You’ve done your job right as a parent. Through much perseverance you have managed to instill your love of skiing in your kids. They are not only competent, but confident skiers and now they think they want to be a ski racer!
Ski racing is both a mentally and physically demanding sport. It requires countless hours spent in less-than-optimal conditions. It not only requires a strong commitment from the child/athlete – it also requires a commitment from the parent/family of time, energy and money!
Before you leap blindly into the exciting world of ski racing, do your research to determine if it will work for you. Here are a few things you should consider:
- Is your child physically able to compete?
- How far away from your home is the closest ski mountain?
- Does that mountain have a ski racing program?
- Is the ski program large enough to provide enough competition for your athlete to foster continued improvement?
- Is good coaching readily available? At a price you can afford?
- How much travel is involved? How far away do they go to race? Does a parent have to go with to every race?
- What kind of time commitment will be required for the athlete? Do you have the time to get them where they need to be when they need to be there?
- Do you have the money? It’s not just clothing and equipment, there are race entry fees, lift tickets, and the costs associated with getting to and spending the day at a ski resort that might be far from home.
- What if they are actually really good? How long will you be able to support them in the sport?
Competitive sports participation can teach a child many valuable lessons. Our “Junior Ski Racing” blog category is geared toward the ski parent – to help take some of the guess work out of the sport. We’ll explore all aspects related to junior ski racing. We encourage you to follow and comment!