Monday, 14 July 2008

I'm sure everyone is breathing a collective sigh of relief now that the snow and blizzards have given all resorts at least 50cm of snow over this last week. Serious on-snow training can finally begin at the Race Clubs and with our new National Development Team.

As I previously reported following the NAC meeting on 3rd May, a subcommittee of the NAC Executive was tasked with providing further information on the National Development Program RFQ submissions with a view to recommending to the NAC a preferred program supplier for National Development Program. The responses to two follow up requests for information from the programs in question were analysed and a unanimous recommendation was made to the NAC from the subcommittee as to the preferred supplier. A teleconference between the NAC subsequently discussed the programs against our published selection criteria and unanimously accepted the program supplied by MAIERSKIRACING, headed by Christoph Maier (AUT). Selected athletes (including two further athletes Christopher Weeks and Edward Parry on Coaches recommendation) were invited to join the program on 20th May.

It is the view of the NAC that Christoph Maier has put together an outstanding program with particular focus on strength and conditioning in preparation for the northern hemisphere season. The initial SH season program provides full-time dryland and on-snow training over a 17 week period, 13 weeks of which the team will be training and/or racing together under Christoph's direction, with the balance of time dedicated to personal fitness training following individually tailored programs provided by Manfred Wolscher under Christoph's guidance.

I'm delighted to report that a total of nine (9) male athletes have committed to the National Development SH Program and paid the necessary Program Deposit covering fixed costs. This includes our National C-Team athletes of Brenton Fetterplace, Matthew Roberts and Bryce Stevens. The first on-snow camp starts this week at Mt Buller before the team heads north to Thredbo for further dryland and on-snow training before the National FIS Championships. The team will then be competing in the ANC events at Mt Hotham before following the ANC races to New Zealand.

The other exciting news is the impending visit to Australia of Mark Sharpe (Canadian Director of their Women's World Cup Team) on 26 - 30 July 2008 to conduct face to face interviews and workshops as part of the external review of alpine ski racing, commissioned by the Board of SSA and supported by the NAC. He will be in Thredbo and Perisher Blue over the weekend of 26-27 July then travelling to Falls Ck on 28 July followed by Hotham, Buller and Melbourne on 29 - 30 July. I'd like to personally thank those clubs, athletes and parents who took up the opportunity to respond to the Stakeholder and Club Survey's that were posted on the SSA website. These are being collated and passed on to Mark Sharpe this week. If you haven't responded, I'm sure the SSA Office will be happy to pass on any surveys received this week.

The new start of season SSA points list for Children was posted on the website last week by Greg Lewis, the National Points Coordinator, and this will be used in the state series children's races. Please also note that List 1 of the 2009 FIS Points List was also posted on the FIS website 10 days ago. Mid-season lists for SSA and FIS points will be posted in late August for use in the latter half of the season. I'll provide a further Athlete Update in late August to report on progress with the Alpine Review and the results so far of the National Development Team.

Cliff Mason
Chairman
National Alpine Committee