News - Scottish skiing sensation sponsored again for new season...
Community Windpower is once again supporting one of Scotland’s top young skiing prospects as he heads into the 2020/21 season. Murdo Watson, from East Linton, has been provided £2,500 to support his quest to be selected for the British Alpine Ski Team. The Dunbar Grammar School pupil is already making progress this year, after being selected to represent Scotland in the World School Championships in France. He now has extra reasons to focus on the upcoming season, following a successful 2019/20 season in which he picked up four podium places and ended the season ranked 7th in GB (3rd in Scotland) for slalom and 9th in GB (2nd in Scotland) for giant slalom. Murdo said: “I’m delighted and very grateful that Community Windpower has agreed to support me again for this upcoming season, as I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I have in the last year without their generous sponsorship. “Last season the funding enabled me to buy new skis for the season, get some additional training in Glasgow on a Sunday morning and, of course, help with the huge cost of training/racing for 12 weeks abroad during the winter season. “Now it will help me do all that again and hopefully push me even further towards my current goal of being selected for the British Alpine Ski Team.” Murdo has been selected for the Scottish Alpine Team and was also invited to join the elite Ambition Race Academy in Austria. These are both great achievements, particularly as Ambition is one of the best ski academies in Europe with an amazing pathway. During lockdown Murdo focused on fitness training, including PT sessions, before he joined Ambition for a month of summer glacier training on the Stelvio glacier in Italy alongside the national team. He added: “I was pleased to be able to get back on the slopes with Ambition, but it was a tough four-week camp, with a typical day starting at 4.30am. “I would be skiing all morning, then head back to the hotel for lunch followed by some further fitness and then recovery. “The camp was all about getting used to new skis and coaches, making tweaks to technique, lots of drills, and putting foundations in place for the season ahead. “The training programme for next season requires a huge commitment with 16 weeks of training and racing over the entire season., which is why support from my sponsors such as Community Windpower is vital.” Murdo’s progress last season has enabled him to reduce his BASS (British Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding) rankings in all three disciplines, of slalom, giant slalom and super giant slalom; this means he will make the top 15 cut for next season’s races. Diane Wood, community benefits director at Community Windpower, said: “Murdo is a young man who is showing great tenacity, focus and skill to achieve his goals in skiing, and we are thrilled to be able to support his progression in the sport. “Everyone at Community Windpower has been closely watching his development and is excited by what the future holds for him. “As a company we want to help young people achieve their goals, whether that’s through sport, charitable causes or education, which is why we continually look at how best we can support members of the local community. “Murdo’s sponsorship is in addition to the community benefit funds from our Aikengall Community Wind Farms, because we believe in providing help outside of the agreed funding, when and where possible. “We look forward to hearing about Murdo’s progress in the upcoming season and wish him all the very best of luck.” Murdo has also compiled a short video featuring some of his races from the 2019/20 season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQDhVsRKZAI&t |
