Over 100 ski and snowboard coaches will attend the UK Snowsport Coaching Conference, running on 20th and 21st September at Snozone, Castleford. Organised by Snowsport England, attendees will include key coaches and representatives from all the Home Nations and British Ski and Snowboard, both in Alpine and Freestyle. ...Â
There will be some innovative elements to this year's conference with the United States Ski and Snowboard Association's (USSA) Director of Sport Education, Jon Nolting, speaking to attendees about his experiences with the US Ski Team. He will specifically look at coaching using a skills based approach, and we be running a practical session to demonstrate how that translates to coaching at an indoor slope.
The two-day conference will also include key information regarding concussion and how to deal with it presented by Jenny Shute from the FIS Medical Committee. Chris Radford from Henry's Avalanche Talk will discuss staying safe in the mountains, and how to balance fun with getting the most out of your coaching session.
A highlight of the conference is Saturday evening's UK Snowsports Coaching Awards dinner where the hard work of coaches is recognised. Over 500 votes have already been cast, with voting still open. Awards include Children's Coach of the Year, Community Coach of the Year, Performance Development Coach of the Year, High Performance Coach of the Year and Disability Coach of the Year. Votes can be made by visiting www.surveymonkey.com/s/Coachingawards
At the awards dinner, there will also be a special presentation where Sarah Lewis, Secretary General of FIS will be awarded an Honorary Snowsport England membership, recognising her contribution to snowsports both in the UK and worldwide.
Tim Fawke, Chief Executive of Snowsport England, said of the conference: “The UK Snowsports Coaching Conference is a key date on our calendar and the one time we get all our coaches of all levels together to share knowledge and take on board new information which will help their performance as coaches. After a record-breaking attendance last year, we expect this year to be just as busy, with big draws including the presentations by Jon Nolting from USSA. We are also delighted Sarah Lewis from FIS will be in attendance and there in person to receive her honorary membership.”
There are still places available for the UK Snowsports Coaching Conference. For more information and to book a place visit Snowsport England website
Sponsors for the UK Snowsports Coaching Conference are SkiA sweetspot ski trainer (www.skia.com) and Rossignol (www.rossignol.com) who will be providing ski testing and the prizes for the coaching awards.