Young kiwi learns to fly

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 433, 21 April 1992, Page 12

Young kiwi learns to fly

Where do you go to find tomorrow's top ski racers? Your could start by looking for someone who has been skiing since he could walk and already has a racing record going back to when he was 10 years old. Todd Haywood, a 15 year old Turoa skier, has an ambition to become a World Cup skier and compete in at least two Olympic Games, 1994 and 1998. Having two older sisters to chase on the ski field, both of whom were accomplished skiers and ski racers, Todd had to keep up, and by doing so developed his interest in racing. He found that most times he could win which gave him more confidence. Provided he continues to get the coaching and encouragement necessary, he looks to be well on the way to a long winning streak. In January this year Todd returned to his base at Banff in Canada with a string of medals. He competed in the Panorama Invitation Slalom in British Columbia, winning gold in the juvenile boys class. This northern winter he has been training with the Banff Alpine/Banff Mountain Academy. There were no national or FIS points awarded but the Banff team, including Todd "returned home with most of the hardware" as the local paper put it. Following this success Todd went on to come second in the Safeway Juvenile Golds Slalom race at Edmonton on 11 & 12 January. The event attracted 95 participants. Turoa Todd joined the Turoa Race Academy in 1985, despite being just eight years old, and has continued with the training programme through each New Zealand winter since. He started training overseas in 1987 when, while on holiday with his parents in Winter Park, Colorado, he joined in their race programme. In 1987/88 Todd joined the Blackcomb Ski Club Race Programme, based at Whistler in Canada, where he trained and raced for the next four months with some considerable success. Through training there in 1988/89 and 1989/90 he ranks in the top 25 skiers in his age group in Canada. If winning is the encouragement he needs, Todd Haywood looks likely to be a young kiwi who will learn to fly to the top.