InterSchools – comments by Mike Tinsley
The event was started by teachers at Scotch College in 1958 and was originally a competition between Scotch and Melbourne Grammar. The original Scotch College team (I believe) consisted of Simon Brown, Col Stuart, David Wenzel and Alan Broad. A Michael Wood was an early organizer. After a few years, as the event attracted more schools / teams, the Scotch teachers tired of organizing the event and passed it to the Victorian Ski Association.
My involvement started when my children liked to race and I liked to help. My mother (Kathleen Moore) was a great racer in the thirties and I raced in the fifties and sixties. In the seventies, with the 3 term year, the InterSchools were always held on the second Tuesday of the August holidays, to enable the High School teams to entry. There was only 1 grade and teams of boys / girls. Teams consisted of 4 racers with the 3 fastest to count for the result.
The teams were submitted on the Monday night at The Whit and the draw done shortly afterwards. Competitors would number about 100 racers. The individual racer bibs were handed out the next morning. David Hosking and I would start the race at about 9.00 AM and it was all over by lunchtime. The VSA would supply the poles and the timing equipment and the Ski School an instructor to set the course.
Some times, the race was held on the Village Run, below the SCV and at the back of the ABOM. That slope was close to The Whit and a ‘container’ that held the VSA’s poles and other equipment. As the numbers increased the race was transferred to Shaky Knees which provided a slightly longer course, with good skiing nearby and viewing areas for parents. In those days the whole organization and running of the InterSchools was undertaken by the parents and it would not have been possible with out their great involvement.
At that time I was the VSA Alpine committee Secretary (which also involved sending out racer registration forms and race entry forms), Secretary/Booking officer of the Candoux Ski Club and also racing in regional Masters events often involving weekends on other mountains.
When there was only one event (actually 2 - being boys / girls) it was relevantly easy calculation the results and holding the presentation. The results were prepared after lunch at The Whit and often the presentation was held in the Dump Inn Bar. After one of the races I was sitting in the Kooroora Hotel with Nic Regos (University High, outdoor activities) and Rod Hill (Melbourne High) discussing the future of the InterSchools. We all agree that the event could definitely growth and they would get other ‘High Schools’ involved. That was most encouraging as their schools gave ‘school colours’ for skiing but many of the private schools were against the event. My children were at MGS/St Caths and both of these schools believed that skiing was ‘elitist’!! I always maintained that skiing was NOT elitist, only very very expensive.
I even produced a ‘flyer’ to that affect and argued that the event was started by Scotch College teachers, had been an Olympic sport since 1924 and Australia first competed in the winter Olympic’s in 1936. I argued that surely a multi-million dollar oval on St Kilda Rd. for 11 (or 18) boys to play their sport was even more ‘elitist’ !!. AND then the school had to supply the sports coach, doubling as a ‘maths/english’ teacher for that recognized ‘established’ sport.
I remember that Rino Grollo shortly after his children wanted to compete (were competing) asked for a copy of my arguments for Parade College. In the early eighties, I would post out many ‘flyers/entry forms’ to the Sports Master/Mistress (?) and I think most ended up in the WPB. They were worried about losing a good athlete (footballer ?) to skiing, when at the time their school had no official policy towards skiing. We then took a different approach. We discussed the event with the kids who skied well at Mt Buller and their parents.
Nowadays, the Subaru Victorian Interschools SnowSports Championships attract around 150 government schools from across Victoria, with more than 6,000 entries received for the 70 separate events which is conducted over seven days.
