Hodges joins Snow Australia team to help develop next generation of para athletes

Earlier this year Tom Hodges joined the Snow Australia team in the new role of Para Pathway Development Coach & Talent ID Coordinator, with the aim to coordinate initiatives for emerging para winter sports talent. 

Tom said the overarching objective of his work is to identify potential para snowboard and alpine athletes and help them develop fundamental skills - creating a pipeline for the next generation of para athletes.

“We saw a gap between participation, or the recreational aspect of the sport, and high performance, so my role is built around that need to facilitate participation and development,” Tom said.

Tom added that Disabled Wintersports Australia (DWA) still remains the best entry point for people who are just taking up the sport and are having that first experience of the snow at the grassroots level. 

“That’s a great place for those who enter the sport to participate and even get into some recreational racing. But my role will provide the next step, supporting those who are not necessarily at a high performance level yet, and want to develop their skills,” he said.

With the Paralympic Winter Games less than 300 days away, Tom’s role is also crucial to ensure the continuity of the talent development pipeline for para snow sports.

“On the one hand, our program wants to open doors for more athletes to participate in competition and give them more opportunities to achieve their best.

“On the other hand, our goal is to grow the talent pool to a place where there are more athletes coming through to feed the high performance program. In that respect, my role is also to find and train athletes that could go on to participate in the next Paralympic Games.

“It's always good for the sport to see new people come through. Every new athlete that comes in is building on the back of the previous athlete. The success we've had at international level has been amazing and we want to continue to push forward,” he said.

Sustaining success at the highest level of the sport is always difficult. Para snow sports present the additional challenge of a broad variety of situations for athletes across the para world. As for the other Snow Australia high performance programs, training opportunities also play a role.

“Of course we have to make the most of the short season and there's a lot of international travel involved, which is a challenge in itself. 

“But challenges are a part of every sport and ours is a great sport. There are plenty of opportunities to do well and there's also a lot of support for all athletes and para athletes,” Tom said.

With extensive experience as both an adaptive instructor and a coach instructor while working on Australian mountains as well as in the U.S. and Japan, Tom’s profile is a great asset for Snow Australia, as the organisation works on linking its pathways with those of DWA. 

“Tom’s employment with the Para Pathway will bridge the gap between the work of DWA and Snow Australia’s development pathway, linking through to High Performance Para Snow Sport,” Para Program and Athlete Wellness & Engagement Manager Annie Geiger said.

“Tom has extensive knowledge in the development space with the work he has completed with DWA over the preceding 5 years he spent with their organization. In his role at DWA, Tom had been a great supporter of feeding talent through to Snow Australia in the Futures and National Classification space,” she said.

Despite having only been in the role for a short period of time. Tom has already a clear idea of what he’s most looking forward to. 

“I'm looking forward to getting on snow and starting training!

“I think that would be a common answer across all the coaches. It’s been a really hard summer. We did forego the opportunity to travel because of the risks involved and it was difficult for the athletes to stay motivated. 

“But we've now had a couple of opportunities to get together in camp and also at the Snow Australia Awards. Everyone is really excited to get on snow and start training. 

“Everyone is really focused on the Paralympic Games, which of course is going to be the highlight of next season,” he said.