with a disability of their own choosing – blindness. Their hairstyles are kind of Shetland Pony and Old English Sheepdog meets Thing from the Adams Family. When I first watched them, I was convinced that they were racing backwards like Rich.

So, lunchtime in the Mangrove Swamp at the bottom of the slope was taken in good heart. And soon, precocious youth was at it again in the afternoon duals.

Robyn was unbeatable and included the scalp of team-mate Olivia in her 3 wins. Likewise, Max, Rich, Mike and Chantelle were imperious, none of them headed. Fraser’s morning run had pitted him against the 9th 10th and 11th fastest of the days racers. But once again he was in blistering form, yielding by a nat’s whisker only to his fastest opponent. Bryony and Creagle also took 2 scalps, Livy 1. In fact the ‘A’s were so dominant that the duals produced a record breaking 74 points, 11 more than June. The second leg alone brought 9 wins, the only defeat being an all TSP affair, as Mike inched out Dave. Unbelievable stuff!

The ‘B’s scored 54 points from their ‘9-some’ – an excellent return. Oliver, Luke and Carmela took maximums, Kieron and Lauren 2 wins apiece, Gabriella and Jack notched 1 win and Dan a dead heat.

And that wasn’t the end of it. The Super Six gave it a real go, Jay and Rebecca sweeping all aside, Georgina winning twice and George and Alexandra once.

The individual honours list makes remarkable reading. Rich tops it with a maximum 29, Chazzer 28, Robyn and Fraser 27, Max 26, Olivia, Bryony and Creagle 24, and Mike 23 and Dave 20.

In the B’s Kieron led the way with 20, Luke and Dan 18, Jack 16, Gabriella 11 and Carmela 10. Georgina headed Extras with 19, George 18, Jay and Rebecca 10, and Alexandra 9.

Thus, halfway through the 2008 Race League calendar, TSP ‘A’ produced a decisive result. The day’s total of 252 hasn’t been bettered in my memory, and increased the ‘A’s lead over Midland Bears to 54 points with Western Counties and Gloucester ‘A’ a further 16 and 28 points adrift. But the August holidays always play havoc with availabilities, so we cannot afford to let up.

TSP ‘B’ is looking solid in 9th, and if match day withdrawals can be banished, a 7th place finish is possible. Extras are a creditable 12th out of 14, and one place higher is feasible.

I might be injured, but I’m exhausted after every round, and feel like I’ve skied everyone’s race. Once again, thanks to all the parents and friends who helped out, not least indefatigable Brodie who combined fore-running with getting every racer sprayed up and in the gate. Respect Brodes.

Chris Gardner

TSP and Extras Squads 5th July 2008

2008-06-24T08:15:00.003+01:00

The Teams for July 5th are below. The Extras Teams are open to nominations from all Teams competing in SRL. I work with Jean to co-ordinate nominations and manage Extras. As the season progresses, priority will be accorded to those who train regularly and who have not yet raced, and to kids over adults. Also, I’ll try to make sure that those who have notified me of events for which they are unavailable, are selected for other events. As ever, over the course the year, everyone who wants to race will get several opportunities.

TSP A: POINTS FROM PREVIOUS RACES
May June July Aug Sep Oct
1 Robyn Marment under 9 21 25
2 Briony Goddard-Jones under 9 19 24
3 Olivia Mitchell under 9 22 23
4 Christian Marment under 12 22 23
5 Fraser Mitchell under 12 21 26
6 Max Till under 15 n/a n/a
7 Mike Stephens under 20 n/a 24
8 Rich Luxton under 20 n/a n/a
9 Chantelle G-J under 50 29 23
10 Dave Brennan under 50 23 21

TSP B:
1 Jack Holdsworth under 9 15 n/a
2 Kieran Tyrrell under 12 14 0
3 Shannon Tyrrell under 12 10 n/a
4 Luke Henry under 15 19 17
5 Lauren Holdsworth under 15 10 n/a
6 Oliver Andrew under 15 6 10
7 Zac Dimes under 20 n/a n/a
8 Daniel Roberts under 20 21 23
9 Simon Holdsworth under 50 18 n/a
10 Tim Andrew under 50 n/a n/a

Extras A & B Teams: (as notified to me to-date)

1 Oliver Shaw TSP under 9 n/a ..6
2 Alexandra Jeynes TSP under 9 n/a n/a
3 Gabriella Anderson TSP under 9 n/a 10
4 George Case Avon under 9
5 Jay Shaw.TSP under 12 n/a 9
6 Carmela Roberts TSP under 12 7 6
7 Georgina Cooper under 12
8 Rebecca Penman under 15

Unless I’m requested otherwise, I will nominate all racers in TSP who are not selected for this month’s A & B Teams, for the Extras Teams and others notified to me by 2nd July.

Known unavailabilities (all teams):
Ollie Andrew (August), Zac Dimes (May, June, August), Will Henty (May, June, July), Jack, Lauren & Simon Holdsworth (June, August), Robbie, Iain & David Innes (June, July, August, September, October), Tom Paine (May, June, July, September, October), George Henry (June, July, Sep, Oct), Oscar Henry (May, June, July), Luke Knudsen (July, September?), Alex Schranz (July and Aug), William Edwards (injured – May, June), Holly Hill (all), Richard Murfin (all, due to injury), Rob & Dan Poth (May, June, July, August, September), Lucy, Billy & Charlie Quantick (May, June, July), Millie Till (May, July – injury, Aug), Max Till (May, June, Aug), Phil Gardner (May, June, Sept, Oct), Richard Luxton (May, June), Ellie Dalton (June, July), Chris Gardner (injured – May, June, July), Robyn, Christian and Karen Marment (Aug), James Howells (July, Aug), Rorie Scott (May, June, July)

Unknown availabilities (all teams): I have not heard from:

James Baker, James Thomas, Dominic Willis, Sam Gapp

Please let me know your probable availability or unavailability as soon as possible as it helps me to plan ahead. August (9th) is usually the worst month for availabilities so if you can confirm availability for that event then your manager will be a happy man.

HAVE I MISSED ANYONE OR GOT ANY AVAILABILITIES WRONG
TELL CHRIS GARDNER 07795 121020 BY NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY 2nd JULY IF YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE

It’s a Mini-Massacre as Plus Plunder Shock Win

2008-06-15T22:30:00.000+01:00

Prepare yourselves for a long report. I had all the excuses ready. Injuries, illness, a whole ‘A’ Team unavailable, the youngest ‘A’ Team TSP has ever fielded. But what happened on a sunny day in early June was straight out of a children’s ripping yarn.

Truth be told, with so many stalwarts unavailable, I was hoping for damage-limitation. A 20 point defeat maybe? When the always reliable Dave Brennan and James Howells appeared to be missing and Chantelle turned up looking distinctly unwell, my mood didn’t improve. Worse, a mix up with Karen Marment left the ‘B’s one short. Gloom, gloom.

But the sun came out, and the missing pair arrived. James has yet another pool car – an electric blue Vectra – so sneaking in late with everyone’s gaze averted was understandable. A manager has replaced the callow, carefree youth. Cool Cat has metamorphosed into Dwayne Dibley.

So to the teams. TSP ‘A’ was headed by three 7 year olds, veteran Robyn Marment and debutants Olivia Mitchell and Briony Goddard-Jones, all racing in the under 9 group. Creagle Marment and Fraser Mitchell spearheaded the under 12 challenge, whilst another debut saw fast improving Luke Henry as our lone under 15 racer. Mike Stephens has been looking fast in training and deservedly was given his chance in the top flight, in the under 20s. James Howells, Dave Brennan and an off-colour Chantelle made up the 10.

TSP ‘B’ gave welcome debuts to another trio of under 9s, Jay and Oliver Shaw and Gabriella Anderson, whilst 15 year old Dan Roberts made his first start in the under 20 group. Marginally more experienced 7 year old chatterbox Millie Till was there to entertain her adoring public, and the 9 were completed by Luke Knudsen, Alex Shranz and Kieran Tyrrell (all under 12) and Oliver Andrew in the under 15 group.

This is boom time for Extras! For once oversubscribed, there was an excellent mix of Gloucester, Midlands, Avon, Western Counties and TSP racers. Matteo and Giacomo Foppoli were joined by Scott Johns and Ben Kingsman at under 9, and there was a posse of 5 under 12s, Zoë Connelly, Toby Davenport, Sarah Kingsman, Sam Lee and Carmela Roberts. Older Head Peter Kennell (still under 20) anchored the team.

Western Counties had set the day’s course. A turny top section and finish would provide a fair test, and racers would have to work hard for high speed.

After the morning run, your Manager was in dreamland. Robyn, Briony and morning-star Livvy were simply sensational. When 7 year olds are skiing faster than half of a field of 140 then you are watching something special. Livvy and Robyn laid down blistering runs of sub-15 seconds, Briony just over. What’s more, Livvy did it twice with a quicker second run to propel herself to a precocious first in age group, Robyn 3rd and Briony 6th.

Every week it seems, Creagle and Fraser push the bar a bit higher. They are unrecognisable from the untidy raw racers of 12 months ago. Like their 3 younger counterparts, they are in an amicable battle for superiority and its doing them both a huge amount of good. Fraser edged it today, as they thrashed it out to 2nd and 3rd in age group, 17th and 23rd overall. Top performances.

Luke Henry and Mike Stephens were most under pressure, with least experience against the top-guns of race league. But they were not to be out-done. Luke will have been well pleased with his 9th in group, whilst Mike’s second place, 6th overall was one of the day’s highlights. Neither has skied better for TSP.

James put in a sleepy first run. However, in best management tradition, he and Chris had an impromptu review of his near term objectives and set some revised targets and goals. Some blue-sky racing in his second run brought up second in group, 3rd overall.

Dave and Chantelle were discovering that the under 50s is the new Group of Death. But 7th and 4th in group were good enough returns, Dave showing the agility of a ballerina to skip inside the final gate in his first run.

An excellent return of 171 points for the morning left TSP surprise leaders, 13 points ahead of Midland Bears.

TSP ‘B’ had a pretty solid day. Handicapped as a nine-some, things got worse when star-performer Kieran Tyrrell had a ‘Luxembourg Day’ at this particular song contest – null points! Every racer has a ‘mare sooner or later and Kieran has just had his. He’ll be seething with indignation and slugging it out with the hot shots in the under 12 group next time. But, led by Dan (4th in group), Alex, Millie and Luke, the remainder amassed some good points. Jay’s Sat-Nav was a bit faulty, but he’ll get used to race league soon enough!

All the Extras finished both their runs, quite an accomplishment for a very young team with little experience. Peter Kennell’s 3rd in under 20, 13th overall was superb, and Sarah Kingsman should be proud of 13th in the 27 strong under 12s.

The afternoon duals usually favour bigger racers over smaller ones, TSP ‘A’, ‘B’ and Extras boast some of the tiniest. Oh dear! But there was just a chink of light – Stuart Robinson’s course had a sting in the tail, the final few gates were turny and might catch out the less fleet of foot. An epic performance was to follow.

