The 20th North Island Secondary Schools Snowboard Championships kicks off on Monday 19 September at Turoa Ski Field. Two hundred and twenty competitors representing forty three High Schools from Whangarei to Wellington, Gisborne to New Plymouth, will compete in Giant Slalom, Slope Style and Boardercross over three days.
There will be a new Top Boys School as Trident High from Whakatane, Champion for the last three years will not be returning this year. Ex-student from Trident High, Phoebe Crawford, has returned from a year in Europe and will be representing St Peters School Cambridge this year. Phoebe has won both the Giant Slalom and Boardercross in the past and again she will be strong contender.
Slope Style Champion, Ruby Johnson will again try to put Western Springs College on the podium but Georgia Wheatley-Mahon from St Marys College will provide stiff competition.
In the Boys Division, Giant Slalom and Slope Style Champion, Liam Whiley, may not be returning but younger brother Ollie has now replaced him as Number One in the Kristin team. Sam Redman from Westlake Boys High was third last year in the Slope Style and he will want to improve his placing this year.
Joel Clegg from New Plymouth Boys High placed third in the Boardercross last year and he will want to improve this year. The dark horse in the field is Swiss student, Niklas Meindl from Taumarunui High who performed really well in the recent Waikato Secondary School Champs.
As usual, someone else will come out of the woodwork and surprise everyone. Who will it be this year?
Photo: Tui Wikohika, from Raetihi Primary School. (Photo by Liz Brooker)
Photos from Liz Brooker will be available along with results on facebook.com/k2nisssc
