How to be a great spectator & supporter: a guide for parents!

Being the parent of a young ski racer is a unique (and often very cold!) experience – standing on the side of a hill, watching from behind the netting, and willing your child to have their best run ever.

But whether it’s your first winter of racing or your fifth, it’s important to understand how you can best support your child: not just with warm gloves and hot chocolate, but with the right mindset and behaviour in training and on race days.

This article offers a few key reminders and tips to help you be a positive, respectful, and encouraging presence for your young athlete—and everyone else on the hill.

❄️ On the Slopes: Training & Spectating Safely

It’s great that parents want to watch and support their children while they train or race, but safety, space, and respect for the coaching environment must always come first.

Here’s what we ask of you when you’re on skis near training lanes or watching from the side:

✅ DO:

• Keep a respectful distance when training is taking place – it’s tempting to ski nearby or “follow along,” but it can distract athletes and disrupt the flow of the session.
• Observe from designated areas (if available), or stay well clear of the course and training lanes (for everyone’s safety).
• Support all athletes, not just your own – SSC promotes team spirit, and it helps when spectators do too.
• Ask your child about their training after the session, not while it’s ongoing.

❌ DON’T:

• Ski into, through, or right beside training courses, even on quieter slopes (this is a serious safety risk) unless you are asked to help. Coaches will often appreciate a hand carrying gates or slipping rutty courses.
• Shout instructions, encouragement, or critique during a run – your child is likely trying to focus on feedback from their coach.
• Coach from the side – even well-meaning tips can confuse and undermine the coaching process.
• Coaches are working hard to create a focused, enjoyable learning environment. If your child hears one message from their coach and a conflicting one from a parent, it leads to uncertainty and mixed messages—especially for younger racers.
• Let us do the coaching – your job is the cheering and encouragement!

Even off the hill, particularly on residential camps, children thrive when they are with their peers and coaches. The more you are able to leave them to it, the more they will get out of the experience – growing to become independent, respectful teammates.

🎿 On Race Day: Be Their Calm, Not Their Coach

Race day can be nerve-racking for everyone, but especially for children. It’s when all the hard work, travel, and anticipation comes together, and emotions can run high. Remember, though, it is supposed to be fun, especially at the younger ages! Here’s how you can help them perform their best and enjoy the experience:

Food & Rest

It’s important that racers are well fed and energetic coming into a race. Not only is a good breakfast consisting of slow-release energy (carbohydrates) important, but so is dinner the night before, as this is what is really in their system at 9am the next day! A breakfast meal heavy on protein and fat requires the stomach to use a lot of oxygen, oxygen that their muscles need. Athletes need complex carbs – protein and fat replacement is not sufficient for fuelling muscles for endurance athletes. Ski racing is an endurance sport, not because the combined race runs are 1.5 minutes but rather because the athletes are out all day working and skiing, and they have to have enough energy to do that AND put two solid runs together without being tired or fatigued. Ideal breakfasts are pancakes, waffles, cereal, bagel, apples, etc. If you’re in a rush, cereal bars, bagels, bananas, apples, oranges, peanut butter & jam sandwiches can help – these are good to have in a pocket anyway for snacking during the day. Ski resort food is rarely healthy. If you can, try to steer your child to a healthy lunch as well, though we know they can sometimes be picky eaters!

Sleep is incredibly important. That’s why the house parent will usually ask for phones to be handed in on camps – so that trainees get a full night’s sleep, distraction-free. And it’s not just the night before a race that’s important, it’s several nights in the run-up!

Turning up right

If it’s not dark when you’re getting ready to head to a race, you’re probably running late! Ski racing involves a lot of “hurrying up and waiting”, but there’s no second chance if you’re late. Make sure you arrive in plenty of time to collect bibs, get skis on and warm up if possible, be ready for the start of course inspection, and then prepare for your run.

Keep it calm and positive, and use the right language

• Stick to familiar routines: breakfast, boot up, and warm-up as they’ve practised.
• Remind them: “Try your best, have fun, and listen to your coach.” That’s enough.
• Avoid saying things like “Go fast!” or “You need to win today.” These add pressure they don’t need.
• If they fall, straddle, or DNF: “That happens. What did you learn?” Remember, often more is learned from failure than success!
• If they have a great run: “That was fun to watch. You looked confident out there.”
• Try to avoid discussing times, rankings, or comparisons – focus instead on their effort, attitude, and learning.
• Of course, celebrate their success when it comes! Generally, though, celebrate the effort over the outcome.
• Let coaches do their job, but don’t be afraid to ask if they could use a hand.
• Show up and cheer loud (respectfully)!

Remember the Bigger Picture

• Not every race will go well. That’s not just OK, that’s necessary.
• The best ski racers in the world have long seasons with tough days. Your child’s ski journey is a marathon, not a sprint.
• Support them through ups and downs. They’ll remember how they felt far more than what place they came.

Being a great race parent doesn’t mean being perfect, it means showing up, staying calm, and trusting the process.

At SSC and across British ski racing, coaches, race organisers, committees, and volunteers are working hard to foster confident, resilient young people who enjoy the sport for life. With your help, we can make every training session and race day a positive, meaningful step on that journey.

If you ever have questions about what to expect on race day, how to help your child manage nerves, or how to interpret their results, just ask your coach. We’re all on the same team.