Alpine & Ski Cross Review and Roadmap
Published Fri 16 Mar 2018
In July 2017 SSA was pleased to announce former Australian National Team Coach and US Ski Team coach Mick Branch as the new SSA Alpine Director. Mick comes to the role with an enormous amount of high performance experience and knowledge having coached US Ski Team athletes to Gold medal performances at the Olympic level. He has a deep understanding of the Australian alpine pathway and our potential as a nation to produce world cup skiers. Mick commenced the role in July and spent almost the entire season immersed in the alpine community completing a comprehensive review of the alpine pathway.
This review and subsequent observations culminated in a presentation to the Alpine Leaders forum in late October, where 33 representatives from Australia’s ski racing clubs and major ski resorts, unanimously endorsed and supported the principles and recommendations for change.
While the recommendations are wide-ranging, the core theme is a model that is informed by evidence and provides guidance to best practice and strategy to enhance the athlete pathway. The high level philosophical and structural recommendations are supported by the FTEM athlete pathway and skill acquisition work undertaken in partnership with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).