 Poster: A snowHead
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the FIS clearly recognise an issue :
http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/newsinformation/homenewshead/iocallocation.html
How about a welcoming website guys ?
With positive sources of information on where to go, events going on, supportive organisations ....
Ooops
Never mind, perhaps we can just take the money.
Is this the same IOC which makes no judgement of the efforts of NGB's to attract newcomers to the sport - perish the thought. If NGB's had no recognition because their efforts to increase participation were a national disgrace, we'd soon see a change of tune.
Come on Simon Clegg, I've put this question to you before on national radio - how do you continue to justify your support for Snowsport GB in the complete absence of responsibility for developing our sport ? Don't swallow the SSGB elite athlete claptrap - who is responsible in Britain for Olympic Snowsports ? who should the general public turn to ?
Do three sentences on snowboarding really come out of the same experience that we had watching the Olympics in February when the excitement, drama, glamour and commentary were the highlights of your festival ? This is active dis-association.
We know you're long-standing chums but you personally are now implicated - follow the International example - ok the carrot but exercise that big stick a whole lot more. You're a very accomplished diplomat - in spite of (or rather because of) budgets being redirected to London 2012, you cannot afford to be associated with stagnant, moribund, hot-air merchants - or you risk being tarred with the same brush.
(thread being copied to BOA)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Chris Craggs, Sadly I can never remember a time when British kids were encouraged to take up snowsports. When they do, they're certainly not encouraged to take it up competitively.
It's prohibitively expensive for the majority of parents, as there seems to be absolutely no help with the cost of equipment, training etc. There is no sponsorship (or even "pool" equipment) without results. Getting the results costs too much for most families. When I was training the juniors at Stainforth Ski Club I managed to make a deal with Atomic (thanks to Konrad Bartelski) for out of date skis for the kids, as some of them were having to race on the other slope's hire skis! Not an ideal solution, but a way to provide affordable equipment.
It seems to me that many schools are within easy striking distance of their local dry slope, and could easily include skiing or snowboarding in their sports curriculum, but the slopes must also do their bit with advantageous prices during the quiet months etc.
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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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We do a bit of encouragement for kids in Aberdeenshire in that there are shool trips to Huntly Nordic and Outdoor Centre at Huntly (http://www.huntly.net/hnoc/index.htm) where they are introduced to nordic skiing (on mats) and roller skiing. If they want to take it up competitively they can join HNSC (http://www.huntly.net/nordicski/ ) Still we don't get a lot of support from SnSC or SnowSportGB. We had quite an interesting conversation with SnSC at one of the BOB meetings when the nordic skiers from Huntly and Cairngorm Nordic and Biathlon Club (http://www.cbnsc.co.uk/index.htm) turned up and there were more nordic than alpine people at the meeting.
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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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Well the DHO supports children in snowsports.
The DHO instituted the Schoolboys Race five years ago to complement the Schoolgirls Race which has been in existence for 20 or more years. With more than 100 competitors and 20 schools going for awards.
We've also been supporting racing and training for young skiers since 1952
For further information Who are the DHO ?
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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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There is no argument at all with Dave Horsley, the DHO or Stainforth Ski Club - they (and hundreds of others) perform admirable feats with no resources and in complete isolation.
The disgrace is that for forty years - since the Federation split off from the Ski Club - there has been a mess at the top of British Skiing - an no-one but no-one, for all the personal puff about not standing for any nonsense, is addressing the fundamental issue of having one body responsible for the sport, one person accountable for that development.
We can all blether till the cows come home - Brits are the acknowledged masters - but the time has come for those who fund (Sports UK, England and Scotland), sponsor (British Land, Morgan Stanley et al) or otherwise condone the performance of National Governning Bodies (FIS, IOC) to bring out the stick - you Mr Oliver Jones, you Mr Jason Cockburn, you Mr Bruce Crawford, you Mr Stewart Smith - if you cannot sit around a table in the next four weeks and in one afternoon agree what unites you rather than what divides you, come away with an action plan, communicate it to the public and, during next season be seen to implement it then a/ the lot of you should be fired and b/ all funding to your respective bodies should be suspended. All of it.