Briony chewed up and spat out her rivals – 3 wins. James skied out of the box and surpassed his Key Performance Indicators; 3 more. I swear that Fraser and Robyn’s skis were smoking as they snatched 2 apiece, equalled by Dave and Chazzer. Creagle won and tied once and Mike and Luke took a deserved win each. Livvy was inched out 3 times but demonstrated that she is as quick in the duals as in the timed runs. 63 points were piled up, TSP ‘A’s best for a long time.

TSP ‘B’ had a great afternoon too. Sat-Nav restored, Jay took 3 out of three, matched by Gabriella and Oliver Andrew. Dan smashed his way to 2 wins (no half measures with Dan!), whilst Millie, Oliver Shaw and Alex all won once.

Extras’ 55 points was an outstanding haul. Pride of place to Giacomo, Ben, Toby, Sarah and Peter with 2 wins each and Matteo, Scott, Zoë, and Carmela with 1.

All of which meant that TSP ‘A’ won the day on 234 points, its largest for 2 years. That was sufficient to overhaul Midland Bears’ 4 point advantage and put TSP ‘A’ into a 13 point lead after 2 rounds. 101 points for TSP ‘B’ leaves them 8th whilst 104 points sees Extras climbing to 12th spot.

June’s tall poppies are James with 28, Fraser 26, Robyn 25, Briony, Mike and Peter 24, Olivia, Creagle, Chantelle and Dan 23, Dave 21, Luke and Alex 17 and Millie 15. Shock and Awe guys.

Special thanks to Tim Andrew who brought a touch of class to the dual starts, and Brodie who organised ski-spraying and getting the younger racers into the start gate. Of course, Tim replaced Claire Mitchell who had defied all TSP protocols by taking time out to have her highlights done. Word is that Phil and Tim were seen walking hand in hand into the sunset, whilst Claire drove Oliver home.

So, climactic events at Matson. But has anyone noticed that the ‘sprinkler stream’ has changed course too, leaving the grassy bottom a steamy swamp? Some say that global warming and ice melt from the Robin’s Wood glacier are to blame. James swears he’s seen Sock-Eyed Salmon leaping up the flow, harassed by Grizzly Bears, as Wildebeest tramp warily through the shallower parts, ever watchful of crocodiles. Next thing you know, Ray Mears will pitching camp and nibbling the fir cones.

Well who can say? but I do know that on June 7th 2008 the earth moved for TSP ‘A’ as several diminutive Super Heroes flew down the Dendix. Round 3 on July 5th can’t come soon enough.

Chris Gardner

TSP and Extras Teams 7th June 2008

2008-06-03T20:23:00.001+01:00

The Teams for June 7th are below. The Ski Centre has decided to run an Extras Team rather than Kids Adventure Team, open to nominations from all Teams competing in SRL. I work with Jean to co-ordinate nominations and manage Extras. As the season progresses, priority will be accorded to those who train regularly and who have not yet raced, and to kids over adults. Also, I’ll try to make sure that those who have notified me of events for which they are unavailable, are selected for other events. As ever, over the course the year, everyone who wants to race will get several opportunities.

TSP A: from POINTS FROM PREVIOUS RACES
May June July Aug Sep Oct
1 Robyn Marment under 9 21
2 Briony Goddard-Jones under 9 19
3 Olivia Mitchell under 9 22
4 Christian Marment under 12 22
5 Fraser Mitchell under 12 21
6 Luke Henry under 15 19
7 Phil Gardner under 20 n/a
8 James Howells under 35 26
9 Chantelle G-J under 50 29
10 Dave Brennan under 50 23

TSP B: from

1 Millie Till under 9 n/a
2 Kieran Tyrrell under 12 14
3 Luke Knudsen under 12 14
4 Shannon Tyrrell under 12 10
5 Alex Shranz under 12 16
6 Holly Hill under 15 n/a
7 Lucy Quantick under 15 n/a
8 Billy Quantick under 15 n/a
9 Daniel Roberts under 20 n/a
10 Mike Stephens under 20 n/a

Extras Team:

1 Jay Shaw TSP under 9 n/a
2 Oliver Shaw TSP under 9 n/a
3 Oliver Andrew TSP under 15 6
4 Zoe Connelly Avon under 12
5 Toby Davenport Avon under 12
6 Peter Kennell Avon under 20
7 a n other Glouc
8 a n other Glouc
9 a n other Glouc
10 a n other Glouc

Unless I’m requested otherwise, I will nominate all racers in under 9, under 12 and under 15 age groups who are not selected for this month’s A & B Teams.

Reserves (all teams)

1 Karen Marment under 50 n/a
2 Tim Andrew under 50 n/a
3 Charlie Quantick over 50 n/a

Start Marshall:

Claire Mitchell

Known unavailabilities (all teams):
Ollie Andrew (August), Zac Dimes (May, June, August), Will Henty (May, June, July), Jack, Lauren & Simon Holdsworth (June, August), Robbie, Iain & David Innes (June, July, August, September, October), Tom Paine (May, June, July, September, October), George Henry (June, Sep, Oct), Oscar Henry (May, June, July), Luke Knudsen (July, September?), William Edwards (injured – May, June), Richard Murfin (all, due to injury), Rob & Dan Poth (May, June, July, August, September), Lucy, Billy & Charlie Quantick (May), Millie Till (May), Phil Gardner (May, July, Sept, Oct), Richard Luxton (May, June), Ellie Dalton (June), Chris Gardner (injured – May, June, July), Robyn, Christian and Karen Marment (Aug)

Unknown availabilities (all teams): I have not heard from:

Holly Hill, Rorie Scott, James Baker, James Thomas, Dominic Willis, Sam Gapp

Please let me know your probable availability or unavailability as soon as possible as it helps me to plan ahead. August (9th) is usually the worst month for availabilities so if you can confirm availability for that event then your manager will be a happy man.

HAVE I MISSED ANYONE OR GOT ANY AVAILABILITIES WRONG
TELL CHRIS GARDNER 07795 121020 BY NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY 4th JUNE IF YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE

TSP Teams 10th May 2008

2008-05-06T12:35:00.001+01:00

The Teams for May 10th are below. The Ski Centre has decided to run an Extras Team rather than Kids Adventure Team, open to nominations from all Teams competing in SRL. I’ll work with Jean to put our nominations in and help organise Extras.

As the season progresses, priority will be accorded to those who train regularly and who have not yet raced, and to kids over adults. Also, I’ll try to make sure that those who have notified me of events for which they are unavailable, are selected for other events. As ever, over the course the year, everyone who wants to race will get several opportunities.

TSP A: from POINTS FROM PREVIOUS RACES

1 Robyn Marment under 9
2 Kieran Tyrrell under 12
3 Iain Innes under 12
4 Christian Marment under 12
5 Fraser Mitchell under 12
6 Richard Luxton under 20
7 Zac Dimes under 20
8 James Howells under 35
9 Chantelle G-J under 50
10 David Innes under 50

TSP B: from

1 Briony Goddard-Jones under 9
2 Olivia Mitchell under 9
3 Jack Holdsworth under 9
4 Robbie Innes under 9
5 Luke Knudsen under 12
6 Shannon Tyrrell under 12
7 Alex Shranz under 12
8 Lauren Holdsworth under 15
9 Mike Stephens under 20
10 Simon Holdsworth under 50

Reserves, all teams:

Phil Gardner under 20, Ellie Dalton under 20, Dave Brennan under 50, Karen Marment under 50

TSP Nominations for Extras Team: Oliver Andrew under 15, Holly Hill under 15, Luke Henry under 15

Unless I’m requested otherwise, I will nominate all racers in under 9, under 12 and under 15 age groups who are not selected for this month’s A & B Teams.

Known unavailabilities (all teams): Ollie Andrew (August), Zac Dimes (August), Will Henty (May, June, July), Jack, Lauren & Simon Holdsworth (June, August), Robbie, Iain & David Innes (June, July, August, September, October), Tom Paine (May, June, July, September, October), Luke Knudsen (July, September?), Richard Murfin (all races due to injury), Rob & Dan Poth (May, June, July, August, September), Lucy, Billy & Charlie Quantick (May), Millie Till (May), Chris Gardner (injury May & June?)

Unknown availabilities (all teams): I have not heard from: Rorie Scott, James Baker, James Thomas, Dominic Willis, Sam Gapp

Please let me know your probable availability or unavailability as soon as possible as it helps me to plan ahead. August (9th) is usually the worst month for availabilities so if you can confirm availability for that event then your manager will be a happy man.

HAVE I MISSED ANYONE OR GOT ANY AVAILABILITIES WRONG – PLEASE CHECK THE AUGUST LIST

TELL CHRIS GARDNER 07795 121020 BY NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY 7th MAY IF YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE

TSP Squads 10th May 2008

2008-05-01T15:58:00.000+01:00

The Squads for May 10th are below. The Ski Centre has decided to run an Extras Team rather than Kids Adventure Team, open to nominations from all Teams competing in SRL. I’ll work with Jean to put our nominations in and help organise Extras.

As the season progresses, priority will be accorded to those who train regularly and who have not yet raced, and to kids over adults. Also, I’ll try to make sure that those who have notified me of events for which they are unavailable, are selected for other events. As ever, over the course the year, everyone who wants to race will get several opportunities.

TSP A: from POINTS FROM PREVIOUS RACES

1 Robyn Marment under 9
2 Kieran Tyrrell under 12
3 Iain Innes under 12
4 Christian Marment under 12
5 Fraser Mitchell under 12
6 Ellie Dalton under 20
7 Richard Luxton under 20
8 Phil Gardner under 20
9 Zac Dimes under 20
10 James Howells under 35
11 Simon Holdsworth under 50
12 Chantelle G-J under 40
13 Dave Brennan under 50
14 David Innes under 50

TSP B: from

1 Briony Goddard-Jones under 9
2 Olivia Mitchell under 9
3 Jack Holdsworth under 9
4 Robbie Innes under 9
5 Luke Knudsen under 12
6 Shannon Tyrrell under 12
7 Alex Shranz under 12
8 Oliver Andrew under 15
9 Holly Hill under 15
10 Lauren Holdsworth under 15
11 Mike Stephens under 20
12 Karen Marment under 50
13 Chris Gardner over 50

Nominations for Extras Team:

Unless I’m requested otherwise, I will nominate all racers in under 9, under 12 and under 15 age groups who are not selected for this month’s A & B Teams.

