Big White Freestyle
Big White Ski and Board School, with the parent’s dedication, has taken the Freestyle Team from its creation, to that of being a major competitor against all the other Freestyle programs in Western Canada.
During discussions that have occurred over several seasons and began in earnest last fall, it was acknowledged by Big White and members of the Freestyle parent group that the next step in The Freestyle Team’s program evolution would be to mirror their competitors. Namely, to create a non-profit club so they can manage their direction and develop their athlete’s abilities to get them to the next level. All this takes a collection of dedicated people managing and directing the club to gain access to government funding for their athletes. Transforming the freestyle program into a non-profit club is part of the process.
Therefore, Big White Freestyle is now an active club and is live online www.bigwhitefreestyle.com For program offerings and registration of athletes, please go to their website. Big White Ski Resort and Ski and Board School support this next step and wish the best for the athletes.
A note from the club:
September 5, 2019
Dear Big White Freestyle Families,
I hope you have had an enjoyable and relaxing summer! Feels like we’ll be back on the slopes in no time!
I’m sure by now you have had time to read the recent email from Big White Ski Resort (BWSR) regarding their decision to cease offering freestyle ski and snowboard programs under their ski school umbrella. While this decision has accelerated Big White Freestyle’s (BWF) strategic planning process to provide athletes with the necessary programs and training to ensure they continue down the path of their freestyle passions, I can assure you that the BWF board are working tirelessly behind the scenes to make this happen.
As some of you may know BWF was formed in 2015 by a group of parents who were looking to support the athletes participating in BWSR freestyle programs. Their focus was to support event development, coaching development and program development. One of the major benefits of the association now is that it has allowed us to react very quickly to BWSR’s decision.
More recently at the BWF AGM, a group of parents including myself, whose athletes have been involved in past BWSR Ski School programs were acclaimed by the old board to replace them. This was done for two reasons:
- The previous BWF board was made up mainly of parents whose athletes had or were about to age out of the programs being offered by BWSR and who were looking to move on from having such a major role in volunteer activities.
- The reality that BWSR’s decision to no longer offer freestyle programs meant that if BWF did not have a group of committed people to act quickly there would be no options for athletes at their home mountain for the 2019/2020 season. Needless to say, BWF did not want to see this happen!
While BWSR does not feel like they can support the programs anymore they have been very supportive of our efforts to move forward as seamlessly as possible from the programs they previously offered while we launch ours. We are very appreciative of this! In saying this, our website www.bigwhitefreestyle.com is now live. From this site you will be able to view the program offering and register your athlete for the upcoming freestyle, freeski and snowboard season at Big White.
I can assure you that your athlete will receive the same exceptional freestyle training you have been accustomed to in the past under the guidance of talented and certified coaches. In addition, the athletes will have access to the regular competitive freestyle, freeski, and snowboard events around the province where they can showcase their abilities.
For those interested, BWF will be holding a Special General Meeting (SGM) on September 29, 2019 7:00pm at Airhouse to coincide with the second session of our fall dryland training. We look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible to answer any questions and kick the 2019/2020 season off on a positive note! Until then please feel free to contact us at admin@bigwhitefreestyle.com.
Sincerely,
Adam Witzel
President
Big White Freestyle