SSA Futures & Education Programmes In Full Swing
More than 50 up and coming Alpine skiers turned out to hear from dual Australian Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim at Perisher and Thredbo last week. As part of Australian Ski and Snowboard’s ‘one team, one goal’ programme, the weekend provided aspiring skiers with a mentor they can work with to achieve their goals.
Kennedy-Sim said it was a great start to the journey for so many future stars.
“Behind every great athlete is a strong team and these athletes have used this experience to identify the qualities essential to being part of a strong team. This group showed great enthusiasm at the various challenges we placed in front of them by working together to achieving the common goal. I was able to draw from my personal experiences as a young athlete and from my time on the World Cup and Olympic circuits to share ideas with these excited athletes,” she said.
You can find more SSA Futures dates here.
The domestic Alpine season got off to a strong start with Ski and Snowboard Australia (SSA) delivering seven developmental programs in the last two months with more than 440 participants taking part. The National Skills Assessments were held across Perisher Winter Sports Club, Thredbo Ski Racing Club, Thredbo Mountain Academy, Mt Buller Race Club, Falls Creek Race Club and Mountain Hotham.
The assessments focused on long-term development and provided all athletes, their coaches and clubs with valuable data to enable athletes to make improvements during the season and the entire continuum of their athletic journey. Across twelve days of education, more than 364 competitors from U10 club athletes through to FIS level were assessed on their strengths as well as opportunities for improvement.
In addition to the National Skills Assessment, a Physical Literacy Clinic was held at Jindabyne Sport and Recreation centre hosted 89 athletes and their coach’s for the New South Wales based Physical Literacy Clinic.
The athletes ranged from U12’s right through to the FIS level learning proper techniques for agility, balance, coordination, flexibility, power, reaction time, speed, strength, and endurance.
Ski and Snowboard Australia’s Alpine Director Mick Branch says both programs have provided important opportunities to a range of athletes.
“Both the programs that Ski and Snowboard Australia have developed play an important role in long-term athletic development,” said Branch.
“It also provides education to athletes across important developmental areas such as physical, psychological and cognitive requirements which all contribute to peak performance.
“We have been very pleased with the number of athletes that have taken part in the programs to date. To have so many athletes and their coaches, at different points along the athlete pathway, keen to be involved, is a testament to the programs,” he said.