Known unavailabilities (all teams):

Ollie Andrew (August), Zac Dimes (August), Will Henty (May, June, July), Jack, Lauren & Simon Holdsworth (June, August), Robbie, Iain & David Innes (June, July, August, September, October), Tom Paine (May, June, July, September, October), Luke Knudsen (July, September?), Richard Murfin (all due to injury), Rob & Dan Poth (May, June, July, August, September), Lucy, Billy & Charlie Quantick (May), Millie Till (May), Dominic Willis

Unknown availabilities (all teams): I have not heard from:

Oscar, George & Luke Henry, Rorie Scott, James Baker, James Thomas,

Please let me know your probable availability or unavailability as soon as possible as it helps me to plan ahead. August (9th) is usually the worst month for availabilities so if you can confirm availability for that event then your manager will be a happy man.

HAVE I MISSED ANYONE OR GOT ANY AVAILABILITIES WRONG – PLEASE CHECK THE AUGUST LIST

TELL CHRIS GARDNER 07795 121020 BY NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY 7th MAY IF YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE

Am I back

2008-04-22T09:25:00.001+01:00

Just checking to see if this works

---- Webmasters comment: You could have thought of something better to type!

I'm leaving Tignes on Monday to go to Poland for a month, with a week in Hintertux in the middle. Wicked Eh? I'm going to come back to Stroud at the end of May, if I don't change my plans again. Maybe see you all in June, Cheers Rorie

Team Slalom Plus - Summer Race League 2008 - Race Bulletin

2008-04-21T18:47:00.002+01:00

Hello all. Summer Race League is nearly upon us again so thought I’d best update the advice note to refresh your memories.

The Ski Centre has made changes this year. The following is a simple guide for parents and racers:

Events and Rules

There are 6 races, all on Saturdays: - 10th May, 7th June, 5th July, 9th August, 20th September and 11th October. Practice starts at 9 am, and racing shortly after 10, so best to turn up by about 8.45. Usually, we’re finished and in the bar by 4ish.

This year the Centre has accepted 15 teams with 10 racers per team. That means the price per entry stays at £10 (£9.60 actually, but I’m usually out of pocket for the occasional no shows. As TSP runs A and B Teams, and I also run the Kids Adventure Team, so I can select up to 30 racers each event.

TSP will enter an A and B team, the former a blend of the best young racers and a sprinkling of seasoned hacks and the latter predominantly for promising younger racers and a few less promising older ones. The Kids Adventure Team defies description, but usually comprises overspill from TSP and/or Gloucester B spiced up with some inexperienced krazy kids and the odd wizened performer, The squads will be rotated to give everyone a fair crack, and excellent performance will be rewarded by promotion between the teams.

Please let me have the entry fee as early in the day as possible as I have to pass this on to the Ski Centre during the day.

For all races TSP has to provide 2 Gate Judges. Additionally, on 7th June we have to provide a Start Marshall and for the 9th August a Finish Marshall. Thus parents and friends are welcome and necessary despite the cringing embarrassment caused to their children.

During the morning session of each event, everyone races in age groups, youngest first. Changes made this year mean that there are 7 ages categories, under 9, under 12, under 15, under 20, under 35, under 50 and over 50. The category is determined by the racer’s age on the first event of the season, 10th May. There are 2 runs in the morning, each racer’s quickest one counting. It’s important to finish at least one run otherwise the points score is zero. 1st in age group gets 20 points, 2nd 19 and so on.

For the afternoon, all racers are grouped in 4s according to their time. Each gets to race a Dual Slalom against the 3 racers with the closest time to his/hers regardless of age group. The winner of each round gets 3 points, dead heat 2 points, and 1 point for the loser (provided the loser completes the course.

The brightest of you will have worked out that a skier who wins his age group and all 3 duals will score a maximum 29 points.

Note for ‘Recently Retired Registered Racers’.

Currently Registered Racers are still eligible to take part in SRL provided that their seed points on the first race of the year are no fewer than 160 for males and 140 for females.

If you are a registered racer with lower than 160 or 140 seed points but who has decided against competing in Registered Races or on snow this year you are eligible to race in the SRL. This should be a genuine decision unlikely to change later in the year.

If anyone wants to know further details about the SRL – let’s face it, you need to get out more.

Skis and Boots

As usual, these are available from Ski Hire if racers don’t yet have them.

This is where the pain starts for parents as there’s loads to pick up about waxing and edging from experienced team members. You can judge our depth of experience by mutilation, scars and cuts to our hands. Don’t worry, it’s easy and there is lots of help available.

Since the beginning of time (about 1980) dyed in the wool plastic slope ski racers have been searching for the Philosophers Wax, a lubricant so good that it will turn the basest skier into a Gold Medal winner. TSP’s search for the ultimate lubricant continues ….

Selection of Teams

I have to submit the Teams to the ski centre by the Thursday night before each race. Later changes may not be permitted, so if you agree to be available please turn up on the day. It will help to know what races you definitely can or cannot make, July and August often being the most difficult months. My e-mails, the Team Slalom Plus Website (www.slalomplus.org) and the Team’s notice board will provide information about the 3 squads and post event reports.

If you agree to race but do not turn up, I still have to pay £10 (which I will seek from the offender) but more importantly, unexpected absence penalises the team. No shows are a real pain, so please be considerate – there is no way that I will be making 30 phone calls on the Thursday before a race, and if for any reason you can’t use any of the above ways to find out about team selection, ring me on 07795 121020 or email on chris’gardner@sanctuary-housing.co.uk.

I’ll send my schedule of racers, contact numbers and races to everyone who has given me their email address, and likewise give as much notice of selection as possible by email, posting on the website and on our notice board at the centre. In any event, this will usually be done a week before each race.

SRL Practice

On the Friday evening before race day, the ski centre sets the SRL course and allows racers to practice on it. Chantelle and a few others from TSP usually come up by about 6 pm both to practice the course and to help others in the team. It’s an opportunity not to be missed, and builds confidence for the younger racers

Contacts and Availabilities

I need racers’ names, date of birth, land and or mobile numbers, email address and anticipated availability for all the race dates. Please check the information set out on the attached spreadsheet and remind me if I’ve forgotten anyone - this might apply with some of the more recent recruits.

For obvious reasons, best to ring, email or speak to me at training rather than posting a message on the web site. It’s easiest to leave a message on my mobile 07795 121020.

‘And Finally’ … Sportsmanship

SLR is a fun event and we have ways of making you enjoy yourselves whether you like it or not. Come along even if you or your children not racing. There’s plenty to do and you’ll be made very welcome.

Team Slalom Plus is up there to be knocked down, after all we’ve won the SRL for 5 successive years. That means there can be a bit of competitive tension around, but we aim to race with a smile and to keep rivalries on a sporting basis.

Important to note that anyone throwing pine cones at the Race Team Manager or poking him with ski poles will be dumped in the pond.

That’s all for now. The next Race Bulletin with the team selections for 10th May will be posted in a few days.

English Champs Bormio 2008

2008-02-23T18:20:00.002+01:00

After our epic 24hr journey I had my doubts that Italy was going to be a successful choice for these races, but I was surprised with decent training runs, great snow, perfect weather and the race piste was'nt too bad either!
The snow held up so well we enjoyed full days of training courses, a luxury we never get at Easter and I can't remember queing for a lift at all. Not to mention our sizeable accommodation, Bormio was ticking lots of boxes.
But even with all these plus's if we did'nt get any results the trip would not be the same, so the pressure to perform was on.
And perform you certainly all did. I was very impressed with the standard of your races and the support you showed for each other in the finish area. Medals for Rob, Iain, Brods and not forgetting Will, but we could of had more with Creagle & Dan coming close.
A great weeks work by all. Some stories to share over beers on the patio next time will be Brodie's short lived trophy and Simon's wallet predicament - nee nah, nee nah Poths to the rescue!! I'll leave Simon to recount the full details!!
Thanks to James and Phil for all their hard work and you guys for making it fun and well worth the drive!!

Ho Ho Ho

2007-12-14T18:08:00.000+01:00

Yes indeed with xmas nearly upon us the last training will be on Sun 16th Dec and we will restart on Thurs 10th Jan.
Several members will be heading off for the snow over the festive period for training and racing, the snow reports look great so good luck to everyone in the races.
So finally have a great xmas and New Year, might get around to organising the club do sometime next yr, but many thanks to everyone for making this such a brill year.
You trainees have worked very hard, made some impressive results and given me lots of enjoyable memories to add to my collection. And the parents have'nt been too bad either!!
A big thankyou to everyone for making SLP whaqt it is and for all your help over the last season. Fingers crossed for yet another successful yr.
See some of you on the real stuff
Cheers
Chantelle

Cheerio Rorie

2007-11-16T21:03:00.000+01:00

Yep, that time of year has come around again, when Rorie heads off for snowier mountains. Many thanks for all your efforts this summer and have a great season!
All things to do with wax have now fallen to me or rather Andy, so if you need any let him know. And finally the club do. Have'nt sorted anything yet - sorry - very remiss of me I know. Guess it will have to be an xmas or New Year Annual Prize Giving now - details soon.
Tara for now

Chantelle

Champions All

2007-11-16T11:17:00.001+01:00

After a long season on the Dendix, the final ‘summer’ race league event took place on 3rd November. Ironically, autumn produced a fine day where the summer had been uniformly miserable.

Pre-race impressions were that everyone was feeling the pace. The Tignes week had been exhilarating but back breaking hard work, and the intervening 5 days had not provided any recovery time for many of our number. Still, there was a job to be done.

TSP A was the youngest of the year. Creagle Marment and Lauren and Simon Holdsworth had forced their way into the 10, joining regulars Robyn, Kieran, Iain, Fraser, Chantelle and Rorie. Mad Max Till had also left his secret lab for the day as the Team’s permitted last-race-guest-star. James Howells was skulking in some pretentious Californian vineyard but had sent a team of private dicks to report upon any potential infringements to his image rights.

Phil Gardner, David Innes and Chris Gardner swelled the ranks of the B’s along with Olivia, Jack, Robbie, Shannon, Zac, and Mike. Readers will know that Dave Brenan had had to be destroyed a month ago after sustaining a leg injury playing football. He hadn’t recovered (!) and as ever Karen stepped in to fill the breach – she’s done this any number of times and never lets TSP down. Karen, you are a Manager’s dream, and I’m delighted to record my thanks on the Team’s behalf. So would the inexperienced A’s be overhauled by the strong B’s line up?

7 TSP racers turned out for KAT, the 3 Henrys, Oliver Andrew, Amelia Till (better known to her adoring public as Millie), Briony G-J and Alex Shranz on debut. (Keep this to yourselves, but I happen to know that Alex’s dad Kurt is a super-famous Austrian racer who’s just itching to get an opportunity to try out for TSP in the Summer Race League. 2008 will be his year!). Krazy Kid Ieuan Davies and Carmela Roberts from Western Counties made up the 9, Jordan Nugent having been whisked away to Gloucester B’s.

After the morning’s timed runs, the A’s found themselves under a bit of pressure. Kieran, Iain and Robyn did well in the deadly under 10 group (no less than 46 racers) with 6th, 8th and 11th place. Creagle is in the form of his life taking 10th in the under 13’s heading Fraser who was bravely skiing despite a leg injury.

