ADF Snowboard Champion Musn Lincoln Quillian, Brisbane, cuts up the Long Giant Slalom event at the ADF Alpine Snowsports Championships. Photo by Cpl Damian Shovell, Army newspaper

By Cpl Damian Shovell

ELITE Army snow skiers and snowboarders took up the challenge at the Manugistics ADF Interservices Alpine Snowsports Championships at Mount Buller, Victoria, from August 8-13.

In the biggest upset of the event, Army Snowboarders, captained by Capt Anna Russell, won the ADF Snowboard racing championship from Air Force who held it since the event started in 1997.

Army’s Musn Lincoln Quilliam also took out the Army and overall ADF Snowboard Champion after dominating all snowboard events.

Facing strong competition, the Army men’s ski team had a tough challenge in the face of Navy last year winning all the men’s ski events.

Army team captain WO2 Willie Nelson said the team was selected from the individual service competitions the previous week, with the best from Army competing against their Navy and Air Force counterparts in Giant Slalom (GS), Long Giant Slalom (LGS), Slalom and Snowboarder Cross competitions.

“Overall it was Navy first, and then Army and Air Force in the way the men’s competition panned out for the ski teams,” he said.

However, Army mens skiers weren’t without strong performances after achieving the second placed overall male ADF Champion and winning the Slalom event.

“Navy went into this race with a lead but aware that the Army team could still win.

“The Slalom is the most technical of the three races and we knew we had to be fast, but we couldn’t affort any team members to make a mistake. It was great to win this event, but unfortunately we couldn’t make up the lead the Navy had created from earlier races.

Capt Mike Atkinson was awarded both Army’s overall champion male racer and second overall ADF Champion after coming a close second in all ski events to Navy’s Leut-Cmdr Brad Vizard.

“Capt Atkinson is definitely our best skier and is only just off the pace of Leut-Cmdr Vizard, and I reckon with a bit more time on snow he’ll be beating him.”

The Army women’s team was again the champion ADF women’s team with Cpl Amy Hall beating last year’s winner Capt Claire Baker in her debut return to ADF competition after a five year absence to take out Army’s overall female champion and ADF Women’s Champion.

Pte Steve Spiers also won the most improved award (Patron’s trophy)for the competition after being picked as a reserve for the event and finishing with some of the best snowboarding times.

Capt Pat Murray was also very competitive for this award after improving his times remarkably over the two championships.

“Capt Murray certainly improved over the couple of weeks we were there and will certainly be an up and coming star.”

Other notable performances were Capt Dean Munsie, Capt Tim Linsley, and snowboarders Capt Peter Morrison, Capt Ed Hardy and LCpl Shane Schoefield.

Mt Buller provided some of the best snow cover in years for the event, however, competitors had to battle freezing temperatures and very low visibility throughout the competition.

Joining the ADF competition again this year, Disabled Winter Sport Australia fielded a team of 10 racers including Para-Olympians Cameron Rahles-Rahbula and Michael Milton (who incidentally was beaten by Leut-Cmdr Brad Vizard in the GS by about a second).

Cameron, who’s attended the ADF competition for the past four years is the current world champion after winning gold in the Super G and Downhill and silver in Slalom at the World Championships in Austria last June, said racing with the ADF competition provided an excellent training opportunity.

“It’s a great opportunity for us, ... to be able to link into the services who have put on this great race – it’s all set up and they let us jump in – it’s awesome,” he said.

“It’s a great opportunity for the younger guys who don’t get to go overseas and race as much – to give them some experience; this is the sort of atmosphere we’re looking for. It’s a race where people can take the skills we’ve been working on through the season and give it a go and get used to the atmosphere, crowds, the inspections and pressures of racing.”

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