june 18 - 24 | 2014
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Leading the way By KYLIE WILSON
WINNING TEAM:
Chri Geiger (right) at the recent Sochi Paralympics with Jessica Gallagher, celebrating her bronze medal win in the giant slalom. PHOTO: Australian Paralympic Committee
GARDENING WITH
DEBBI
RSPCA
WITH
RUBY
FILM
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR
DRAGON 2
WINE TALK WITH
ANITA
GROWING up in Austria, the son of an Austrian father and Australian mother, it was perhaps inevitable champion skier Chri Geiger would find himself most at home in the snow. He learnt to ski before he was even at school, and by the time he was 10 he was a fixture on the European ski racing circuit. “I loved it,” he said from Mt Hotham, which has been home since 1997. “I’m pretty lucky, coming from a skiing background.” His love for the sport was equalled by his talent on the slopes - the only junior skier selected into the Australian national team in 2005, representing Australia at the 2008 World Junior Alpine Skiing Championships, part of the 2009 World Championships Australian Alpine ski team, and competing in a range of major skiing events both at home and overseas. But a serious car accident in 2009 which severely injured his arm, spleen and liver and left him with serious brain trauma, saw him spending months undergoing intensive rehabilitation where he learnt to walk, talk and eat by himself again. Chri said that during that harrowing time, he was struck by the support he got not only from his family and support network, but from the Mt Hotham community. And he said an ever-present “drive to get back on skis” was a big motivator during his rehabilitation. continued page |
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