05 Jun 2015

ELENA WE HAVE REACHED THE END OF THE SEASON, CAN YOU GIVE US AN ASSESSMENT OF ITS PERFORMANCE FOR BRAIN POWER?

The past season unfolded positively. Compared to previous years there was good attendance at the courses both by students who have already skied with us in past seasons and by new students. The collaboration with INAIL Veneto also continues, thanks to which numerous INAIL beneficiaries can get close to skiing, refine their technique and also start towards the world of competition. Many are also the projects we are developing and would like to realize in the coming seasons.

WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR YOUR COMPETITIVE TEAM?

As for our competitive team, we are moving through a phase of generational change and we are trying to promote the new talents with the help and experience of our long-standing representatives. For example, at the Italian championships (held this year in Folgaria, in March, ed.) Renè made his debut in his first races, having started this year to ski on a mono-ski and performed well in the two competitions. Also good was the other youngster in the group, Alex, who this year finally managed to earn the points to be able to access the Europa Cup races next season, so as to be more present in the national Team expeditions. The only downside, which we are very sorry about, are a couple of injuries that deprived us of some athletes for half the season.

LAST YEAR YOU HAD THE GREAT SATISFACTION OF TAKING ONE OF YOUR ATHLETES, UGO BREGANT, TO THE PARALYMPIC GAMES. WHAT DID THIS MEAN FOR BRAIN POWER AND ABOVE ALL FOR HIM?

It was a great, very great satisfaction to see Ugo Bregant depart for the slalom race of the last Olympic Games. Mattia Casanova, coach of the competitive team, experienced this pride firsthand by following Ugo in the path that led him to Sochi; sharing with him the work, the commitment, the defeats and the successes that characterize the road that leads to participating in such a competition. For Ugo, I think the large audience setting and the Olympic atmosphere were indescribable, and thus he fulfilled the dream of any athlete; one that he himself, once, would hardly have believed possible.

IS THE WORLD OF SKIING FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES EXPERIENCING GROWING SUCCESS? DO TECHNOLOGY AND NEW MATERIALS SUPPORT YOU IN THIS GROWTH?

In reality one must make a consideration about the growth of sports for people with disabilities. From the visibility point of view alpine skiing and the movement in general have had an actual increase, perhaps thanks to the London Olympics and then the Sochi Winter Paralympics. However this visibility has not been proportional to the growth in numbers of requests and participants in the courses, despite in recent years the number and work of groups and associations that promote and develop this discipline having increased. We believe that only by continuing to increase visibility, promotional opportunities and the dissemination of the importance of sport (particularly in the world of disabilities!) will it be possible in the future to have development equal to that already occurred in other countries. As for technology, dedicated materials are developing but somewhat slowly: a slowness perhaps due to the low number of participants and the small revenues for companies, which prevent large investments with an immediate return. Conversely, the development of materials for skis helps and facilitates learning as it does with able-bodied people since the materials used are the same, only their preparation is different and specific depending on the skier's disability

DOES OR COULD SHORT-TERM RENTAL OF SKI EQUIPMENT FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES EXIST?

It is still difficult to find specific equipment to rent: the difficulty is given by the high costs of the equipment and, for some of these, the specificity of the adjustments and the needs that vary greatly depending on the disabilities, unfortunately very subjective.

WHAT SCENARIOS FOR THE FUTURE?

For the future we hope to continue to let as many people as possible experience the emotion of skiing, so as to let them fully live the mountain environment being able to share passion, adrenaline and healthy fun. Alpine skiing, in fact, thanks to the technical and environmental difficulties that are the same for everyone, reduces the distance between people with disabilities and able-bodied people; a message of great importance that we would like to reach as many people as possible.

As for our competitive team, we will work with long-term programs, looking year by year for goals that can make us improve, stimulate the group and… why not think about the next Paralympics?!

The Rent and Go Group, in congratulating and wishing the best of luck to Elena, Brain Power and all the athletes and members, reminds the contacts through which to obtain more information about the Association:

SITE: www.brainpowers.org

EMAIL: associazionebrainpower@gmail.com