Development

Do you have the right stuff?

The British Disabled Ski Team are looking for more skiers to boost their squad. Might you fit in?

The British Disabled Ski Team have come a long way in a very short time.

Just a few years ago the team had no money, no coach and no results. This season however our skiers came back from international competition with 14 podium places and 16 additional top tens - something that is, quite simply, unprecedented.

The Team didn’t make this transition over-night. It took a lot of hard work from management, supporters, fundraiser and, of course, most of all from the skiers at the front line.

Success breeds success and if our skiers were to finish last, then the team would ultimately falter and die.

The British squad now is made up of an “A” Team, of skiers who are experienced at the highest level, a “B” Team fighting hard to move up the world rankings and a Development Squad of skiers who are making the transition from very good/promising recreational skiers into racers.

Up until this year, our skiers found the team, now the team is going out and actively looking for the next generation of racers.

Who can ski race?

Not everyone with a disability is eligible for paralympic ski racing.

It may surprise you to know that there is no snowboarding, for instance, or that the stand-up categories are more or less confined to those with a missing limb (hand, arm, leg).

Sit down skiers are practically exclusively mono-skiers and generally come from the ranks of the spinally injured, ampu-tees and spina bifida.

The visually impaired class includes fully blind as well as partially sighted athletes with different levels of impairment.

How do the different disabilities ski against each other?

In each of the three classes (sitting, standing, Visually Impaired) athletes having different levels of physical disability are classified and allocated different time handicap ratings, so that an athlete with a greater degree of impairment will effectively race against a slower running clock. In this way, medal allocations are based on corrected times with just a single bronze, silver and gold medal being available in each of the male/female race categories and for each Slalom, Giant Slalom, SuperG and Downhill event.

Who are the British Team looking for right now?

Unfortunately, the British Disabled Ski Team has limited resources and cannot accommodate everyone who might want to race.

On the one hand, we are really looking for long term prospects such as youngsters of 13 to 20 - these younger athletes we can take a little longer to develop and will not be expected to be “race-ready” anytime soon.

The other athletes we are hoping to find are those people who are willing to make the additional efforts to get fit, keep fit and train hard. While we welcome all who have a viable chance of doing well, we are particularly looking to target female athletes and the visually impaired.

There are fewer lady ski racers and VI ski racers and so it is consid-ered easier to bring on an athlete to a world class standard - have no illusions though, for any ski racer it is a long hard slog!

What do I do now?

If you think you fit the profile and want to try out for the BDST, then contact Dave Chugg, the Development Officer for the BDST. Dave is organising assessment and try-out days and is willing to provide help and advice to anyone.

Email Dave at:

DevelopmentOfficer@BritishDisabledSkiTeam.co.uk

and keep an eye on our website at

http://www.BritishDisabledSkiTeam.co.uk

British Disabled Ski Team

The racing arm of Disability Snowsport UK "The Skiers & Boarders Charity"