Published on:
13
September 2010
S6 Lornshill pupil Aiden Nelson has been awarded a ski scholarship which see him become a qualified ski instructor by the time he's 18.
Aiden is the only Scottish pupil to have been awarded a scholarship this year by Interski, who select 10 of the most talented young skiers every year to be awarded the honour, which is worth thousands of pounds.
Aiden is a member of '15 Below' snowsports club, which is based at Alloa Academy. The club, which is run by Council community worker Iain Findlater, gives many people the chance to ski who may not otherwise have the opportunity. The club makes regular trips to the indoor snow dome in Glasgow and make one trip a year abroad, which is booked with Interski, the school ski trip company.
Aiden was amongst those lucky enough to travel to Italian ski resort Pila in February this year with 15 Below. It was there that he was spotted by an Interski Instructor who had been briefed to assess performance, personality and adaptability on the slopes.
Aiden said: "After our week's skiing in the resort, our instructor put me forward for the Interski Scholarship. Alongside two other hopefuls, several runs of our skiing were filmed and in May, at the end of the season, these videos were then judged, with only 27 going forward from the 300 to an intensive day's training in Manchester during July.
"Despite a minor scare - I dislocated my shoulder three days before trip to Manchester - I managed to make the trip and found myself amongst 27 of the best young skiers from around the country. We spent the day with some of the most qualified ski instructors in the world and were put through our paces as we skied for this once in a lifetime opportunity."
The intensive selection day took place at the Chill Factore in Manchester and all the shortlisted participants were filmed so the footage could be analysed later.
"After waiting nervously for several weeks for news of whether I was successful, the letter finally arrived," said Aiden. "I had achieved what I thought I never would. From the 10,000 people who travelled with Interski, I was chosen as one of the 10 best and would return to Italy during Christmas and Easter for my training. This is a chance I will never get again, a chance worth £5000 and a chance I intend to grasp with both hands."
Aiden, who is one of Lornshill's Depute Head Boys, will now benefit from:
"After the three weeks training I will have the BASI (British Associate of Snowsports Instructors) Levels 1 and 2 which, after reaching the age of 18, will allow me to teach anywhere in the world, a great opportunity for any aspiring young skier," said Aiden.
Councillor George Matchett, Inclusion Portfolio Holder, said: "Congratulations to Aiden on this achievement. To be the only Scot to make the final shortlist is fantastic. This is a great opportunity and I wish him all the best."
Alison Munnoch, PE teacher responsible for skiing at Lornshill, added: We are all extremely proud of Aiden. This is an amazing achievement and we wish him the best of luck with it."