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FeaturesYou are in: Suffolk > People > Features > Ipswich to host Suffolk's first national ski event.  Photo by Graham Shorrock Ipswich to host Suffolk's first national ski event.By Corinne Roper This year Suffolk will host its first national competition with many top racers travelling to the area to compete. Suffolk Vikings galleryCheck out images of the Suffolk ski team, the Vikings. The summer might not seem like the most obvious time of year to get your ski boots out of storage and hit the slopes. But the warm weather provides perfect conditions for racers competing in nationals across the country.  On Saturday June 10th, the Wherstead slope in Ipswich will host its first high profile event, the Suffolk Club National. Bernard Wright, one of the organisers and a member of the local Vikings race team, is looking forward to the new event. "It has taken a long time to get this kind of competition in Suffolk and we are very excited at the prospect of seeing the countries top racers coming to the area to take part," he says. It's been a fight to get the national event in Suffolk, with organisers juggling funding and persuading officials that the slope is worthy of its own event. "The club income is built up through membership fees, and we've applied for grants in the past but been unsuccessful. We've received a lot of support for this event, and we're confident that it will be a big success."  Despite old money issues, staff at the slope have high hopes for the future, "People don't necessarily think of Suffolk as a good skiing area because it is generally seen as flat, but our slope is the best in the country," says Bernard. "We hope the event will bring new people to the area and help local businesses like hotels and shops. We'd like to raise the profile of Suffolk as a skiing location and would love to eventually host big events like the All England Championships." To find out more about he event, which will see professionals racing through a slalom course, for the least points, you can visit the Suffolk Club National website through the links on the right of the page. Organisers are also inviting racers to apply through their official site.  The Ski Centre offers a range of facilities including additional nursery slopes, sport shops, a practice golf range, a dedicated Toboggan slope, bar and restaurant. For further information visit the ski centre site following the link on the right of the page. last updated: 17/11/2008 at 15:17 You are in: Suffolk > People > Features > Ipswich to host Suffolk's first national ski event. |
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