Video: Schoolgirl snowboard star Katie flips at chance of Olympics fame

JUST like any other Year 11 student, Katie Ormerod is busy studying for her rapidly-approaching GCSEs.
Katie Ormerod, 15, at her school, Hipperholme Grammar.Katie Ormerod, 15, at her school, Hipperholme Grammar.
Katie Ormerod, 15, at her school, Hipperholme Grammar.

But unlike her classmates, the 15-year-old is juggling revision with a professional snowboarding career so successful she is on the brink of qualifying for next year’s Winter Olympics and has just become the youngest-ever female to pull off a double backflip trick.

The Year 11 student, from Brighouse, has just returned to classes at Hipperholme Grammar School near Halifax, after winning gold in the BRITS Championships halfpipe competition in Tignes, France.

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Her victory has propelled the up-and-coming star to 25th place in the world rankings at the close of the season and she now only needs to climb one place in the next one to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Katie Ormerod, 15, at her school, Hipperholme Grammar.Katie Ormerod, 15, at her school, Hipperholme Grammar.
Katie Ormerod, 15, at her school, Hipperholme Grammar.

“That has always been my dream so it would be amazing,” she said.

“I just need another good result and then to try and stay within the top 24. It’s a big possibility. Just the thought of it is really exciting.”

Katie’s next stop after the BRITS was Mayrhofen in Austria for a training camp with the British Freestyle Snowboard Team.

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It was there, on just her fourth attempt, that she successfully landed the double backflip stunt - becoming only the fifth woman in the world to have done so.

Halfpipe by Katie OrmerodHalfpipe by Katie Ormerod
Halfpipe by Katie Ormerod

“It was really nerve-wracking at first but I kind of went there just to learn that because it had been in the back of my mind for a while that I wanted to do it,” she said.

“The first few attempts I was so close and I landed but slid on and then on my fourth I landed it properly. It was amazing.

“I was the youngest woman ever to do one and I’m hoping it will progress women’s snowboarding.”

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The teenager found her training in gymnastics - in which she also competes - worked to her advantage as she practised for the trick.

“Because of that I’m really good at spatial awareness and I knew how to throw it,” she said.

“I just held on until I felt the double go round. It wasn’t really scary - it was just kind of fun.”

The triumph came at the end of a successful season of training and competing with the GB team, which included finishing in 10th place at the FIS World Snowboard Championships in Quebec, where she was the youngest rider.

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“I’m like the baby of the team. I love going away with them. Everyone’s so friendly, it’s just a really good environment,” she said.

Snowboarding has taken Katie all over the world since she took up the sport at the age of just five.

She recently competed at Slopestyle in Canada and the Burton European Open in Switzerland. and is now looking forward to the 2012/13 World Cup opener in New Zealand in August.

Around 40 per cent of her travel and clothing expenses are paid for by her sponsor, sportswear brand Roxy, while the Snozone indoor slope at Xscape, Castleford, funds her training at home. The rest is met by her supportive family.

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Her school - which she attends on a sports scholarship - is equally behind her and is appealing for new sponsors on her behalf.

“I’m really glad they let me have the time off otherwise I don’t think I’d be in the position I’m in now,” said Katie, who plans to stay on in the sixth form and take English, History and German A Levels.

“When I go abroad I ask all my teachers to give me the work I’m going to be missing and I do it after snowboarding.

“When I come back, if I need to catch up, I do it on a lunch time or at home. I’m quite determined.”

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Head teacher Jack Williams said Katie was a great ambassador for the scholarship programme.

“All the children really respect her for the hard work she puts in, not just on the snowboard but in her school work as well,” he said.

“Everyone is really proud of what she has achieved. We’re expecting great things for her both in the classroom and on the slopes.

“She is a great ambassador for what we can provide at the school. Even if we don’t do that sport ourselves, we can support them in their own individual endeavours.”

Anyone wishing to sponsor her is asked to email [email protected].

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