Hartpury College has made a remarkable debut at the British Schoolgirls Races in Flaine, France, securing the Best Newcomer Trophy and showcasing exceptional talent and resilience. Their eye-catching participation in the event has put them on the ski map, with the team only narrowly missing podium finishes in slalom, giant slalom and combined categories.
This prestigious event, organised by the Ladies Ski Club, has been promoting female athletes in alpine skiing for 100 years.
Nearly 170 racers from 30 schools and colleges participated. The Hartpury College team consisted of Amber Hood (Level 3 Uniformed Protective Services student), Georgia Blaikie (Level 3 Extended Diploma Sport and Exercise Science student and Scottish national alpine ski team member), and Martha Newell (Level 3 Uniformed Protective Services student).
The team also received two days of intensive training in slalom and giant slalom, supported by Georgia and Martha’s ski team, Excel Race Academy.
Race highlights
The weekend’s events began with a team parallel slalom, a head-to-head relay knock-out competition. Hartpury narrowly missed advancing to the third round, with Amber only missing out by a fraction of a second in the final leg.
On day two, the slalom race saw Georgia excel in her strongest discipline, finishing 4th in the U18 category and 2nd in her year of birth group. Martha finished 7th with the Hartpury team narrowly missing the podium in 4th place.
Challenging conditions and a rapidly deteriorating course led to over 70 racers being disqualified or retiring from the course, including Amber, who missed the final gate just before the finish line. Despite this, her performance was commendable for a first-time racer.
The giant slalom race faced delays due to soft snow conditions, resulting in the cancellation of the second run. Martha led the way for Hartpury, securing a 3rd place finish in the U18 category and 2nd in her year of birth group. Georgia finished 9th, and the team once again narrowly missed the podium in 4th place.
Awards and recognition
The final presentations were held in the Flaine auditorium, where Hartpury College was awarded the Best Newcomer trophy for their outstanding results. Additionally, Amber Hood received the Spirit of Schoolgirls award for her strength, determination, resilience, and team spirit, impressing officials with her performance in the parallel slalom.
Lee Douglas, Athlete Performance Academy Manager at Hartpury University and College said: “We are incredibly proud of our girls’ outstanding performance at the British Schoolgirls Races. Amber, Georgia and Martha have truly made huge strides to put Hartpury on the winter sports map, and we look forward to supporting their continued success in future competitions. To finish in 4th place behind some of the leading schools on debut is extremely impressive.”
The next competition for the racers will be in June, where they’ll compete indoors at Manchester’s Chill Factore.
Hartpury University and College supports students to combine their studies while training and competing in a variety of sports (Hartpury University is ranked 4th in the UK for Sports Science according to The Guardian University Guide 2025). The Athlete Performance Academy is one of nine competitive sports academies, with consistent results across sports including athletics, swimming, Olympic weightlifting, and sailing.
This performance by Hartpury skiers highlights the institution’s commitment to also extending its influence across the winter sports landscape.
