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Eddie the Eagle set back British Winter Sports by 20 Years

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I can understand the principle of, I go down to see my bank manager and say please lend me £50K as I want to enter the world of Ski Jumping and becuase I am the only British Competitor I will also represent my country in the Olympics. However I have never done the sport and break my neck on my first attempt.

However If I was 18 years old and had a modicum of training and success at Junior level How the hell would I go about getting my hands on some of the £3.5 million to help me progress and get better training. I wouldn't expect to achieve any major results at this games but in another 4 years and at 22 yrs I would be expecting to be at my peak.

By the way I believe although technically Alain Baxter won Bronze it was withdrawn following his unfortunate errror.

It seems that they were clutching at straws if funding is still based on winning a bronze medal. Also wasn't Alain performing better when he had the added pressure of having to find additional funds which in turn means that every competition is more important. Now that his funding is secured what does it matter if he keeps straddling the third gate.
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Funding is based on various criteria, number of podium results, number of top 15 results, number of competitors ranked in the world top 100, etc. I am not an expert on the exact details.
Interesting theory: keep your sportsmen "hungry" for cash so that they have extra incentive and motivation. Perhaps that worked for the Kostelic family. But there must be the resources to actually be able to train sufficiently in the first place. It is a balance which has to be found.
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Keeping your sportsman hungry was what was raised in the working lunch interview with Mark Hatton ( mens luge I think ). It hit home the problems when he commented that he has to decide wether or not he was going to spend £15 of his own money on another run down the track. He had to way up if it was better to save his money for potentially better conditions later in the week. When it was put that way then I felt that if an individual is putting that level of finance into it himself then if the IOC would allow them to enter then they should be able to. I can understand the feeling of professional sportsmen and women, that the eddie the eagle story drags the image of UK sports down but as commented earlier the olympic spirit should count for something. Sorry that this is not an eloquent argument but my mind is knackered from work.
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i have about had it with people making fun about Edddie the eagle

some countires would kill to have someone like him. instead of finding and using the positive side of the eagle phenomenon British snowsport, the media have hung unto the negative aspects of what eddie the eagle achieved in winter sports. since he was soooooo bad why were the press after him. people are not usually inspired by the guy who runs sub 9 secs in a 100m race, or the chap who throws the javiline out of the stadium, no its the little people who have made it against all odds that make the world go round.

if only snowsport authorities knew what they could have achieved by taking advantage of eddie when he was the toast of the media, by now Great Britian would not even have to think about medals, it would be rather be just a matter of waiting for the celebrations.

i have met eddie, and i think the man has had enough of the rubish from people who dont have the guts 'never mind 2 stainless steel balls' to even go and sit at the top of a ski jump and look down. can someone please start collecting names of people who think eddie set back British snow sports etc etc, i will arrange a special free jump for them. will see how many are not cripples at the end of the event.

huh, its easy to sit back and run your mouth dry about what someone achieved or failed to achieve. to those who think eddie was a bad influence on winter sports take a look at 4 man bob teams today, 3 guys built like brick walls, little guy in front. 3 big guys push like hell, little guy jumps in front and starts stearing, while big guys sit back and relax. how did the trend start? lets say a big thankyou to the Jamaican 4 man bob team for opening a few eyes to what can be done in the first 5 seconds of push off, by 4 guys who had not really grasped the technicalities of their chosen sport.

eddie made an otherwise not visible British winter team become very visible, the fault lies with the authorities who just could not take out the trees in their eyes before looking to rip out the plank in eddie's

i am frothing at the mouth got to quit while i am ahead dont want to go to bed felling angry

it has been me the snowleopard of Ghana Evil or Very Mad
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What snowleopard said!

(Maybe it was a bit dangerous not being up to the standard required by the hill - but I think we've seen recently that DH is a bit dangerous for those who really know what they're doing too!)
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Well give em some damn funding for good training if you think they're so cr@p! These @ssholes moan on and on about how cr@p we are at winter sports but they won't the flaming time or money to help - and i'd like to see them go off a friggin' ski jump - stuck up suit n tie official people do my head in!!! And u know what the beeb r like - wish i had sky!
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Go snowleopard! He's got the right idea alright.
It's people like Eddie the Eagle that make me realise it's ok to be cr@p at what I do and still enjoy it instead of always trying to push higher n never being happy with myself.
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Sorry, your point does make perfect sense Martin Bell; to be honest, I suppose was just being a little facetious Wink

I can understand the insecurity of the BOC here though because, in alpine snowsports, we are so close to being a "jokey fringe nation". The teams of the nations with big mountains battle it out every time and divvy up the medals between them as a matter of course. We have to be satisfied with the occasional 'dedicated individual' (or couple of brothers) who make it against the odds and be content to celebrate our boy getting up into the top 15 (and well done to him!).

