Across the Board 05/12/2007
Welcome to the latest edition of Across the Board from Snowsport GB which will keep you updated on all the latest from the British Snowboard team. Along with results, we'll be featuring profiles of the athletes and teams, will hear from the coaches and sponsors and will keep you informed about the main news and events throughout the season.
Snowsports Stamp Out Drugs
There is no place for drugs in sport, and winter sports are no exception.
Snowsport GB is one of the first sports bodies in the UK to fully induct all World Cup athletes onto the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) new Anti-Doping Administration Management System (ADAMS), which is provided through UK Sport and requires athletes to provide daily details of where they are for out of competition testing.
British athletes are among the first in the world to use the online ADAMS system. There are four core functions of ADAMS, to collect and monitor Athlete Whereabouts, manage Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE), provide Clearing House of information regarding entry of and sharing of results, and finally Doping Control. This user-friendly tool aims to make anti-doping updates and controls easy, manageable and effective, with emphasis on its athlete-friendly methods of testing and data entry.
The British Ski and Snowboard Teams athletes are as committed to observing and adhering to the regulations set by the anti-doping agencies. Having undergone training delivered by UK Sport, they understand the seriousness of drug-use in sport and the disgrace this could cause, not only for themselves but for their team members and Snowsport GB. Drugs in sport make competition unfair, with winning under the influence of drugs is undeserved. Let’s keep it out!
For further information on any of the above go to http://www.100percentme.co.uk/home.php.
Snowsport GB Charity Ball 2008
February 12th 2008 will see Snowsport GB hold a Charity Ball at London’s Dorchester Hotel. HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex will be in attendance at the prestigious event which aims to raise funds for the British Alpine Ski and Snowboard teams to assist in their quest for success at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.
The charity ball will also raise funds for the British Adaptive Ski Team through the charity Disability Snowsport UK which aims to increase the opportunities, fitness and skills of people with disabilities, and to identify and nurture the potential of young athletes.
A glittering crowd is expected at the event with many past and present Olympians having expressed their support for the Snowsport GB teams. There will also be a variety of stars from the world of sport and entertainment attending. The glamorous black tie event will include a live performance from the Rick Parfitt Jnr Rock Band.
Fireball Events are organising the evening which begins at 7.30pm with a drinks reception. This will then be followed by dinner at 8pm, with entertainment starting at 9.30pm. The night is sure to be a resounding success for all concerned.
For booking and other information on this sensational evening please contact:
Fireball Management
Telephone: 020 8704 4141
Email: info@fireballmanagement.com
Website: www.fireballmanagement.com
James Foster, Fighting Fit
James Foster is currently concentrating on the ever-closer 2010 Winter Olympics. Representing Great Britain, the Canadian-born rider is fighting fit to shine in the Snowboardcross events, following surgery on a persistent shoulder injury.
No newcomer to winter sports, Foster began skiing at the age of four, moving to become a rider at the age of 12. At 26, the globe-trotting James Foster now lives in Painswick, Gloucestershire. 
Foster, with a current World Cup standing of 51, is the first British Snowboardcross rider to have qualified for the World Cup finals. After four years without competing in a Snowboardcross event, James entered the Saas Fee Kaprun event in November 2006 coming 39th out of 130 riders, a respectable reintroduction to competition, which is sure to build his confidence in training for the Olympics.
Foster’s current dream of representing Great Britain is a far cry from his childhood aspirations of being a fighter pilot – although we’re sure some would argue being a rider can be just as exciting!
We'll keep you updated on how James performs throughout the season. We are sure he has something special to give us at the 2010 Olympics.
Britain’s Indoor Winter Wonderlands
Why not try practicing your snowboarding skills at one of the UK SNO!Zones at Braehead, Milton Keynes or Castleford, part of the Xscape leisure facility? If you’re not included in the world rankings of professional snowboarding or can’t whisk yourself off to the dizzy heights of the Alps this winter, then don’t worry. Having just played host to the Quiksilver British Indoor Big Air Championships, Braehead SNO!Zone is the UK’s premier indoor real snow slope.
