Ski Slope Success for Ibble

Published by Malvern St James Girls' School on Thursday 10th of April 2014

The spirit of the Winter Olympics lives on for Year 6 Malvern St James pupil, Isabella (Ibble) Watson, who is enjoying a fantastic run on the Alpine ski slopes.

Ibble, whose UK base is in Broadway, is a member of the Morzine- Avoriaz Ski Club membership is by invitation only and skiers qualify by completing courses in very fast times. Ibble spends most weekends travelling from Malvern to Morzine to train and compete.

Ibble came seventh in the Qualifying Rounds for the Bronze Championships in St Jean, France, in February. Her best time was 43 seconds in the Giant Slalom; her current times should ensure her place on the team for the Championships later in the season.

Later in the month, she went on to take third place in the 'Open' races, where she was not only the youngest person in the competition, but also the only female in the Top 8. Bearing in mind her tender age of not-quite 11 years old, she went on to be placed third in another heat, out of a field of 30. The ages of the two competitors who beat her were nineteen and twenty-three.

Most recently, Ibble has been competing in the French Training Programmes, and she has a strong chance of being chosen for the French Ski team. She has also just found out that she has qualified for the prestigious Coq d'Or Ecole du Ski Francais all-France Championships, which will take place on 2 5 April.

Mrs Patricia Woodhouse, Headmistress of Malvern St James Girls' School, comments, 'Ibble is our first skiing champion at MSJ. Her success on the slopes is thrilling, and I admire her pluck and determination. She is putting in a huge amount of practice and dedication, travelling out to France most weekends, and in holidays, to compete and train. The School wishes her all the very best for the rest of the season. If Ibble continues to progress at her current rate, I might well be booking myself a ticket to see her at a future Winter Olympics!'