Aidan Urquhart’s skiing career is only just beginning.
And despite his lack of experience against his rivals, the Shepherd’s Bush skiier believes he will cause them a few problems at the upcoming English Alpine Championships in Bormio.
The 13-year-old, who is also a talented footballer, is racing in the slalom, giant slalom and Super-G in the under-14s, in what will be his first time competing on the Italian hills.
But far from being intimidated, the Kandahar racer is chomping at the bit to make his mark in the competition.
“This will be my first time in Bormio – I’m getting really excited about it!” said the youngster.
“I’m really looking forward to the enjoyment of it all, the ski racing and the competition. I’m feeling like I’ve done quite well.
“I don’t have as much experience as the other guys around me but I’m feeling very confident and have got some good results.
“I really want to look forward to see how I’m going to do in Bormio and in Tignes for the British Championships – we’ve got a lot to look forward to.”
Held from February 11 to 16, the English Alpine Championships are organised by Snowsport England, the national governing body for snow sport in England that is responsible for growing participation in snow sports through direct funding from Sport England.
They work closely with snow centres, artificial slopes and clubs around the country, as well as managing English squads and athletes across all snow sport disciplines.
And for Urquhart, it is about the pure thrill of donning a pair of skis and going as fast as possible. The rest takes care of itself.
“I’ve been skiing since I was about two, so around 11 years,” the Wetherby Senior School pupil added. “I started skiing competitively a bit later though – racing indoors when I was about eight at Hemel Hempstead.
“At the moment I want to ski as long as I enjoy it and keep having fun. If I make it to World Cup level I will obviously be very happy.”
For this winter Olympics season, Snowsport England has launched ‘PyeongChang to Piste’ (www.pyeongchangtopiste.org.uk), featuring events and taster sessions run by various clubs and slopes throughout the country along with tailored downloadable resources for schools
