 Poster: A snowHead
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The British Olympic Association (BOA) today confirmed the line up of the remaining teams representing Great Britain at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In a ceremony at Somerset House, London, the BOA announced the 13 ski and snowboard athletes who have been chosen....The line up:
Alpine skiing: Andy Noble, Dave Ryding, Ed Drake, Chemmy Alcott
Snowboard PGS: Adam McLeish
Snowboard cross: Zoe Gillings
Snowboard half-pipe: Ben Kilner, Lesley McKenna
Ski aerials: Sarah Ainsworth
Ski moguls: Ellie Koyander
Cross-country skiing: Andrew Musgrave, Andrew Young, Fiona Hughes
See: http://vancouver2010.teamgb.com/
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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No Noel Baxter? 
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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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whats the deal with Baxter? finances?
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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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barry, I'm kind of surprised because, for example, he was our only start in tonight's WC slalom in Schladming - skied from start number 71 to 43rd and that was way better than most around him. In an Olympic slalom he'd make 2nd run no probs like-for-like. He's had quite a few injury probs but on the big slalom occasion I'd bet on him getting a better result than the others selected. Shame, because there are many who believe he has as much natural talent as Alain.
For Olympics, finances don't come into it.
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he had to organise golf days and all manner of shite up here in the summer to get the dosh to compete this year (good off-season regime for a truly world class competitor  ) - didnt everyone have to cough up to remain on the team?
equally surprised not to see him on there - considering his age, he could well surpass his brother in the future
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Bode Swiller, I think there are limits on the total size of team that you are allowed as well as for each event.
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What happened to the ski cross selections? I thought this was new for 2010 winter games?
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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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| rjs wrote: |
| Bode Swiller, I think there are limits on the total size of team that you are allowed as well as for each event. |
ya but he came like 14th or something in last olympics (17th maybe? 21st? it was good anyways), he's now the top man after a couple of retirements
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barry, On the current FIS list Andy Noble is better at GS and David Ryding better at SL.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Not sure why no Noel. Looking at the results on the Fis website, from a cursory look I would have said Noel Baxter has the better slalom results. barry, the results from the last olympics are likely to be irrelevant. Selection will be from recent results this season. However I don't know what the alpine selection criteria were so can't really comment.
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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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Very close - looking at the points list rather than the actual results Noel has 16 Fis points and Dave Ryding 15. However looking at the recent results Dave Ryding had a lot more DNFs than Noel. Who'ed be a selector.
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Dave, I notice that 2 of the Nordic guys are from your neck of the woods - well done! 
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You know it makes sense.
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I train with the two Andrews* and have raced against Fi and the two Andrews on rollers. Not that I can get even close in a race.
*'With' might be a bit of an exageration, but as we are members of the same club they are training on the track at the same time as me 
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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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great to see Lesley back on form and timing her run nicely ahead of the Olympics, a genuine all-time great in her specific discipline, one time world no 1, consistent top 10 and inspiring young female riders into the game through her coaching and films etc. I still find it incredible that she lost her funding after her crash out in Turin last time - she had to reduce her WC starts significantly because of it
still baffled by Baxter, i get the recent results thing, but like the funding example with Lesley above, surely you've got to consider more than just recent results! Selection and funding allocation does sound like a bit of a pig of a job.
anyways, not long now, should be a few good battles to watch
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Gillian wrote: |
What happened to the ski cross selections? I thought this was new for 2010 winter games?
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I was going to make the same comment. I recall Emily Sarsfield was injured last season but thought she'd be OK by now and am unaware who else might be available.
The sport needs more exciting stuff like this to get people interested, I find downhill as exciting as Formula 1 (ie, not at all).
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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 about Dougie Crawford?
Not sure I see the point in the alpine skiing lads pitching up for anything more than a party, where have they been all season? I can think of cheaper ways to experience a big atmosphere, WC races maybe?!
Must say I feel a bit cheated by individuals fundraising like mad at Hemel all summer and then hardly any attendance at WC or even Europa all season. Where has our money gone? I do feel sorry for the racers, the funding shouldn't be their responsibility but I just don't see the point of spending what little money that is available to go to the olympics when they would perhaps benefit more from simply competing regularly, even if it's at Europa.
