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REPORT

British Children Team  -  Race Meeting in Slovenia

05. – 09. 02. 2003  

Our Party consisted of:  

HOTEL AT GAT WICK AIRPORT

Good – all rooms in the same area, on the same floor. Wake up service worked very well.  

TRANSFER FROM HOTEL TO AIRPORT IN UK

Could have been a problem as the receptionist only booked 8 places on the airport shuttle (should have been 12). It turned out o.k. – The additional family booked onto the shuttle decided to wait for the next bus.  

AIR ADRIA CHECK IN

Slow but no problems.  

FLIGHTS:

There and back on time and the airplanes were half empty.  

TRANSFER TO RESORT:

As last year, 2 Minibuses from the local Ski Club collected us. As the Swiss airplane was 1 hour delayed, it was decided to take the group to Skofja Loka first and one Minibus returned with Ross McMillan to pick up Anne and Michelle Dennig (mother and daughter).  

HOTEL TRANSTURIST:

With a welcoming smile, 8 room keys were handed over.  Food was good and plentiful.  

CASPAR, RACE OFFICE/RACE ORGANISERS and contact with locals:

It is an honour to meet and work with such nice people! If I would have known that I would be sent back to attend the Pokal Loka 2003 with the British Children’s Team, I would make a serious effort to learn some Slovenian. There was however no real language problem as ’my’ generation of Slovenian speaks German and the younger Slovenians all speak English.

Our competitors befriended the ‘British flag carrier’ of the opening ceremony and some of his friends and an official exchange of the countries flags took place later in the week at the hotel.  

OPENING CEREMONY:

A major event at this race! This time, the Slovenian Pop Idols band sang for the competitors as well as for the locals who had turned out in hundreds.  

TRAINING DAYS:

We had 2 training days. There was a lot of soft, new snow, sunshine and empty slopes. However, there was little possibility to train through slalom poles as we had no equipment with us*.

*This will be arranged for next year.  

RACES:

26 Nations/ 244 competitors took part. The Event was well run on Stari Vrh Mountain about 22 minutes drive away from Skofja Loka.  Slalom on Saturday and Giant Slalom on Sunday.  As always, these Slovenian Races are very tough as many youngsters from various countries are trying to obtain a good placing in order to be chosen to represent his/her country at Topolino the following week.  Our competitors gave their best but lack of fitness was very apparent.  Maybe, as part of the Trainers brief should be to prepare a short talk on fitness for our races which they can do at home all year round.

PLEASE NOTE:

Even though, GBR competitors had been informed by the British Children’s Team Committee about the equipment rules, 2 competitors arrived with illegal skis. At the team captains meeting, it was explained that if the racers skis had not got the radius and length printed on by the manufacturer, the Coaches had to write on the skis to ensure that everybody was on legal equipment.  

R HUMPHREY February 2003