Two brothers from Kendal came within 0.4 seconds of national skiing gold after winning silver at the English Schools National Skiing Finals in Norfolk.
Monty Ruscoe, aged 10, and his eight-year-old brother Ranulph represented St Thomas’s Primary School at the finals on Saturday 10 October. The pair finished second as a team after recording the second and fourth fastest individual times in their category across four runs.
A result with no margin for error
The brothers faced an extra challenge because they competed as a team of two. Both of their times counted towards the final result, leaving no margin for error, while rival teams were able to field three skiers.
Their silver medal came after the team finished only 0.4 seconds behind the winners, turning the final result into a particularly close contest.
Strong showing for Cumbria schools
Cumbria had three primary school teams and two secondary school teams qualify for the event through regional competitions.
St Thomas’s also entered a mixed team featuring Rhona Thom and Ben Simpson. St Martin and St Mary qualified Rupert Young and Harriet Ramwell, while Queen Elizabeth School was represented by Ed Thacker, Luca Williams, Rhona Houston and Elizabeth Jones.
Queen Katherine School’s mixed team of Tom Robinson and Rosa-Mae Crompton had to withdraw after their teammate Archie Waple broke his collarbone while playing rugby before the finals.
Training and life beyond skiing
Most of the young racers train three times a week at Kendal Snowsports Club. Monty and Ranulph also take part in cricket, football, tennis and fell running away from the slopes.