Last week I was lucky enough to attend the British ski and snowboarding championships, otherwise known as The BRITS in Laax, Switzerland. The week long event brings together some of the top names of all ages in British winter sports to battle it out for national titles.
It was great to see such a mix of competitors from all walks of British life descend on this Swiss village to show off their skills. And while it might be tough to compete with the natives born and bred in those mountains, these young athletes are testament that drive, ambition and a local dry ski slope can actually breed top flight talent. Look out for our piece next week on freestyle skier Katie Summerhayes for one such talent.
The only downside to the trip was coming home with a classic snowboarding injury – a broken wrist. So with 6 weeks in plaster ahead of me I’m open to suggestions for activities that can be done with one fully functioning arm!
Everyone in the Sportsister office is loving Twenty Twelve, the spoof London 2012 documentary on BBC4 Mondays at 10pm. This finely crafted comedy follows the day to day activities of the Olympic deliverance team as they prepare to host the greatest show on earth.
Each week presents new challenges, which see the team veering towards complete disaster, before being spun into a positive by the Head Of Deliverance Ian Fletcher (played by Hugh Bonneville). All the characters are brilliantly observed, but our favourite has to be Head Of Brand Siobhan Sharpe (played by Jessica Hynes), who has us laughing and squirming in equal measure. Lord Coe even makes a cameo appearance as himself and very cleverly is portrayed as the only one who is actually doing a good job. In our world its the best thing on TV all week!
Whatever you might think of Sportswear giants Nike (personally I think they do great things for women’s sport) there is no denying that they know how to make a good ad. And this video below is made entirely from old Nike ad campaigns.
I found it totally inspiring and if it doesn’t make you think you can run a marathon/win your next football match/(insert own sporting goal here) then you must be more hardened to the world of savvy marketing than I am. Enjoy!
Finally, just a little moan about an example of political correctness gone mad. It was recently reported that a local authority has banned goggles during school swimming lessons for fear that the children could hurt themselves. I couldn’t believe this, and neither could the guys at Zoggs who had this to say:
“Goggles should be a choice. And not just for elite athletes or those pounding the pool to keep fit but for children too. Swimming without goggles is like running with your eyes closed. And that, surely, carries far more risk than the possibility of a broken strap?”
Couldn’t have put it better myself!
Have a good month, and see you in May,
Louise Hudson, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
