Newcastle Schools Sport Partnership

News

Winter Olympics

13/02/2010

NSSP wishes Zoe Gillings good luck in the Vancouver Olympics which begin on 13th February 2010. 24 year old Snowboarder Zoe, will compete in the thrills and spills Snowboard cross discipline and is currently Britain’s most successful snowsport athlete. Currently ranked fifth in the world, Zoe took time out to read the latest edition of the Newcastle School Sport Partnership newsletter in the airport as she flew out to prepare for the Olympics in Vancouver. Further Education Sports Co-ordinator Taryn Archbold, who is based at Newcastle College, said “Zoe was interested to see what we are doing in Newcastle. She thinks it’s really important that young people experience the fun and enjoyment from different sports, that she gets from Snowboarding”.
At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Zoe finished 15th in the women's Snowboard Cross This is a snowboard competition in which a group of racers (usually four) start simultaneously atop an inclined course, then attempt to reach finish line at the end of the course first.
Although the thrills and spills event has only been in the Olympics since 2006, considering there are certainly no world-class snow resorts on the Isle of Man, where the 24-year-old grew up, it is no mean feat for Zoe to have reached the top rankings. Despite these obstacles Gillings is now world number five in her sport and has been reaching World Cup podiums for the past five years.
The Manx snowboarder knows she plies her trade in an unpredictable minority sport but is quietly confident about her chances in Vancouver. As she headed out to Canada for the British holding camp in the New Year she knows she needs to peak at exactly the right time.
Gillings readily admits it is impossible to predict who will end up capturing the medals in Canada, but just like NSSP ‘One of Us’ athletes, Zoe sets her standards high. So watch out for Zoe Gillings and don't rule out a Brit on the podium.