 Poster: A snowHead
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My child is 5 years old and he has both Swedish and British nationalities. We live in Sweden and he is going to start race training next week. His main ambition in life at the moment is to compete for the U.K. In skiing (thanks to watching the Olympics!) it's obviously just a dream for him at the moment but I'm wondering if competing in the u8 U.K. races is an option for him.
Any tips would be much appreciated, thank you 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I’m not sure if this is a joke or serious but if you’re serious, yes he can compete in other countries - why wouldn’t he be able? I assume you mean BASS races on plastic/domes, any reason he would want to though?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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thats good to know! My little sister competes in U14 and she wasn't allowed to compete in a race in Sweden last year because she is not Swedish and is not a member of a Swedish club.
We have no dry ski slopes or domes near us in Sweden (I'm not even sure they exist in Sweden) and we spend large chunks of time in the U.K. in the summer so it's good to know he could compete, he's only ever skied on snow, so it'd be a challenge to learn to ski on a dry ski slope, but he's the sort of kid who loves a challenge!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
We have no dry ski slopes or domes near us in Sweden
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.....perhaps because you have the real thing?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Markymark29, yep, but only for 6-7 months a year! At our local ski club the kids go cycling and running up and down the grassy) slopes as summer training.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
My little sister competes in U14 and she wasn't allowed to compete in a race in Sweden last year because she is not Swedish and is not a member of a Swedish club
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But you’re saying your son has dual nationality.
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We have no dry ski slopes or domes near us in Sweden (I'm not even sure they exist in Sweden)
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I’m sure they do exist in sweden - they’re everywhere if you look hard enough - but I don’t know why you’d be eager to ski plastic if you’re getting the whole winter season on snow.
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| Quote: |
@Markymark29, yep, but only for 6-7 months a year! At our local ski club the kids go cycling and running up and down the grassy) slopes as summer training.
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What’s wrong with that? Six - seven months is a long time on snow
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He just loves to ski, it's like his happy place, flying down slopes. So dry ski slope skiing would be a nice thing to do when we are in the U.K. I'm really not sure they exist in Sweden, non of the swedes I have asked understand the concept. When I explain that my sister races on dry ski slopes they are baffled. My boy asks me every day from about mid august when the snow is going to cone so he can go skiing.
He is British, but his club is Swedish. It'd be nice if he could go along to competitions with my little sister, his aunt, but I guess he'd need to spend quite a bit of time getting used to a dry ski slope before doing that.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Kids can switch between snow and dry slope without issue, it's not that different. Dry slopes are everywhere but I doubt you'd find one in Sweden that has a race club. Where in the UK do you live. Five is a bit too young for race training. Minis start at eight. Categories for children (under 16) are U10, U12, U14 & U16
Why does he want to compete for the UK if he's in a Swedish race club?
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| moseyp wrote: |
| Dry slopes are everywhere but I doubt you'd find one in Sweden |
This. The idea of skiing on anything other than snow just makes Swedes laugh lots (once they realise they haven't misunderstood, and you're being serious).
Re Swedish club but representing uk, my daughter would do the same (swimming) if she had the opportunity.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@mgrolf, you've misquoted me - I said dry slopes are everywhere but I doubt you'd find one in Sweden that has a race club
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Re Swedish club but representing uk, my daughter would do the same (swimming) if she had the opportunity.
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Any particular reason why?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@moseyp, yes, deliberately to make it clear that I was agreeing with the lack of dry slopes here, as opposed to it being unlikely that there is one with a race club. I'm 99% sure that there isn't. Apologies if that bothers you.
Mini_mg sees herself as British, irrespective of where we live or what passport(s) we hold. So if she was representing a country, for her it would be the UK. It might be interesting to see what she did if she had the opportunity to represent Sweden but not the UK, but that's an hypothetical question!
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@mgrolf, Neveplast, Skitrax & Topjoy have all provided matting for dry slopes in Sweden. Not sure where they are though
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You know it makes sense.
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@AngloSwedish mummy, I think it might actually be quite a technical question that you might need some advice from someone who really knows (especially if he is still racing at 16).
Our kids are in the process of applying for Irish nationality- for the obvious reasons. I think kids with dual nationality can register with FIS under either nationality- but there might be complicated rules about swapping- the only way to find out would be to check! I think you can register with FIS from 16.
