By
CPL Damian Shovell
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LAC
Daniel Sharp, of RAAF Base Richmond, showed he was improving
at the ADF Alipine Snowsports championships at Mount Buller.
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Photo
by CPL Damien Shovell
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AIR
FORCE’S snowboarding team has relinquished its stranglehold as
ADF snowboard champions to Army after holding the title since
the competition started in 1997. Air Force also couldn’t beat
the dominating Navy in the ski events this year.
Flight Lieutenant Davin Johnson was the best performing Air Force
member at the Manugistics Interservices ADF Alpine Snowsports
Championships at Mount Buller, Victoria, from August 8-13.
FLTLT Davin Johnson was judged the best out of the small Air Force
team, which was heavily depleted by operational and other commitments.
He won the Air Force men’s championships award and came third
overall in the men’s events.
Flight Lieutenant Karen Reid, one of only two individual female
Air Force ski competitors, said there were some other some brilliant
individual efforts. “Corporal Tim Seagar came second in the overall
snowboard rankings,” FLTLT Reid said.
Other individual performances of note were from Leading Aircraftman
Daniel Sharp, who showed he was improving, and from Leading Aircraftman
Adam Bland, who raced intermediate at the inter-unit competition
for Air Force and competed in his first advanced race at the
interservice competition.
“That was the first time he’d [LAC Bland] done an advanced course
and he was there as part of the development squad for experience
and he got six clean runs in all six races, with fairly respectable
times,” FLTLT Reid said. “He’ll be somebody to watch in the future.”
The team was selected from the individual service competitions
the previous week, with the best from Air Force competing against
Navy and Army counterparts in giant slalom, long giant slalom,
slalom and snowboarder cross competitions.
Air
Force came third in the skiing. “We didn’t field a women’s ski
team this year, but we had two individual skiers for the Air Force
and that was Leading Aircraftwoman Vanessa Hill and myself.”
Although LACW Hill fell and didn’t finish the second run of her
Slalom, her remaining times were very competitive and attracted
a recommendation to compete in a Europe tour with the ADF.”
This is the second year the women were unable to field a women’s
ski team because of lack of numbers. “This is something we’re
hoping to rectify in future competitions, so we’ll be focusing
a lot in trying to get more girls involved,” said FLTLT Reid.
The snowboarding team was also light on for female competitors.
Flight Lieutenant Christine Bradley was the sole female snowboarder
for Air Force, however the overall number of snowboarders had
increased on previous years “...so hopefully we’ll be able to
regain that snowboarding title back again next year.”
