Despite a lack of sponsors and snow, the
National Ski Week and Championships are
proceeding as planned. They will be held at
Cardrona Alpine Resort, Wanaka from August
23 to 28.After our New Zealand Disabled
Ski Team’s success at the recent Nagano
Paralympics, we have a group of five
Japanese disabled ski racers joining us for
the week, along with an Australian, a Swiss
and several Americans. Several of these
overseas visitors have been involved in
their own national disabled ski teams. The
New Zealand Disabled Ski Team and other
racers will be training for selection in the
2000 World Championships to be held in
Switzerland.
Skiers will come from all over New
Zealand and will include about 25 A Grade
racers and 20 B Grade racers. We will have
ski and snowboard lessons for novices, a
novelty race and, what we believe to be, the
world’s first Disabled Snowboard
Championship race.
Disabled Skiing New Zealand’s
Administrative Manager, Bronwyn Williams,
has spent the last three months seeking
commercial sponsorship to assist in running
this annual event. It is disappointing that
no major sponsors have offered assistance,
however the event will still proceed as
planned. We have an obligation to provide a
national event for our members, especially
in a year when for many this will be their
only skiing.
We have fantastic support from the Wanaka
community for our annual event, and an
awareness that many of our participants use
skiing as part of their rehabilitation from
sickness or accidents.
With expectations that the snow and
weather will treat us kindly, we’re looking
forward to a great week at Wanaka.
