Well, who could have predicted the situation we are currently in and have been over the last four months. At BSA we wanted to make the most of this time and make sure our plan going forward would give us the best chance of success heading into the season. As far as our summer programme is concerned we have been very fortunate to secure locations across the length and breadth of the UK. Having 3 camps at Firpark has been absolutely fantastic, being back in Scotland and having a presence in Scotland was something that we have spoken about for sometime now, so to be able to run camps at Firpark has been great. Although we are going by Government guidelines, we could still accommodate 15 athletes on each camp with 3 coaches and we were amazed at the demand and how quickly our camps sold out. As a result of this, we have secured regular training every Tuesday night from 1800-1939 for 6 weeks beginning on Tuesday 1st September. Our Firpark camps consisted of a mixture of training including, skills, drills, stubbies, gates and pro slalom which it is safe to say went down an absolute treat with all the athletes involved. We even managed to confirm the comeback of the classic BSA Dual Slalom and BSA Dual Obstacle Course which is always a hit with both athletes and coaches.
We were also fortunate enough to secure a Landgraaf training block for 4 days in July (21-24). With 22 athletes and 4 coaches, we were able to accommodate athletes from U12 to U16 which was helped by having 2 training lanes every session. A mixture of Stubbies, Brushes, Gates, Pro Slalom and skills and drills were used over the course of the four days to maximise our time on snow. Off the slope we ran fitness and ski prep sessions to make sure everyone was up to scratch and learning off the hill as well. Making sure our camps ran safely was the primary goal for us, so having 3 pastoral staff on the camp helped in the safe running of it along side rigid risk assessments and protocols. It is safe to say everyone on the camp had an absolute blast and again due to the demand we have secure even more European camps for later in the summer (18-21 August, Landgraaf and 29 August - 1st September - SnowValley).
On top of this we also have a 5 stop dry slope tour in August that is filling up very quickly.
Stoke 13-14
Swadlincote 15-16
Gloucester 17 & 18
Chatham 23
Norfolk 24-28 (Full)
At BSA we pride ourselves on transitioning athletes from the dry slope to the alpine environment and this is something we are continuing to do as we move forward.
Our FIS programme is also full steam ahead, Head Coach Alain Baxter leads the team that are currently in Wittenberg for 4 days before heading down to Hintertux for a 10 day block. With 13 athletes and 3 coaches, it is safe to say the Coach : Athlete ratio will allow the athletes to make some serious improvements to their skiing. They will also make stops at the Atomic and Head factory so athletes can get fitted and kitted for the coming season.
At BSA, we are delighted with how our camps and summer plans have been planned and carried out which we believe is reflected in the interest of BSA from new athletes as well as returning athletes. Both our Childrens’ and FIS programmes are thriving and we believe we are creating a fantastic environment for young skiers to push their boundaries and see how far they can go in the sport.
Be sure to follow our social media accounts for the latest information:
Web: www.britskiacad.org.uk
Facebook: The British Ski Academy
Instagram: thebritishskiacademy