The team have been busy over the last few months preparing for the busy World Cup season ahead. At the end of the summer the team were chosen, during a selection week held in Hintertux, to represent Great Britain on the 2010/11 Telemark World Cup circuit. This year’s especially important as the Telemark World Championships (a biannual event) takes place in March in Rjukan, Norway. To be eligible to race in the flagship event, the Classic, you must to obtain a certain number of FIS points on the World Cup leading up to the competition. Dates for all the races can be found on the FIS website: http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/disciplines/telemark/
October is always a busy time for the team and Team Captain, Andrew Clarke, and I spend a five long days at the London Olympia Ski & Snowboard Show, representing British athletes on the British Ski and Snowboard (BSS) stand. BSS is the new National Governing Body which was formed in February after Snowsport GB went into administration. This year the show was not quite as busy as it has been in previous year but it’s always a great opportunity to catch-up with old friends and check out some of this year’s new kit.
In the build up to the season I have been down to Cirencester to have a new fitness program set-out by our team sports therapist, Gus Olds. Gus has worked with many GB Team members in a number of sports as well as competing himself as a professional athlete. The new program is highly specific to telemark skiing, consisting of a combination of many different types of lunges as well as functional core stability exercises. As Gus quite rightly pointed out to me “how often do you do a squatting movement in a telemark race,” – the answer is never! So I hope by moving away from more ‘conventional’ gym circuit, most racers will be following, I will see big improvements in my performance this year.
The British Telemark Team is going from strength to strength and with an exciting season ahead we aim to break into the top 20 finishers on the World Cup circuit. Unfortunately, like all elite snowsports athletes in the UK we rely upon the generosity of sponsors – if you think you maybe able help our National team please drop me an email at jackharvardtaylor@gbtelemark.com for sponsorship opportunities or have a look at the team website, www.gbtelemark.co.uk
