Jewish skiers impress at interschool nationals
An impressive six Jewish teenage skiers competed against the nation’s best student athletes at last week’s 2024 Australian Snowsports Interschools Championships.
An impressive six Jewish teenage skiers – the most in many years – competed against the nation’s best student athletes at last week’s 2024 Australian Snowsports Interschools Championships, held at Perisher Ski Resort.
While 16-year-old Sydneysider Ethan Andrews Zucker – who became Australia’s first Maccabiah Winter Games athlete in the 2022 edition in Germany – has competed many times at the national interschools, last week was the first time in four years that his younger brother Jonathan, 11, also qualified and took part.
Ethan kept himself busy throughout the week-long championships, completing seven different boys’ division 2 events for The Scots College. His best individual result was a brilliant bronze medal win in the alpine ski race, nailing a time of 25.55 seconds on the downhill front valley course, as part of a four-man Scots College team that earned gold.
Ethan also did very well in the ski cross (seventh), moguls (eighth) snowboard giant slalom and snowboard cross (both 17th) and slopestyle skiing (18th).
It followed his good recent form at the Blue Cow Cup, in which he won two silvers and a valuable experience in January when competing in European Union U16 boys’ races in Folgaria, Italy.
He was also thrilled to compete in two events at the national interschools with his schoolmate and training program buddy Tom Guiney – whose mother is Israeli – in Scots College teams that won silver in the division 2 moguls and bronze in the slopestyle skiing.
Guiney placed fourth individually in the former with a best run of 44.22 and 13th individually in the latter, earning a score of 70.00.
Jonathan, who specialises in moguls skiing, represented Mosman Prep and placed 18th in the division 4 boys’ moguls individual results, clocking 38.97 seconds, helping his school place fifth in that event.
He also competed in the division 4 alpine skiing, placing 36th.
Representing The King David School, 16-year-old Charlie Lindros scored 50.33 points to place 26th in the slopestyle skiing division 2 boys’ competition, while 15-year-old Brighton Secondary College rep Bodie Horne, clocked 26.62 and 21.64 in his two runs in the moguls division 2 boys’ competition to come 31st overall.
Charlie’s dad, John, told The AJN that the two are good friends and they enjoyed the challenge and excitement of competing in their first Australian Snowsports Interschools Championships.
“The conditions at Perisher were great – mainly blue skies, good snow and an amazing, carnival-like atmosphere,” he said.
“They’re both involved in their schools’ snow sports training programs and Charlie spent every winter weekend and the entire winter school holidays, in Mt Buller, training with the Team Buller Riders.”
Finn Rogers – the 2024 AJAX Ski Club Founders’ Award recipient – competed in two boys’ division 5 events for Bialik College, coming 26th in alpine skiing and 28th in the ski cross.
In another sign of expanding depth in Jewish snow sports, another skier from Melbourne had achieved a nationals qualifying time, but was unavailable to compete at Perisher.
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