I'm sure I'm being way too simplistic!
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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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Dave Horsley, The Alpine selection criteria foe men are - Top 30 World Cup place in season 2008/9 or 2009/10.
Top 100 world ranking on FIS list in 2009 or 2010 season.
Top 20 place in 2009 World champs.
Top 20 place in Europa Cup but within 3% of winner in 2008/9 or 2009/10 season.
Ed Drake is top 50 in Super G and had numerous top 20 in Europa cup races.
Dave Ryding was top 20 in indoor Europa cup race in November 2009.
Andy Noble was top 20 in Europa cup race in Nov 2008.
Now here's the difficult bit - Noel baxter was 19th in World champs Slalom in 2009.
Dougie crawford was 19th in Europa cup Super combined in 2009.
There is a limit of total skiers depending on overall world rankings in all disciplines. Quite a complicated formula. But it might be that we only have 3 slots for men because of that.
CSki, The funding at Hemel was for Ed & went directly to him. You have not seen him race much after his 3rd place in the first Europa cup race of the season as he had a mystery virus cwhich made him quite weak. He has now recovered and did race the kitzbuhel World cup Super G.
The olympics is totally funded by the BOA - nothing to do with SSGB or the athletes at all.
Just out of interest - TJ baldwin is the only Brit Alpine skier to qualify for the World Junior champs next week. He has to pay for everything and the mess that SSGB are in he might not even have any coach or transport as yet. He is in with a medal chance in the Super G being ranked no 12 in the World Junior rankings for that.
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Plugboy,
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There is a limit of total skiers depending on overall world rankings in all disciplines. Quite a complicated formula. But it might be that we only have 3 slots for men because of that.
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I guessed it was something like that. I know we have the same problem with the limited number of places. We have only three places (2 men and 1 women) for the xc and four skiers made the selection qualification. Three men made the A standard and one women the B standard. In fact our faster skier in the ladies this year didn't make the BOA quali standard as though she made the B standard she didn't race world juniors last year so was required to reach the A standard.
Still it looks like it was very very tight between Dave Ryding abd Alain Baxter.
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Just out of interest - TJ baldwin is the only Brit Alpine skier to qualify for the World Junior champs next week. He has to pay for everything and the mess that SSGB are in he might not even have any coach or transport as yet. He is in with a medal chance in the Super G being ranked no 12 in the World Junior rankings for that.
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Best of luck with that. We have a team of 5 men and 2 ladies (plus an Irish qualified skier who skis with HNSC) at the world juniors/ U23s this week. Sprints were yesterday and monday, a little dissapointing with Mussy having the best finish of 32 in the qualifiers just two places away from making it into the quarter finals. Even worse 2 of the qualifiers failed to start in the quarters.
Its the 5 and 10km classic for juniors today, I'm hoping for a podium.
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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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right, I can't resist, this is getting on my wick now.... the men ARE competing regularly this season, just because they don't get TV coverage doesn't mean they're not there! Noel Baxter and Dave Ryding have shared the WC starts between them this season in slalom and have also been doing FIS and EC races, and I know the speed skiers have been doing plenty of races as well across FIS/EC/WC.
AFAIK because of Chemmy's world rankings in a couple of disciplines we had 4 places total for skiers (any combination of male/female). I agree it must have been a tight choice between Noel and Dave for the slalom slot but I think they have gone with looking to the future as well, many reckon DR will be up there in contention by the next winter games so going to this one for experience is not silly.
And ALL of them have been holding fundraisers etc over the summer and through the year to get the money to compete this year...
Main problem seems to be a total lack of publicity about any of our skiers apart from Chemmy - FFS, some people seem to think Noel Baxter is the only male skier we have?!
end rant
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I think it has to be said Dave that the success of nordic skiers from your club is simply staggering and the fact they effectively make up two thirds of the team (I am correct in assuming that Fiona Hughes is from elsewhere am I not?) is a real testament to the club and the facilities they have at The Clash. It also seems that there are a number of juniors in the pipeline who are already getting quite brilliant results and will be future olympians, again testament to what is being done by Huntly Nordic Ski Club.