But forever sweet natured Lauren had awoken on Saturday with her extra-mellow head on. She sauntered down her first run in the character of Maria Von Trapp, musing about whiskers on kittens and all of her favourite things. In the second run she was in a Snow White animation skipping along accompanied by bunnies, puppy dogs and songbirds. Exhausted, she flopped down on a bed of daisies and fell asleep for one thousand years.

Mad Max did his bit to claim 3rd in the under 13’s, Chantelle topped the under 40’s with the minimum of effort, and Simon maintained his consistent improvement with 4th behind Chantelle. Rorie finished an unaccustomed 6th in the under 30’s, suffering at the hands of guest aces in the other teams.

Later, it was reported that Rorie had put his indifferent performance down to premature squirting. It takes a strong man to admit to this, and fortunately TSP’s retained agony aunt Deidre contacted me to pass on these words of advice:

“I’m sure that Rorie’s problem is anxiety related. I suggest he relaxes more before launching himself. Perhaps he should think of boring subjects to reduce his growing excitement? You know, Belgium, Ikea self assembly furniture, Newcastle United, that sort of thing”

Wise words indeed. Moving on, the B’s gave a confident display. Jack, Olivia and Robbie held their own in the under 10’s (no reference to Rorie intended) as did Shannon in the under 13’s. Phil Gardner blasted to 12th fastest time of the day, 5 hundredths behind Rorie, with Zac only half a second back from them, closely followed by Mike. Chris Gardner won the battle of the senior generation clipping a tenth off Mike’s time, followed by Dave and Karen.

Alex Shranz was top dog in KAT with 15th in the under 13’s. Although new to plastic, Alex is a well sorted skier and will be very competitive in 2008 if he maintains his rapid improvement. Oliver, Briony and Luke Henry also took the eye, all finishing well up in the large under 10 and 13 groups, whilst Millie, George, Oscar and Carmela raced with real verve and enjoyed themselves enormously.

At half time, the A’s had amassed 131 points to the B’s 96 and KAT’s 13.

TSP has gone from duffer to dare-devil in the dual slaloms. The afternoon’s courses were a tad strange, odd, set such that the red course was turnier than the blue. Undaunted, the A’s claimed an astonishing 19 wins from 30 races in posting 67 points, the B’s 16 wins, a dead heat and 63 points, and KAT 14 wins and 52 points from only 9 racers. Stirring stuff. The individual performances bear examination.

Pride of place in the A’s goes to 9 year old Iain. No one in the team reacts as quickly to the starter’s “go” as he does, nor did any of his 3 opponents come close to beating him. Max won 3 times too (with a bit of help from Chris) as did Chantelle. Creagle was unlucky not to triumph 3 times, and Fraser’s 2 wins were born out of determination overcoming pain. Meanwhile, Lauren had awoken from her lunchtime slumbers as a fire breathing monster, devouring and spitting out the entrails of 2 racers before succumbing to the red course in her final run. Sorry Guys, but I have to record that Rorie and Phil were beaten by a (tall) girl’s blouse – Rowan Vernon. Yet no shame in that.

David was the B’s star with 3 wins, Mike had 2 plus a dead heat, and Zac, Phil, Robbie and Olivia took 2 apiece. Phil took the TSP bragging rights with a blue course assisted win over Rorie. I have to admit to a defeat to a short girl’s blouse.

For KAT, Briony scorched to 3 wins, Millie, George, and Carmela twice. George would have had a clean sweep and Oliver 2 wins had not generous dead heats been awarded to their opponents.

The A’s top scorers were Chantelle on 29, Max 27, Iain and Simon 22, Rorie 20, Kieran 19, Robyn and Fraser 15 whilst Lauren had recovered to 11. Total score 198 for 4th on the day.

The B’s were led by David with 28, Chris 25, Phil 22, Zac 20, Karen 19, Mike 17, Olivia and Robbie 8, and Jack and Shannon 6. Total score 159 for 5th on the day, not quite enough to overhaul the A’s.

KAT were headed by Briony and Luke with 10 apiece, George 9, Alex, Carmela and Millie 8 and Oscar 5. Ieuan had taken a liberal interpretation to the gate settings and failed to trouble the scorers.

Thus the season ended on a high note as TSP A finished in first pole position, 49, 66 and 81 points clear of their excellent rivals Gloucester, Midlands and Western Counties. Another year in which the standard of racing has increased markedly but not at the expense of good sportsmanship.

The B’s finished 8th and had they not suffered from no-shows in the early races, might have threatened 5th or 6th place. KAT took a creditable 13th just behind Midland Hawks.

Naturally, these columns enjoy national, even international circulation. So let me thank again all those who’ve supported TSP and KAT, our good friends in the other 12 teams and Gloucester Ski Centre for staging the events. Now lets get a breather until May 2008.

Chris Gardner

TSP in Tignes, 19th to 27th October 2007 “There’s Alain Baxter!”

2007-11-02T18:26:00.000+01:00

This is TSP’s October 2007 Tignes Diary. I’d stake my reputation as a tedious raconteur that the whole of this record bears some relation to the truth. Cross my heart and hope to die, terrapins tickle me if I lie.

‘twas on the 19th October that our flotilla set sail for France. Well apart from the Gardners who chose to go under the channel.

Our intrepid leader, as ever, was Chantelle, ably supported by chief engineer Rorie ‘Scottie’ Scott and apprentice coach Phil Gardner.

There can have been few occasions when so many families swelled TSP’s ranks in a trip abroad. The Goddard-Jones’ were there of course, though Andy was left to look after things at home. They were joined by clan Holdsworth, Poth, Innes, Marment, Mitchell, Andrew, Paine and Gardner.

The racers were Brodie and Briony G-J, Lauren and Jack Holdsworth, Dan and Rob Poth, Iain and Robbie Innes, Creagle and Robyn Marment, Fraser and Olivia Mitchell, Oliver Andrew, Tom Paine and the ageless Chris Gardner.

No James Howells however, as he had rejected the icy wastes of Tignes for Florida in the New Colonies. I’m told that he’s likely to be entertained by an overgrown rodent called Mickey, and that his meals will largely comprise road kills.

The trip down the French motorway was sort of Cannon Ball Run meets Top Gear. The only casualty was Tim Andrew in his Bugatti Veyron. He was fined 45 Euros for exceeding one (or two) hundred miles an hour by a really polite traffic cop. In his defence, Tim had said he was a distraught Welsh rugby fan who’d lost his sense of direction, and that was enough to cheer-up said cop.

Oh and Chantelle found that the roof of the car parking level of the Bec Rouge apartment block (home for the week) was only slightly lower than the height of her ‘bus’. I guess they are both the same now.

Sunday morning greeted the tourists with temperatures of minus 7 at Le Lac and a breezy minus 11 at the Glacier. Naturally Phil Gardner decided no coat was necessary, and Fraser had to be persuaded against shorts and tea shirt. They and the others survived a gentle day of acclimatisation and technical exercises served up by the coaching team.

That evening, most of the party headed to the Alpaka Hotel for the World Rugby Cup Final. Boring old England against the tournament favourites South Africa. Predictably one game too far for England though they showed up well, cheered on by TSP’s sirens Claire Holdsworth, Claire Mitchell and Jenni Gardner. In the end England lost on penalties (sound familiar?) to a blonde Africaner called Percy though, rather than the more customary Ayrian Franz or Fritz.

Scottish skiing God, Alain Baxter was staying at the Alpaka. He’s a top man and followed the Team around for the next few days. He’s also handy to have with you if you’ve got a stuffed up nose. He sent Creagle the following message:

“Hello mon, I’m Alain Baxter. Welcome to the Team Slalom Plus Tignes diary 2007. Thanks for pointing me out Creagle? See you later”

So sure enough, Alain was with us on the train on Monday morning, and sought autographs and photos from the team on the terrace of the top station. After a short while we sent him away, as there was training to be done.

For Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the weather stayed cold and bright, allowing GS runs in the morning and slalom after lunch. Not for me as a mere trainee to assess my colleagues, but seemed to me that Dan and Rob Poth and Brodie were on something containing high octane, and no one was holding out any. Creagle was also looking in fine nick, good news for next week’s final Race League.

On Monday night, Dave and Chris broke curfew to watch Newcastle v Spurs on Setanta at the Alpaka. Think Dave realises that if he wants to watch a good footballing team that plays in black and white stripes, he’d best go to the New Lawn and catch up with Forest Green Rovers. Setanta promised “more football later in the week – Stalybridge Celtic v Blyth Spartans”. Sorry, guys, not worth an extra tenner on my Sky subs.

Anyhow, Tuesday morning found the author suffering from a combination of altitude sickness and sleep deprivation. Certainly nothing to do with the jugs of lager served up at the Alpaka to mask the awful fayre from St James Park.

Meantime, Phil Gardner was having loads of trouble with his boots. Rorie had the answer and took him over to Nevada sports where two blow jobs later, the boots were much more comfortable. Involved a lot of friction heat and a bit of grinding so I was informed. In fact, I was so impressed that I visited Nevada later in the week for some boot treatment too.

Back at base camp Bec Rouge, the Innes were as hyperactive as ever. Nicki was like a dog with an unlimited supply of lamp-posts. So many mountains to run up and down. It’s exhausting to watch her.

Wednesday was a full day with everyone sparking well on the morning GS course. However, the it got harder on the icy slalom run during the afternoon with Chris managing to smash his slalom skis and ski boots. Not so Simon, who skipped down the course like a ballerina, midway performing one of the best recoveries seen in the Haute Savoie.

That afternoon, after turning down loads of offers, Chantelle allowed some of the TSP squad to model for a top Dutch ski magazine. Thus, Oliver, Creagle, Iain, Lauren, and Olivia landed 120 Euros each and developed some expensive tastes that their parents may live to regret.

An excellent evening meal followed, at one on the few bars open at Le Lac. Much was learned about Phil and Claire’s contrasting lifestyles while he works away in London. He lives like a hermit every night at his company flat at Kingston, too bushed (tired that is) to contemplate going out. In the meantime, Claire flashes the plastic with her mates at Cheltenham’s top fashion stores. Did I hear that right guys?

So much happened on Thursday that its difficult to know where to start. There was a blizzard scouring the top station and glacier. Sure enough, Phil decided that a jacket wasn’t required. But a few yards on the first chair lift was enough for Chantelle to recall the team to the shelter of the restaurant.

Now subtlety is not Creagle’s middle name. “There’s Alain Baxter!” he fog-horned (just before Alain could utter “there’s Creagle”). Once again he insisted on being surrounded by Team Slalom Plus, getting as many photos and autographs from them as possible. I guess he was seeking coolness by association.

But Creagle wasn’t finished yet. “There’s Roland Fischnaller!” …. ”There’s Patrick Staudacher!” ….. ”There’s Yannick Bertrand!”

