Seb Gray
“Like Josh, it was hard being back on skis after six months of rowing for College. While I was fit, my competition was among the best in the world and I had just spent six months on skis training for this particular event. My goal was to complete the tough courses to the best of my ability. “In Val d'Isère, I stayed in team accommodation with the other members of the New Zealand youth squad. On the first day, I woke up to a sunny morning, excited to compete against the best U16 skiers in the world. I looked outside to the beautiful mountains on the left and right and gazed through the valley where the township sits. There are two resorts in Val d'Isère,
Tignes and La Daille. For all our racing, we would be at La Daille. “For the first slalom run, I was handed one of the earlier bibs. After the first run, I was in 96th spot out of 120 competitors. However, I moved up to 74th following the second run. Later that day, I joined the flag bearers parade, walking through the town with the New Zealand team to join the international opening parade.” The next day, Seb took on the “fear test”, the super-G race, with only one run on the course as it became too dangerous to ski. “Unfortunately, I missed the final gate. While I was disappointed, it was still fun and a great experience to race for New Zealand at such a prestigious event.”
COLLEGE 2024
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