IAC Junior Development Program

Introduction

This summarises Illawarra Alpine Club’s Junior Development Program where:

1. Junior recreational skiers are given 3 X 2 hour lessons to improve all mountain skiing skills during school holidays.
2. Junior racers are given 2 weeks of training each season where participants are willing and able to commit to representing the Club in interclub alpine, cross country and snowboard races during the season.

Background

The Club has been active, since the mid 1990’s, in running a junior racing development program. The aims were to develop the alpine and cross country racing skills of juniors willing to represent IAC and commit to participate in the long established inter-club races (the Smiggins’ Shield within the Smiggins Bowl and Illawarra Junior Interclub). Snowboarding Giant Slalom is an Interclub event and is a discipline developed in the program.

Objectives

The primary objectives of the program are:

• to develop snow sport skills amongst our juniors, and
• to provide a pool of willing, and able, juniors with racing skills so that they can represent the Club in junior interclub races.

Other objectives are that:-

• there is increased camaraderie amongst our junior (and senior) members,
  our juniors gain an appreciation of what our Club is all about including its rich skiing history,
• there is increased awareness of the Kosciuszko National Park & our place in it,
• the juniors continue to represent the Club at senior level.

The Program

Entry Criteria for Junior Racer Program

The junior racer program is more demanding on the participants than the recreational skier programme.

It needs a lot of commitment by the participants and their families and is run at significant cost to both the Club and participating families. The criteria for the junior racer programme are listed below.

• Juniors will be selected on the basis of their willingness and availability to compete in ski races for the club and their ability to develop as ski racers. Family support for these juniors is required.
• They must be at least 10 years and no older than 16 years at 1st June
• There are 2 weeks of training each year – one week in the July state school holidays and a second week in August or September - participants are expected to attend both weeks.
• Willing to train for, and compete in, the 3 disciplines of alpine, cross country and snowboard races.
• Willingness to continue to represent the Club as a senior in inter-club races.
• No child 12 or under can attend without a parent,  ie. 10,11,12 yr olds cannot be a "guardian responsibility"
• No child can attend as a "guardian responsibility" unless they have been in the program a minimum of 2 years (possibly relaxed with older juniors)
• Normal "guardian responsibility" process applies for participants whose parents are not at the lodge.
• Trainees will follow IAC Club rules and Perisher’s Alpine Responsibility Code at all times.
• Normal booking rules apply (NB - bookings should be in by 1st March each season.)
• Parents to cover half of costs of necessary sports equipment hire such as snowboard or cross-country skis, boots and poles.

On representative race days, competitors requiring snowboard or cross country equipment hire will be re-imbursed in full on application to IAC.

• Parents will be expected to pay all costs not involved in the program
• Application by direct contact with Club Captain

Note: The above criteria are the Club’s guidelines. Some are mandatory but others are not necessarily hard and fast. eg - it is not possible to guarantee that a junior racer will be available for all junior interclub events. The committee may change requirements in special circumstances.

Accommodation

July school holiday demand for beds can exceed availability. For the families that are willing to commit the time and financial resources to the junior racer programme, beds will be made available for those juniors in the program during these holidays. One parent/guardian will also be accommodated. This means however, that some family members of junior racers may not get accommodation. These arrangements will also apply for the second training week for racers if necessary.

The squad size for the junior racers will depend on demand from members. However, because the holidays cannot be monopolised by any select group, the numbers have to be restricted at the discretion of the Committee.  Also, some of the senior and experienced juniors in the squad may be asked to attend without parents (provided a guardian can be found) so that beds are available at peak demand times. In this way, it can be seen that the “pain” of being “balloted out” of the lodge at these peak times is shared by families with children in the program.

These arrangements highlight the fact that this is a Club development program for improving snowsports abilities - X-country / Alpine / Snowboard - not necessarily a "family holiday". ie There may be costs other than the obvious dollar and time costs of participating. Any concerns or queries should be directed to the Club Captain, for friendly discussion and clarification.

Conclusion

This document summarises the way the Junior Development Program operates now.
It will evolve and change in the future.

While the junior racer selection criteria may appear quite tough and the training and participation requirements appear demanding, historically all participating juniors have enjoyed all the activities that they have been asked to do.

The racing results also attest to the effectiveness of the program.

Squad members speak of having had a great “Club” experience and would encourage all other Junior Members to do the same if they have the opportunity to take advantage.