Donate Member login

NSW / QLD / ACT Regional Update - September 25 2019

Published Wed 25 Sep 2019

All the latest on and off snow news for SSA’s NSW, ACT and QLD members.

 

Applications now open - Amelia McGuiness Australian Snowsports Development Foundation

The Amelia McGuiness Australian Snowsports Development Foundation (AMASDF) is dedicated to providing practical support (for equipment, training, and resources), to up-and-coming winter snowsports athletes from the age of 10 to 18 years old, across all disciplines including disabled snowsports.

The 2019 AMASDF Scholarship Round is now open and will close October 16. 

Application Information
Applicants must reside in NSW, QLD & ACT only. Applicants born between 2001 to 2009 need only to apply, with one application per athlete. A character reference is needed from a non-family member, being either a coach, teacher, sports coordinator, etc, at the time of submitting the application, so please source this before completing the application form. 
CLICK HERE for a sample reference

A current Ski & Snowboard Australia (SSA) Paying Membership Number is required. This is not a Free Snowracer ID number. If you need to upgrade your membership, you can do this HERE.

The scholarship amount per athlete will be determined by the AMASDF Committee and is subject to the amount of money raised during fundraising events.

CLICK HERE to APPLY

Nominations now open for the SSA Community Sport Awards

Ski & Snowboard Australia is calling on the snow sports community to recognise outstanding achievements and contributions from athletes, coaches, volunteers, clubs, schools, resorts, administrators and programs at the development and pathway level of snow sports.

Nominations close October 11, 2019. Finalists will be announced in the weeks leading up to the event with winners announced at the SSA Community Sport Awards.

AWARDS OVERVIEW

The inaugural Ski & Snowboard Australia (SSA) Community Sport Awards will be held in Canberra on Thursday November 7th. 

Established to compliment the Australian Ski & Snowboard Performance Awards held annually in May in Melbourne, the SSA Community Sport Awards have been established to acknowledge and recognise athletes, coaches, volunteers, clubs, schools and programs at the development and pathway level of snow sports. 

The SSA Community Sport Awards aims to develop into a significant Awards and celebration evening, to be held annually In the Northern States/Territories. 

In 2019, the awards are being held during the SSA National Participation & Development Conference.


AWARD CATEGORIES

There are ten categories in the Community Sport Awards. Award categories may have finalists, with the opportunity to announce these in the weeks leading up to the awards. Winner(s) are to be announced on the night. Each category has it's specific criteria. The Award categories are:

Snowsports School of the Year
Outstanding School Achievement in Snowsports
Spirit of Interschools Award
Snowsports Official of the Year
Snowsports Pathway Initiative Award

Snowsports Young Achiever of the Year
Emerging Talent Snowsports Athlete Awards
Snowsports Club Coach of the Year
Snowsports Club of the Year
Service to Snowsport

HOW TO NOMINATE

Clubs, discipline and management committees, schools, resorts, program providers may forward nominations via a representative. 

Nomination Criteria 

Online Nomination Forms

 

Cross Country News

Congratulations and thank you to the XC volunteers, athletes and coaches for their efforts and achievements during the past winter. For some of you this might be the first winter that you have been part of our programs and activities. Others of you might be seasoned veterans of taking children to training venues and events. I thought this is a good time to further explain the recent changes in governance structure and the roles of the people that help run our sport, the people who work on events, programs, publicity and the infrastructure – all essential components for the sport and recreational activity of cross country skiing.

Prior to 2018, NSW Snowsports was the SSO (the recognised state sporting organisation) for snowsports in NSW and Snowsports ACT was the SSO in the ACT. Both groups had their own discipline programs to administer, with funding for activities, programs and administration being provided by the relevant State governments, participants and fundraising. In XC there was a joint NSW/ACT management committee looking after the Nordic Shelter, XC trail management and, to a degree, event management. Athlete development was managed by each state.

The Northern Cross Country Committee (NXC) was established during 2018. This came about through the unification process that took place with NSW Snowsports and Snowsports ACT effectively coming under the banner of Ski and Snowboard Australia as the Northern Management Committee (NMC) of SSA. The name NXC was a way forward at the time but we may choose to be known as something else. We will be ultimately guided through this process by SSA - logos, badging, etc. will become clear in the fullness of time.

The old State bodies no longer exist. The discipline committees (Alpine, Freestyle, Snowboard, Cross Country) now report firstly to the Northern Management Committee (NMC) and ultimately to SSA. The National Discipline Committees provide guidelines for various parts of our sport including the athlete pathway, event structure and rules that govern our sport (for Cross Country this is Ski and Snowboard Australia Cross Country Committee – SSAXCC). NXC has the additional responsibility of providing our own facilities and infrastructure (the Nordic Shelter and XC trail management).

