Cutting Edge 13-02-2008
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The Best of British - A Land Rover and Snowsport Partnership Ryding Rockets to his Best Performances of the Season The British Land National Ski Championships 2008 |
Welcome to the latest edition of Cutting Edge from SnowsportGB which will keep you updated on all the latest from the British Ski team. Along with results, we'll be featuring profiles of the athletes and teams, will hear from the coaches and sponsors and will keep you informed about the main news and events throughout the season.
The Best of British - A Land Rover and Snowsport Partnership
The perfect partnership has been formed with the announcement of the British brand, Land Rover's appointment as the Official Vehicle Partner to Snowsport GB.
Land Rover is supporting the ski and snowboard teams by providing a fleet of its Discovery 3 and Range Rover Sports series. With Land Rover's ability to provide reliable and comfortable travel, team members - including Britain's number one female down hill skier, Chemmy Alcott - can concentrate on their pursuit of World Cup Victory, knowing that despite often difficult weather conditions they will make it safely to the next competition.
Through years of manufacturing, Land Rover represents a 'true breadth of capability' across its model range. Mark Simmers, chief executive of Snowsport GB, commented: "Control, precision, strength and determination are what it takes to be a high performance athlete in snowsport disciplines - therefore the Land Rover sponsorship of the British Ski and Snowboard teams couldn't be a better match."
For further information or to book a test drive, visit your local Land Rover dealership or log onto www.landrover.co.uk.
Britain on Strong Form
Britain's top Downhill ski racer Finlay Mickel has been back in action over the last couple of days as he comes back from injury which had sidelined him since Christmas.
The Edinburgh skier has taken two top ten finishes at Whistler in Canada against top local competition. Both Saturday's Downhill and Sunday's Super G were won by Mickel's Canadian World Cup rival John Kucera, but Mickel finished tenth to him in the Downhill and seventh in the Super G, both times in a field of just under 60. Mickel is focusing his training in preparation for World Cup races at Whistler in a week's time.
Alain Baxter has had a busy three days in the Alps with three slalom races in three days, culminating on Monday 11 February with a sixth place at Gaal in Austria.
The weekend began at Garmisch in Germany where Baxter skied in a World Cup slalom but failed to qualify for a second run. On Sunday, Baxter tackled the first of the two Gaal races but failed to finish the first run. However, on Monday he set the third fastest time in the first run but slipped to sixth in the second in a field of 128 skiers only 0.67s behind winner Christian Wanninger of Germany.
Ryding Rockets to his Best Performances of the Season
Hot off the press, Leyland skier David Ryding has just scored two personal bests – all in the space of 18 hours. The 21-year old has tackled two slalom races at Gaal in Austria, the first on Sunday 10th and the second on Monday 11th February.
Starting 24th in both races in a field of nearly 130 competitors of 17 nationalities, Ryding raced to second place last night, just 0.54s behind winner Christian Wanninger. For the first time in his career, Ryding scored FIS points – the standard by which all skiers are marked – of under 20. The German skier won the second race today (Monday) and this time Ryding was placed fourth, again, with FIS points of under 20. He was 0.5s quicker than the rest of the field on his second run, only let down by a slightly slower first run
This is on the back of a fantastic result from Dave with and excellent eighth place in the FIS slalom in Thusis, Switzerland.
Ryding who is nicknamed “the rocket” has been skiing for 14 years having started at the tender age of six and a half and by the time he was eight had already competed in his first dry slope competition. He made his competitive debut on snow at the English Championships in results.
The British Land National Ski Championships 2008
Meribel is poised for Britain's skiing elite to descend on the fantastic and challenging slopes of the French resort, as the British Land National Ski Championships 2008 are set to return.
From 30 March - 6 April, Britain's best will be fighting it out in the Downhill, Super G, Giant Slalom, Slalom and Super Combined disciplines, eager to make an impact, as the selectors for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver will almost certainly be watching their performances.
The athletes are due to arrive in Meribel on 29 March, including Britain's top skiers, Finlay Mickel, Alain Baxter and Chemmy Alcott.
The team will take a few days to train before the races start on 30 March. The Championship kicks off with the super G races, followed by the Downhill on the day of 1 April and the Super Combined on 2 April and Parallel Slalom in the evening, in what promises to be a exciting start to the proceedings.
The Slalom and Giant Slalom are next on the bill, running from 3 - 6 April, and will feature Britain's best ever World Cup slalom skier Alain Baxter. Unfortunately due to an injury suffered during a crash at the Europa Cup race in Austria, Alain's brother and defending Champion, Noel Baxter will miss this year's Championships.
The Juniors are also in on the action as they will compete alongside the seniors in their own competition. And, just when all of the drama of the Championships is thought to be coming to a close, it's the turn of the Children's competition to light up the crowds. The Children's competition takes place from 8 - 11 April and will showcase the future stars of the British team.
