Impressive young talent on display at Cardrona
Monday 13 July 2009, 4:39PM
By Cardrona Alpine Resort
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An energetic field of forty-five up and coming young freestyle skiers and boarders signed up for the inaugural Calci Yum Cardrona Kids Cup at Cardrona Alpine Resort on Saturday.
Entrants came from across New Zealand, and even some from Australia, all making the most of the school holidays and great snow conditions.
The specially built arena including a mini X-Games course set the youngsters some good challenges to contend with. The emphasis for the day was on fun and encouraging kids to get involved in freestyle snowsports, with plenty of Calci Yum to keep them refueled.
Cardrona events manager, Graham Dunbar, said he was delighted with the turnout, “It was great to have so many smiling, happy, laughing faces on the mountain. It is really exciting to see the next generation of freestyle skiers and snowboarders giving it a go, the judges were very impressed with the talent in the field,” he said.
A highlight of the day was Hank Bilous of Hawea Flat performing a moonwalk on a box in tribute to Michael Jackson and the ‘Bilous Boogie’ featured on the boxes, in the air and everywhere else there was music to be heard, providing great entertainment for the many parents who came along to watch.
The field was split into three age categories; Super Groms (5-6 years), Rippers (7-9 years) and Shredders (10-12 years), as well as by sex and discipline. The youngest competitor, Gustav Legnavsky (three) of Wanaka, gained silver in the Super Grom ski category, with a plucky performance.
The Calci Yum Cardrona Kids Cup is set to be an annual event on the calendar. Older children will have their chance to compete in the Mount Aspiring College Championships, a single day event to include Giant Slalom and Gravity Cross, on Wednesday 22 July.
For further information, snow reports and web cams, visit www.cardrona.com
Results - Ski
Super Grom Girls – Ski
1. Zac Teen, Sydney
2. Nicola Pascoe, Invercargill
3. Kate Pascoe, Invercargill
Super Grom Boys – Ski
1. Luca Huck, Wanaka
2. Gustav Legnavsky (3), Wanaka
3. Ocean Allemann, Wanaka
Ripper Girls – Ski
1. Sarah Albom, Wanaka
2. Darcey Mcnaught, Auckland
3. Maggie Little, Wanaka
Ripper Boys – Ski
1. Finn Bilous, Wanaka
2. Archie Petrie, Featherston
3. Ollie Ford, Wanaka
Shredder Girls – Ski
1. Olivia Jones, Wanaka
Shredder Boys – Ski
1. Elliot Mason, Wanaka
2. Hank Bilous, Wanaka
3. Tom Brown, Remuera
Results - Snowboard
Ripper Girls – Snowboard
1. Melissa Albom, Wanaka
Ripper Boys – Snowboard
1. Sam Christie, NZ
2. Luke Hutcherson, Perth
3. Kai Miller
Shredder Boys – Snowboard
1. Seb Judge, Auckland
2. Duncan Campbell, Arrowtown
3. Connor Cloughley, Wanaka