One by one, the top international world cup skiers came to pay their respects to Team Slalom Plus, and listen attentively to the life experiences of Creagle, Fraser, Brodie, Robbie, Robyn, Olivia, Jack and co. Roland, Patrick and Yannick asked them to pass on their compliments to the diary:

“Bonjourno, this is Roland Fischnaller and Patrick Staudacher. Enjoy the Team Slalom Plus Tignes diary 2007. Oh and be sure to tell James Howells that Audi gives us R8’s now ‘cos only, ‘ow you say, hairdressers drive A3 Turbo Sports. Arrivaderci, Olivia cara”.

“Allo mes amis, Yannick Bertrand ‘ere. Bienvenue to the Team Slalom Plus Tignes diary, 2007. You’re cool Robbie but tell your English amis that they can’t play Rugby, heh? Au revoir”.

“Look there’s Alain Baxter!” Er no Creagle, he’s gone home.

As the blizzard eased back to a gale, the Team set off for the training piste in good heart. But things were to take a dark turn.

Chris, Rorie and Chantelle prepared to mount the chair lift, heavily laden with skis, poles and other paraphernalia. Was it a subtle nudge? Had Rorie accepted James’ contract on me. No matter, seconds later I was plunging to certain death on the jagged rocks below.

My life flashed before me, highlights too many to list all. Why had I been passed over as BBC Sportsman of the year so many times? How had Botham been selected ahead of me in 1981? What a senseless waste of outstanding sporting talent my sudden death would be!

But as quickly as I had fallen I was granted a reprieve. Luckily the ground broke my fall and I rose unscathed other than scratches to my black bases. The angels had saved me for better things.

As the commotion died down, the Team resumed its route to the pistes, but with the dark cloud of suspicion and intrigue hanging over.

A shortened training stint saw the racers making their way back to the top station restaurant by early afternoon. Phil Gardner was supervising his mini minis onto the T bar beside the training piste, with some of the parents close-by. Without warning the dastardly Essex Free Style Mongrel Skiers clattered in. At their lead was a spoiled cur called Wayne (probably). He pushed and shoved the youngsters, muttering obscenities only taught at the most exclusive educational academies.

Phil was quick to intervene. “Hey fellow, kindly leave my young charges alone. Go and resume your proper place in the queue, and be quick about it”. Amazing, Phil had assumed the character of Tom Brown, School days and all.

Then he thought, “what would Nick Marment have said? I know!”

“Ok laddee, I think we’ve had enough of this. Cut along”.

The effect was instantaneous. Wayne turned into a cowering, whimpering puppy, capable only of muttering epithets to Phil’s back, as the TSP party made its way to the restaurant. But he was still able to cause trouble and sobbed a tissue of lies to his obese bully of a father, Wayne senior.

Wayne senior waddled up to Chantelle, spoiling for a confrontation. He spat out some incoherent insults to skiers in general and Phil in particular, before lurching back to the cave he’d left minutes before.

Momentarily stunned by this unprovoked assault, Chantelle went into flashback.

It was a year earlier, at Tignes. Wayne was careering out of control towards her TSP minis as he tried to jump the lift queue. She succeeded in shielding the minis but then was hit by the lunatic cur. She fought for her balance but then fell, agonisingly slowly, towards a yawning crevasse, facing death as Chris did 12 months later. She too was saved, as her extra strong Team Slalom Plus hoodie (available at all good outfitters or through the TSP web site) caught on an overhanging ledge, and gave Rorie the opportunity to pull her to safety. Yet even as she struggled to come to terms with her near miss, Wayne Senior had made his appearance and rasped the same choice insults, as his fawning son crept away.

So, TSP had twice suffered at the hands of the Mongrels. Don’t count on a similar result in 2008.

For Friday, the weather had turned. Snow and high winds closed the glacier and a swift change of plan was called for. The TSP Superstars.

Three teams, all with combinations of the youngest racers and their creaking parents, strove for footballing supremacy. Claire Holdsworth shocked the packed stands by striking a sweet volley that settled the first game. Hard as Brodie, Creagle and the other young racers tried, their attacks were often blunted by the no nonsense tactics of their elders.

The second round of matches saw the kids plus Rorie and Phil, against the parents. Suddenly we were in the presence of genius, one Lazlo Poth. Time and again, he rose like a salmon to head home or beat defenders with a clinical volleyed finish. He was unstoppable and must have notched 7 or 10 by the time that Chantelle called a halt for lunch. Later it was rumoured that he had been a member of the famous Hungarian team led by Ferancz Puskas that thrashed a fancied England XI at Wembley.

So on this occasion experience had triumphed over talented youth.

The afternoon was heralded by the run around the lake, 1.5 miles per lap. Some fantastic performances here. Briony led home the mini-minis, with Robyn and Jack not far behind. Brodie devasted the older field, tracking pacemaker Nicki Innes before letting fly with a ruthless sprint for home at the end of his second lap. Iain and Creagle followed him with equally impressive runs.

Nick, Dave, Chris, Phil Mitch, Karen and Simon also weighed in for the adults with respectable runs over one or two laps. Claire Holdsworth and Jenni walked their lap, still a good effort. Fortunately for the men Claire Mitchell claimed some medical knowledge, and was able to confirm their A1 post race health, using her own groin-pulse-taking technique. Unusual, but seemed to sharpen them up some.

And so ends the October 2007 Tignes Diary. Saturday morning will permit some slalom training for all, if the weather holds up, but yours truly will be heading home by mid morning.

What a brilliant week. Thanks are due especially to Chantelle, Rorie and Phil. But the superb young racers played a full part, and the many families turned a training camp into a memorable break.

Bring on the final round of Summer Race League on 3rd November!

Chris Gardner 26th October 2007

TSP Teams 3rd November 2007

2007-11-01T18:35:00.000+01:00

Hey dudes! Big thanks to Chris for providing all the content for the website. I'm going to ponder for a few hours the specific location of the Tignes report, and then get it online. Here's the teams for Saturday... Cheers Rorie

The Teams for 3rd November are below. As usual there are around 25 - 27 places available plus nominations from outside Team Slalom Plus for the Kids Adventure Team.

This is the last race of the season, only 3 weeks after the October event. As many of TSP are away in Tignes from 19th to 27th October, early notice of non availability will be appreciated

Previous 2007 Race Points
TSP A: 12/5 16/6 18/8 22/9 13/10 3/11
1 Robyn Marment under 10 19 20 n/a 19 n/a
2 Kieron Tyrrell under 10 7 20 24 16 16
3 Iain Innes under 10 23 25 n/a 25 25
4 Christian Marment under 13 15 12 n/a 18 19
5 Lauren Holdsworth under 13 15 10 n/a 12 22
6 Fraser Mitchell under 13 26 16 n/a n/a 21
7 Max Till under 13 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
8 Rorie Scott under 30 n/a 27 26 29 28
9 Chantelle Goddard-Jones under 40 26 29 n/a n/a 26
10 Simon Holdsworth under 40 24 24 n/a 25 22

TSP B:
1 Olivia Mitchell under 10 11 14 14 13 5
2 Jack Holdsworth under 10 11 11 n/a 10 13
3 Robbie Innes under 10 10 8 n/a 10 4
4 Shannon Tyrrell under 13 n/a 8 8 8 8
5 Phil Gardner under 18 n/a n/a 9 23 n/a
6 Zac Dimes under 18 n/a n/a 20 n/a n/a
7 Mike Stephens under 18 n/a 15 12 14 17
8 Dave Brennan under 50 23 25 24 n/a n/a
9 David Innes under 50 n/a 21 n/a 26 23
10 Chris Gardner over 50 27 29 25 24 n/a

Kids Adventure Club: the following racers will be nominated by Team Slalom Plus and Krazy Kids
1 Ieuan Davies (KK) under 10 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
2 Millie Till under 10 n/a 4 n/a 6 n/a
3 Briony Goddard-Jones under 10 4 8 n/a 4 4
4 Oscar Henry under 10 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
5 George Henry under 10 10 10 n/a n/a n/a
6 Gabriella Anderson (GSC) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
7 Jordan Nugent (GSC) n/a n/a n/a 5 n/a
8 Alex Schranz under 13 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
9 Luke Henry under 13 7 3 n/a n/a n/a
10 Oliver Andrew under 18 6 n/a n/a 4 n/a

Known unavailabilities (all teams): Ieuan Davies (KK) under 10 (Aug & Sep injured), Toby Hill under 10 (all), Millie Till under 10 (July, Oct), Elizabeth Henty under 10 (all except Aug), Luke Knudsen under 10 (all), Tom Paine under 10 (all except Aug, Sept), Robyn Marment under 10 (Aug & Oct), Brodie Goddard-Jones under 13 (Aug & Sept), Will Henty under 13 (all except Aug), Lucy Quantick under 13 (July, Oct & Nov), Will Beresford under 13 (all except Aug), William Edwards under 13 (Sept, Oct, Nov), Holly Hill under 13 (July, Sept, Oct, Nov), Eleanor Dimes under 13 (Nov), Luke Henry under 13 (July), Fraser Mitchell under 13 (Sept injured), Rob Poth under 10 (Nov), Daniel Poth (under 13) (Nov), Oliver Andrew under 18 (July & Aug), Richard Murfin under 18 (May & June), Billy Quantick under 18 (Oct and Nov), Phil Gardner under 18 (all except Aug, Sept & Oct), Rachel Bamford under 18 (Sept, Oct) Emma Beresford under 18 (all except Aug), Dominic Willis under 40 (June, July, Sept, Oct), Simon Holdsworth under 40 (July), Chantelle Goddard-Jones under 40 (Aug & Sept), Paul Barrett under 40 (all), Dave Brennan under 50 (July, Sept, Oct injury), Charlie Quantick over 50 (Oct & Nov) Sam Gapp?

HAVE I MISSED ANYONE OR GOT ANY AVAILABILITIES WRONG
TELL CHRIS GARDNER 07795 121020 NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY 31st OCTOBER IF YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE

Slalom Plus keep it in the Family

2007-10-17T08:54:00.000+01:00

Dull. Dull, dull, dull. That was the weather, not the racing, in the October penultimate round of the Race League.

Notable absentees for TSP included Brodie Goddard-Jones who kicks a pig’s bladder around for the County most Saturdays now. Big Dave Brennan broke a fetlock playing footy on the eve of Race League and had to be destroyed. Rapidly improving Tom Paine had been made an offer he couldn’t refuse to play for his school’s egg-chasing XV (first of the Mafia style references – stay alert there will be more later). Robyn Marment was selected to be pinging around gymnastically on race day afternoon and had also withdrawn. The Manager, alias the Godfather, had decided he was due a day off and contented himself with stalking the slope, encouraging the teams to hit the heights that he can’t. Phil Gardner was blotto somewhere in Nailsworth.

But such is the strength in depth at TSP, that the A and Bs both fielded strong teams, bolstered by the heads of the main families doing there bit. In the A’s, back from injury came the rubber faced Fraser Mitchell, Chantelle returned from footballing parental duties, and David Innes came in to seek the success that eludes his Magpies. October’s special guest star was TSP legend Rich Luxton. The B’s were much as September, but welcomed Nicki Innes, a genuine all-action adrenalin pumping athlete, who bounds over mountains before breakfast.

