A chance to try

After many months of planning by Jane Abbott and the Brighton Grammar Snow Club committee, the boys from Year 1 to Year 12 finally got to Mt Buller for the trials event. They had beautiful conditions on Sunday 16 July, when the BGSC paid for a ‘try-it’ snowboard lesson to give the boys the chance to develop some new skills. Following the lesson, 120 BGS and Firbank families came together for dinner at the Whitt.

The Buller fog and wind rolled in the following day, in time for the trials. Thankfully, nothing was falling from the sky and the trials course was clear for most of the day, although it was very cold. The course, on the bottom half of Little Buller Spur, was designed to test the skills and commitment of the boys. In total, 47 boys competed in Alpine and/or Snowboard trials and four also competed in Mogul trials.

The trials are held to help place the boys in the best team order for the Victorian Interschools Snowsports Championships held later in August. Many boys were trying racing for the first time and there were a few spills and disqualifications – this is the perfect place for the boys to take a risk, make some mistakes and learn before the main event. The most important thing was for the boys to have fun, and as you can almost see (beneath the balaclavas), there were smiles all round.

The BGSC is pleased to announce that we will have 40 teams competing at the Victorian Interschools, with 61 boys competing over 9 events. At Mt Buller, the boys represented themselves and the School admirably – we received complements on their behaviour and the organisation of the trials from the Mt Buller staff.

Congratulations and thanks to the committee and families involved.

Travis Hopgood, Teacher-in-Charge of Snowsports