British Park and Pipe Program hoping to strike Winter gold
The summer is nearly over and thoughts will surely begin turning to the slopes this winter. For many of us, we look forward to a ski holiday in France that is a both mixture of excitement and Alpine relaxation.
But for a number of British athletes, the approach of the winter is a reminder they are training to compete with the world’s best. As the competition season gets ready to start, we look to where Great Britain is trying to compete on the world stage. To help give local young people the best training and future in the sport, British Ski and Snowboard has created the GB Park and Pipe program to manage talent, name athletes to competitive squads, and build international success for UK freestyle skiers and snowboarders.
For the members of the various squads and for scores of young people with future dreams and aspirations, the program is vital to helping the UK compete with traditional winter sports nations. And with the ground swell of support after Team GB’s colossal success in Rio, the profile of sport in this country may be at an all-time high.
The program has already paid dividends for British athletes. In the last two competitive seasons – which included Sochi 2014 – the results posted by British athletes have been phenomenal. There have been over 50 top 20 World Cup or elite-level competition placings, including 20 podium finishes.
There has also been Britain’s first ever World Cup gold in snowboard slopestyle. In March, snowboarder Jamie Nicholls became the first male Brit to win a World Cup event in the Czech Republic.
In helping to create the program, head skiing coach Pat Sharples said to the Ski Club of Great Britain that he was “very excited about working with the next lot of up-and-coming athletes, creating a bigger, stronger program and to be able to give youngsters all over the country a chance to be involved.”
“I couldn’t be prouder to see the sport of freeskiing expanding the way it is in the UK,” he continued. “We have some amazing people involved in the scene who are doing so much good for the sport.”
Finding new British talent in ski and snowboard
Here is how the GB Park and Pipe Program and the British talent development process works:
The key to lifting athletes up to the highest levels is help from the local clubs and skiing venues. Along with support from Snowsport England, Snowsport Scotland and Snowsport Wales, there are many facilities – both indoor and dry slopes – that offer young people an opportunity to try freestyle skiing and snowboarding.
Please read our guide to British ski venues to find a location near you.
Thanks to funding from a number of national organisations, starting next year, regional talent hubs will be created in England. The goal of these locations is to provide talented but raw athletes with proper coaching and guidance. The hope is to progress people into home nation academies and eventually the British Park and Pipe squads.
For more information, or to get involved, please visit Snowsport England for all the details.
Winter sport talent programs
Earlier this summer, a number of initiatives were launched to help boost the sport and the recruitment of talented athletes. The Dry Slope Ambassador program was launched to find innovative ways to increase young people’s involvement in the sport. The goal is to have talented young people be recognised for their skills and have them bring their enthusiasm to the rest of the country.
“These young athletes will not only perform valuable logistical roles at the artificial slopes, they will also act as role models for younger skiers and hopefully inspire them to train hard on their local dry slopes and stay involved in the competitive skiing scene,” said Snowsport England Director Tania Barton in announcing the program.
UK Sport is also throwing its support behind British freestyle skiing and snowboarders. They have started a Discover Your Gold program to identify young talent in a variety of sports. In the lookout for young people with raw speed, power or ability, the national sport organisation is hoping to steer them to sports they might not normally be drawn to – like those in the snow.
“Discover Your Gold is all about ensuring young people with sporting talent get the opportunity to reach their full potential no matter what their background,” said Liz Nicholl, chief executive of UK Sport, in announcing the initiative to the national media.