The NXC has 9 members: Peter Cunningham, Geraldine Blanch, Leanne Laajoki, Wayne Pethybridge, Margaret Mahoney, Anne Hemmings, Nerida Holdaway, Leslie Ludwig and myself as Chairman – Peter Ward. Finn Marsland (National Program Director for XC) attends as an observer, Steve Cooper and Daniel Bosco attend to provide advice and guidance through the first couple of years of unification. Daniel is the Chair of the NMC, Steve is the Chair of NSW Interschools and both are board members of SSA.

  • Peter Cunningham – past chair of SSAXCC, past Chair of ACT XC, National Race Secretary, FIS level TD and involved in all aspects of XC management for the past 24 yrs.
  • Geraldine Blanch – volunteer manager of the Nordic Shelter for the past 3 yrs, winter XC trail grooming co-ordinator and reporter, member of the NXC athlete management group, local co-ordinator of the full on-snow winter program, co-ordinator of the Charlotte Pass Camp
  • Leanne Laajoki – Chair of the SSAXCC Sport Development Committee, convenor of the ACT athlete training program.
  • Wayne Pethybridge – Chairman of Perisher Cross Country (PXC). Wayne is the mover and shaker behind promotion of all aspects of XC, including the PXC website, the XC Week promotion material, activities to encourage recreational participation and co-ordination of summer work parties in Perisher.
  • Margaret Mahoney – has recently taken over the Chair role for the Nordic Shelter Management Group. The NSMG has about 10 members from NSW and ACT who are responsible for running and maintaining the building each year. Running costs for the shelter are at least $20,000/yr which is raised each year through various means.
  • Anne Hemmings – co-coordinator with Ned of the Sydney-based dry land training program and summer camps. She is a member of the NXC Athlete Management Group and is involved with the on-snow training program, event management and the new timing system.
  • Nerida Holdaway – all as above with Anne and especially the new timing system. Ned is also a member of the SSAXCC Sports Development sub committee.
  • Leslie Ludwig – involved in admin of XC for the past 25 years, member of NMC, past Finance Director of NSW Snowsports and stays involved in financial advice and auditing of the NMC accounts, member of the Nordic Shelter management group and of the NXC athlete management group with particular involvement in the on-snow winter programs.
  • Peter Ward – Interim Chair of NXC, past chair of the NSW XCC for 20+ years, member of SSAXCC (Rules), Chairman of Events Management for NXC, FIS level TD, member of the NXC athlete management group and Nordic Shelter management.

There are still changes to come and decisions to be made. In the coming weeks and months, we, as a group (and I mean all those who have an interest in any of the many aspects of XC skiing) will have opportunities to have input in the way our sport is managed. Our athlete programs have continued to run as before, but we may choose to explore ways of uniting the regional programs in some way. Events, Nordic Shelter, PXC and Infrastructure will continue to be managed, as always, depending on input from the XC community.

Best Regards,

Peter Ward

Chair SSA Northern XC Committee

0409 338 978

nswxc1@gmail.com

Cross Country Links

Registrations now open for the National Participation Conference

On behalf of Ski and Snowboard Australia (SSA) and the SSA National Participation Committee, it is our pleasure to invite Interschools Snowsports Coordinators, Industry Representatives and our Community to attend the 2019 National Participation Conference, in Canberra on Thursday 7th & Friday 8th November.

As the first Olympic sport in Australia to unify to a single governing body, SSA endeavours to connect with pathway partners; to inform, engage and inspire our sport to move in a single national direction.

‘Building Participation in Snowsports & Creating Champions’ will deliver key learnings, provide tools and insights, and create opportunities for discussion and feedback.

The conference explores the key areas of:

  • Industry – Unique Insights from Sport and the Snowsports Industry
  • Participation – Connecting with our Community to Inspire, Engage and Encourage Greater Participation
  • Schools – Developing sustainable, safe and successful School Snowsports programs
  • Diversity and Inclusion – Learning about the opportunities available for Disabled Wintersports Participants
  • A Systems Approach – Exploring what this means for Snowsports and our community, with an emphasis on developing an evidence-based approach to collectively achieve great outcomes

The Conference dates are structured to coincide with the inaugural Ski & Snowboard Australia Community Sport Awards to be held on the Thursday evening – 7th November at QT Canberra.

SSA looks forward to providing an array of networking opportunities, sharing knowledge, showcasing best practice, and to create an environment that collectively builds participation and future champions.

CLICK HERE for the Conference Program

CLICK HERE to Register. 

 

Alpine/Ski Cross Athlete Preparation Camp at the AIS

The Alpine/Ski Cross Athlete Preparation Camp aims to educate and prepare U16 and FIS Athletes aged between 2004 to 1999 on best practice for athlete preparation and development within a team performance environment.

