There is nothing quite like watching The Super G, Grand Slalom and Downhill events in skiing. Watching the men and women take on the slopes is a thrilling experience, and they make it look almost easy to do so.
But what about watching the kids? Do they get involved in competitive skiing as well, or do they simply look on and dream of the day when they will be old enough to take part themselves?
As it happens, they are already taking part and competing with kids from many countries in the British Land National Ski Championships. Despite its name it actually takes place in Meribel, a top class ski resort in the south eastern corner of France. It is to the east of Lyon and not far from the border with Italy. It benefits from being in a valley surrounded by mountains, providing plenty of opportunities to take to a piste or two during your stay.
But at the beginning of April 2009 we are looking at the various competitions that young teenagers are taking part in on Meribel’s slopes. The British youngsters had a very good showing in the Super G competitions, and they look set to do well elsewhere as well. For those who aren’t familiar with skiing competitions, the Super G is a Super Giant Slalom event. It is basically a combination of the best parts of the downhill event plus the best bits of the slalom event. You need to have skills in both areas to do well here!
But it doesn’t seem to be something the kids are loathe to try. Thirteen and fourteen year olds were bagging times of less than a minute to reach a place on the podium in these events.
So can we expect to see a lot of these youngsters carrying on into the adult competitions at a later stage?
It does seem to happen quite frequently. Those kids who really get a taste of the skiing competitions find it quite natural to continue on and compete as adults when they get a bit older. One of the best examples of this is a skier called Chemmy Alcott. She was first on skis at the tender age of eighteen months!
She competed as a child and even though a horrific skiing accident left her with a broken neck at the age of twelve, nothing deterred her. She ended up with plenty of gold medals years later when she started competing. She is now twenty six, turning twenty seven later this year.
With the other British kids looking up to skiers like Chemmy, it is no wonder they are doing so well in Meribel. It certainly gives them a taste of competition and what it is like to actually win, so we can expect that names such as Sophie French, Emily Evans and Max Moss will be just as familiar as Chemmy Alcott in months and years to come.
The British skiers have arrived!