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Alpine Director Update - August 2024

Published Fri 09 Aug 2024

Dear Alpine Community,

While only halfway through the winter it has been a whirlwind of activity thus far. I was invited to Perisher early season to run some coaching clinics for their instructors and new coaches across their Devopment and Interschools programs. We had a great turn out and it was super fun to get back out on snow, meet new faces as well as reconnect with some familiar ones. 

Following on from Perisher it was across the border to Falls Creek where I spent time with the Falls Creek Winter Sports Club alongside Mike Gould, supervisor for Falls Creek Winter Sports Club. We ran a three-day coaching course with sessions both on and off snow covering a range of topics including skill development and progression, effective communication, training environments and course setting. All the sessions were very well attended and the engagement and enthusiasm from both new and seasoned coaches was awesome to be a part of. On my last day I was able to tag along with a couple of the Alpine groups on their first day of seasonal programs, which was great fun.

My journey then took me to Mt Buller and five days with the Mt Buller Race Club. It was an opportunity to meet in person with new Technical Program Director Mark Mitter and join him on snow along with his team of coaches. Mark brings a rare insight and perspective towards athlete development and the realities of high-performance outcomes from his time working with Marcel Hirscher and Mikaela Shiffrin. His newest challenge is to try and transfer these learning from the world stage into a club environment. Along with spending time with Mark, his coaching staff and athletes on snow, I was also invited to take part in several evenings of parent meetings to discuss how best to support their children's snowsport development.

We finally received the snow we had all been hoping for and by all reports the skiing across Australia has been great these last weeks. I was lucky enough to spend time training with the Perisher Winter Sports Club working with their U14, U16 and FIS coaches for a couple of days. Thredbo Ski Racing Club had me out for some free ski days along with National Alpine Ski Team member Sammie Gaul and we even snuck in some powder turns for good measure! Sammie also took time to take part in a great indoor session, which was facilitated by TSRC head coach Craig Branch, discussing her journey, resilience, and what the sport means to her. With clearer conditions following we did some on snow skills assessments across the U12, U14, U16 and FIS groups. I was able to spend time with Thredbo Mountain Academy, their Dev Squad and ski with a young group of rippers who were looking to try out for selection to TMA for the following year. It is great to see the next generation of skiers with so much excitement and love for the sport, happy to be skiing no matter the weather.

I am writing this now as I prepare to leave for Mt Hotham to spend the next 5 days with Team Hotham Winter Sports Club. I am looking forward to working closely with Program Director Jeff Books and spending time on snow with athletes, coaches, meeting with parents, and enjoying some great skiing. The following week I will be assisting our National Ski Cross Team athletes as we run a SX FUTURES with the next generation of talent in Mt Hotham which leads straight in to three ANC SX races on the 14, 15, 16th of August.

Towards the end of August and into September we will stay busy with the following events:

Remember to check your membership and make sure you are an active athlete with a Club Racer membership for Children’s events, or a National/International Racer membership if you are FIS aged. Without an active membership you will be unable to enter these events. Watch out for information if you are a parent who is interested in volunteering at these events as a Race Official. It is the support of volunteer officials that make these races possible, and your help is greatly appreciated. 

If you are interested in understanding more about the roles of a race official or just curious and  want to understand the sport better, there is some great online educational content on the Snow Australia Snow Academy. This e-learning platform contains modules designed for coaches, athletes, parents and volunteers looking to learn more on topics spanning Child Safe, Officiating, Alpine and Ski Cross Coaching, Anti-Doping, S&C, Nutrition, Recovery and more. Two new additions focused on the Alpine community are modules on:

  • Race Official at FIS/Snow Australia level races – covers overview of Alpine, Race Organization, Roles, and Responsibilities.
  • FIS Points for Alpine and Ski Cross – what they are and how do they work.

These are both great resources for anyone (coaches, athletes, parents) looking to increase their knowledge about the disciplines of Alpine and Ski Cross. I would love to hear your feedback on these modules and ideas of what we may be able to offer in the future.

Enjoy the turns!!

Shawn Fleming
Alpine Director
Snow Australia

READ FULL UPADTE

In this edition:

  • Aussies Podium at First FIS Races of the Season
  • Women of Winter Networking evening - Hotham
  • Download the Snowracer App
  • Snowracer NZ - Emergency Transport Insurance
  • TSRC Cup - Entries now Open!
  • Snow Academy
  • Para FUTURES | Identifying the stars of tomorrow
  • Alpine program putting boots on the ground

 

Image courtesy of Chris Hocking

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