Briony G-J and Shannon Tyrell made their customary appearances for KAT, joined by 6 from Avon, George Case, Emma Penhale, Harry Hartley, Annabel Hancock, Thomas Hancock and Dale Thrupp. Leather faced Derek Jackson completed the team.

All in all, there were 4 Innes’ (a unique occurrence for TSP), 3 Marments (Robyn did morning forerunning duties), 3 Mitchells, 3 Holdsworths, 2 Tyrrells, 2 Poths and 2 Goddard Jones’. Members of the 7 families, TSP salutes you!

It was to be expected that Rich Luxton would be rusty. Natural therefore that Rorie would lend him some rusty edged planks to keep him in his place. But by the days end, ski’s would be swapping round like car keys at a swinger’s party, and onlookers would be treated to a glimpse of the racer that took All England and other honours a few years ago.

The morning couldn’t have gone much better for all 3 teams. For the A’s, Robert Poth, Iain Innes and Kieron Tyrrell took places 1, 5 and 6 in the under 10s, with Daniel Poth and Fraser 1st and 7th in the under 13s. Rorie, James and Rich fought out 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the under 30s, whilst Chantelle and David Innes nicked 1st and 4th in their groups.

Several racers in the B Team are in prime form. Simon Holdsworth took 2nd in the under 40’s with a blistering run, Mike Stephens zipped to 5th in the under 18 ‘group of death’, whilst Lauren Holdsworth and Creagle Marment hit top form to register 8th and 11th in the equally competitive under 13s. Jack Holdsworth, Olivia Mitchell and Robbie Innes all showed that they will be zooming up the rankings next year when kilos and metres will be added to their diminutive frames. Nicki was grumbling that she was under prepared for the race, but it didn’t show. She slotted in comfortably, just behind Karen and Phil. KAT raced with great heart, led by Harry Hartley and Shannon Tyrrell.

So, lunch was taken in good spirits, the A team having scooped 176 points and the B’s 95.

2007 has seen a remarkable improvement in TSP's dual slalom form, even from the smallest racers. Rich Luxton was untouchable (geddit?) and Iain simply refuses to be beaten. Their clean sweeps were matched by Rorie whilst David, Chantelle, Fraser and Rob all won twice. Compromise is not in Daniel’s vocabulary, and he scorched out in every run! A tricky last gate put paid to some of the best racers, and robbed Kieron of 2 wins.

James was bitter and twisted after suffering a disqualification and a defeat to Rich, all this on top of a panning by a girl last month. James is not available in November as he’s going stateside, but he’d have been dropped anyway as an example to faint souls. I might send him a Sicilian message too, perhaps a big girl’s blouse left in his bed?

The B’s were just as impressive. Creagle and Lauren were imperious and Jack’s delight at his 3 wins brought smiles from all. Nor was Nicki to be denied, twice victorious. Karen, Robbie and Olivia won once and Simon scored a dead heat and more bruises. KAT’s Shannon and Harry won two apiece, Briony, Annabel, Thomas, Dale and Derek once.

By the day’s end TSP A had netted 232 points in first place, taking their overall lead over Midlands A to a decisive 67 points with just November 3rd to come. TSP B’s 145 was enough for 7th, moving them to 8th overall, 7th being a real possibility next month. KAT were 12th and a good result next month should keep them there.

And finally … Phil Mitchell looked pretty bushed all day. Something to do with working in London all week and Claire being very pleased to see him on Friday night. Next time Claire, let him get some sleep before a race, he’s all yours after.

TSP Squads 13th October 2007

2007-10-02T01:09:00.000+01:00

The Squads for 13th October are below. There are around 27 places available plus nominations from outside Team Slalom Plus for the Kids Adventure Team. Priority is accorded to those who train regularly and who have not yet raced, and to kids over adults. As ever, over the course the year, everyone who wants to race will get several opportunities.

TSP A: Previous 2007 Race Points
12/5 16/6 18/8 22/9 13/10 3/11
1 Robyn Marment under 10 19 20 n/a 19
2 Iain Innes under 10 23 25 n/a 25
3 Robert Poth under 10 n/a n/a n/a 23
4 Fraser Mitchell under 13 26 16 n/a n/a
5 Daniel Poth under 13 n/a n/a n/a 29
6 Brodie Goddard-Jones under 13 24 27 n/a n/a
7 James Howells under 30 25 n/a n/a 24
8 Rorie Scott under 30 n/a 27 26 29
9 Chantelle Goddard-Jones under 40 26 29 n/a n/a
10 Dave Brennan under 50 23 25 24 n/a
Reserves:
11 Phil Gardner under 18 9 23
12 Chris Gardner over 50 27 29 25 24

TSP B:
1 Kieron Tyrrell under 10 7 20 24 16
2 Olivia Mitchell under 10 11 14 14 13
3 Jack Holdsworth under 10 11 11 n/a 10
4 Robbie Innes under 10 10 8 n/a 10
5 Christian Marment under 13 15 12 n/a 18
6 Lauren Holdsworth under 13 15 10 n/a 12
7 Mike Stephens under 18 n/a 15 12 14
8 James Thomas under 30 n/a n/a n/a n/a
9 Simon Holdsworth under 40 24 24 n/a 25
10 David Innes under 50 n/a 21 n/a 26
Reserves:

Kids Adventure Club: about 7 of the following racers will be nominated by Team Slalom Plus and Krazy Kids
1 Ieuan Davies (KK) under 10 n/a n/a injury
2 Millie Till under 10 n/a 4 n/a
3 Briony Goddard-Jones under 10 4 8 n/a
4 Shannon Tyrrell under 13 n/a 8 8
5 William Edwards under 13 13 9 n/a
6 Oliver Andrew under 18 6 n/a n/a
7 Nicki Innes under 50 n/a n/a n/a n/a
Reserves
12 Phil Mitchell under 50 n/a n/a 21

Known unavailabilities (all teams): Ieuan Davies (KK) under 10 (Aug & Sep injured), Toby Hill under 10 (all), Millie Till under 10 (July), Elizabeth Henty under 10 (all except Aug), Luke Knudsen under 10 (May, June, July, Sep, Oct), Tom Paine under 10 (all except Aug, Sept), Brodie Goddard-Jones under 13 (Aug & Sept), Will Henty under 13 (all except Aug), Lucy Quantick under 13 (July, Oct & Nov), Will Beresford under 13 (all except Aug), William Edwards under 13 (Sept), Holly Hill under 13 (July, Sept, Oct), Luke Henry under 13 (July), Fraser Mitchell under 13 (Sept injured), Oliver Andrew under 18 (July & Aug), Richard Murfin under 18 (May & June), Billy Quantick under 18 (Oct and Nov), Phil Gardner under 18 (all except Aug, Sept & Oct), Rachel Bamford under 18 (Sept, Oct) Emma Beresford under 18 (all except Aug), Dominic Willis under 40 (June, July, Sept, Oct), Simon Holdsworth under 40 (July), Chantelle Goddard-Jones under 40 (Aug & Sept), Paul Barrett under 40 (all), Dave Brennan under 50 (July, Sept), Charlie Quantick over 50 (Oct & Nov) Sam Gapp?

HAVE I MISSED ANYONE OR GOT ANY AVAILABILITIES WRONG – PLEASE CHECK THE AUGUST LIST
TELL CHRIS GARDNER 07795 121020 BY NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY 10th OCT IF YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE

Mission Pothable for Daniel and Robert

2007-09-28T13:50:00.000+01:00

Well as you ask, it was dry with sunny intervals. That’s all. Amazing. Sleep well and don’t forget to turn off your sets. Goodnight.

Yeah, alright; the report. In the way of things this year, there were loads of changes throughout the teams, some enforced others a reshuffling of the pack. Special good wishes to the Dimes family, Zac and Eleanor Dimes having withdrawn as dad Neil has been unwell.

Starting with the A’s, in came the high mileage Poths whose extraordinary carbon footprint is the most likely cause of the dire summer weather. And Iain and David Innes were back after tiring of their perpetual holidays. Just for once, the B’s had a settled team with Karen Marment propping up the ten with more years of experience than you can shake a stick at. KAT gave debuts to Gloucester’s diminutive under tens, Megan Mozol, Jordan Nugent and Josh Marsh as well as the equally diminutive but wrinkled Charlie Quantick. No one knows how old Charlie is, but some say he’s mentioned in the Doomesday Book.

Truth be told, there was a little controversy about the tight and turny course set by James “life wrecker” Howells. In his defence, SRL has moved on in the last few years, the standard of racing being on an upward curve matched by more testing courses. Besides, the pointy-heads who design skis in this Millenium create ever more responsive short carvers that thrive on corners. The days of Barrett crashing down a straight course are but a dimming memory (sorry Paul). So it’s tougher on those of us with creaky old knees, but anyone who witnessed SLP, Gloucester, Midlands and Western Counties slugging it out on Saturday will have been impressed by young and experienced racers giving no quarter. Anyway, James is comprehensively insured.

All 3 teams enjoyed a good morning session. In the A’s, Rorie Scott, James and Phil Gardner blitzed the course a few hundredths apart at around eleven and a half seconds albeit Phil’s second run had those in the timing hut concerned for their lives. But given the strength of the field, there were still 4 under 18 and one under 30 racers ahead of them. On their heels were the breakneck Poths, Daniel and Robert in 9th and 10th place overall taking the under 13 and under 10 honours. Chris Gardner and David Innes did their bit for the crinklies, and Tom Paine, Iain Innes and Kieron Tyrrell recorded impressive 4th, 5th and 8th positions in the so-competitive under 10 group. A haul of 177 points represented a fine morning’s work.

Terrible Twins Robyn and Olivia continued the under 10s success in the B Team, with 11th and 13th – 6 in the top 13 for TSP. Jack Holdsworth and Robbie Innes were grinning their way to 20th and 24th in the 39 strong group. Creagle Marment and Lauren Holdsworth zipped into 12th and 16th in the under 13s, and a return to form saw Mike Stephens piloting his newly replaced skis to an excellent 11th in the hardest group of all, the under 18s. Simon Holdsworth’s skiing is improving by leaps and bounds as Chantelle coaxes him into the discomfort zone, and 3rd in the under 40s was just reward for countless bruises. Karen had protested that she hadn’t wanted to race – not the story that her super-competitive 15 second runs told.

This was the best KAT performance of the year. Megan, Jordan, Josh, Millie Till and Briony Goddard-Jones were unstoppable, with Briony and Megan posting 21st and 22nd in the under 10s. Lucy won the battle of the Quanticks 14.17 seconds being good enough for 13th in the under 13s. Billy Q pipped Oliver Andrew in the under 18s, both well up in that group. Phil Mitchell couldn’t match Karen’s run but was only a place behind her. Charlie looked like an old pro in his first ever race, finishing both his runs with some style.