You have missed the opportunity to have one name, one brand, one point of contact in the back Snow n Rock's catalogue , in the back of Thomson's ski holidays- you've blown another year and another £1m. There should be no possibility of the lot of you ever being able to fritter the time and money away again.
I call on Simon Clegg, Sarah Lewis, Sue Campbell, Lord Carter, Stewart Harris, John Ritblat and whoever feels himself responsible at Morgan Stanley to exercise their moral authority and require an adequate performance in return for their continued support. If we need to move to a more active campaign - with T-shirts, posters in ski resorts and at slopes, slogans on vehicles, attendance at shareholders meetings, lobbying of Parliament, we will do so. More if necessary.
This is the line in the sand - put up within the next four weeks or look forward to a winter season of harassment. A measurable commitment to forward progress during 2007-8 - or appropriate resignations.
You can continue to ignore public debate - or you can choose to communicate - up to you ; three years of private efforts have resulted in nothing - this campaign will be conducted in public.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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D G Orf, yes - and I was lucky enough to be a DHO Trainee and then briefly a Coggins trainer manhy moons ago. But I had the advantage of parents who could afford to take me to Wengen and pay the costs of the DHO membership and training. The trouble is there may be another Gina Hathorn or Martin Bell out there who's parents can't afford it.
Chris Craggs, Keep up the pressure.
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easiski - the next crop of youngsters are set to be more successful than any British Skier to date - however many of them will not be bale to stay in the sport if what little funding we do have disappears courtesy of Mr Craggs.
I applaud C Craggs in his persistence in trying to get some action from the governing bodies but as long as we have borders between the Home Nations then an harmonious single body is highly unlikely to happen. CC would be better advised to seek total devolution so that the English, Scots and Welsh could all compete on their own at the Olympics etc and put an end to the "them and us" situation that we currently have. Part of this situation caused by the different funding experienced North of the border.
Back to the current situation - CC keep up the pressure for change but do not think that by removing funding you will do anyone any favours. Why try and kill a sport that you are so keen on by removing what little funding there is.
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Please A.N.Other - suggest an alternative course of action which has bite !
The last public posting on modernisation predates the Congress, supposedly the meeting at which everything would be resolved - no-one has felt it necessary to inform the wider public what the **** is going on - or if it's going anywhere at all.
Because they are answerable to no-one, beholden to no-one, acountable for no performance indicators.
Reason, logic, the greater good doesn't work as an argument - although you're right, nationalism might.
The only weapon is money - and I challenge you that we could not do better without them.
Take snowboarding - sure they'll take grant money and pass it on - anyone can do that.
Who promotes, develops, grows the sport ? Snowsport GB ? or England or Scotland ?
If you believe that you're out of your tree.
The Orange AIM series (including their visits to schools) and the Snowboard Club - that's who - and indolent, self-centred, market-stall traders at Hillend are entitled to a grant for their dismissive approach ? It borders on misuse of public funds.
I've commented elsewhere the Collection approach - elite athletes believing they could do a better job of promoting themselves and their sport by doing it themselves - there is no question in my mind that this is the right approach. http://www.aspentimes.com/article/SD/20050305/GRAVITYGAMES/103050003
Run by civil servants and by people with personal agendas, Snowsport GB is in no position to promise financial security in the sport.
It can't even recognise the benefits of wider publicity, membership and therefore income. And devolution does not offer this solution - are Crystal going to publish four pages of NGB logos, are SnownRock going to pad out their magazine with explanations, are the public going to continue to wade through four entries to the sport - is Quiksilver's interest and financial contribution and message not going to be diluted by having to negotiate with four parties ? If you are genuinely interested in finances rather than pathetic national self-interest, there must be only one easily-communicated solution. You can wave as many St George's crosses as you like, all it does is generate support for Trinidad and Tobago - for ****'s sake get off their bandwagon. (Perhaps a pan-national Collection with no crosses or dragons is, again, the answer)
They have you where they want you - so reliant on tiny handouts that you daren't risk losing it - it's a disgrace and a scam.
And, interestingly, do you see any one of them coming out to rebutt these, let's face it, easy to defend statements ?
Either I'm right and they have no answer or I'm wrong and someone comes out and exposes me for the malevolent stirrer that I clearly am.
But thankyou for stepping up and contributing - and for the kind applause.
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