Interschools National Championships End On A High At Perisher
Published Mon 12 Sep 2022
The 2022 SUBARU Australian Interschools Championships came to a close on Sunday, after six days of exceptional snowsport performances across Perisher Ski Resort.
Over 1500 athletes from 291 primary and secondary schools converged in Perisher to compete for National titles in Alpine, Snowboard Cross, Ski Cross, Slopestyle, Snowboard GS, Cross Country, Moguls and Multiclass events.
This week's events were an accumulation of almost 18,000 entries from State and Regional Championships held across Perisher, Thredbo, Mt Buller and Falls Creek resorts throughout July and August.
The Overall National Primary School Championship was awarded to St Catherine's School in Victoria (female), Scotch College Junior School (male) and Snowy Mountains Grammar School (co-ed).
In the senior schools ranks, The Scots College was the Secondary School Male Overall Champion, Wenona the Secondary Female Overall Champion and Snowy Mountains Grammar School the Co-ed Champion.
Chair of the National Interschools Development Committee, Steve Cooper, said it has been fantastic to see the return of the Interschools National Championships for the first time since 2019.
"Our Interschools community have really missed the Championships over the past few years, and students and parents alike have expressed how much they have enjoyed the return of competition this year," Cooper said.
"While total numbers were 15% down on our peak from 2019, we're very happy with the participation return rate, and foresee this continuing to grow over coming years as we recover from the impacts of COVID.
"It was evident this week that athletes across all divisions see Interschools as a crucial stop on their snowsports journey, and have expressed their excitement at returning next year."
Cooper thanked the Australian Sports Commission, SUBARU, Snowy Monaro Regional Council and Perisher Resort for their support of the National event.
“Of importance with this 2022 National Championships is that the Australian Sports Commission provided a significant $50,000 grant as part of Sport Australia’s Regional Sport Events Fund, that supports local government in regional and remote Australia to host sporting events," he said.
"Through the support of Sport Australia and partnerships with SUBARU Australia, the Snowy Monaro Regional Council and the Perisher Resort, we have enabled local community members and the national snowsports community to reconnect and celebrate through sport."
VP and General Manager of Perisher Resort, Belinda Trembath, said it's been fantastic to see so many athletes and their families at the resort this season.
"Hosting interschools events is a very important part of our annual events calendar and, as the pinnacle event, the National Interschools provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase our region and all it has to offer," she said.
With the national Interschools Championships alternating between NSW and Victorian ski resorts each year, the event will head to Mt Buller in 2023.
See all results from the 2022 SUBARU Australian Interschools Championships HERE