The Berghutte v Silver Brumby Challenge 2009

The Berghutte v Silver Brumby Challenge
Thursday 6^th August 2009-08-11

By David Price – Berghutte Club Captain

We managed to bring home more silverware for the trophy cabinet at Berghutte Ski Club after enduring fairly lacklustre snow conditions for the 2009 Berghutte versus Silver Brumby Challenge.

The extra warm weather had turned the great snow conditions of the previous few weeks into absolute slush – resembling the very end of the season’s conditions. By the 1pm start of the three run event, the race course looked more like a melting glacier, causing havoc for any poor sole that had some knee injury to carry.

As per usual, the first two runs were to try and get an exact replica in time, with the minimum differential going to establish the winners of the Val Parcel Memorial Trophy, and the third run being allocated to the fasties as a scratch race to claim the fastest man and fastest woman title for the year between our two clubs.

Our 2009 Berg Team were:

Lynn Kearney, Greg Hutton, Laurie Moore, Michael Horton, Michael Hiscock Paul Manka, Andrew Blomfield, Merran Wallis, Dave Kieth and Bruce Wallis. I had piked out due to the knee trauma I derived from skiing earlier on in the day with Olivia P who had just returned from Europe sailing – hence the real reason I was even on the hill in such extraordinary conditions.

Berg out-did the Silver Brumbies this year by turning up early and being the first at the start hut; Berg traditionally being rather disorganised and perennially late on each preceding occasion. There were no real surprises amongst the Team Berg competitors, although Brucey was skiing on some free-rider skis this year, and obviously felt compelled to do a few royal Christies down the course, followed by a face-plant for his third “speed” run resulting in a DSQ result.

After the event, we all returned to the private bar function room at Berntie’s where the presentation and some re-bonding amongst the two old clubs of Thredbo took place.

The top 5 competitors from each club who had the lowest differential times were tallied up to determine who would win the Val Parcel Memorial Trophy – a wooden ski with engraving and yearly plaques allotted down the face to represent each year’s winning team of 5 competitors. The winner for the past two years since its inception - Silver Brumby, was hoping to get the gong once again with a tally of only 1.62 second differential from their best 5 skiers.

But Team Berg 2009 with Bruce’s 0.30, David’s 0.28, Merran’s 0.26, michael Hiscock’s 0.17 and Andrew’s 0.16 second differentials, tallying 1.17 seconds in total took hold of the coveted trophy – the first time for Berghutte.

In the 3^rd run scratch event between the two clubs, Silver Brumby overwhelmed us taking the top 4 places, Berghutte’s racing stalwart Paul Manka edging in to claim the 5^th fastest time. In our Berg Cup Trophy competition for fastest times in the 3^rd run, Paul was of course the fastest runner for Berg, with Merran earning 1^st placed Berg female once again. Merran has now plastered her name over all our own club trophies, sharing the Joe Manka Memorial Trophy for best of Team Berg’s competitors over first two runs with the smallest margins between first and second run.

Another great competition with the Silver Brumby members, and we have already found a new prominent location for the Val Parcell memorial Trophy pride and place in our club’s dinning room.

Pricey