Race scholarships for rising ski stars

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 643, 2 July 1996, Page 2 (Supplement)

Race scholarships for rising ski stars

Coberger and Claudia Riegler". Alana attends the bhakune Primary School and has a younger brother and sister. Her father Nick owns and runs Bootworks ski shop in Ayr St, Ohakune.

Two members of the Rossignol Turoa Race Team were recently awarded scholarships for this year' s Rossignol Turoa Race Programme based on their performance from last year Bridget Murphy, of Manurewa in Auckland, was awarded a full scholarship while local Ohakune girl, Alana Ridings, was awarded a half scholarship. 1995 was Bridget's first year in the Rossignol Turoa Race Team and her scholarship was awarded for her positive attitude and commitment to training. "Bridget has an extremely mature approach and showed a real dedication towards her training," said Turoa Ski School director Hamish McPherson. "The training certainly paid off with Bridget's national ranking improving dramatically in her first year of competition," said Mr McPherson. Prior to joining the Rossignol Turoa Race Team, Bridget was a member of the St Cuthbert's School Race Team which trains regularly at Turoa throughout the season. Overthe 1994/95 northern hemisphere winter Bridget also joined other New Zealanders and Australians for training in Lake Louise in Canada with the Canski programme. Born in Rotorua, 1 1-year-old Alana moved to Ohakune when she was two. She has been a member of the Rossignol Turoa Race Team since she was eight and is going into her fourth year of racing this season. In her first three years with the team Alana has shown huge potential. "She is the top junior in her age group in the North Island and probably in the country," said Turoa Ski School director Hamish McPherson. For the last two years Alana has won all three rounds of the Diet Pepsi Junior Race Series — the biggest junior ski race series in the country. "Alana' s times would actually put her in the top three for the age group above her," said Mr McPherson "so we could be looking at a star for the future, following in the footsteps of great New Zealand skiers like Annelise