FAQs
Programming
How old to athletes/applicants need to be?
Currently we take athletes from Ch1 upwards. Year of birth is the deciding factor not age.
How many weeks are athletes required to ski with Ambition?
The proposal goes into more depth on the minimum commitment but the basic program is spread out over 8.5 weeks across the season.
What is the maximum number of weeks that an athlete will be able to ski with Ambition?
Ambition will run winter training blocks usually of 3-5 weeks containing core and optional elements. The summer program can also be quite intense volume wise with camps in Chile, Italy and within the UK. In total approximately 24 weeks for the children and 26 weeks for juniors.
How many athletes do you take on the Ambition program?
The children and junior (FIS) programs work along the same lines, each consisting of 2 groups with a maximum of 8 athletes in each. In total Ambition will take a maximum of 32 athletes aged 10-18.
Do the athletes stay with the same coaches all winter?
Coaches are employed specifically as either children or junior coaches and will stay with that age group for the whole year.
What are the coach:athlete ratios like?
During core weeks we have a maximum ratio of 1:8. During optional weeks the ratios can be as little as 1:1.
Can anyone join Ambition?
Yes, in theory. We are looking for athletes and parents who are committed to the sport of Ski racing, if we see someone who is keen and can commit to the program then we will take them on (space providing). Due to our ‘returning athletes’ policy, it is very hard to get onto the Ambition Junior Program without having been part of the Children Program first.
Do you offer a flexible program?
Currently we do not. However what we can offer are trial weeks for athletes who are interested in an Ambition Program for the following season.
Education
How many hours per week are the athletes in school.
15 hours per week, split across 5 afternoons, generally from Monday – Friday, 3pm – 6 pm.
What subjects do you cover at Ambition?
Ambition employs specialist tutors for core subjects of Maths, English, Science and Languages. Tutors will guide athletes through other subjects but will not be experts in these.
Where do the athletes carry out their educational program?
Athletes carry out their educational program at the Nordic sports school in Saalfelden. The Nordic school allocates classrooms specifically for Ambition, with internet access and great sports facilities for us to use after lessons.
What are the tutor:student ratios like?
During core weeks we have a maximum ratio of 1:8. During optional weeks the ratios can be as little as 1:1.
What facilities will you have access to at the Nordic Sports School?
The Nordic School in Saalfelden will allow Ambition access to all of their educational facilities. The Headmaster is a resident of Leogang, a neighbour in fact, and he gave us a guided tour when we first investigated this option. Ambition will use 2 classrooms as normal, but will have access to the Computer room, Wifi connection and the sports facilities on offer including weights gym, climbing wall and sports halls.
Who is responsible for keeping the parents and schools up to date on academic progress?
Ambition will still use an Academic Liaison to communicate between the tutors at the Leogang base and the parents and schools in the UK. Our Academic Liaison will make contact with all the parents and schools in September to start the process of collecting work and information, they will also forward progress reports back to the parents during the winter at regular intervals.
Does it really work? Combining skiing and schooling in this way?
The academic program is something we take very seriously at Ambition. In recent years the feedback and results that Ambition athletes have had while combining skiing and schooling have been very good. As we specialise in core subjects only, our system is not a perfect substitute, however we have found that the attraction of ski training and racing on a daily basis has led to superb productivity and motivation from the athletes themselves to keep their grades high. Overall i would say the combination works very well.
Do you take breaks at the same time as the UK schools?
The short answer is no. Due to the timing of races on the yearly calendar, Ambition athletes (especially juniors) can miss 3-4 days of schooling at a time whilst travelling. Therefore, it is important that we are flexible and make sure students have study time whenever they are back at the Leogang base, regardless of what their term times are back home.
Pastoral
Where do your house-mums stay during the winter?
The house-mums are located in the same building as the athletes for the duration of the winter.
Do you use the same house-mum(s) for the entire season?
Yes, we believe in continuity and so all staff are employed on a seasonal basis.
Where are the nearest medical facilities at your base?
There are doctors, physio’s and a medical centre all within minutes of the Leogang base and the nearest hospital is located 15 minutes away in Zell am See.