Against such a backdrop it must be hard for the BOC to find the confidence to celebrate what was great in ETE's efforts.


Is there some connection here with the discussion going on about the snowBoarders?

It could be said that the Olympics is no place for such casual performers (did skateboarding ever make it to the Summer games?). They are hardly the honed-by-science athletes that appear to be competing in the other disciplines yet, as the 'kewl dewds' of the Olympics, they are the stars that have clearly made the greatest impact on the general public so far. If anyone inspires kids (or dare I say sponsors) to engage with snowsports this games, it's surely going to be them.
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admin, skateboarding is in the x-games, lol.
But sk8boarding is so popular. Because it's a chilled, casual sport?
The competitions get pretty hot though!
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snowleopard, so do you think Britain should enter competitors into every event, regardless of their standard?
I agree with you that the governing bodies didn't sufficiently exploit the Eddie phenomenon. Funds should have been raised to build a plastic ski jump in Britain. (Ski jumping on plastic is far more similar to ski jumping on snow than slalom on plastic is to slalom on snow. And the FIS recognises ski-jumping events on plastic; they do not recognise slalom ski events on plastic.)
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admin, I think the snowboarders are less casual than they may appear. You don't perform tricks like that without many months (years) of practice. But the accepted behaviour in that sport is of course the "kewl dewd" demeanour.
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I probably see our main chances of a medal on snow in the future to actaully come from a snowboarding event.

Having watched a couple of events at Sheffield Ski Village in their terrain park the standard was excellant.

Unfortunately under the present funding rules that would mean all the money would go to the snowboarders and no funds given to the skiers.

Someone once said theres no such thing as bad publicity and although we may argue that Eddies performances were not great. Lets not forget he brought alot of attention and publicity to the winters sports in general. This should have been harnesssed and yes make him out as an hero for the way he battled with lack of funds. We should have argued if this is what can be acheived through grit and determination by someone so in love with his sport then what could be acheived with the correct monies in place.

Or have we to just go and blow any future hopes with wasted money as the Lawn Tennis Association has.
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Martin Bell wrote:
snowleopard, so do you think Britain should enter competitors into every event, regardless of their standard?
I agree with you that the governing bodies didn't sufficiently exploit the Eddie phenomenon. Funds should have been raised to build a plastic ski jump in Britain. (Ski jumping on plastic is far more similar to ski jumping on snow than slalom on plastic is to slalom on snow. And the FIS recognises ski-jumping events on plastic; they do not recognise slalom ski events on plastic.)
From talking to Kwame at length on this, I don't think he has an issue with the minimum standards that effectively stopped him from competing in the current Olympics. But heaping (not you personally, the authorities and some of the media) the blame on Eddy for the failure of the BSSF to produce winners, to suggest funding was not forthcoming because Eddy somehow made British winter sports a laughing stock, that seems to be more than a little unfair.

Eddy conformed to the entrance criteria at the time. He was included in the team by the British governing body. He did his best, and had the guts to do what 99.99999% of the population wouldn't do if you paid them a million quid.

If this somehow is supposed to have cast British winter sports athletes in a bad light, then that is entirely the fault of those who selected him to compete in the first place, not Eddy himself.

The fact that no alpine competitors made it on to an Olympic podium until Alain Baxter is down to a whole lot of factors surely, not just a shortfall in funding, allegedly down to Eddy the Eagle. Seems to me he was made a scapegoat for the failings of others - not least the amateurish fundraising efforts and communication skills of a national governing body that to some has appeared stuck in the pre-War Olympic spirit, without the forward-looking approach to take the sport into the modern era of sponsorship, professional marketing and communication. Combine this abject failure of the dinosaurs running the sport with the fact that we are not an alpine nation in the first place, and we could hardly hope for much success on the international stage. Not exactly all Eddy's fault.
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i am back to sink my fangs into this thread

far from it, there is no point in entering atletes who are not up to standard in all events. that is if the athletes have recieved the right funding, coaching and have done as much as they can to achieve the required standard. on the other hand it is essential that a country such as UK always hammering the backs of their athleteìs to achieve does enter people such as Eddie the eagle who on their own steam (by the way eddie had the necessary points to compete in his olympics) achieve what it takes to make it into an olympics.

