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Neil van der Ploeg

Australian Junior A Team

Date of Birth: 23/9/1987
Nickname: Neil or Mr Tumnus
Ski Club:  Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club
Coach: Finn Marsland
Year started skiing: 1988
Home Town:  Mt Beauty, VIC
Home Resort: Falls Creek
Favourite Resort:  Falls Creek
Height: 187 cm
Weight: 78 KG (I will hopefully drop a few kgs before winter!)
Occupation: Working in ski shop and top chestnuts picker.


        

Ultimate Training Session:  Anything that is good fun and a good workout.

Loves: Certain females, playing xbox, winning poker, skiing with friends, playing drums, mountainbike riding...

Hates: Staying up late (unless playing xbox), falling over on hard surfaces, getting sock and injured, fish, sand caught in hair, the "insert" buttom, it's the most useless key on the board.

Other Interests:  Bagging Simon, soccer, hacky sac, rope swinging.

Favourite Meal: I love lots of food...but not fish.

Favourite Movie: The Matrix (the first one)

Favourite TV show: Prison Break

Favourite CD: Aenima by TOOL

Last Book Read: No great mischief (school text book)

Who would you most like to go skiing with?  I don't know, there's just too many options. Maybe that Andy Newell guy who can do backflips on his xc gear.

What is your ultimate dream in XC-Skiing? I don't know, winning the Olympics I guess, and boosting the profile of xc-skiing in Australia so you can do it as a proper job. 


Competitive history: 

Year

Competition

Distance/Style

Place

2006

Australian Birkebeiner

14km Freestyle

1st

2006

Australian Championships

10 km Classic

4st (3rd AUS)

2006

Australian Championships

10km Freestyle

6th (4th AUS)

2006

Australian Junior Championships

10km Freestyle/10km Classic

2nd mu 20 (1st AUS)

2006

Australian Championships

15km Classic

5th (4th AUS) 2nd mu 20 (1st AUS)

2006

Australian Championships

Sprint Freestyle

2nd (1st AUS)

2006

Australian Championships

30km Freestyle

4st (1st mu 20)

2006

Victorian Sprint Championships

Sprint Classic

1st

2006

NSW Championships

10km Freestyle

3rd (2nd AUS) 2nd mu 20 (1st AUS)

2006

ACT Championships

8km Classic

2nd (1st mu 20)

2006

Australian Junior Championships

10km Classic/10km Freestyle

1st mu 20

2006

BC cup #2

15km classic, 10km Freestyle

1st

2006

BC championships

10km Freestyle

1st

2005

Australian Birkebeiner

21km Freestyle

2nd

2005

Australian Junior Championships

10km Freestyle and 10km Classic

2nd U 18

2004

NSW junior championship

Freestyle

3rd mu 18

2004

ACT junior championships

Classic

1st mu 18

2004

Australian junior championships

Combined 10km

3rd mu 20

2004

Australian junior championships

Classic

1st mu 18

2003

Joey Hoppet

7km Freestyle

1st

2003

Australian junior championships

Sprint

1st mu 16

2003

Victorian championships

Sprint

1st mu 16

2003

Australian junior championships

5km Classic/Freestyle

1st mu 16

2003

NSW/ACT championships

5km Classic/Freestyle

1st mu 16

2002

Australian junior Nationals

5km Classic/Freestyle

1st mu 16

2002

Australian junior Nationals

Sprint

1st mu 16

2002

Victorian junior championship

5km Freestyle

1st

2002

Victorian junior championship

5km Classic

1st

2001

Junior nationals

2.5km Freestyle

2nd

2001

Junior nationals

2.5km Classic

1st

2001

Victorian junior championships

2.5km Freestyle

2nd

2000

Junior Nationals

2.5km Combined

3rd mu 14

1999

Victorian junior championships

2.5km Combined

3rd


Equipment:

Skis - Peltonen
Poles - Swix
Boots - Salomon
Bindings - Salomon

 Personal Sponsors: Rocky Valley Bike and Snow sports.

 

 

VIC Sprint 2005

Updated September 2006


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