VALCHIUSA
“Carneades, who was he?” Don Abbondio asked himself in the Promessi sposi. The very young athletes of the Valchiusella ski club who this winter competed on the snow of the main Piedmont ski resorts and on those of Abetone are anything but unknown.
Yes, because in the competitions of the regional circuit, the faces of the young promises of the valley have become familiar to coaches and competitors from other clubs.
Respected and admired by all, the little Valchiusellese skiers, so much so that when they go down to the race, the technicians stationed on the track indulge in expressions between smug and amazed, seeing them face the gates of the track with practically perfect style and in total safety.
the results
At least one athlete on the podium in all the races of the provincial circuit, five qualified for the regional finals and six for the Pinocchio Trophy, a national competition. Results that speak for themselves. And if it is not a small sporting miracle we are close.
Just think that, coming from a valley where the ski lifts have been closed for years, the kids of the Valchiusella Ski Club find themselves confronted with peers, many of whom probably leave their home with skis on to start training. The president of the ski club, Alberto Perino explains: «This year, due to the restrictions due to Covid, we trained in Bielmonte. Three days a week, with three hours of travel there and back. Summer skiing? Last summer a few single days, in Cervinia. With our own funds – adds Perino -, we have finally managed to buy a second-hand minibus, while the operating costs are partly covered by generous local sponsors and the rest by the parents of the children ».
the technicians
The very young athletes are followed by coaches Davide Cordani, from Rueglio, former Italian champion of giant and super-giant slalom, and Vittorio Caruso, from Biella.
Technicians who among the most famous ski clubs would “steal” willingly from Valchiusella. But they won’t move. And it is Davide Cordani and President Perino himself, who take care of the kids’ skis by sharpening the edges and waxing them the night before the races.
The athletic training in the gym is entrusted to Marco Proietti who makes use of the collaboration of Gabriele Boglino and Enrico Bovio. In the summer, then, it’s up to Ettore Perino and Luigi Zenerino to accompany the little skiers on weekly excursions in the Valchiusellese mountains. Walks that bear fruit in the race.
master
In the Ski Club Valchiusella there is also a fierce Master team, with former athletes capable of excelling in any of the competitions in which they took part.
The Valligiano ski club was founded in 1930 in Trausella, with the name “Sci club Valle del Chiusella”, and was then re-founded in Inverso, in 1962, with the current name. –