The 2000 Brits week was a trying week.A lot of people put in a lot of work to make them happen at all and I think all the riders,myself included appreciated this.However,due to bad luck with the weather and what I think was a little bit of lack of foresight on the number of competitors,the week becme a little shambolic.I am sure Stephen was talking out of frustration when he wrote what he did in Boarderzone and ,from the riders point of view, the week was very frustrating.I don't want to sound up my bum, and remember I am used to being at very well organised comps, but to the outsider who didnt see any of the problems with the banners,staff,course setting,judges,time to run all the competitors etc the organisation seemed a bit slack.

" Here is where I am going to have a bitch.All I am going to say is that the half pipe was not safe and thats not good enough!"

Although information was available I think in future a more formal riders meeting needs to be held earlier in the evening so the riders know exactly what all the plans and contigency plans are.The time schedule set needs to be a realistic one which considers the amount of entries and snow conditions so that it can be stuck to.Little things going wrong cause big delays and I think,although scott was doing an heroic job as T.D. his experience was too stretched.Perhaps next year it would be an idea to bring in someone to help him out.Someone with a lot of experience in running snowboard comps,a world cup T.D. maybe.

Then there would be someone to help foresee any problems and, importantly help with the safety issue.Here is where I am going to have a bitch.All I am going to say is that the half pipe was not safe and thats not good enough.It is a good reason though to stop and say that it would be good to have someone there to take responsibility for making it safe within the time and resorses available.The big air was fine.It was the lack of experience or bad luck of the riders that caused the accidents there.

That leads on to the issue of pre-qualifiers to cut down the entries.This I think everyone agrees is the way foreward and would make the comps safer too.However to get the best solution I think a few different options will have to be considered by as many people as possible. Now I would like to fire a few ideas around.I am not sure how many of you are aware of what me and mel have been up to,and how far we have already gone in World Cup snowboarding, but lets just say that we have some hard earned experience of comps and what it takes to get in the top five at WC level.I hope we can pass our knowlege on and help anyone who wants to do the same.I also hope that more people get behind us and the other brits who want to compete so that it becomes a little easier to do.

"The whole of winter sports in the UK is in a mess.I should know, I have the best winter sport result at WC level this year and still have no coach!"

There is a large gap between where we are at WC and where the brits fit in and little inbetween.I think its great that the Scottish series is up and running and the dry slope series too but there are traps both are in danger of falling into.For a start, we are desperately trying to get money for a coach for pipe so we can transfer our top five WC results into top five Olympic results.How cool would that be?Whats that got to do with the scottish series?Well here we need to have a bit or foresight again.British snowboarding is too small to show any political alliances we dont get anything out of.There is no point in running an ISF points series when the only way to get large amounts of govenment cash to run a team, and lets be honest here we need the support of the sports council if snowboarding is to succeed as a sport,aswell as a large sponsorship purse!!!! ,is to get the FIS points which are the Olympic ticket.

I think there are a few people in Britain who dont understand that the ISF are never going to have the Olympics and that for Brits who want to compete seriously the FIS tour is the only option.Should we therefore not be helping the up and coming riders by getting them points that they will be able to use?While also showing people in the sports council that we are not completely stupid and have our heads burried in the sand.I realise that British snowboarding has been very pro ISF in the past but where has that got us or our riders???The ISF is an Austrian money making company who dont give a monkeys about British riders.Yes FIS are the equivalent but at least by being a-political and doing what will help our riders most to get the best and cheapest training and comp programme we will not be cutting off our noses.Get my drift.

The whole of winter sports in the UK is in a mess.I should know, I have the best winter sport result at WC level this year and still have no coach.However all it would take to sort out the mess would be a bit of good forward planning, of which the brits is part of, a lot of co-operation between all the bodies involved in snowboarding,a lot of enthusiasm and hard work and a bit of time.There is a lot of talent in the UK and I hope thins will be worked out.The powers that be need to listen to the few people with experience and everyone needs to work in the same direction for a change.If everyone is prepared to give it a good go I would be more than willing to help.

However I see it pointless to get involved if everyone is working to no end in different directions. I leave my ideas open to as much constructive criticism as possible. Don't forget, Britain has got some bloody good riders, we should do them justice whether its the champs or getting them to the Olympics!!!

Lesley McKenna. |HAVE YOUR SAY!|
British World Cup Competitor