Whitworth ski team best in Burnley and Rossendale competition

The winning Whitworth Community High School ski team

Novice skiers from Whitworth Community High School enjoyed five weeks of coaching sessions and then won a skiing competition.

Five schools took part in the event which was organised by Rossendale School Sports Partnership in partnership with Burnley School Sports Partnership at The Hill, home of Ski Rossendale and was funded by Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

A school skiing trip is being planned by Whitworth for next year and so for the students it was a chance to get some skills before they embark on snowy slopes.

Eleven pupils attended the skiing coaching sessions and nine returned to take part in the festival – the Burnley and Rossendale Secondary School Ski Competition.

The school’s skiers won the team event and individually Autumn Jones was second in the girls’ individual with Katie Needham third while Sam Young was second in the boys’ individual.

Katie, 15, said: “We had the lessons on the training slope and then the final event was on the big slope so we had to go up on the ski lift, some people fell off when they tried to get on.

“I like skiing, I have done waterskiing before and it is very cold when you land in Cowm Reservoir. I am really looking forward to the school skiing trip.”

Sam, 15, said: “We had to ski down the big slope and go round poles in a slalom. The fastest boys’ time was 11.7 seconds and I got down in 12.1.

“I had never skied before and only had the lessons over the five weeks. I will be going on the ski trip with school.”

The aim of the ski coaching and competition programme was to help build the confidence of students that have never represented their school before and might not get the opportunity to ski outside of school.