Back to the FUTURES: A 2019 Recap

Doug Crawford imparting some wisdom on the next generation at the 2019 Ski Cross FUTURES @ Falls Creek

2019 FUTURES State of the Union

SSA FUTURES was a successful campaign in 2019.  We delivered nine programs across four resorts and three cities, and hit record participation numbers, with over 400 aspiring snow sport athletes taking part throughout the year.

At this point you may be wondering, what is all the fuss about?  What is SSA FUTURES?

FUTURES programs allow SSA to identify and develop talent, to increase education and awareness around the Athlete Pathway, and to offer unique on and off-snow experiences for the next generation of aspiring Snowsport athletes.  SSA FUTURES also provides a space for participants to interact with and learn from the current National Team athletes and coaches in their respective disciplines. 

FUTURES programs are built with the aim of identifying and bridging gaps between the Foundational and Pre-Elite aspects of the Athlete Pathway.  In doing so, SSA FUTURES strives to strengthen the communities within specific disciplines and throughout the whole of competitive Snowsports. 

We try and promote a common message to all FUTURES participants: that talent is not limited to the skills you can execute on snow or on a trampoline.  Talent is about attitude.  It’s about how coachable you are, how quickly you learn, how you respond when challenged, and how you operate within a team environment.  These are all things that coaches and administrators look for, in conjunction with results, when identifying talent and selecting teams.  FUTURES is therefore a valuable tool for National Team Coaches to evaluate both the tangible and intangible aspects of talent as athletes move through the pathway.   

Olympian Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin overseeing starts at the 2019 SBX FUTURES @ Mt Hotham

Back to the FUTURES:  A 2019 RECAP

There were several new FUTURES initiatives in 2019.  Understanding that acrobatics and gymnastics are critical to athlete development, we offered cross-discipline ACRO sessions in Melbourne and Thredbo, with ongoing after-school Snowsport gymnastics program options for Melbourne and Sydney.  These ACRO initiatives will continue in 2020, with the aim of increasing program options and delivery locations.

The first over-night FUTURES camp was delivered in June at the AIS.  The program allowed participants to engage with high performance facilities, services and coaches in the lead up to the Season.  Session topics included gymnastics, goal setting, injury prevention, coachability and skill progression, the Athlete Pathway, recovery, nutrition and health.  An additional benefit was the opportunity for young athletes to experience an elite team environment that replicated a NSWIS/OWIA live-in training camp.  The AIS Pre-Season Training Camp will build on the feedback of participants to offer a new and improved program in 2020.   

2019 also premiered a new on-snow Ski Cross FUTURES program at Falls Creek as part of the lead up to the National Children’s Championships.  All participants were given access to the competition course and mentored by the elite athletes and coaches from our National Team.  The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we will work to develop and build a Ski Cross FUTURES again in 2020.

Our tried and true FUTURES programs, in Snowboard Cross and Park and Pipe, continued in 2019.  The SBX Program at Hotham helped young athletes prepare for the GROM and ANC events by training on course with the OWIA and NSWIS athletes.  Record participant numbers caused some applicants to miss out due to logistical constraints.  Whilst this was disappointing, the incredibly high volume of applications is a testament to the depth of talent in the Australian Snowboard Cross community and to the strength of the Athlete Pathway.  We will work to increase capacity to make the 2020 SBX FUTURES bigger and better.

Park and Pipe FUTURES shifted to a new date deep within the death throes of the Perisher Season.  It was hoped that the late Spring conditions would help to replicate a Park and Pipe Training Camp at the elite level, as these dates aligned with the Australian Team Training Camp.  In a cruel twist of fate, participants were challenged to battle through thunderstorms, dust storms and high winds.  To the delight of all involved, the next generation of Australian Park and Pipe athletes rose to the occasion and made the most of the difficult conditions.  The collective attitude of participants was exemplary, and skill progression was made in the Halfpipe and on a hand-built jump on Sun Valley.  We hope that next year will offer better weather, and an opportunity to use the new SSA High Performance Facility and Airbag in Jindabyne.       

Thank you to all the participants, parents, resorts, athletes and coaches that helped to make SSA FUTURES a success in 2019. 

We will be sending a survey in the coming weeks to all who participated in the 2019 FUTURES programs.  Your feedback is extremely valuable for us moving forward.

You can view previous FUTURES Brochures and New Futures initiatives on the FUTURES website.

Some of the best photos from the 2019 programs will be posted soon in an album on the SSA Facebook site.

I wish everyone the best for the upcoming Summer Holidays and hope to see you out on the slopes in 2020.

Sincerely,

Johnny Lipzker
Sport Development Officer