Top skier trains on Paardeberg
2009-11-12
Sieb Sieberhagen
VONDELING WINES not only produce award-winning wines, but the estate is also the site for the training of an alpine skier. Jack Gower, (15), son of the farm’s British owner, Richard Gower, is on the verge of becoming a household name in alpine skiing. Last week Jack and his “team”, which consists of performance sport-psychologist Bernard Payet and fitness trainer Andy Matthews, were at Vondeling wine farm preparing for the new skiing season which starts in November. Jack is currently a member of the British youth skiing team and earlier this year took the top spot with a time of 1:34:29 in the Boys’ Giant Slalom at the British Land National Ski Championships. Alpine skiing consists of downhill, slalom, giant slalom and super G disciplines and requires great concentration and fitness. Jack started to ski when he was two years old. “Coming from parents who love skiing and were good in sport, I started to race at the age of ten,” says Jack. “I spent around a third of a year on the snow. My practice sessions start in the mornings at 07:00 and continue until 16:00 in the afternoon. “I do a lot of bicycle work and power endurance exercises to prepare myself for the competitions. “Before we came to Vondeling we also did training in Chile and Australia. And while here at Vondeling it was no holiday. We did a lot of jogging, bicycle riding and also visited the local gym in Paarl,” said Jack. Says fitness coach, Andy Matthews, “Our preparation is pretty unique. We have to combine speed and power. It is almost a combination of a 100 metre sprinter’s power and the endurance and speed of an 800 metre athlete. You really have to be fit to compete and to be consistent.” Payet, Jack’s mental coach for the last year, adds, “A year ago Jack was rated 7th to 8th in the world, but currently he is the number one u.16 skier in the world. He is committed to be successful.” Vondeling has been the property of the London-based company, Armajaro Holdings, since February 2002. Armajaro Holdings belongs to Richard Gower and Anthony Ward and produces wine for the export market to Belgium, Sweden, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
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