Regional Snowsports Report
In the last week of the School holidays, Cranbrook Junior School and Senior School students competed in the Sydney Interschools Snowsport Championships at Perisher. 77 of our students, K – 12, competed in Alpine, Ski Cross, Snowboard Cross, Snowboard GS and Moguls events in this Regional competition. Our team had a fantastic week, with multiple individuals and teams achieving podium positions, as well as qualifying for the upcoming State championships in Week 5.
The first day of Interschools racing was purely dedicated to Snowboarders. Our Division 2 team, Ziggy Edwards, Milo Gibney and Oscar Croft, earned a Bronze medal in both the Snowboard GS and Snowboard Cross events. Our younger team, in Division 4, maintained this standard and also brought home a Bronze medal in both of these events! Congratulations to Sam Spry, Charlie Roberts and Cohen Salamon.
Wednesday saw clear skies and sun, as well as a jam-packed race schedule, particularly for our younger students. In Division 4 Alpine, Charlie Roberts, James Cowan, Rhys Au and Hugo Croft came in with a Silver medal, while Charlie Roberts also earned the individual Silver medal. Division 1, 2 and 3 Moguls qualifiers also took place, and we were extremely pleased with the efforts that the boys showed on the bumps, securing several qualifications to State. In Division 6 Ski Cross, Wynn Au, William Zahra and William Britten-Jones qualified for State in 4th place, whilst Sam Cowan qualified individually. In Division 4 Ski Cross, Charlie Roberts, James Cowan and Rhys Au came home with the Silver medal. Charlie Roberts also came in with another individual Bronze medal for the same race and Hugo Croft qualified individually for State with a 9th place finish.
To cap off Wednesday, Division 5 Alpine saw Team A get the GOLD medal! This team included Sebastian Salter, Imanol Plante, Xavier Fern and Hunter Whittle. Imanol Plante earned the individual GOLD for this race as well! Three of these same students made up the Division 5A Ski Cross, who had a tremendous run, winning another GOLD. Well done to Sebastian Salter and Xavier Fern for also earning the individual Silver and Bronze medals for this race. The 5B Ski Cross team, consisting of Orlando Fern, Ryan Shi and Hunter Whittle, won the Silver medal, while Hunter Whittle won the individual GOLD! The future of Cranbrook Snowsports is evident in these younger divisions!
On Thursday, both Divisions 4 and 5 had Moguls qualifiers, and despite some team members being a bit nervous to pursue the bumps, they gave it a really good go, securing a few spots at State. In Division 6 Alpine, team A won a Silver medal. Well done to Wynn Au, Sam Cowan, Willian Britten-Jones and William Zahra. The Division 6C team also podiumed, earning a Bronze medal in the same race. Congratulations to Billy Speer, Edward Darke and Hugo Fern. Division 3 Ski Cross had a record-breaking turnout of students, with 19 Cranbrook representatives competing on a tough course. Whilst the podiums did not include any of our Division 3 teams, we are particularly proud of this group of students for all coming in the top 50% of the field and for demonstrating Cranbrook’s spirit on the mountain. Congratulations to Oli Klaas for his individual State qualification in this event. In Division 2 Alpine, the Cranbrook A team with Sach Edwards, Remy Philips, Charlie Cowan and James Walker came in at 5th, securing a place at State. Our Division 1 Ski Cross team came in at 6th place by a fraction of a second. John Maxwell-Fuller had two great runs in this race, coming in at 15th place individually – sending him through to State.
Friday was a wild and blustery day on the mountain and marked the final day of competition. The Division 1 Alpine team consisting of John Maxwell-Fuller, both Captains, and Thomas Southwell Keely placed 4th, earning a team qualification at State. In Division 3 Alpine, 5 teams from Cranbrook competed on a very windy Front Valley course. Congratulations to Oli Klaas for his individual State qualification in this event. The final race of Regionals, the Division 2 Ski Cross, was very competitive with 35 total teams. The Cranbrook teams, placing 13th, 19th and 25th did not qualify for State, however, demonstrated real grit on a challenging course and horrible weather.
What a great week for our Cranbrook Snowsports representatives! We are so proud of each and every participant who competed this past week! From those who competed for the very first time, to those who are seasoned racers, all students represented Cranbrook School beautifully. A huge shout out to the parents, who patiently (or frantically) got their children where they needed to be, kept them nourished and pumped up, calmed their fears and celebrated their successes.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our roles as Captains so far. A highlight for us was spending time with the younger divisions on the mountain, prepping them for their races, supporting them and taking them through course inspections. We look forward to the State competitions at the end of August in Perisher and are pleased to see so many of our students make it through to the next level of competition.
Finally, we thank Mrs Erickson, Mr Scardino and Miss Whitten for their support in the lead up to and during the week of competition.
2024 Snowsports Captains, Jude Middleditch and Chester Mobbs