The camp will be delivered by our OWIA/SSA and Club Coaches, with support from the expertise, services and facilities of the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. This two and a half-day residential camp is a unique opportunity for young athletes to experience the pinnacle of high-performance training at the AIS within a team environment while learning more about what it takes to become a successful Alpine/Ski Cross FIS Athlete across the Australian and International seasons.

The Alpine/Ski Cross Athlete Preparation Camp is possible due to the support of NSW/ACT/QLD Alpine and SSA.

This camp is free of charge for Alpine / Ski Cross Athletes who have Alpine Junior membership OR Alpine Racer membership and are born 2004 to 1999

When is it?
Starts: Friday 25th of October:  3:00pm

Concludes: Sunday 27th of October: 2:30pm  

The schedule will be available shortly

How to Register:
Please click here to register.  

Registrations close: 18th of October 2019

Please click here to download the information brochure.

 

Sydney Acro Sessions held again in Term 4

SSA Futures Term 4 acrobatic sessions in Sydney are now available for booking online

These classes are a great preparation for all snow sports athletes and a unique opportunity to dial-in the spatial awareness, body movement, and strength and conditioning skills before the Northern Hemisphere season. The sessions are great fun and shouldn’t be missed by any competitive athlete. Minimum age is 10 years.

Once again, the classes will be run by Anthony Khoury who is one of the best in snow sports acrobatic coaching and has worked with many of our top athletes.

Location: East Gymnastics 100 New South Head Road Edgecliff.

Available Sessions: Tuesdays at 7.00pm – 8.15pm – $250 (Tuesday 15th Oct – Tuesday 26th Nov)

Fridays at 6.30pm – 7.45pm – $250 (Friday 19th Oct – Friday 29th Nov)

East Gymnastics also accept the Active Kids Vouchers, for those who have not already used theirs this year, there are 2 available (up to $200). These can be applied for through the Service NSW website.

Spaces are limited so book early.

Click here to download brochure
Click here to Register

 

 

NSW/ACT/QLD Alpine End of Season Celebration & 2019 Awards Presentation 

NSW/ACT/QLD Alpine is holding their annual awards on Saturday 19 October at the Cammeray Golf Club, Park Avenue, Cammeray .

All Alpine families and friends are invited to to the presentation of the 2019 Children's and FIS Awards and to celebrate the achievements of the athletes over the 2019 season. Food and drinks are included in the ticket price. 

Click Here to RSVP to attend

 

Wrap Up on the TSRC Cup

More than 84 young athletes donned their colourful race suits to compete in the TSRC Cup on Saturday and Sunday, 14th and 15th September. Hosted by Thredbo Ski Racing Club, this event has been running since 1972 and is a premier racing event for young alpine racers. Athletes represented four race clubs during the two day series which were TSRC, Perisher Winter Sports Club, Thredbo Development Squad and the Thredbo Mountain Academy. Athletes raced across the following age groups - U10, U12, U14, U16 and Open and everyone had a fun time racing on the World Cup course. The GS and SL courses were challenging and lifted the skill set of those competing and the U10s were impressive on such long courses. A lively BBQ was held on the Saturday afternoon and was an opportunity for all of the competitors to mix and share the experiences of the day.

Congratulations to the winners of each event.

TSRC Cup Age Group Winners:

Giant Slalom

Open Male           Randy Weiman

Open Female      Charlotte Halley (TSRC)

U16 Male             Zach Howell (PWSC)

U16 Female         Letitia Murphy (TSRC)

U14 Male             Joel Droga (TSRC)

U14 Female         Arkie Lennon (TSRC)

U12 Male             Daniel El-Hakim (PWSC)

U12 Female         Alyssa El-Hakim (PWSC)

U10 Male             Xavier Lees (TSRC)

U10 Female         Sylvie Redwin (Thredbo Development Squad)

Slalom

Open Male           Randy Weiman

Open Female      Charlotte Halley (TSRC)

U16 Male             Zach Howell (PWSC)

U16 Female         JJ Davis (TSRC)

U14 Male             Duncan Cowan (PWSC)

U14 Female         Alessandra Braysich (TSRC)

U12 Male             Sam Rundle (TMA)

U12 Female         Madison Gilson (PWSC)

U10 Male             Harry Gilson (PWSC)

U10 Female         Saskia Hellia-Antflick (Thredbo Development Squad)

 

Local Sporting Champions

Local Sporting Champions provides $500 financial assistance to young sportsmen and women aged 12-18 that can be used towards the cost of travel, accommodation, uniforms or equipment when competing, coaching or officiating at state, national or international championships. Closes 30 September 2019. For more information click here