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Over the Bank Holiday weekend, when most headed for a break, myself and the other members of the British Disabled Ski Team met at the new indoor snow dome – Chill Factor, in Manchester. It was great to get together with the Team members, exchange stories of the summer and plan the coming season.
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| Indoor skiing in Manchester's Chill Factor! |
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The main focus was, of course, skiing. On day one, a start gate had been built at the top of the main run and the aim was to find the fastest way for each of us to get out of the start gate and reach the first turning gate. As an LW10/1 (the wobbliest of all sit skiers) my standard practice was to shuffle out the start area whilst keeping my riggers on the floor and then gradually build up speed with gravity as my only accelerator. It’s been a constant source of frustration for me and the coaching staff, who watch with horror as I wobble and edge my way down the first 10m of the race course.
We then experimented with different techniques, making sure I remained upright and balanced, keeping an eye on the times as we went. After a couple of hours I had managed to reduce the time by nearly 1.5 seconds, which is huge in the grand scheme of things. Every member of the Team reduced their times throughout the start training and felt it was one of the most beneficial sessions we had undergone for a long time.
The following two days we looked at balance, movement and edge control. There were a few ‘moments’ when Team members, focused on their own technique, didn’t notice how close they were to each other in the small confines of the indoor slope. Luckily we all missed each other - although it was pretty close a couple of times!
In addition to our own progression, we helped with training the Development Squad. There are a growing number of disabled skiers coming through at the moment, especially from the Armed Forces, due to injuries sustained on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Hopefully the Team will continue to grow and benefit from the influx of new talent, as well as giving many young men and women a goal and focus after sustaining life-changing injuries. Skiing once again becomes a positive message to show what can still be achieved.
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