reasons for my statements above: such a person as Eddie will show that a country such as GB has athletes who are ready to make the effort, secondly GB wants funding, well there was funding on a silver platter awaiting Gb snowsports through eddie. what did the authorities do, threw away the chance and started moaning again about the athletes not doing well.

let me just go of the beaten path and sight an example of how Snowsport GB has let their athletes down. Allan Baxter was said to have tested positive for some banned substance. question does anyone know how many times the officials tested him (my sources indicate twice) 1 was not enough so they had to find another way eh!! rolling eyes then which country gained by him being disqualified? who was in fourth place. if you want your athletes to kill for a medal be prepared to kill for them whatever their situation, scratch their backs and they will scratch yours.

okay back to the issue. take a look at the Jamaican bob team, look at what sponsors they are pulling, almighty FIAT. if Eddie was used to pull heavy sponsors, more funding injected into the system, today GB would be laughing all the way to the medal bank.

now the world cup is for athletes who have transformed their bodies and minds into piste killing machines etc. that is why they get prize money for their efforts, and that is also why the nasty side of sports (drug abuse) keeps appearing. have you taken a look at a world cup skier about to leave a start gate, aggressive looking, grunting, by the end of the race they are frothing at the mouth. well personally i say keep all that killer instinct in the world cup and other professional snowsport competitions, the olympics is for those people who have tried skiing etc are not too good at it, are not bothered with the technicalities of each event and just want to sit back and enjoy some good sporting fun.

if SS GB keeps looking and puching for medals they aint gonna get any. the athletes must be allowed to first of all evolve and enjoy what they do, the medals will come. where did Bodie miller spring from. iu remember he could not even complete a race a few years back, all of a sudden when he did do so, he made the other athletes look like they had not trained. GB wants immediate results hmmm, then for such short term benefits they might need some genetically modified athletes.

take my case for instance, i am miles behind any world cup skier, but i am slowly improving. the only pressure i get is from myself, coach, fans , manager (which is healthy). i do not have any government sport authority breathing down my neck perform, results, medals. i aim to keep it that way, not only for myself, but for all athletes who make it into the Ghana ski team. mark my words if everything works out how i would wish it to, Ghana will soon be snapping at the heals of some countries at the top of snowsports. when i say soon, it could be the next 20 years, but the thing is we will get there with the right mentality.
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i aint finished yet

why eddie the eagle in the first place. i remember a few athletes from team GB who did not do well at eddies olympics, or were just downright not good enough. i am still seeing some at this olympics. Lisa the snowboarder did not even make it up the wall of the half pipe in her first run. well how many years will snowsport GB say she has set GB snowsports back hmmm. is there some kingd of chart used to calculate how many years an athlete sets a nation back due to performance, if so can i get a copy, i am sure i have set Ghana back by a few 1000 years by not qualifying for the olympics

PG calling the officials prehistoric reptiles is an understatment. with a non existent budget i have come close to a dream. just imagine what the officials could accomplish by doing more PR stuff, let people know that these athletes exist and need funding etc. i went to the daily mail ski show, a show held in the centre of London. any snowsport GB stand, no, i was hoping to meet the British skiers (needed some autographs you know) none turned up. why do we know Bodie miller, herman etc, they are in our faces wherever we go, advertising people advertising. Finley is not a good skier, he is a great skier i have watched him pound the best of the best behind him in terms of position. athletes can outperform their actual levels with the right encouragement and shouting from fans. Liverpool is a perfect example wining against all odds, the fans wouldnt give up. i watch the olympics see banners etc of athletes being waved frantically by supporters and officials wehter the athlete is first or did not even finish. personally as an athlete i perform better when i am cheared by some fans. so if an athlete reads in the papers that uuuuh winter sport athletes perform badly, well they are going to do just that

wwwhhhheeeeewwww need a break Razz
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Well said !
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thank you paul mason

guys i am still waiting for the names of the ''eagle haters'', work with me here, i believe some snowheads have good media contacts and i think the general public in UK i dying for a reality show better than big brother, lets give the audience something to watch (top news people falling, falling and still more falling. in Val di Fiemme there are 3 perfect ski jumps for the occassion.

just supply me the humans and i will turn them to mince meat Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy Laughing Laughing
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Richard Caborn to take the first jump? (see post that started this thread)....
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I think what is happening here is the inevitable result of expectations that the government will 'buy' medals at major sporting events. Caborn is only interested because there's increasing amounts of public (or lottery) money up for grabs:

Quote:
"For example, we have invested £11.1m since Sydney into gymnastics and the last time they produced a medal was in 1936. The days have gone where someone says, 'We'll put £25m in on a wing and a prayer and let's hope we do it'."


