Tag Archives: Skeggs

New Season New Plan

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Working towards the start of the 2019 NZ season with plenty of time spent in the gym building on strength and condition is keeping me busy, thanks to Alpine Health and Fitness. As one journey ends another begins and with funding from NZ Ski Charitable Trust (Hamish Edwards) coming to an end, it’s time to reassess. This season, after five great years of training at Coronet Peak with the Coberger Academy, I feel it is time for a change and am excited to be heading to Cardrona again. This season I will be under the experienced coaching of Osi Inglin and CAST (Cardrona Alpine Ski Team)

Many thanks to the Skeggs Foundation once again for your continued support. For any athlete in the Otago Region, be sure to check out their funding opportunities, click on the link and head on over to their website.

It was great to experience a breath of summer in Thailand and Bali after a tough season in Europe and get a chance to try something different with a bit of surfing in warm water!

It was a much needed break from winter to unwind and move on from what had been a difficult season. While I had some excellent training in Europe and some of my racing improved, results were hard to come by and the pressure was on.  Another season where the elements made for tough conditions with dumpings of fresh snow just before races, or warm wet conditions also adding to the mix.  In amongst all the World Cup races, we also headed up to Sweden to Åre for the World Ski Championships in February where it was another mixed bag of weather and conditions! I picked up second place on the podium for the National champs slalom race in Jasna, Slovakia early March which was a bonus. From Europe after the final World Cup race in Kranjska Gora, Slovakia 9th March, we rushed over to catch the tail end of the NorAm races in Burke, USA on the 12th March for four days of racing.  Not ideal conditions on top of the stress of travel and changing time zones made for a tough end to the season mentally as well as physically. 

  • Volkl
  • Are, Sweden Inspection
  • Slovakia National Champs, Jasna
  • WC Kranjska Gora
  • Kranjska Gora WC
  • Kranjska Gora GS
  • Norams in Burke USA

Team Support

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Strength and conditioning training is well underway with a great programme from Ben Griffin.  Working hard on improving all areas and while the weather is cooling, it’s been great to be able to get the outdoor activities done with all the autumn colours and clear days.  Temperatures are definitely cooling.

Many thanks to the Skeggs Foundation for your continued support for this New Zealand season.  On snow training will get underway mid June (let the snow fall!) and in the meantime S & C continues.

Some excellent news for our campaign for the 2018 Winter Olympics is that we will get a boost from the Snowvision Foundation with substantial grants.  The men’s ski team will be known during this campaign as the “Snowvision New Zealand Men’s Ski Team.”

Snowvision’s CEO and co-founder trustee, Fiona Stevens, in the announcement said: 
“Supporting Kiwis that perform at international levels, like the Winter Olympics, creates heroes to inspire young Kiwis and families to participate in snow sports for a variety of beneficial outcomes. Since 2005, Snowvision has supported alpine skiing, including the New Zealand National and Development Ski Teams, top alpine athletes and other initiatives, aiming to help talented Kiwis to get to the top of the world. The Ski Racing NZ’s Charitable Trust Hamish Edwards and coach Nils Coberger are working hard to support athletes who need resources – we are proud to support this worthy campaign for talented role models like Adam Barwood and Willis Feasey to be competing successfully on the world stage.”

The Snowvision Foundation support is in addition to the generous support from our valued team sponsors. For others who may want to contribute, an easy way is to make donations to The Snowvision Foundation (which is a registered charitable trust for deductible donations).

We appreciate this recognition of the importance of increased support as we enter the pre Olympic period of training and racing. Both Willis and I are performing the best we have seen so far and we are confident we can continue to improve.

Many thanks Fiona Stevens for working in such a positive way with the team!

End to the Season

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It’s been a bit of a tough finish to my season, unfortunately.  Have just arrived home after spending five days in hospital in Zell am See, Austria.  Snow conditions haven’t been the best this season with a lot of races canceled, warmer and less snow – looking positively spring-like when we left

mutters by Adam

Race day, Mutters

March started with some slalom in Mutters with some pretty slushy weather and a couple of DNF’s.  We then went to a few giant slalom races in Flumserberg in Switzerland, Petzen in southern Austria and Hochficht, northern Austria.  In Flumserberg, the snow was a little on the soft side and very flat hill – I needed to be a couple tenths faster to make a result but managed to move from 30 to 16th both days.

Piesendorf

Piesendorf, slalom race

My last series of races were some super g and super combined at Innerkrems.  I had trouble with the super g, feeling crook and little energy, and was unable to start the slalom leg of the super-combined and progressively got worse.  On visiting the doctor, I was put into hospital on a penicillin drip for acute tonsillitis, but further tests confirmed I also have glandular fever (mono). Not ideal! missed veinThe nurse had a bit of trouble getting  the IV lines in,  went through the vein but eventually managed to get one in!  Breakfast wasn’t too bad apart from the gumboot coffee to start, but reduced to 3 slices white bread and enough jam for one, and the following day a bowl of warm milk with a couple slices white bread.  hospital breakfast

It’s great to be back home but it’s going to be  a long process renewing strength and conditioning, not to mention replacing the lost 6kgs. Thanks to my coach Nils Coberger for everything, and to teammates Willis and Nick. Thanks again to all my sponsors, supporters and family for your ongoing support and encouragement, every little bit helps and I really appreciate your belief in me. Also a big shout out to Dave Stewart, One Studio for our awesome gear! Time now to heal, in readiness for the coming New Zealand season.