The Skiing Australia National Alpine Committee sends a team of eligible children’s age athletes to the Trofeo Topolino Sci every year as the NAC considers that this event is the prime FIS Children’s competition.

The 2003 event was different in the fact that sufficient insurance cover was not in place to allow the SAL NAC to select and endorse a Program Provider for a pre-event training camp and to take the athletes to the event. Under these circumstances, the SAL NAC selected the athletes, entered them in the event, but athletes were asked to arrange their own pre-event training and event attendance. Seven of the athletes were pre-trained and attended the event with one coach, another pre-trained and attended the event with a separate coach and another pre-trained and attended the event with a parent;/coach.

The SAL NAC fully acknowledges that this set of circumstances is less than ideal and we are working hard with the SAL office to make sure that sufficient insurance cover is in place to ensure that the 2004 event will revert to its usual format

A number of parents attended the event and helped out with the athletes’ welfare and supervision, but a special thanks should go to Monica Crema, mother of one of the athletes who worked very hard to make sure that the event was a memorable and positive experience for the athletes under difficult circumstances.

The results of the event are:

Child 1
Girls
SL Katherine Allnut DNF, Joelle Chevalier 34th from 55 competitors
GS Katherine Allnut 28th, Joelle Chevalier 38th from 54 competitors

Boys
SL Anton Grimus DNF, Sam Nottle 45th out of 76 competitors
GS Anton Grimus 28th, Sam Nottle 19th out of 76 competitors

Child 2
Girls
SL Katya Crema 53rd, Eliza Handbury 51st out of 106 competitors
GS Katya Crema 44th, Eliza Handbury 46th out of 105 competitors

Boys
SL Christian Geiger 27th, Tom Hastings DSQ run 1, Scott Kneller DSQ run 2 out of 115 competitors
GS Christian Geiger 45th, Tom Hastings 65th, Scott Kneller 69th out of 113 competitors

The good results in the top 50% of the field were Anton Grimus in the Child 1 Boy's GS, Katya Crema and Eliza Handbury in the Child 2 Girl's SL and the GS and Christian Geiger in the Child 2 Boy's GS.

The even better results in the top 25% of the field were Sam Nottle in the Child 1 Boy's GS, and Christian Geiger in the Child 2 Boy's SL.


Congratulations to all the 2003 athletes who gained SAL NAC selection to represent their country and who all tried their very hardest to justify this selection.