Members of the Worshipful Company of Actuaries have been prominent in the social aspects of the Inter-Livery skiing competition, attended this year by 90 people from London livery companies and run by the Ironmongers' Company in Morzine, France. They have even presented a cup run on actuarial principles, with a fiendishly complicated handicapping system based on age and sex. Also, for the last two years actuaries have administered the results, this year under the eagle eyes of liveryman Tony Leandro and assistant Nick Salter.
But never a sniff of a prize, until now, when three court members, senior warden Martin Miles, Nick Salter and trustee George Yoxall skied their socks off and brought home the Shipwrights' Trophy. They beat the court team of the Shipwrights, donors of the Trophy, by just 0.27 seconds in an aggregate time of 235.42 seconds. The Shipwrights gained their revenge, however, by winning The Actuaries' Handicap Cup, so honours were even. To put a
further gloss on it, Tony came third in the over-60s competition!
The Actuaries' team was made up of captain Fiona Morrison, Tony, George, Nick, Martin and past master Richard Hawkes and cheered on by Sarah Miles, Susie Salter and Juliet Hawkes. All team members safely completed a floodlit slalom course on the Friday evening and a grand slalom in good conditions on the Saturday morning, and all nine enjoyed a typical French reception on Friday and a prize-giving dinner
on Saturday.
A seventh actuary, past master Adrian Waddingham, added lustre to the event, being a leading member of the team of those who had been Masters of Livery Companies in 2010, known as the The Power of Ten, and the first Sheriff to ski competitively in his year of office.
The Vintners' Company brought along some real youngsters and keen skiers and won overall convincingly, and therein lies the actuaries' weakness, in that our team was more 'mature' than theirs. So, come along the younger members of the company, let's show what we can do to really count on the ski slopes - please put 23 and 24 January in your diaries for the 2015 event - we need you!
Guests may also compete on the courses with prizes for fastest male and female guest. So take part to enjoy what really is a fun weekend.