Last week, Mr Farrer and Miss Vallance had the pleasure of taking seven boys to Italy for the IAPS Ski Championships. It is not a competition we have entered before and as a result there was an element of the unknown when the team boarded their flight early on Sunday morning. Once in Milan, a short transfer took them up to the Ponte di Legno ski resort, where they were based for the duration of the competition. Once the bags were unpacked and ski equipment acquired, an early night was taken after a long day of travelling. The next day was spent on the slopes with the instructor building towards the races later in the week. Natty, Ed, Leo, Joshua, Rory, Laith and Toby quickly demonstrated to Fillipo – an ex-Italian ski race champion – that they were all very competent skiers and as a result the pace was notched up: ‘Let’s go, guys!’ was a phrase they would come to hear a lot over the coming days – Mr Farrer and Miss Vallance were having to work hard to keep up. The time trials on Tuesday helped with the selection of a five-man parallel slalom team, which was the first race on Wednesday morning. Each skier would race next to a child from another school (Caldicott in the first round) and whoever reached the finish line first would secure a point for their team. Having narrowly lost 3-2, the team then entered the plate competition but this time with only three skiers racing. Natty, Ed and Leo performed superbly and won a well deserved silver medal. Thursday morning saw Windlesham House enter two teams into the giant slalom races: Natty, Ed, Leo and Toby entered the cup, whilst Joshua, Rory and Laith entered the plate. Whilst there were no medals secured this time, the experience alone was something all of them could cherish. By the end of the week, there were some pretty tired bodies (staff included) but plenty to reflect on and feel happy about.
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