Profile: Ruapehu College Ski Team 1996

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 653, 10 September 1996, Page 13

Profile: Ruapehu College Ski Team 1996

This year Ruapehu College skiing is in a re-building phase according to team manager, Mrs Fiona Fraser. Darren Triggell has been skiing since he was a youngster with Turoa Alpine Ski Club Incorporated (TASCI). He is a talented skier who has been distracted from training by Seventh Form studies and rugby. Reaching C Grade in squash has also kept Darren off the ski slopes this year. Two years ago Japanese exchange student, Fumi Suzuki, was the Number 8 skier in her mixed Urabandai Junior Ski Racing Team based at Fukushima, north of Tokyo. With 13 years' skiing, under her belt, Fumi could be a force to be reckoned with, although ash and bad weather have combined to keep her off the mountain for most of the season. Shanon Hays began his skiing eight years ago with TASCI. He was a member of the Turoa Ski Race Team from 1991-93 and in his age group came second in the North Island Ski Championships in 1 993. Shanon has played for the 1 st XV since his third form days four years ago. His love for rugby has meant that his ski training has had to be put on hold in the meantime. Fourth former, Rebecca McMaster, and fifth former, Kandace Smiler are both members of the Rossignol Turoa Ski Race Team. Members train every weekend and every day of the school holidays. On days when the mountain is closed, Rebecca and Kandace do dry land training in the gymnasium. Sarah Thomson is a third former and has been skiing since she was five. From 1 993 - 95 she was a member of the National Park Primary School team which won the North Island Primary School Ski Competition three years in a row.