The Sports Energy Support Scheme (SESS) was introduced in December 2022 to support NGBs and Clubs to contribute to the increased energy costs associated with providing sporting activities.

Under the scheme’s application process, the Snowsports Association of Ireland was able to support the Ski Club of Ireland, offset the increased energy costs incurred over the two eligible periods of the grant

Snowsports Ireland are grateful and wish to thank Sport Ireland for their assistance in securing the grant.

Wicklow’s McKenna Steps Up In First Major Competition

WICKLOW’S MCKENNA STEPS UP IN FIRST MAJOR COMPETITION 

PROGRESSIVE RACING FROM PATHWAY ATHLETE AT EYOF IN ITALY

25 January 2023 Despite being one of the youngest athletes competing in Alpine Skiing at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), Wicklow’s Eábha McKenna stepped up in her first major competition, finishing 38th out of 88 starters in the Girl’s Slalom with 1:46.58. The Olympic Federation of Ireland has two athletes competing in the multi-sport event that plays a key role in the pathway of athletes, providing valuable learning experiences for athletes in a high-performance setting. The EYOF is hosted by the the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of Italy and run from the 21 – 28 January 2023.

Competing in today’s slalom event, McKenna had a solid first run, on a course with over 20 athletes marked as DNF. Determined to improve her ranking in the second run, the sixteen-year-old focused on a cleaner execution,

“It was more rutted than this morning so I knew if I kept the line and if I stayed on top I would be faster, and it worked out! I’m happy with that, these are the best in Europe, at the moment in my age group, and it’s one of the better races I’ve had. I’m glad I put down two solid runs. It’s quite a change competing here at this level, absolutely everyone here is trying to get into the World Cup eventually”

For the past five years McKenna has been working with Team Ireland head coach Giorgio Marchesini, who has been working with Irish development athletes since the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The Italian coach works on the Snow Sports Association of Ireland pathway programme, and highlights the importance of events like the EYOF for the development of young athletes,

“When they are young it is important to bring the athletes to competitions at the international level. At the EYOF, the race is the same as what they know, but the big difference is everything that surrounds it. It is more professional, there are TVs, interviews, and all the stuff the athletes meet when they go to big events like World Cups and Olympic Games.”

Marchesini emphasises the importance of creating a consistent high-performance environment for these athletes, saying,

“The path I take with the young athletes is very progressive, there is not much difference between what I said to Eábha today at the race, and what I say when we are in Andorra together. It is very important for us to start working with them when they are children. For instance, with Eábha she knows me well, she knows when it is time to talk, and when the moment is that we get more serious and concentrate. It is really important that this pathway is there for them, so they can propare to move into the senior races.”

McKenna will be in action again tomorrow, competing in the Giant Slalom.

RESULTS DAY 2: 

ALPINE SKIING 

Eábha McKenna –Girl’s Slalom – 38th overall with 1:46.58 (+13.75), (Run 1 52nd with 52.03)

Gold Leonie Raich (AUT) 1:32.83

Silver Laila Illig (GER) 1:33.72 (+0.89)

Bronze Moa Landstroem (SWE) 1:33.74 (+0.91)

SCHEDULE THURSDAY 26th JANUARY 2023 (Irish time)

ALPINE SKIING

09:00 Eábha McKenna (bib 64) – Girl’s Giant Slalom Run 1

12:15 Eábha McKenna – Girl’s Giant Slalom Run 2

All events are live streamed HERE, and can be followed HERE.

Team Ireland’s Bouchard Kicks Off Irish EYOF Campaign

TEAM IRELAND’S BOUCHARD KICKS OFF IRISH EYOF CAMPAIGN 

HEAVY SNOWFALL CONTINUES ON SLALOM DAY IN FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA

24 January 2023 Ethan Bouchard kickstarted his Olympic journey today, at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Italy. Competing in the Boy’s Slalom, Bouchard finished in 74th place overall with a time of 2:00.70 after two runs. EYOF is a multi-sport youth event that takes place in Friuli Venezia Giulia region of Italy, from the 21-28 January.

Heavy snowfall in the north-eastern Italian region, meant a change to the schedule, with the athletes competing in the more technical slalom event as their first competition; they will also take part in Giant Slalom and Super-G this week. In his debut run, the 17-year-old Irish athlete embraced the opportunity to compete on this stage, saying,

 

“I was warming up and it didn’t really hit me until the start gate, ready to go, that oh, this is the biggest race of my life.” 

The first run saw Bouchard finish in 69th place with a time of 53.15, which was 8.24 seconds behind the leader. Going into the second run, the US born athlete with family in Skibbereen, knew that he would have to take some risks in order to  improve his position, which almost paid off.  The first half of the race was quick, but a fall in the last section impacted his overall time.

Speaking after the race, Bouchard said,

“Going into the second run, to compensate for my margin, I tried pushing my limits. I knew the risks going into that bottom section and where I was meant to be. I tried to push the limits a little too much. It ended up not going my way and I ended up falling and hiking up a few gates. I am looking forward to the GS (Giant Slalom) which is coming up next, and I hope I can do damage in that.”

Tomorrow will see Wicklow born Eábha McKenna opening her EYOF campaign in the Girl’s Slalom.

RESULTS DAY 1: 

ALPINE SKIING 

Ethan Bouchard –Boys Slalom – 74th overall with 2:00.70, (Run 1 69th with 53.15)

Gold Emile Baur (FRA) 1:32.08

Silver Gustav Wissting (SWE) 1:32.22 (+0.14)

Bronze Moritz Zudrell (AUT) 1:32.57 (+0.49)

SCHEDULE WEDNESDAY 25th JANUARY 2023 (Irish time)

ALPINE SKIING

09:30 Eábha McKenna – Girl’s Slalom Run 1

12:15 Eábha McKenna – Girl’s Slalom Run 2

This is the first of four events for Team Ireland this year, with Team Ireland also set to field athletes in the European Games in Krakow, Poland in June, the Summer EYOF in Maribor, Slovenia in July and in the World Beach Games in Bali in August.