As the racers lunched, James and Rorie set a rhythmic parallel slalom course, with enough turns to raise the excess on their insurance policies. And the youngest racers led the way, recording astounding results. Iain, Daniel, Robyn, Jack, Robbie, and Creagle all won 3 out of 3, a feat also matched by Rorie, David, Karen and Phil Mitch. Phil G won twice as did Shannon and Simon, whilst Robert Poth won once and dead heated. Virtually everyone won at least once.

Gentle readers, I’d be failing in my duty if I did not mention two significant defeats. James and Phil were humbled by a female. Big girl’s blouses beaten by a mere slip of a girl. Did I not warn last month of the threat of a blonde p***y?

TSP A finished 1st on the day, stretching its overall lead to 37 points over Gloucester A, with Midland A and Western Counties a further 57 and 60 points back. Just 2 rounds to go. The B’s 150 points made 6th position on the day, 9th after the 4 rounds. KAT finished 13th, retaining their 13th place out of 15.

And finally, a source close to NASA tells of an eerie glow visible from outer space, located close to Gloucester. Volcanic activity was suspected, but it turned out to be no more dangerous than an excessive number of Fairy lights and a barbeque in a garden near Brockworth. Not just the Poth’s warming our atmosphere then?

TSP Squads 22nd September 2007

2007-09-20T13:38:00.000+01:00

Sorry for the last minute posting... The Teams for 22nd September are are as follows. There are 27 places available plus nominations from outside Team Slalom Plus for the Kids Adventure Team.

Priority is accorded to those who train regularly and who have not yet raced, and to kids over adults. As ever, over the course the year, everyone who wants to race will get several opportunities.

TSP A: from
Previous 2007 Race Points
12/5 16/6 18/8 22/9 13/10 3/11
1 Kieron Tyrrell under 10 7 20 24
2 Iain Innes under 10 23 25 n/a
3 Tom Paine under 10 n/a n/a 25
4 Robert Poth under 10 n/a n/a n/a
5 Daniel Poth under 13 n/a n/a n/a
6 James Howells under 30 25 n/a n/a
7 Rorie Scott under 30 n/a 27 26
8 James Thomas under 30 n/a n/a n/a
9 Dave Brennan under 50 23 25 24
10 David Innes under 50 n/a 21 n/a

TSP B: from

1 Robyn Marment under 10 19 20 n/a
2 Olivia Mitchell under 10 11 14 14
3 Jack Holdsworth under 10 11 11 n/a
4 Robbie Innes under 10 10 8 n/a
5 Christian Marment under 13 15 12 n/a
6 Will Beresford under 13 n/a n/a 10
7 Lauren Holdsworth under 13 15 10 n/a
8 Mike Stephens under 18 n/a 15 12
9 Simon Holdsworth under 40 24 24 n/a
10 Karen Marment under 50 n/a n/a n/a

Kids Adventure Club: about 7 of the following racers will be nominated by Team Slalom Plus and Krazy Kids

1 Megan Mozol under 10 (GSC)
2 Jordan Nugent under 10 (GSC)
3 Josh under 10 (GSC )
4 Millie Till under 10 n/a 4 n/a
5 Briony Goddard-Jones under 10 4 8 n/a
6 Shannon Tyrrell under 13 n/a 6 11
7 Lucy Quantick under 13 n/a 8 8
8 William Edwards under 13 13 9 n/a
9 Billy Quantick under 18 n/a 2 8
10 Oliver Andrew under 18 6 n/a n/a

Known unavailabilities (all teams): Ieuan Davies (KK) under 10 (Aug & Sep injured), Toby Hill under 10 (all), Millie Till under 10 (July), Elizabeth Henty under 10 (all except Aug), Luke Knudsen under 10 (May, June & July), Tom Paine under 10 (all except Aug and Sept), Brodie Goddard-Jones under 13 (Aug & Sept), Will Henty under 13 (all except Aug), Lucy Quantick under 13 (July), Will Beresford under 13 (all except Aug), Holly Hill under 13 (July, Sept), Luke Henry under 13 (July), Fraser Mitchell under 13 (Sept injured), Oliver Andrew under 18 (July & Aug), Richard Murfin under 18 (May & June), Phil Gardner under 18 (all except Aug & Oct), Rachel Bamford under 18 (Sept, Oct) Emma Beresford under 18 (all except Aug), Dominic Willis under 40 (June, July, Sept, Oct), Simon Holdsworth under 40 (July), Chantelle Goddard-Jones under 40 (Aug & Sept), Paul Barrett under 40 (all), Dave Brennan under 50 (July). (James Baker, Sam Gapp???)

HAVE I MISSED ANYONE OR GOT ANY AVAILABILITIES WRONG – PLEASE CHECK THE AUGUST LIST
TELL CHRIS GARDNER 07795 121020 BY NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY 19th JULY IF YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE

Tom and Keiron light up gloomy day for Team Slalom Plus

2007-08-23T00:43:00.000+01:00

Month by month, this report gets more like a Met Office Bulletin. For the record, August 18th saw a welcome improvement over July, as the elements changed from apocalyptic flooding of Biblical proportions to merely torrential rain. To match, a depression was to hang over TSP for much of the day.

A spate of injuries and the August holidays had left the A and B teams depleted of their glamorous superstars. Some had been spied in the Caravan Club Magazine, Plumbing Today or other such scandal raking organs, frolicking scantily clad in the surf. I’m told that James Howells turned up on Gardening World, but his cameo appearance was cut short after he poked Alan Titchmarsh with his dibber. Insult followed injuries and absence as 4 racers went AWOL.

That the Kids Adventure Team fielded any racers was down to the help of Gloucester, Midlands, Welsh Pillagers and Western Counties ski clubs (thanks Guys). Following the trend, the only genuine Krazy Kid available for selection, Ieuan Davies, duly broke his arm a few days earlier, after a vicious attack by Daleks in his own bedroom.

On the positive side, TSP A gave a postponed debut to the emerging talent that is 9 year old Kieron Tyrrell, and welcomed back Tom Kirmond-Paine and Will Henty, freed from educational imprisonment. Adrenalin junkie Zac Dimes had run out of mountains to climb, so joined the fray, along with Phil Gardner who had awoken after a long slumber.

In the B’s, 7 year old Elizabeth Henty made her debut, a hunky Will Beresford appeared for the first time in 2007 and Phil Mitchell lined up alongside mentor/daughter Olivia. Dependable Lucy and Billy Quantick were there too, but dad Charlie’s shrapnel had moved around again and he had declared himself unavailable for selection. Girl power completed the team in the guise of Shannon Tyrrell and Ellie Dimes. Ellie was feeling decidedly murfy, but she’s made of stern stuff and insisted on competing throughout the day.

There’s probably been no greater age gap in any team than between the KAT's tiny 5 year old Jemima Simson and weather-beaten Alan Gribble, the oldest oak in the forest. In between them were Jordan Oliver, Matthew Davies and Emma Taylor.

Alas, the no-shows had reduced the A’s to 9, B’s to 8 and KAT to 5 and the manager’s expression was as dark as the clouds overhead. It promised to be a long day with TSP targeting damage limitation.

On piste at least, things began to cheer up. For TSP A, Tom and Keiron put in outstanding runs to claim 3rd and 4th in the under 10s in the morning session, and Will Henty shook of the cobwebs to take a creditable 13th as a first year under 13. Zac, Rorie, Dave and Chris did the business too. Phil’s first run had given him the overall lead, but joy soon turned to frustration. He had started before the light had showed, and was asked to re-run. Disaster! The red mist took over and he crashed out of both runs to clinch last place – hero to zero. With Mike Stephens pursuing his controversial no edge no wax policy, and stomper Dominic a no show, the promising start had nose dived, and the abyss yawned.

The 8 B’s did themselves justice, skiing with real heart. As with the ‘A’s, their youngest racer, Olivia Mitchell, led the assault and Elizabeth Henty, Will Beresford, Phil Mitch, the Quanticks, and Shannon and Ellie all gave it everything.

And so did the KAT's, none more so than little Jemima who raced fearlessly on her debut. Emma Taylor took the honours with 7th in the under 30 group.

After the torrid morning session, Chris was contemplating falling on his pole. Conceding 60 points to rival teams seemed more than likely. But once again, the youngsters bucked the mood, and a 58 point haul from the head to heads, was a premium return from the 9 ‘A’s. Keiron, Tom and Will Henty won twice amassing 25, 24 and 15 points. They were matched by Mike (who protested when his manager edged his skis), Rorie and Chris. Phil Gardner scraped to 3 victories over munchkin sized opponents, and Dave won once and dead heated. Zac, for whom practice was an unnecessary chore, won once,

Not to be out-gunned, the B’s claimed 50 points and 14 scalps led by Phil Mitch with 3 (unbeaten record Phil!) and 21 points, followed by Elizabeth, Ellie, Shannon, Lucy and Billy with 2 and Will Beresford with 1. Olivia notched a personal best 14 points

KAT’s Jemima and Emma took a victory apiece, the latter finishing with an excellent 19 point haul.

Controversially, one marshall used a combination of telepathy and “g …………………... oh” as a recipe for getting a race underway, enough to fool many racers, amongst them Rorie and Chris. Or maybe it was Arkwright calling to “G ……………….... g … ranville”

Ultimately, TSP A finished 4th on the day, surrendering 35 points to a good Gloucester A Team, but retaining a 10 point lead after the 3 completed rounds. Not as bad as feared at lunchtime. However, with 3rd November scheduled to replace the July wash-out, TSP will have to be on its metal in the final 3 rounds to stave off Gloucester, Midlands and Western Counties.

The stakes then are domination of the Race League. Next time you’re at Gloucester, you’ll see TSP’s race manager seated in the bar, stroking a blonde pussy on his lap. (Did I write that?) As Ernst Blofeld (Diamonds Are Forever) warned, “failure will not be tolerated!”

Stop Press 1. Hacker devotees please note. TSP Legends James Baker and James Thomas have resurfaced from the Betty Ford Clinic and will soon be strutting their stuff on the Dendix. Both were in their pomp when Chantelle was but a fire breathing slip of a coach, and dinosaurs still roamed the earth (sometime during the last millennium). Are the days of carving numbered?

Stop Press 2. Well done to Phil G who passed his driving test today. Be afraid. Very afraid.

TSP and Kids Adventure Teams 18th August 2007

2007-08-14T21:56:00.000+01:00

The Teams for 18th August are below.