Profile: Mark Tilston
Cutting Edge talks to Mark Tilston, Head Coach for the British World Cup Alpine ski team to find out how he makes sure the athletes are in top form all year round.
How long have you been coaching the World Cup team and what did you do prior to this?
I've been at Snowsport GB since 1999 coaching the Europa Cup and Word Cup teams. I then took on the role of Performance Director from 2003 -2006 and have been head coach since May 2006. Prior to that I did a degree in 'Applied Sports Sciences' and was coaching part time programmes from club to Scottish teams for four years.
Why did you become a coach?
As an athlete I started skiing late and was technically very poor but I was very interested in the training side the sport and wanted to become a physiologist or fitness coach. I was then asked to coach a club and really enjoyed it and it fitted together very well with my Sports Science degree. I then started to realise that coaching can really make a difference. Meanwhile I was offered a position with the Scottish Team and just before I finished University, I was offered a job with the British team as soon as I graduated.
Do you have a coaching style?
I'm not sure if I really have a coaching style. I try to ensure that I do not make too many decisions for the athletes and give them the facts and information in order to make their own decision. I feel that it is important for athletes at a national team level to have full responsibility for what they do so that they have a sense of ownership and control and can therefore really commit to it.
What is a typical training regime during the on season?
A typical training regime during the season depends on what disciplines the athlete(s) do. If they do several disciplines including Downhill there is very little time for training so most of it will take place during and around the official Downhill training runs. Athletes that ski technical disciplines only will have more days dedicated to training and equipment testing.
A typical training day for Downhill will be:
| 08.00 | General warm up / basic skiing - stance and position |
| 09.00 - 10.30 | Inspection |
| 10.30 - 11.00 | Rest (eat / drink) |
| 11.00 - 12.00 | Warm up in Giant Slalom or SG. Technical and Tactical reminders |
| 12.00 | Race start |
| 14.00 | Lunch |
| 16.00 -17.30 | Recovery and aerobic maintenance / balance and core training |
| 17.30 - 18.30 | Physio treatment |
| 19.00 | Video review of day's skiing |
What is a typical training regime during the off season?
During the off-season the training is split between physical training, which usually involves 4-6 hours a day split between biking or rowing / lifting weights / flexibility / core / balance & agility and ski training which makes up around 50 - 60 days until the start of the season.
Did you have any training to become a coach?
I did my coaching qualifications in Britain (Levels 1 and 2) and Canada (Level 3) and I would consider my degree as essential knowledge for my job.
How do you feel the World Cup team is performing this year?
I think that the level of skiing has been much better this year however there has been some serious injuries. Andy Noble was injured at the start of the season and has been in rehab since then and Noel Baxter, who was looking very strong early season after a summer hampered with injuries, crashed in an Europa cup slalom in new year which ended his season. Finlay got a fractured ankle in the second race of the season which meant missing six weeks and it is taking time for him to get up to race speed after such a long break. Alain and Chemmy have both been healthy this season and I'm hoping we'll start to see the results they are capable of.
Who is your sporting hero?
I wouldn't say that I have one hero - there are various people that I admire in sports. All of our athletes, and Chris Hoy, Lasse Kjus, Alberto Tomba, Lance Armstrong, Deborah Campagnoni, Michael Johnson, Valentino Rossi and John McEnroe.
What is the best part of being a coach?
When you have a good relationship with an athlete and you work together in the same direction and the athlete starts running with it and you see them become powerful, confident, determined and ultimately successful.
Do you have any advice to young skiers?
Work hard, play hard! Find out what you want and how to get it. Don't let the knocks throw you off track.
British Children's Ski Team Shine with Early Success 
The British Children's Ski Team has had a great start to the international season, taking 5th place out of 19 nations, at the Ski-Interkriterium, Czech Republic on 25-26 January. Fourteen year old Tommy Kirton skied with determination in a very strong field, and gained an excellent 5th place in Slalom and the team won 10 top 15 places at the event.
Hot on the heels of the Czech Republic, members of the British Children's Team then took part in the Trofeu Borrufa in Andorra from 30 January - 2 February. Competing against 15 other nations, 14 year old Charlie Guest, from Perthshire, produced some outstanding results including a gold medal in slalom, and bronze in Giant Slalom. She is the first GBR athlete to win gold at this event since Lorenzo Naylor won the SuperG in 2000. Ashley Hill also put in very strong performances to take silver in Slalom and bronze in Giant Slalom.
For full results and photos visit: www.gbjuniorski.com.
Look Ahead...
World Cup Zargreb, Croatia, 15-17 Feb (mens and ladies), slalom
World Cup Whistler, Canada 19-24 Feb (mens and ladies), Downhill, Super G, Super Combined (ladies only), Giant Slalom and Super G (men only).
World Cup Kvitjell, Norway 27 Feb - 2 March (men)
World Cup Arber, Germany 1-2 March, Slalom and Giant Slalom
