Ben Kilner, Scotland’s Olympic snowboarder, had a dismal start to the year. 

A victim of serious funding cutbacks, he then suffered an excruciating shoulder injury as he prepared to take part in the semi-finals of the European Open in Switzerland.  

However, a couple of months later and Ben’s future is suddenly very rosy.  

He has secured a great new sponsor deal from global company, CRC-Evans who are based in Aberdeen, has returned to full fitness and has confirmed he is the best half-pipe man in Britain with victory at the British Championships. 

Now he is totally driven by an all-consuming passion – to win a medal at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in Russia. 

And the 22-year-old from Banchory, who is managed by Red Sky Management, is determined he is going to make it. 

“The sponsorship has rescued my career,” he gratefully accepted. “I have had so many funding cutbacks since the Olympics in Vancouver just over a year ago. But now my future is very bright. If I don’t medal at the next games then I’ll be really disappointed. 

“I never actually thought of giving up the sport, but my Olympic dream would really have suffered if I hadn’t found some major backing. It is an expensive route to the Olympics because it involves so much training and travelling.  Financially, it can wipe you out.” 

Kilner, who has lost count of the number of injuries he has suffered since he took up the sport at the age of five at Glenshee, made it to the semi-finals in his discipline at the Vancouver Olympics. 

Last season, he also showed his world-class ability by making it onto the podium at a World Cup event. 

With coach Hamish McKnight, who comes from Edinburgh, the plan is to add more skill and trickery to the Kilner repertoire. 

A sport that attracts a young audience on the winter sport circuit, the participants constantly have to stretch themselves, and their bodies, to the absolute limit.  

Ben is delighted to report that he has just mastered one of the most testing skills – the double cork. It is a contortion so dangerous that some called for it to be banned before the Vancouver Olympics.  

"It's kind of a twisting double backflip where you have to spin around at least three times,” the Scot explained. “There's no exit point when you're learning the double cork. You have to commit fully because once you've completed the first flip, you're going upside down again no matter what.

“It is very scary, but I managed to do it when I was over in Switzerland with the rest of the British freestyle team. By adding it to my routine, it will open doors to podium results. I’m now so excited at the prospect of the next three years and making it to my second Winter Olympics.” 

Accidents are part and parcel of his sport – and the latest injury at the European Open was particularly frustrating. “There were four rounds and I got through the first two and into the semi-finals,” he said.  

“In the 20 minutes practice break it began to snow quite heavily and the track became quite bumpy. I caught an edge and, basically, ended up rugby tackling a wall of ice. My shoulder separated and I had to pull out. Fortunately, I’m now fully fit again. “ 

It was the demise of Snowsports GB on the eve of last year’s Olympics that sent Ben and other British Olympians into a money meltdown. 

“It was really frightening,” he recalled. “We were going into the Olympics and the British media started to say that we might not be able to compete. I think it was over-hyped but we just had to take the attitude of ‘what the heck?’ and get on with it. “ 

But it is such memories that make him so grateful to CRC-Evans, a manufacturing company that supplies services to the global pipeline industry.  

“Douglas MacIntyre (the company’s President) is really motivated to help me reach my goal,” said Ben. “I have a lot of hard work and training to do over the next few years and the climate in Scotland means that I can’t do it from home.” 

MacIntyre is equally pleased to be able to assist a local youngster with so much potential. “We are delighted to be supporting young talent in the North East and realise this sort of sponsorship is needed if Ben to compete against athletes from countries which have many more resources and facilities,” he said.

 

So now it is full steam ahead to Russia 2014. In three years’ time, Ben should be at the peak of his form and far more experienced. He has invested so much in trying to reach the top of his sport – let’s hope he makes it.

EB

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