Suffolk skiing sensations Honor Bartlett and Tilly Black both started their weeks off with a bang at the English Alpine Championships with Bartlett claiming third and Black taking fourth in the girls Super-G, writes Richard Dore.
The 22nd edition of the Championships are taking place in Bormio, Italy, this week and feature the next generation of English alpine stars in the same week many of us are keeping an eye on the senior stars competing in the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
And the two girls proved that they’re amongst Britain’s brightest hopes for the future in the sport as they were both competing in a higher age category for the first time at the Rossignol-sponsored event.
Bartlett, 12, competed in the minis at the Championship last year but moved up to Under-14s this season, with her third place being achieved against many older girls.
And the situation was much the same for Black, 14, who competed in the Under-16s for the first year but only missed out on third place by a whisker.
“I’m really happy that the race went well and I’m pleased to come fourth,” said the Bury St Edmunds youngster.
“The course was really nice and much more fun than on Sunday.
“I’m also doing all the races this week and had a good weekend, we’ve been doing plenty of training and you get to spend loads of time with your friends which I like.”
Meanwhile, Woodbridge School pupil Bartlett, who hails from Colchester, showed bucket-loads of nerve as she progressed from a sixth-place finish in Sunday’s Super-G, to move up to third on Monday.
“In the training race on Sunday I was a little bit disappointed in how I did because I didn’t feel I performed to my full capability,” said Bartlett.
“It was maybe just a little bit of nerves and getting to know the area.
“I’m really happy with the result and I’m just looking forward to absolutely everything that is going to be happening this week.”
- Inspired by the performances at the 2018 English Alpine Championships and PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games? Find out more on how to get involved in skiing and snowboarding through Snowsport England’s national grassroots participation campaign at www.goskigoboard.org.uk
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