A bit confused about your sister and thta seems really quite harsh. Club membership might have been a solution though- as I wonder if the real issue related to being insured to compete in an organised race (which is also complicated).
I'd suggest that you contact one of the home nations snowsports organisations (depending on which bit of the UK- i.e snowsports England) and or British snowsports to see what the position is re kids with dual nationality.
Can he race as British (or English / Scottish etc) in UK races?
Can he also race in Swedish races (as Swedish)?
Is it possible to swap affiliations / registered nation?
Does racing for one nation as a child commit you to that nation?
etc-
I'd guess they have had these conversations a lot as there are loads of kids in the Alps with dual UK / French nationality.
I'd guess that financial support for Swedish skiers is far better than in the UK - where there is almost none apart from for Snowboarding / Slope thingy.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
Our kids are in the process of applying for Irish nationality- for the obvious reasons. I think kids with dual nationality can register with FIS under either nationality- but there might be complicated rules about swapping- the only way to find out would be to check! I think you can register with FIS from 16.
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from the ICR:
If a competitor has already participated in FIS calendar events for a National Ski Association, he must have the written agreement to be released from the former National Ski Association in addition to the citizenship, passport and residency requirements in art. 203.5 before the new National Ski Association may submit a request to FIS for a change of registration.
If such a written agreement is not given, the competitor may not participate in any FIS calendar events for a period of twelve months from the end of the last season in which he competed for his present National Ski Association, nor may he be issued with a licence to participate in FIS races by the new National Ski Association.
These rules are also valid when a competitor has more than one nationality and would like to change National Ski Association licence registration.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@ed123, what age are your kids? according to the Independent - "The day after Brexit, the Irish embassy in London ran out of citizenship application forms. In the year since the referendum, 100,000 British people have already been issued with an Irish passport, and according to the BBC, Ireland’s unusually relaxed citizenship laws mean 6.7 million people in the UK who don’t currently have an Irish passport could be entitled to one."
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| moseyp wrote: |
| @mgrolf, Neveplast, Skitrax & Topjoy have all provided matting for dry slopes in Sweden. Not sure where they are though |
Hmmm, there have certainly been plastic xc tracks though whether any are still operational is another matter. Somewhat OT though so we should probably take this elsewhere.
@AngloSwedishMummy, not skiing but I have a German colleague at work whose son swims for Sweden. He may be dual national, and is certainly a member of a Swedish club, so I suspect the membership part matters.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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The questions are about being able to compete in fun junior races in various countries as opposed to competing in FIS races where you are licenced by a particular country. Young children wishing to compete in events need to comply with whatever the organisers wish. It may be that a particular race is only open to members of a particular club, to people who live in a particular area or to those of a particular nationality. Events where the winner become national junior champion may only be available to those with that nationality. Its up to race organisers to decide their own rules.
The statements from the FIS website are for those taking part in FIS events. You must be licenced by your national ski association and there are usually criteria to get a licence. For GBR FIS licences go to https://www.teambss.org.uk/news-info/fis-licences-race-entries
Athletes with dual nationality change nation from time to time usually with the agreement of both nations.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@mogulski, I suspect she meant BASS races as opposed to fun, club races - if her kid is joining a race club. As I said above, there's nothing stopping him from competing - even if he didn't have a UK passport - he just has to join SSE/SSW/SS and register for a licence.
Knowing what area she's in means we can suggest a club
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| mgrolf wrote: |
| moseyp wrote: |
| @mgrolf, Neveplast, Skitrax & Topjoy have all provided matting for dry slopes in Sweden. Not sure where they are though |
Hmmm, there have certainly been plastic xc tracks though whether any are still operational is another matter. Somewhat OT though so we should probably take this elsewhere. |
Maybe ski jumping hills as well, the Courchevel one looks like Neveplast.
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| AngloSwedish mummy wrote: |
| thats good to know! My little sister competes in U14 and she wasn't allowed to compete in a race in Sweden last year because she is not Swedish and is not a member of a Swedish club. |
I suspect the problem was just that she wasn't a member of a Swedish club. I am British but am a member of a French club and raced today in a French race.
I can't think why anyone would want to ski for GBR if they had the option of racing for another country, the sport in the UK is not very well run.
A recent example of someone who switched countries is Estelle Alphand, from France to Sweden.
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Thank you so much for all the really informative replies!
