Team Buller Skiing has been awarded a $10 000 grant through the 2010–11 Sport Leadership Grants and Scholarships for Women (SLGSFW) program.

The SLGSFW program is a joint initiative of the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and the Australian Government Office for Women and is designed to provide women in sport with support and access to leadership training and development opportunities.

Based at Mount Buller, Victoria, Team Buller Skiing was given the grant to establish a strong group of experienced female coaches and leaders in the sport of skiing.

Team Buller is one of the leading ski clubs in Australia, with 100 athletes in 2010. It operates training programs in the Olympic disciplines of mogul skiing and aerial skiing, and the potential new Olympic sports of halfpipe and slopestyle skiing.

Training activities take place year round, with core business being the Australian ski season at Mount Buller and additional activities (water jump training, gymnastics and strength and conditioning) run in Melbourne.

Mr Andrew Pattison, Manager of Team Buller, said female skiers are the ones who will benefit the most.

‘The funds will help develop more female coaches through provision of coach accreditation courses and then we expect this leadership pattern to flow down to our young female athletes coming through the pathway,’ Mr Pattison said.

‘There is roughly a 60 40 per cent spilt in male to female athlete numbers, but we hope the grant will help improve this,’ he said. ‘However, despite having fewer females, our most successful athletes have all been females, such as Kirstie Marshall, Jacqui Cooper, Alisa Camplin and Lydia Lassila.

Team Buller has been proactive in promoting women in sport through an initiative called ‘Chicks with Stix’ which aims to encourage the participation of women in skiing.

‘Our staff provide coaching on Saturday afternoons to any females interested in freestyle skiing. The program includes weekly prizes for deserving female athletes and concludes with a special competition at the end of the season.

The Sports Leadership Grant will allow for initiatives such as these to be expanded and built on in the coming years.

‘Boosting participation of women at all levels and areas of sport is something we at Team Buller strive for and truly believe in.’