National Alpine Plan update

A year on since its release, the National Alpine Plan (2020-2026) has already delivered positive results on several of its priorities and continues to provide a solid foundation to support the development of alpine and ski cross world-class athletes. 

The National Alpine Plan was implemented in August 2020 by the National Alpine Committee (NAC), with the objective to facilitate a systemic approach to alpine and ski cross development, build a collaborative platform for all stakeholders and identify strengths and opportunities within the pathway.

Over the last 12 months, a number of initiatives have been rolled out to assist clubs and development programs, with dedicated National Working Groups established to focus on four key aspects of the plan - Capability, Communication, Capacity and Community.

“These groups, which include coaches and program directors from Snow Australia affiliated clubs, have been very beneficial in terms of ensuring all our stakeholders are on the same page and work together in a single, national direction,” said Shawn Fleming, Alpine Director. “We’re very pleased by the level of collaboration we have been able to achieve, which will continue to increase opportunities for success across our athlete pathways”.

Skill acquisition is one of the key priorities of the plan and the NAC rolled out several projects to enhance the system’s capacity in this area.

An Interschool Exemption Rule, devised in collaboration with the Capability Working Group and the NSW Interschools Committee, was implemented to assist clubs and athletes and reduce racing days, allowing more time for training and skills development.

The Capability Working Group also addressed national skills assessment strategies, reviewing the National Skills Assessment manual, evolving the traditional format into an In-Club Development Camp and Skills Assessment and implementing a National Skills Challenge to create an aspirational event and support athletes’ investment in skills development. 

“Everybody recognises how strong fundamental skills are key to building performance in snow sports,” Fleming said. “Unfortunately some of these initiatives could not be realised and events had to be cancelled due to the persistence of COVID-19, but we believe that these changes will provide a valuable foundation for an improved approach to skills development in future years.”

Snow Australia also successfully rolled out a number of coaching courses, making resources available through a mix of online education and practical workshops, organised in-house by resorts at Perisher, Mt Buller, Mt Hotham, Thredbo and Falls Creek.

In terms of talent development, the Capability Working Group played a key role in identifying and supporting young athletes involved in Snow Australia’s Emerging Talent Program, organising webinars and facilitating dryland training at the Jindabyne Sport and Recreation Centre. It also supported the delivery of the Alpine Performance plan towards the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which is currently underway, led by recently appointed Alpine Performance consultant Mick Branch. 

These are just a few examples – National Development Pathway Coordinator Rebecca Clark said that the National Alpine Plan scope is vast and more initiatives are being developed and will be implemented over the next few seasons.

“We have established a Communication Working Group, which includes key stakeholders from our Affiliated Clubs and State Committees, to ensure that our communication activities are aligned with the needs of the alpine community and we distribute relevant information in the most effective way,” she said. 

“A recent Alpine Communication Survey has confirmed that the participation aspect should be prevalent in our communications and we have already started to use these insights to guide our content strategies.”

Other projects currently in development include national and club fundraising initiatives, educational resources for course officials and other initiatives aimed at supporting the alpine community, particularly as domestic winter seasons continue to be disrupted by the pandemic.

NAC Chair Matt Lyons said that the National Alpine Plan is crucial in establishing an effective framework for development, but adjustments are constantly being made taking into account evolving circumstances and community feedback.
 
“The National Alpine Plan was never meant to be a set-and-forget strategy, so we keep listening and responding to the needs of the sport and our community, recalibrating our initiatives and ensuring coordination among stakeholders to achieve the best possible outcomes,” he said.