At this time of the year, well-meaning folk of otherwise sound mind start to get very sniffy about the impending Winter Olympics. Well, time to pipe down. Sure, we don’t have that many mountains, and we don’t have a great tradition of professional downhill racing (though we have some brilliant amateurs — after all we Brits more or less invented ski-racing in the 1920s). But these Games could be a chance for Britain to do better. The target is five medals, more than ever before.
We might not have many downhill racers, but we do have the ‘Fridge Kids’, a bunch of outstanding and attractive young people, full of zest and energy. These twenty-something athletes are competing in the freestyle skiing and snowboarding events on a world stage. They started in the UK’s snowdomes or dry slopes, meticulously crafting their skills after school and at weekends. Many grew up together, some are related, and several have a background in gymnastics. Their sports require immense acrobatic ability, balance and bravery. It’s gymnastics in the air, full of mesmerising tricks and turns at speeds of up to 40 mph. It all looks like spontaneous fun but it has been worked on and practised with all the focus of an Olympic rower or cyclist. In their way, these athletes, almost all unknown, are every bit as special as Usain Bolt, who is not going to die if something goes wrong.
Our best, and only, aerial skier, Lloyd Wallace, was in an induced coma last summer after a serious training accident when he caught an edge and hit the surface head-first at high speed. His recovery was miraculous. Lloyd trains with aerial teams from Belarus and China, where the athletes are national celebrities.
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