Disabled hold national ski champs at Turoa

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 17, 17 September 1985, Page 3

Disabled hold national

ski champs at Turoa

Disabled skiers start their national championships at Turoa today, weather permitting. One person who will be competing in the AtomicSalomon champs is Viv Martin, a partially sighted skier who has been training with the resident instructor of the disabled at Turoa, Phillipa Hutchison, for the past week. Phillipa skis ahead of Viv at all times, even while racing. They hope to ski together in the world championships for the disabled next April in Sweden. "It's the first time I've skied with a woman guide. I've always had men in the past but I think it's better with a female as they are more likely to be at my level of speed and the body movements are similar to mine," she said. Viv needs a guide to ski as she cannot see the ups and downs in the snow, and cannot identify the grade of the slope. "Snow is like a flat light to me. The bumps look flat and 1 never see rocks until I'mjust about on top of them. When I'm racing I see things too late, so I need a guide to help choose the courses we're going to take." Phillipa skis just ahead of Viv and calls out what the terrain ahead is like. Viv, 26, has been skiing for 8 years. She won a gold medal in the women s giant slalom at the 1984 world championships in Innsbruck and a silver in the downhill

for her class of disability. She was part of the second team ever from New Zealand to compete in the world champs. Viv is taking a journalism course at Wellington Polytechnic. When that finishes at the end of the year she sould like to get into radio, but at the same time wants to continue skiing. For the last three years before she began the course this year, she skied full-time, going overseas in the summers. Viv began skiing during her first year at university when the Disabled Skiers Association asked her to try it. "I was looking for a sport to do but not a team sport. When I was offered the chance to go skiing I jumped at it. "It's the best sport for me as there is a team aspect involved in it — it's a wonderful feeling belonging to a team. I think that's why it's such a good sport for disabled people, because you are part of a team." She is now the secretary of the New Zealand Disabled Skiers Association. Among the 50 or so skiers competing in this week's Atomic-Salomon national champs will be people with cerebral palsy, amputees and blind people. Ed Bickerstaff, who has only one arm, also competed overseas at Innsbruck and came seventh overall for men with his disability. The B-grade race is

planned for today, and on Wednesday morning the Agrade slalom will be held. The New Zealand Disabled Olympics , team will be chosen after the slalom. A sled race is also planned

for Wednesday afternoon. This form of "skiing" allows paraplegics to compete. Thursday will be a fun day, with the prizegiving and dinner at the Ohakune Club that evening.