Why does he want to compete in the U.K? I think it has to do with him looking up to his aunt, my little sister, who competes in country specific races. I think that an aim to compete for the U.K. may be more achievable than to want to compete for the Swedish men's team.
My family live in Devon and my sister trains at the torquay dry ski slope. My little boy has been too young to have a go on the dry ski slope there (despite starting to ski at 14 months old and him skiing whole days on blacks confidently since he'd just turned 4... I guess it's to do with insurance?) but I hope he can have a go when he's old enough!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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If you are resident in Sweden you have to be a member of a club affiliated to the Swedish Ski Federation to register for any race which is sanctioned by them. Your nationality is not important for any race below FIS (i.e. international races).if you are not resident in Sweden you can register for national level races as a foreigner. Other races may let you run at their discretion. Normally you will be on the result list but you won't necessarily get a prize if you win.
There are several rules which restrict participation of younger children. For example very young children don't get an individual result but can only compete in teams. Below a certain age children can only race at the district level. This is to stop overambitious parents transporting their children huge distances to more prestigious races, which was leading to a decline in local smaller races.
Joining a club is in any case a necessity. Just about all training for youngsters is organised through clubs with amateur coaches. And the social side is vsry important too. Kids need friends to train with.
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@hyperkub, that's a very informative answer, but I think the OP was asking about GB races (madly enough!)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| AngloSwedish mummy wrote: |
| I'm wondering if competing in the u8 U.K. races is an option for him. |
I don't think there are any national U8 races in the UK, individual clubs may run them though.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Both my daughter and I also have joint Swedish/British citizenship and live in Sweden. We both race for Sweden. To race for GB while living in Sweden would possible, but kind of complicated. To get a breakthrough into international level you need a lot of support and coaching. But....since your boy is only 4 you have well over a decade before this is even an issue. Go skiing. Remember that enjoyment and fun is just as important as winning for small children. I have seen countless children who are talented and win races, but nevertheless drop out because it isn't fun any more.
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@hyperkub, if you mean FIS, it’s not complicated, once he has a British passport it’s just an application form to BSS. But the OP is talking about U16 races in the UK, and the kid won’t have any problems getting involved in the dry slope/indoor scene regardless of nationality
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You know it makes sense.
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| moseyp wrote: |
| @hyperkub, if you mean FIS, it’s not complicated, once he has a British passport it’s just an application form to BSS. |
Getting a FIS licence can be complicated if a kid hasn't done any GBR outdoor snow races, you would think that Swedish or any alpine national system results would be just as valid but they are not.
At least the kid isn't a girl.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@rjs, he would need to have under a certain number of BASS points and if he’s growing up in sweden skiing with a race club all winter long, he probably won’t have any problems
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Poster: A snowHead
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@AngloSwedish mummy, simple answer is yes, but there are a lot of hoops to jump through. Best advice is to do swedish club races and then just go to british kids champs in tignes at end of season each year while he is young. We tried going to some other british run races when kids were younger, but it was a real hassle, cost loads more money than local french races and the events were not as well run.
We also did some dry slope and snowdome races. The kids enjoyed the snowdome races, bit short but good for slalom, skicross and slopestyle. But the dry slopes were not so great. Kids can adapt to dry slopes, but to quote one boy. 'It just is not like the real snow!'.
We are just setting up a group for English speaking kids for next season that want to race train. There will be u10, u 12, u 14 and u 16 groups.. The kids will do a mix of alpine racing, freeride, slopestyle and big air. Should be interesting to see how it develops.
Anyone interested in joining us needs to send me a PM for more details. The programme will be run by freeride pros, international instructors and organised by the parents themselves.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What other ambitions do you have when you’re five??
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@snowcrazy,
Which races are you intending to enter?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@AngloSwedish mummy, both Exeter and Plymouth have an age limit of 4, so he'd be fine there now, although don't think Plymouth do much in the way of racing. Exeter is a bit more 'enthusiast' run rather than a business, their website refers to race training (it also says something about not being open in the summer, so worth checking).
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Tignes addict, depends on the how well the kids develop and what the coaches recommend. Some will enter the British kids races again next winter and hopefully qualify for Etoile dor and maybe Coq dor. Also there are some Skicross races and Freeride comps in the area that kids can take part in. Loads of options, but nothing set in stone yet. Send me a PM if you have a youngster that might be interested and I will put you in touch with the other parents. Hope that helps.
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