North Island skiers dominating mogul tour

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 602, 5 September 1995, Page 13 (Supplement)

North Island skiers dominating mogul tour

North Island skiers are dominating the Power Bar Mogul Tour, with three of the top four Kiwis on the Mogul Tour Champion's Cup Points Table being ex- Whakapapa skiers. Richard Ussher, 19, from Lower Hutt, is in first place after the first two rounds. His form this season has defied belief. 1994 was his first year of full time training and he finished the 1994 season ranked 13th in New Zealand. This season he has finished 4th (top Kiwi) in Round I — the Swatch Mogul Challenge at Coronet Peak, and 6th (2nd Kiwi ) at Round 2 — the Winnie Bagoes Mogul Classic at Mount Hutt. Jerry Noble the New Zealand Freestyle Ski Association Executive Director has this to say of Richard Ussher. "Few would have predicted even two months ago that Richard Ussher would be leading the Mogul Tour Champion's Cup Points Table after two rounds but he is and the way he is skiing I don't think anybody will catch him. We are excited about Richard as he has all the assets - strength, speed, determination and natural talent that are needed to succeed on the Freestyle World Cup circuit. Maybe not this year or next but by 1997 he will be ready to make an impact on the Freestyle World Cup." In third place on the Tour after two rounds is Roland Matthews from New Plymouth. Roland has been skiing particularly well and has slowly worked his way up after beginning to train full time at freestyle in 1992. Roland

Matthews was a lazy trainer in his early days, said Jerry, but he works very hard at his training both on snow and in the gym now. His hard work is beginning to pay off as his results so far (a 7th and an 8th) are showing. Placed 4th on the

tour points table, only two points behind Roland Matthews, is his older brother Damien. Damien has had an 8th and a 9th and is very pleased with his form. Damien Matthews was dropped from the New Zealand Freestyle Ski Team in 1994 and now coaches the Treble Cone Freestyle Ski Team during the New Zealand winter. He is very keen to win his place back on the Team and there is no better way to do that than to regularly beat the current Team members. At Round 2 at Mount Hutt the two Matthews brothers found themselves in a duel for 7th and 8th place. This was the first time they had ever duelled each other in a contest and younger brother Roland won after Damien set the early pace but crashed after the second jump giving Roland an easy victory. The result was vindication as Roland took Damien' s place on the New Zealand Freestyle Ski Team in 1994. For rounds 3 and 4 of the Power Bar Mogul Tour the New Zealanders will be facing stiff competition from the world number five, Jonny Moseley from the USA. Moseley is in New Zealand training for a month at Treble Cone. Moseley will be practically unbeatable but Roland Matthews says of him: "Skiing against somebody of Jonny Moseley' s calibre gives us all a benchmark, and if I come within two points of his score I will be satisfied that I had a good run." The Power Bar Mogul Tour comes to Whakapapa on 7 October.