I agree the Eddie reference was unfair - but do we really expect public money to go into sporting bodies that are doing a crap job?
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Be fair DavidS, they are modernising. On the winter sports side they have set up committees that have completely reorganised the organisation of the future organisation rolling eyes .
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PG, Very Happy
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PG, Haven't you forgotten the consultants advising them on the structure of the re-organisation sub-committees ? I've only been looking at this for a few days and I can not believe some of it. Caborn wouldn't have drawn his own conclusions ... they would have got that that 'position' from knowledgeable insiders ....

Why modernise something that prima facie is 'bust' ? Do Samsung employ 'Valve Radio' engineers? Transformation or Start Again would seem more appropriate .... and I know nothing about 'Winter Sports' Shocked
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eEvans, I see you've been doing your homework!
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crazy_skier_jules,
Quote:
Well give em some damn funding for good training if you think they're so cr@p! These @ssholes moan on and on about how cr@p we are at winter sports but they won't the flaming time or money to help - and i'd like to see them go off a friggin' ski jump - stuck up suit n tie official people do my head in!!! And u know what the beeb r like - wish i had sky!

You tell em Toofy Grin Toofy Grin Toofy Grin
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I'm all for setting standards that athletes have to reach before funding is available. This should also be judged in respect to how much coverage to their sport that these athletes can acheive. Although we are expecting too much of Finley to win a medal or World Cup Race this or next year he as brought alot of publicity to his sport by his recent acheivements. This in turn brings about opportunities for funding to be exploted. If it was all about winning then why are we funding our current skiers / skaters etc at all. Maybe it's not about the current batch of athletes but the potential to produce a handful of winners in another 10 years by gaining much needed finance / good training methods and a strong structure to help develop our current youngsters.

We do this by exploiting our current best skiers ie Finley and to be fair Leslie McKenna ( Who I think does have talent but unfortunately when it came to the crux she bottled it ).

This it what should have happened to Eddie and the Bell Brothers and if it had we may now have been celebrating a medal winner.
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To be honest, and I'm sorry in advance for any offence I cause to anyone by this, I don't think that our government should be wasting money on promoting snowsports. We're not a traditional alpine or nordic nation, we haven't been anywhere near truly competitive for a very long time, and we don't have the grass roots support over here in this country. To waste money on supporting wintersports with the scandalous state of sports in our schools at the moment seems ridiculous to me.
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Kramer, unfortunately I think you're right, if a child wants to get into snowsports in the UK then their parents had better get used to spending money but the same point is true of any minority sport.
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Now i may be wrong about this but didn't Eddie the Eagle fund himself anyway. So what the hell has Richard Carbon got to moan about?
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provenjohn, lol!
I don't mince my words. In badminton club the teacher was busy politely asking 2 stupid messing around football-playing boys to get the posts and net out and they weren't listening. I stepped in, put on my Lance Corporal Edwards head and went 'GET THE FRIGGIN EQUIPMENT OUT NOW!!' made them realise!
I believe there is no point in beating around the bush. If you're going to say something, say what you mean, and mean what you say.

snowleopard, go you!

There's a certain thing around winter sports which makes everyone think it's still the pursuit of the rich and famous. I've been called a rich b**ch before for going skiing when my parents can hardly afford more clothes for me, it's the sacrifice I make. People have no idea, they go off what the media say, so of course they're gonna believe that bulls**t
Putting out the right message to the majority is one of the keys.
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Thanks MartinBell & snowleopard for your input which is probably more based on relevant experience than anyone else. Also it was valuable pointing out that snowboarding of the level exhibited by medal winners doesn't just come from turning up and doing what you feel like on the day. Shaun White has probably put in over 250 days a year (I'd guess although I have no empirical evidence to point to) snowboarding and skateboarding over the last few years while finishing school.

I was reminded re-reading Andy Martin's book "Coming down the mountain" this week that Martin's achievement in the 1988 Calgary Games was somewhat overshadowed by the Eddie the Eagle story.
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fatbob, I am amazed that someone else has seen that book! It's true on the "carrying a piece of knee in a jar" story, by the way, although I had never rationalised my motivation at the time to the extent that Andy did.

