So 2021 wasn’t much better than the previous year, more Covid lockdowns, social distancing etc. Hopefully the worst is behind us now, although having said that more friends than ever have been posting photos of their positive Lateral Flow Tests on social media – it’s still out there!
It was good to get back to Hog Hill again. Instead of the usual race format we held informal “Chill on the Hill” sessions. Slalom wise the May “Hog Hill Pandemic Edition” was a very small affair but it was good to catch up with people in person after so long. There were no ramps or timing gear to worry about setting up and after an initial damp start we set a dual hybrid course to get the cobwebs dusted off which was needed by all. Gauntlets were thrown down and the courses were raced, nothing serious just good clean fun.
The Summer Swine Stomp in July saw a slightly larger gathering for the fun and games, it was a lovely warm sunny weekend too. Joining the slalom throng was Darren Miles who had made the schlep up from Devon to join in the shenanigans and see what Hog Hill was all about. Again it was a good laid back vibe and everyone seemed to enjoy being out and about again.
It felt quite weird not having Michael around for these gatherings, he would have loved the banter, his humour and bad jokes were greatly missed by all. For Hogtoberfest Paul Coupe bought along a lot of the old Octane Sport stock that the UKSSA now has. We have decided to sell a lot of it off to raise funds to install a custom made bench at the top of the slalom hills in memory of our fallen brothers. That weekend we raised in excess of £700 which was a great start. There will be more bargains to be had at this year’s events.
For 2022 we have two dates booked, The Crackling will be held 14th/15th May and Hogtoberfest 15th/16th October. We are looking for volunteers to help with transportation of the ramps and timing gear from their stable in West Sussex (near Horsham) to Hog Hill for these events. If you can help please get in touch.
So dust of your slalom quiver and get ready for the races in 2022!