Andrew Young, the cross country skier who is one of the 18 Scottish athletes selected by the British Olympic Association to represent Team GB at next week’s European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Poland, is making his final preparations for the competition in the Czech Republic this week.

“We are at high altitude, at 1335 metres, near the top of one of the highest mountains in the country,” he said on Wednesday.  “So there is a lot of wind and snow and training is going well,”

The 2009 EYOWF will see over 1070 athletes from 45 European countries assembled to compete in nine different winter disciplines. The 32-strong British team will compete in five disciplines: Alpine Skiing, Cross-country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating and Snowboarding.

For almost all the competitors, aged between 14 and 17, it will be their first opportunity to experience a multi-sport event and a chance to savour the atmosphere of an Olympic Village and Olympic competition.

Sixteen year old Andrew, from Huntly, was almost born with a set of skis strapped to his feet.

“I started skiing at the age of two, as soon as I could walk and there was snow in Scotland,” he said.  “I learned to downhill and cross country ski at the same time, but went down the road of cross country because my parents were involved with the local Huntly Nordic Ski Club."

Aged 10 he raced abroad in Canada.  A year later he began training with the British Nordic Development Squad (BNDS), which took him on winter training camps and races in Europe.

Improving steadily, in 2008 he became Austrian Champion at age group level, qualified for the World Cup and became world number one for his age group. 

At the same time he was selected for the Highland Institute of Sport.  The Area Institutes of Sport network provides high performance expertise to Scotland’s potential world class talent, working with partners to build greater success for Scottish sport. Its expert teams work together to deliver essential support services locally in sports medicine, sports science, strength and conditioning, and career and lifestyle guidance.

Andrew’s current season started in Gaala, Norway with his first international Sprint race, followed by his first 15km Classic race where he re-qualified for the World Cup.
 
“That gave me confidence going into the World Cup the week after in Davos, Switzerland where I had a good 15km classic and skate sprint,” he said. 

“The week after we moved to the Düsseldorf city centre sprint World Cup.  I finished very close to the top 70 which gave me even more confidence heading back to Norway for a two week training block over Xmas and New Year. 

“During this block I did a club race, the Gasbu Rennet and won in the 10km classic.”

In January Andrew headed to France for the World Junior Championships.  “My sprint was very good; I finished 39th and qualified for World Cup in sprint for the first time.
 
“I was hoping for better things in the 10km skate a few days later, I started very well but I faded dramatically and due to the heat and lack of energy I failed to finish the race.” 

Andrew sums up the season so far as an “up and down” one.  To an outsider it appears more up than down.  And the best could be yet come. 

“As for next week in Poland I think anything could happen,” he said today. “If things go to plan I could achieve a good result and maybe finish in the top 10.

“However a lot depends on the day.  I think there are perhaps over 20 athletes capable of finishing top 10 and around 10 athletes capable of winning.

“There are so many factors that play a part that anything is possible, we will just have to wait and see...”

Team GB has won five medals at previous EYOWF’s. In the 2005 EYOWF in Monthey, Switzerland the boys’ curling team won the gold medal, the girls’ curling team won the bronze.