Snow Sports: Menna Fitzpatrick wins Evie Pinching Award 2016

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The winner of the Ski Club of Great Britain Evie Pinching Award 2016, which celebrates the next generation of young, up-and-coming snow sports athletes, has been won by Menna Fitzpatrick, the 18 year old visually impaired alpine skier, who hails from Macclesfield, Cheshire.

Menna topped the poll after a two-week public voting period, which saw her shortlisted along four other athletes: Yasmin Cooper (Alpine Skiing), Millie Knight (Visually Impaired Skier), Matt McCormick (Snowboard – Park & Pipe) and Lloyd Wallace (Freestyle Skiing – Aerials).

Along with the prestigious title, she will be awarded a one-off bursary of £1,000 for the year to help with training and competing. A full presentation will take place later in the year at the start of the season.

Talent-spotted by the Disabled Ski Team (now ParaSnowsports GB) at Chill Factore in Manchester, this season Menna joined forces with her guide Jenifer Kehoe and qualified for World Cup races.

They became the first British snow sports athletes to win the IPC (International Paralympic Committee) 2015-16 overall skiing World Cup Visually Impaired title at the World Cup Finals in Aspen, Colorado and was also crowned the Giant Slalom World Champion, along with three gold and three silver medals.

Next season they will compete at the World Championships in Italy and are working towards the 2018 Paralympics in South Korea.

This year, athletes were nominated by the sport’s National Governing Bodies, Snowsport England, Snowsport Scotland, SnowSport Wales, Disability Snowsport UK and British Ski and Snowboard - with a shortlist of five chosen by the Ski Club.

The award is named after Evelyn Pinching (1915-1988), a British alpine skier who competed in the Olympics and won the 1936 women’s downhill and combined events in the World Championships in Innsbruck.

To be eligible, athletes must be aged 24 and under, and considered ‘ones to watch’ in their discipline.

Menna Fitzpatrick, winner of the 2016 Evie Pinching award said:
“I am over the moon to have won this award. I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to vote, it was amazing to receive messages of support from around the world, as far away as India, South Africa and Australia.”

Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine

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