LUSST team competes on slopes

The LUSST team head off to the slopes to compete against snow-sports teams from across the country

| UPDATED

The University of Lincoln’s skiing and snowboarding team (LUSST) compete against snow-sports teams from across the country for the coveted bronze,silver or gold medals.

Some of the LUSST team

The team were in for an early start, having to be on the coach with all the other Lincoln competitors and spectators by 6am to travel to Milton Keynes’ XSCAPE centre, where the competition took place.

After descending straight into Wetherspoons and having a large full English breakfast as soon as we got there -the perfect pre skiing/boarding meal – we headed to the slope to watch the first competition, the ski slaloms.

Ice ice baby!

The girls went first and kicked it off with style, with two of our female skiers: Katherine Cloud and Lucy Holland both qualifying for the finals at Castleford, finishing 5th and 12th respectively out of 28 competitors from universities across the country. Our male skiers didn’t deliver as well as the girls, with none succeeding in qualifying for Castleford.

Bricking it!

After the ski races were done there was a short break, straight back to Wetherspoons for a couple of drinks before the snowboarding slaloms began (standard). The girls went first, but sadly unlike in the skiing, no one managed to qualify. Next it was me and the boys. We got geared up and took the button lift to the top of the slope and waited for our names and number to be called, I was 224. Eventually I was called up to stand at the gate on my snowboard, I could hear the big Lincoln support all cheering and yelling at the bottom of the slope, I wasn’t going to let them down…

..Safe to say I let them down.

Halfway down the slope I started getting cocky, I was going fast, I was going to get a good time. But I wanted a better time. The next thing I knew, I had a face full of snow, and the cheering was now jeering. Brilliant. I was back on my feet almost immediately and finished the slalom very shortly afterwards in laughter as I got mocked at the finishing line by the rest of Lincoln.

After more drinks, it was time for the dual slalom teams- snowboard first.  The snowboard teams didn’t manage to make it to the next round, however the ski slalom team, including LUSST Vice President Greg Thomas, did manage an impressive round one win before succumbing to a bitter defeat in the second round preventing, their qualification to Castleford.

Last up was the slopestyle competitions. A chance for skiers and boarders to show off their freestyle abilities on jumps, grinds and pipes.  Mathew Curz of the Lincoln Snowboard slopestyle made it to the finals, but unfortunately was not able to get a medal and qualify to Castleford for his efforts. However Lincoln’s female skier Maddie Shaw qualified in ski slopestyle with a bronze medal.

After these last races, you guessed it, there was more drinking in Wetherspoons and Revs before finally getting the coach back to Lincoln and crawling back into bed after a very long day.