Taking a leap of faith, to follow my dreams, during a pandemic

I was already considering a gap year, to think about my next steps, in life - then along came Covid. As for us all, “normality” had to be reviewed and my A-levels were cancelled, bringing uncertainties of how my performance would be assessed, together with the loss of 2 part-time job offers of maths tutoring for primary children and working in a restaurant. However, remaining positive, I identified new opportunities, badgering numerous business owners in the village, with my CV, to secure 2 temporary jobs, and much to my parents’ euphoric joy – earn some money. And that was the start .... suddenly, I realised that by working extremely long hours, for 6 months, just maybe I could fund my first full winter race season. Following amazing A-level results, but still not really understanding how the pandemic would impact uni life, I made the brave decision to defer my offer at Loughborough, to study sports science. During the Autumn, an independent Belgium coach, who I’d briefly met on the FIS race circuit, contacted me and offered a full-time winter programme. He’d competed to a very high level, representing his country in the winter Olympics, and over the past couple of years, made the transition into becoming a race coach. Following a successful training camp in Wittenberg, I've since been living just outside Innsbruck, where even during Austrian lockdown, I've been unbelievably lucky to access a variety of training slopes, enabling me to gain confidence and experience on different terrain. I’m having an amazing time, training and racing alongside a small group of international FIS athletes, some of them just venturing onto the WC circuit.

Living independently, I’m also developing some decent cooking skills and gaining so many life experiences. I’ve recently achieved 2 solid Slalom scores, of 89 points and 93 points - massive PBs and testament to my coach’s support and knowledge, together with my hard work and determination. The current pandemic, together with Brexit, certainly makes life hard to plan, throwing a number of new challenges with many races being cancelled and covid tests required for each race. However, I’m taking everything in my stride, determined to make the most of these fantastic opportunities and continually strive to be my best. Hopefully, I’ll remain in Austria until March/April, then return to the UK, to complete my UK coaching qualification, continue training with my coach, throughout the summer and represent our club on the UK indoor circuit. Who knows how the next 12 months will evolve, but I’m so happy, that at age 18, I took that leap of faith, to opt for an independent approach and see where life can take me. I have a feeling, that another “gap year” may be on the horizon – meaning my Mom’s retirement plans are definitely on hold for now!.... sorry mom!!