TSP A: POINTS FROM PREVIOUS RACES

1 Tom Paine under 10 n/a n/a n/a
2 Kieron Tyrrell under 10 7 20 void
3 Will Henty under 13 n/a n/a n/a
4 Mike Stephens under 18 n/a 15 void
5 Zac Dimes under 18 n/a n/a void
6 Phil Gardner under 18 n/a n/a n/a
7 Rorie Scott under 30 n/a 27 void
8 Dominic Willis under 40 29 n/a n/a
9 Dave Brennan under 50 23 25 n/a
10 Chris Gardner over 50 27 29 void

TSP B:

1 Olivia Mitchell under 10 11 14 void
2 Elizabeth Henty under 10 n/a n/a n/a
3 George Henry under 10 10 10 n/a
4 Luke Henry under 13 7 3 n/a
5 Will Beresford under 13 n/a n/a n/a
6 Eleanor Dimes under 13 n/a 6 void
7 Shannon Tyrell under 13 n/a 6 n/a
8 Lucy Quantick under 13 n/a 6 n/a
9 Billy Quantick under 18 n/a 2 void
10 Phil Mitchell under 50 n/a n/a void

Kids Adventure Club: the following racers will be put forward

1 Oscar Henry under 10 n/a n/a n/a
2 Ieuan Davies (KK) under 10 (£10 credited from July)
3 Jasmine Stokes (GSC) under 10
4 Laura Bennett (GSC) under 13
5 Matthew Davies (GSC) under 18
6 Charlie Quantick under 50 n/a n/a n/a
7 A N Other
8 A N Other
9 A N Other
10 A N Other

Unavailabilities (all teams): Robbie and Iain Innes under 10 (Aug), Jack Holdsworth under 10 (Aug), Briony Goddard Jones under 10 (Aug), Toby Hill under 10 (all), Millie Till under 10 (July & Aug), Elizabeth Henty under 10 (all except Aug), Luke Knudsen under 10 (May, June, July & Aug), Tom Paine under 10 (all except Aug), Oscar & George Henry under 10 (July), Robyn Marment under 10 (Aug), Will Henty under 13 (all except Aug), Brodie Goddard Jones under 13 (July & Aug), Fraser Mitchell under 13 (July), Lucy Quantick under 13 (July), Lauren Holdsworth under 13 (Aug), Will Beresford under 13 (all except Aug), Holly Hill under 13 (July 7 Aug)), Luke Henry under 13 (July), Christian Marment under 13 (Aug), Fraser Mitchell under 13 (Aug), William Edwards under 13 (Aug), Oliver Andrew under 18 (July & Aug), Richard Murfin under 18 (All - injury), Phil Gardner under 18 (all except Aug & Oct), Rachel Bamford under 18 (Aug, Sept, Oct) Emma Beresford under 18 (all), James Howells under 30 (Aug), Chantelle Goddard Jones under 40 (Aug), Sam Gapp under 40 (All except Sept and Oct?), Dominic Willis under 40 (June, July, Sept, Oct), Simon Holdsworth under 40 (July & Aug)), Paul Barrett under 40 (all), Dave Brennan under 50 (July), Karen Marment under 50 (Aug), David Innes under 50 (Aug)

HAVE I MISSED ANYONE OR GOT ANY AVAILABILITIES WRONG – PLEASE CHECK THE AUGUST LIST

TELL CHRIS GARDNER 07795 121020 BY NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY 15th AUGUST IF YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE

TSP Teams 21st July 2007 (as revised)

2007-07-09T15:58:00.000+01:00

The Teams for July 21st are below, with age groups and points from previous races

TSP A:

1 Robyn Marment under 10, 19 20
2 Iain Innes under 10, 23 25
3 Kieron Tyrrell under 10, 7 20
4 Robert Poth under 10
5 Daniel Poth under 13
6 Fraser Mitchell under 13, 26 16
7 James Howells under 30, 25 n/a
8 Rorie Scott under 30, n/a 27
9 Chantelle G-J under 40, 26 29
10 Chris Gardner over 50, 27 29

TSP B:

1 Olivia Mitchell under 10, 11 14
2 Jack Holdsworth under 10, 11 11
3 Robbie Innes under 10, 10 8
4 Christian Marment under 13, 15 12
5 Lauren Holdsworth under 13, 15 10
6 William Edwards under 13, 13 9
7 Zac Dimes under 18, n/a n/a
8 Rachel Bamford under 18, n/a n/a
9 Mike Stephens under 18, n/a 15
10 David Innes under 50, n/a 21

Kids Adventure Club: the following racers have been selected

1 Briony Goddard-Jones under 10, 4 8
2 Ieuan Davies (KK) under 10,
3 Ethan Powell (GSC) under 10
4 Shannon Tyrrell under 13, n/a 8
5 Eleanor Dimes under 13, n/a 8
6 James Askew (GSC) under 13
7 Laura Bennett (GSC) under 13
8 Tom Bell. (GSC) under 13
9 Billy Quantick under 18 n/a 2
10 Matthew Davies (GSC) under 18

Reserves: Phil Mitchell (under 50), Karen Marment (under 50)

Known unavailabilities (all teams): Toby Hill under 10 (all), Millie Till under 10 (July), Elizabeth Henty under 10 (all except Aug), Luke Knudsen under 10 (May, June & July), Tom Paine under 10 (all except Aug), Oscar & George Henry under 10 (July), Will Henty under 13 (all except Aug), Brodie Goddard Jones under 13 (July & Aug) Lucy Quantick under 13 (July), Will Beresford under 13 (all except Aug), Holly Hill under 13 (July), Luke Henry under 13 (July), Oliver Andrew under 18 (July & Aug), Richard Murfin under 18 (May & June), Phil Gardner under 18 (all except Aug & Oct), Rachel Bamford under 18 (Sept, Oct) Emma Beresford under 18 (all except Aug), Dominic Willis under 40 (June, July, Sept, Oct), Simon Holdsworth under 40 (July), Paul Barrett under 40 (all), Dave Brennan under 50 (July)

Known August unavailabilities (all teams) in addition to above: William Edwards, Briony, Brodie & Chantelle Goddard-Jones, Holly Hill, Jack, Lauren & Simon Holdsworth, Robbie, Iain and David Innes,

HAVE I MISSED ANYONE OR GOT ANY AVAILABILITIES WRONG – PLEASE CHECK THE AUGUST LIST

TELL CHRIS GARDNER 07795 121020 BY NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY 18th JULY IF YOU ARE NOT AVAILABLE

Kerpow! Super hero Robyn wows Gotham City Race League

2007-06-21T12:20:00.000+01:00

In accordance with recent tradition, it’s taking a while for Jean to get her maths homework right. But there is no doubt that Slalom Plus A notched a resounding win in the June SRL, pulling 47 and 52 points clear of Gloucester A and Western Counties after 2 of the 6 rounds

The A’s welcomed back wandering minstrel Rorie Scott and gave a debut to David, head of Clan Innes. Frustrated by the Ten Tors debacle in May, Zak Dimes was skulking up a mountain somewhere and Phil Gardner was trialling for Forest Green Rovers or some such. Wolseley had identified management potential in Jim-Plumb-Bob Howells and was keeping him at the workhouse.

For the B’s, happily Mike Stephens had kept his breakfast down to make his first appearance of the season. Under new management Kids Adventure fielded a full team, including 7 racers from TSP, 2 from Welsh Pillagers and one from Gloucester, and with Eleanor Dimes, Shannon Tyrrell and Lucy and Billy Quantick making their racing debuts.

In total, 27 TSP racers took to the slope on 16th June.

What a day! Clearly the magnificent 27 had downed copious quantities of steroids, sniffed their Vicks inhalers and girded their loins. Whatever, they were up for racing, none more so than caped crusader Robyn Marment.

In her first showing for the A’s, and belying her tender 6 years she zipped to 6th in the under 10s, breathing down the neck of 9 year old Iain Innes who posted an excellent 3rd. This year, the under 13s is the new ‘group of death’ with some big lads who’ve eaten more pies than Brodie and Fraser. But a deserved 3rd was good return for Brodie’s brilliant 11.79 second run, whilst 9th for Fraser’s 12.35 second dash seemed scant reward for fine skiing. Evidently, they inspired their team-mates. Rorie, Chantelle and Chris won their age groups comfortably, ever improving Simon Holdsworth (on his new Atomics) took a dizzying 2nd as did Dave Brennan, whilst David Innes took made 4th with a decidedly quick 11.81 seconds.

Not to be outdone, the young B’s were equally impressive. Led by veteran Mike Stephens (not yet 15) the other 9 were mustered in the under 13 and under 10 groups. Yet Mike recorded 6th and all the others finished well up in their age groups, notably Livy Mitchell with 10th and Creagle Marment and Lauren Holdsworth dead-heating on 15th. William Edwards and Holly (the beast) Hill trailed Creagle and Lauren by just a quarter of a second, closely followed by Luke Henry, Livy, the smileys – Jack Holdsworth and Robbie Innes, and George Henry. That’s great racing!

Nor were Kids Adventure about to be the ‘fall guys’. Starring roles were taken up by TSP’s 9 year old Kieran Tyrrell with 5th, Gloucester’s Jessica Peacock 6th in the under 18 group and Welsh Raiders’ Mark Hopkins 7th in the under 50s. All the team skied competitively, and would spring a few surprises in the afternoon duals.

It used to be that our youngest racers were an easy touch in the dual slalom ‘head to heads’, often out-muscled by larger or older opponents, victims of fast morning runs. But June 2007 changed all that.

Starting with Kids Adventure, Jessica Peacock, Eleanor Dimes, Shannon Tyrrell and older head Mark Hopkins all won twice, whilst Lucy Quantick, Kieran and Millie Till all claimed a scalp apiece. Jessica and Kieran finished with 22 and 21 points, good totals by any standard.

It was a similar story in the B’s. George Henry cruised to 3 wins (6 out of 6 so far this year) as did Mike, with Jack, Robbie, Creagle and William winning twice. Holly took one race, whilst Livy and Lauren both fought out dead-heats. Mikes 24 point haul was outstanding as was Livy’s 14.

So to the A’s. The tone was set by first round wins for Robyn and Iain. Brodie, Chantelle and Chris won their three duals, Dave Brennan, Rorie and Iain took 2 apiece whilst David Innes, Fraser, Simon and Robyn won once. Chantelle and Chris led the points rush with a maximum 29 each, Rorie and Brodie posted 27, Dave and Iain 25, and Simon 24. David should be well pleased with 21 and for Robyn to notch 20 is some performance. At this level, fractions are decisive, and Fraser’s 16 could so easily have been 8 or10 points more. The Team total of 243 points is unlikely to be bettered this year and provides a good cushion for the next 4 rounds.

Thanks to parents for your enthusiastic support, particularly the peerless Claires who sorted out the start judging with alacrity and style.

And finally … Saturday saw a gala opening, equal in its way to the Oscars, Brit Awards or unveiling of the Car of the Year; an occasion of real importance. For the first time this millennium, Team Slalom Plus greeted a new bench, the dangerously-minimalist-machine-tooled-alloy Mitch Mark 1. More than a bench, a symbol of a new titanium era for Team Slalom Plus.

I think I’ll go and have a lie down.

(Dictated from his secure hospital cell by Chris Gardner)