Yes, you're quite right that I am probably the worst person in the world to give a dispassionate opinion on the "Eddie phenomenon. Trying to put that aside though, it all really comes down to one question, that each country in the Olympic movement has to face in its own way: do you set standards for your Olympic competitors, or do you just let anyone compete who wants to? I believe that striving for excellence is commensurate with setting reasonable standards. (The BOA's "should be likely to finish in the top half of the field" seems a reasonable standard to me.) Eddie managed to slip through the loophole before that standard had been applied to ski-jumping, and fair play to him, he was just trying to have some fun and make it to the big time.

To be fair, right at the beginning of this thread I did say that the thread title is an exaggeration. The immediate effect of the "Eddie", was, in our experience, slightly detrimental but perhaps the beneficial "inspirational" effect will be longer-lasting and stronger in the long run.

Lesley Mackenna is arguably, the most successful British snowsports competitor in history - she has won a FIS World Cup event (something which none of us skiers have managed so far) and therefore probably had more right to be in Turin than any other British snowsports competitor.

snowleopard, you would like to keep the "killer instinct" in the World Cup and out of the Olympics? It's just not possible to turn the clock back, I'm afraid. Spectators want to see the best in the world compete, and the whole system (advertisers funding TV funding organising committee) rests on that. Don't get me wrong, it's great to see skiers from new countries get involved - Lamine Gueye (Senegal), Hubertus von Hohenlohe (Mexico) and Lothar Munder (Brazil) were great trailblazers in my day, and I'm sure you will be as well. But at the end of the day sport is mainly about the great winners and champions. The rest are just journeyman bit-part-players (like myself) or characterful cameos (like yourself).

Kramer, this old, defeatist "we're not a traditional alpine nation" chestnut comes up every year. If Australia (with similar number of ski areas and a smaller skiing population) can win World Cups and medals in skiing events (Steven Lee, Zali Steggall, Jacqui Cooper, Alisa Camplin), then why the h*ll can't we aspire to do so as well? After battling for 14 years to get as close as I did, I would like to see the next generation take it one step further, not give up. And I'm sure my brother, Konrad and other old-timers would feel the same way...
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Martin Bell, it's not what I would call a defeatist attitude. We have a finite amount of funding for sport in this country, I feel that it would be much better spent on facilities promoting sports that we are likely to do well in, located in deprived areas. Every pound that we spend on snowsports is a pound that we can't spend elsewhere on more deserving causes. I feel that we should get sports sorted out at a grass roots level before we start spending money on something that is only accessible to those of us who are relatively privileged, and even then for the vast majority is only something that we dabble in. When school playing fields are being sold off left, right, and centre, I don't feel that it is right for us to waste money on something that we achieve mediocre results in at best.

I've no doubt that if we increased the funding of british wintersports then we would do better, but as the budget is limited, it would mean depriving someone or something else of potential funding, and even then, I don't see us ever being a significant player in winter sports.

It's all very well having a "can do" attitude, but if it's being funded out of the public purse, then as a taxpayer I want to see some decent results, if not, then I want it spent somewhere else where they are more likely.
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Kramer, taking up Martin Bell's point, the Aussies do vastly better at just about every sport there with a population 1/3rd the size of our own, so in terms of investment in sport for young people they don't seem to have suffered from the equitable distribution of scarce resources excuse. Supporting their skiers doesn't seem to have stopped them winning in just about every other sport in existence, and considerably more than we do. They took twice as many golds as us home from Athens with a population of 20 million, 50% more total medals. 1,000,000 Aussies to produce a gold medallist, 6,500,000+ Brits to do the same rolling eyes.

Public money is only part of the equation. Large sums are - or should be - raised in the private sector. For a nation with millions of skiers this should be being done more effectively.

Of course more investment should be going into grassroots sports and infrastructure in the UK from schools up, but I don't see that this conflicts with the goal of achieving success in winter sports, an activity enjoyed by millions of Brits. Healthier, fitter young generations coming though would produce athletes that would gravitate between different sports winter and summer, some trying out dry slopes and snowdomes, freestyle. The best would or should be backed to go further. Success in the sporting world produces a new dynamic, breeds further success, role models* for future generations to try to emulate. It helps to instill a sense of purpose and self-confidence (witness our current defeatist attitude to so many things, and not just in sport).

