Hall of Fame
Here you can find an update on past Gordon Skiers who have continued with their passion for ski-ing, rising through the ranks to represent their country, be it Scottish Team or GB representation. We are pleased that these skiers remember their beginnings at Alford and continue to be associated with Gordon Skiers.
Roger Cruickshank - profile
Roger Cruickshank (DOB - 18 Oct 1982) joined the Royal Air
Force and graduated as an officer when he was 18 years old, becoming the
youngest officer in the RAF for six months. He completed the Initial Officer
Training, lasting 6 months at RAF Cranwell in October 2002, and is
at present based at RAF Leuchars as a Pilot Officer. It was intended that
he should begin his training as a pilot, but due to a series of impressive
results in forces' ski competitions, his superior officers granted Roger a
four year sabbatical to prepare for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin,
Italy. Roger got off to an inauspicious beginning to his skiing career, when
he broke his leg during his second lesson, aged 5. As he and
his parents were advised that he should not ski again for at least a couple
of years, he didn't actually start skiing again until he was nine years old.
He progressed very quickly with his local club the Gordon skiers, and was
soon picked for the British Children's Team. He was selected for the Scottish
Junior Team when he was 15, and after winning several Scottish titles as a
junior, confirmed his place in the Scottish Senior Team at the age of 16.
He left school having attained 5 Highers and decided to go skiing
full time, based in Quebec, Canada with the Scottish Senior Ski Team. After
a very good season touring Canada, followed by a successful British Championships
he was selected for the British Junior Ski Team at the age of 17. After joining
the RAF and having been given the four year sabbatical, he repaid the faith
by winning the British Junior Championships. This was despite missing most
of the season due to RAF training. Roger is now in the British Alpine Senior
Ski Team after another successful season
in 2002/03, the highlight of which was his performance at the British Senior
Championships in Tignes, France, which saw him take two podium finishes. He
finished 2nd in the Super G event and 3rd in the Downhill event, both times
closely following the top British Skier Finlay Mickel.
His goals for this year are based around the selection criteria for the British Alpine A-Team, which should be met each year. The criteria includes the necessity to attain the correct level of fitness, which is closely monitored and tested during the summer training period, and to better the specific World Rankings in the various skiing disciplines set for each year of birth. After making a huge breakthrough in the speed events last season (Super G and Downhill), improving his world ranking in Downhill by over 300 people, the British Team coaches are strongly suggesting he competes in the Europa Cup series this year which is the 2nd tier to the elite World Cup series. Due to hard work in the gym over the summer months, Roger has succeeded in gaining seven kilos, which will certainly help him in the speed events for the coming season. He is already showing considerable improvement in the early season ski training sessions.
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Roger Cruickshank: Best Achievments
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Date
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Location
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Competition
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Event
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Result
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| Mar 2003 | Tignes, France | British Senior Championships | Super G | 2nd |
| Mar 2003 | Tignes, France | British Senior Championships | Downhill | 3rd |
| Mar 2003 | Tignes, France | British Senior Championships | Combined | 2nd |
| Mar 2003 | Tignes, France | British Senior Championships | Overall | 3rd |
| Feb 2003 | Innerkrems, Austria | Slovenian Championships | Downhill | 19th |
| Mar 2002 | Pitztal, Austria | British Junior Championships | Overall | 1st |
| Feb 2001 | Verbier, Switzerland | World Junior Championships | Overall | 13th |
Roger is keen to keep us updated of his progress and we will post regular updates.
homeDate last modified 25-Jan-2007