I have to admit that if it wasn't for my reading your posts here and on Winterhighland and having met you (and hopefully again this season  ) I would know little or nothing about the club and The Clash so well done to you for informing people about it all.
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Yes Fi skis with the Yorkshire Dales club. She's done really well as she is basically training on her own outside of BNDS camps whereas the larger group of skiers based around Huntly are training as a group. Makes motivation much easier as you have training partners to compete against, measure your training against and to help keep you motivated.
There are other good juniors at other scottish clubs such as Cairngorm Nordic and Biathlon Club and Highland Nordic. Whats needed is more junior skiers from England to increase the athlete pool. With the London Hyde Park club starting a junior program that may start to happen.
Some of the younger juniors have been racing at the British champs at Rhupolding with good results and Posie took 2 minutes out of the GB biathletes who race on the World Cup circuit.
http://www.bnds.org.uk/index.php?/News/musgrave-a-irvine-double-up-at-gb-champs.html
http://www.bnds.org.uk/index.php?/Results/gb-champs-23-january-2010.html
http://www.bnds.org.uk/index.php?/Results/gb-champs-24-january-2010.html
I try and provide a bit of publicity on here and Winterhighland, and try and get the links out to the BNDS website. The squad need all the support they can get.
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As well as being out there skiing when the TV cameras weren't watching some of the men have been out on the slopes in the UK talking to the younger skiers during the summer while they organised the start of their funding. Dave Ryding was at the ESSKIA schools finals in October to present prizes, he's been to many races this summer, even cycling over the hills to Rossendale. He's a name that the young kids know, because they have often met him and raced against him, they have posters with his autograph and personal messages, they have been fundraising for him and just hoping he would get to the Olympics. When the time comes they will be watching him closely with a sense of involvement and looking forward to him coming to watch them race next summer. He's giving them a feeling that they have a chance, they have a possible future in ski racing, he's someone they are very proud to be associated with, and I think his selection is a great boost for ski racing in the UK because of this link he has formed with the up and coming young racers.
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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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As well as being out there skiing when the TV cameras weren't watching some of the men have been out on the slopes in the UK talking to the younger skiers during the summer while they organised the start of their funding. Dave Ryding was at the ESSKIA schools finals in October to present prizes, he's been to many races this summer, even cycling over the hills to Rossendale. He's a name that the young kids know, because they have often met him and raced against him, they have posters with his autograph and personal messages, they have been fundraising for him and just hoping he would get to the Olympics. When the time comes they will be watching him closely with a sense of involvement and looking forward to him coming to watch them race next summer. He's giving them a feeling that they have a chance, they have a possible future in ski racing, he's someone they are very proud to be associated with, and I think his selection is a great boost for ski racing in the UK because of this link he has formed with the up and coming young racers.
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oops, posted twice
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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| Quote: |
What happened to the ski cross selections? I thought this was new for 2010 winter games?
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Didn't make the BOA quali standard (though did make the IOC B standard). Since Eddie the Eagle the BOA has set higher quali standards than the IOC B standard to ensure UK competitors aren't out the back of the field.
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| Dave Horsley wrote: |
| Since Eddie the Eagle the BOA has set higher quali standards than the IOC B standard to ensure UK competitors aren't out the back of the field. |
Good to know they are supporting the spirit of the Olympic's.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Jane L wrote: |
| oops, posted twice |
but worth saying twice
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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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^ interesting article there, nice spot.
IMHO Baxter should be there!
Also interesting to read the comments from Bartelski, he has a track record of being candid about those in charge of UK competitive snowsports going right back to the 70s when he and Peter Fuchs ended up freelancing after being rejected by UK selectors - they both went on to wipe the floor with the 'official' team, he must be having deja vu!
Perhaps Baxter should consider the same!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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A number of athletes that performed really well in the children's age groups have already gone their own way as SSGB were not meeting their needs. Results are starting to improve again now they are running things themselves. Funding is the main problem though. Even though funding was reduced to SSGB there was still support from equipment manufacturers, clothing suppliers etc.
It is possible to run competitive programes independently but it's not easy.
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