An unforgettable week of racing in the Italian Alps
This was The Beacon’s fourth year competing at the IAPS Ski Championships – not your average ski trip; this is about fierce, competitive racing against schools who often train throughout the winter for the event!
It started on an early Sunday morning at around 5:00 am, with a short bus ride to Heathrow. After filling our boots with a Five Guys breakfast, we were ready for the plane and a short flight to Milan. After a three-hour coach ride, we were excited to finally see the mountains and our hotel in Ponte di Legno.
On the first day, we met up on the mountain with our race instructors, Max and Francesca. The day involved familiarising ourselves with slalom gates and learning how to race on Super-G-style ski courses. We were taught how best to approach the gates, giving ourselves enough space to turn on our ski edges and carve smoothly. Mr Sutcliffe and Miss Thomas treated the team to some gelato at the end of the day – we were exhausted, so it was well deserved!
On the second day, we had time trials down the main slope we would be racing on. The time trials were really intimidating and important, as they determined whether the team could enter the plate or championship races, and allowed us to see where we ranked against the other 220 competitors. All of the team were fantastic, clocking some great times. It was also brilliant to hear some Beacon parents cheering us on at the finish line! We then did some more training and once again had a delicious lunch. When we got back to the hotel, we took part in an activity involving all 19 schools: a general knowledge quiz. We came first and won loads of lollies!
On day three, our two plate teams were racing. The course was incredibly icy, and we were in a middle starting position. RJ in Year 5 was our first competitor, and he really led the way for the rest, who skied phenomenally. Our first plate team won the silver medal in the Under 13 boys’ category (with two of the skiers, AH and RJ, actually ‘skiing up’ from the Under 11 category)!
The afternoon was perhaps the most exciting part of the whole IAPS Skiing Competition – the parallel races. For those unfamiliar, two opposing teams race next to each other in a relay format down a very fast track. This is a knockout format, and if any racer falls, the whole team is eliminated. We had two teams: one was knocked out by Lambrook, while the other went further, beating Cothill (who have won for the past three years), but sadly lost to Lambrook in the quarter-finals. This was an incredible achievement for The Beacon, who do not train weekly during term time. To celebrate, we were certainly the loudest and most energetic team that evening, singing and dancing at the hotel karaoke!
On day four, the final day of skiing, we had the championship team competing in the last event of the week. To qualify, we had to ski under 59 seconds, which is a huge achievement in itself. We watched our skiers come down the track, and Miss Thomas and Mr Sutcliffe were relieved to see us all safely through the course with some record times. The boys all put in a big effort on a new course we had not practised on, but sadly we did not win a medal – still a great effort from the lads. A special mention goes to ZM in Year 6, who also skied up into the Under 13 category!
Sadly, all trips come to an end, but this was another great year of IAPS skiing. The Beacon keeps getting bigger and better – we are no longer the underdogs, and that is certainly something to be proud of. A big thank you to Miss Thomas for organising the trip, and to Mr Sutcliffe, who was an excellent support throughout.
Reported by Harry T and Henry M (Year 8)