* All we've got at the moment is b*#¤dy footballers...
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PG, the problem is that there is a finite overall budget for sport in our country, so to pay for wintersports means reducing the budget for something else, so we should spend our limited money on the things that are most likely to give results. It would be nice if there was no conflict in funding, but the budget is not big enough for everything that we want, therefore some difficult decisions have to be made. Based on what I've stated above, I believe that wintersports shouldn't be funded by the government in this country when there are IMO far more deserving projects that could be funded instead.

I'm not sure what the point of comparing ourselves to the Australians is, they have a climate that is far more conducive towards sporting activity, and they have far more space in their country in which to practice it, it's not surprising that this leads to a generally more athletic population.
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Kramer, You are obviously entitled to your views. If we are talking about lottery money, the overall budget is not 'finite' in terms of its allocation. If memory serves well of the £1bm per annum that is kicked back into UK PLC, 1/2 goes to The exchequer for health etc. The other £500m is split equally between Sport, 'Heritage' and ' Arts and Film'. These percentages are to be kept until 2009 (??) I believe when the latter 50% is up for grabs again.

Personally I would spend the lot on sport rather than the 'stuff' which gets shown in the Tait Modern or buying another Old Master. Anybody interested in changing it -- write to your MP now.

Within that 'sporting' allocation , I think we all should have a look at where some of the monies are allocated ... some are downright weird imho.

Kramer, I think you'll find Aussies do well because they are committed to and invest in sporting success and infrastructure. I don't think many sports are practiced in the 'Outback' btw and much of their climate is similar to ours.
I honestly believe we have to stop rationalising our under-achievments as a nation and start building the infrastructure to circumvent the real problems.
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eEvans, the overall budget may not be finite in terms of it's allocation, but to all intents and purposes it is in terms of it's size. No matter how you divide it, you still have to rob from Peter to pay Paul. As that is the case, I don't feel that wintersports are a particularly deserving beneficiary, compared to school sports facilities for instance. I also don't feel that promoting sport to the detriment of the arts, culture, and heritage of our country is a particularly realistic, or desireable option.

I agree that not many sports are practiced in the "Outback" as well, but to suggest that is what I was implying is a little facetious I feel. In most parts of most Australian cities, space is not at such a premium as in the UK, therefore it seems to me that they have more parks and space in which to practice sports than in the UK.

I stand corrected on the Australian climate, I was always under the impression that their's was milder than ours, and so more conducive to year round outdoor activity, but you seem to know more about this than me.

eEvans wrote:
I honestly believe we have to stop rationalising our under-achievments as a nation and start building the infrastructure to circumvent the real problems.


That's all very well, but where are you going to get the money from to pay for this infrastructure? Puzzled
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Kramer, Get the money? Apart from direct contributions from individuals and commerce/industry which should be targeted - IMO ( and No more than that ) ; also from public funding - from 'Heritage' - aka Living in the past and religion , "Arts and Film" - Tracey Emmen et al - .

BTW - I wish that more money was invested in kids facilities/programs( from available purses) but I don't see that happening NOW.

Oz - Just an opinion. Yes I have been there a number of times and its climate is quite diverse. Rather like the US in many ways. What has always struck me is the high 'value' that they place on sport within their culture - and that starts with government - let's not forget that many of their sportsfolk hone their skills in other countries ( as identified by Martin Bell) .

Maybe a better comparitive ( although not a popular subject anywhere in the UK ) is the difference between say Holland or France vs UK. If you do a 'sporting' comparitive between France and the UK it is quite stunning. The French participate rather than watch.

Moi - Facetious ? No , just cynical (and a tad patriotic) ! snowHead
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I'm not sure that it's realistic to suggest that we sacrifice heritage and arts funding (which incorporate rather more aspects than you suggest), in order to fund participation in wintersports for a few privileged individuals. I also believe that many athletes are sponsored by private individuals and companies presently, so I am unsure how you expect to get significantly more revenue from that stream? This returns us to my original suggestion, that if we have a limited budget then I would rather that it was shared out in a way that was more likely to be beneficial to many rather than a few. Very Happy
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Kramer, Can we call a truce on this as I have destroyed someone else's thread !

I would be delighted to start another thread on private fund-raising and why Snowsports GB -to date - hasn't delivered. Best left for another date !
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
If you start a thread on why Snowsports GB hasn't delivered, please give plenty of notice so that I can be off-line when the inevitable explosion happens... Very Happy
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