"It’s that time of year again! We’re planning our 2nd annual “Mike and Manny Cowboy Camp”. Last year’s camp was a huge success and a great experience for both of us (Mike and Manny). Again this year we have chosen to hold the camp in Whistler, with skiing on Blackcomb Mountain from April 30th to May 3rd, 2009.
The four-day camp will consist of slalom and GS free skiing, drills and gate training. We will have six coaches, three of whom are national ski team members; Michael Janyk, Manuel Osborne Paradis and special guest coach Robbie Dixon.
We started this camp to give young racers from less fortunate financial situations a chance to succeed and move forward at a pivotal point in their young careers when the costs and the competitiveness of the sport begin to rise. We both know how tough this sport can be to afford, as each of our families had to make many sacrifices to help us reach the national ski team. For this reason, there will again be no charge to the athletes who attend the Cowboy Camp!
We will be selecting 10 athletes (BC Alpine members only), five girls and five boys, who are either going into first year FIS next season (born in 1994) or going into second year FIS next season (born in 1993). The only cost to the athletes will be transportation to and from Whistler, but once they arrive, all their expenses will be covered.
To apply to the camp, please submit a letter from the athlete telling us a little about him/herself. Ahtletes, we want to know why you love ski racing, why you think you would be a great fit for the camp and what you hope to get out of this camp. We also require a letter from the athlete’s coach explaining why they think their athlete would be a great candidate for the Cowboy Camp.
Please make sure there is a coach’s letter attached to each application. Also, please send your applications no later than March 20th so we can finalize the selection by April 5th.
Arrival date to the camp will be the afternoon of April 29th, ready to ski on the 30th and departure will be the afternoon of the 3rd, after skiing. Please send all applications to cowboyscamp@live.com.
During this camp we hope to pass on our passion for ski racing, what we’ve learned about how to succeed on and off the hill and of course our technical take on skiing and how to ski fast. Skiing has given us so much and we are very happy to have the opportunity to give back to the sport we love.
We look forward to hearing from you."
Sincerely,
Mike Janyk and Manny Osborne Paradis