Programme launched to find next Olympic freestyle skiers and snowboarders

UK Sport and others have launched a campaign to identify athletic talent to help develop the next British Olympians in freestyle skiing and snowboarding.

There is now a concerted effort to find the UK’s next great freestyle ski and snowboarding stars with the #DiscoverYourGold campaign spearheaded by UK Sport.

Both park and pipe disciplines of freestyle have been included in the programme that pulls together the competitive and training resources of UK Sport, the English Institute of Sport (EIS), and a range of national governing bodies. Through a national search, they hope to offer identified athletes support in sport science, medicine, as well as access to the newest technology in the various sports.

Of the athletes who won medals at the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympic Games, the vast majority of them were aided by the EIS. The goal of the campaign is to identify young athletes between 15 and 24 in a wide range of sports who may be able to proceed to Olympic Games in the future.

To find potential winter sport stars, the hashtag #DiscoverYourFreestyle has been launched to help identify the gymnastic or acrobatic background needed for freestyle skiing and snowboarding.

“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. “We are looking for athletes with raw endurance, speed or power. You might be in the wrong sport, but with the potential, with access to the right training and support, to become a future Olympic medallist.

“If you are highly competitive, mentally tough and up for the challenge of a lifetime – we want to hear from you,” Nicholl said.

Earlier this year, Snowsport England launched its Dry Slope Ambassador Programme, to try to cultivate young talent learning to ski on the UK’s various dry slope complexes. By learning to freestyle ski in Britain, athletes can look forward to even better ski holiday in France where the Alpine snow falls in abundance.

Image Credit: Rod Leefe (flickr.com)