SNO!Zone is sponsoring the British Junior Snowboard Squad and the athletes have unlimited access to all three facilities in the UK. In partnership with Snowsport GB they have set up the Rookie Academy with two training sessions a month - a coaching scheme designed for the British Junior Squad to allow them to train whilst in the UK and also to help develop young riders into future British Junior Squad members.
Not only an indoor snow facility, the SNO!Zones offer visitors numerous popular restaurant options alongside a number of retail outlets where people can buy snowboard gear. The SNO!Zones also incorporate a SNO! bar, which is located above the slopes, giving a bird’s eye view of the action below. Celebrate Christmas in style in Britains winter wonderlands with a variety of tailored packages. So this festive season why not ‘party on the piste’ at SNO!Zone.
Freestyle Skiing News
Skier Cross
Former Australian World Cup Ski Cross athlete Sarah Sauvey is set to represent Great Britain this season, having successfully changed her FIS nation to Great Britain during the summer. As both of Sarah’s parents are English and holders of British passports, the switch was a relatively natural and logical step to take.
Sarah has been competing at international level since she was 15. She was State and Australian National junior champion in both Slalom and Giant Slalom by the age of 17 and in 2003 became National Open Slalom Champion as well as junior champion in both events. She made the switch to Ski Cross in 2005 after competing in the discipline at the 2005 World University Games and discovered that she absolutely loved it.
Currently ranked 23rd in the World, Sarah has a solid Ski Cross reputation. However, the path has been far from straightforward. In December 2005 she was diagnosed with Coeliac Artery compression syndrome which was crushing an artery shut against her spine and causing a great deal of pain. In May 2006, she underwent major surgery to fix the problem which is now thankfully behind her. Sarah’s recover was remarkable in that in less than 12 months after surgery she competed at the Freestyle World Ski Championships in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, finishing 12th overall.
Ski Cross makes its Olympic debut at Vancouver in 2010 and taking a medal is Sarah's ultimate goal. She is looking forward to the season ahead as a member of the British team as many of the athletes are close friends from the circuit. She feels there is a real opportunity to push and support each other to get closer and closer to the podium this season. We'll keep you updated as the season progresses.
Moguls
Great Britain Moguls athletes are delighted to welcome a new team manager, Will Brannon. Will, who comes from a professional coaching background, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience and will be a major boost to the structure, organisation and future development of the British team.
Stars in the Making
Andy Longley, a bright new talent currently on the England A team, is an athlete to watch this season. Andy will be competing in his first FIS Europa Cup events throughout February and March and he is hoping for strong performances throughout the winter to put him in a position to be considered for the GB moguls team at the next selection event. 
Britiain’s number one female moguls skier, Ellie Koyander, is all set for an exciting season ahead. Having already spent 10 weeks training on the Mount Hood glacier in Oregon, and completing six weeks of pre-competition training with her two US based coaches in Colarado, Ellie is expertly prepared to compete in her first event of the season, the FIS/USSA Selection Trials in Park City Mountain Resort from 17-21st December. This season will also see Ellie competing again on the NorAm circuit, where she hopes to qualify for her first World Cup start place. For more information on Ellie and to track her progress throughout the season, visit http://www.elliekoyander.com/
(right: Ellie Koyander and Emily Sarsfield)
Channel 4 the World Cup
As mentioned in the last edition of Across the Board, Channel 4 will showcase the 2007 Snowboard World Cup every Saturday morning from 3.20am. (So if you’re not up, be sure to set your recorders!).
To help keep track of the World Cup, the writers of Across the Board have provided every reader with a timetable for the Channel 4 coverage right through to March 2008. Be sure to watch out for the British Snowboard Teams progress in the Half Pipe, Snowboardcross and Big Air events. We expect great things!
- 7 December – Soelden
- 14 December - Rotterdam & Stockholm
- 21 December - Saas Fee & Limone Piemonte
- 11 January - Nendaz & Tignes
- 18 January - Graz & Sofia
- 25 January - Bad Gastein & Les Contamines
- 1 February - La Molina
- 8 February - Kreishberg & Flaine
- 15 February - Levsin & Bardonechia
- 22 February - Moscow & Deer Valley
- 29 February - Cypress Mountain
- 7 March - Moscow & Spindleruv
- 14 March - Calgary & Meringen
- 21 March – Valmalenco
