College has “high hopes” of medals

College has “high hopes” of medals at first Uni Snow Games

Students studying Adventure Tourism Management at the award-winning Queenstown Resort College have “high hopes” of medal placings at their first ever Uni Snow Games in Wanaka next week.

And with good reason – not only are they fielding New Zealand Winter Olympic stars Mitchey Greig and Sarah Murphy, but they have former World Uni Games competitor Fiona Boyer managing the team.

Ms Boyer, a former New Zealand national ski racer and NZSIA Demo team member, is now Training and Development manager at the Queenstown-based college.

She competed in the New Zealand Uni Games in 1986 and qualified for the World Uni Games in the Czech Republic the following year where she competed in GS and Slalom.

“It was definitely one of the highlights of my skiing career, especially as at that time we were travelling behind the Iron Curtain,” she said.

The six-strong QRC team includes students Giles Cooper, Mark Jury, Rhys Cochrane and Charmaine Fitton, as well as 22-year-old biathlete Murphy and 21-year-old skier cross athlete Greig. A seventh team member, Matthew Fallaver, broke his elbow while snowboarding a few days ago and will be unable to compete.

They are all studying for an Adventure Tourism Management diploma, of which a specialisation in Snowsport Business Management will start for the first time in October this year. This is run in conjunction with ski area management company NZSki, and is the only course of its kind in New Zealand.

The ATM diploma develops successful future adventure tourism managers by blending business management and leadership skills with practical work experience and adventure education.

The combination of practical and theoretical learning and the flexibility of the terms makes it the ideal learning environment for Olympian athletes like Sarah and Mitchey to study but also maintain their commitment to their Olympics goals and aspirations.

Sarah currently juggles four days of school with training six times a week, including spending three days a week at Snow Farm in the Cardrona Valley.

Ms Boyer said the Uni Snow Games, which starts at Treble Cone on Sunday August 29 and runs through to Friday September 3 with races at Cardrona, Snow Park and Snow Farm, was a “fantastic” opportunity for the QRC team.

“We have a socially competitive team plus two very strong medal contenders,” she said. “They’ve been turning up to regular training sessions and have given 100% to their build up to the games.

“It gives students who are combining their tertiary education with their sporting career a chance to compete on yet another world stage. That to me was a real bonus.

“QRC’s delighted to be able to give students like Mitchey and Sarah the chance to pursue their Olympic and other sporting goals while gaining a qualification they can put to good use anywhere in the world.

“We’re in a unique position here in Queenstown because there’s no other University or college anywhere in New Zealand that has a snowsports athlete’s training grounds so close to where they live and study.”

Mitchey Greig will compete in Skier Cross and Ski GS, Rhys Cochrane in Gravity Cross Board and Board GS, Charmain Fitton in Gravity Cross Ski and Ski GS, Giles Cooper in Gravity Cross Board and Board GS, and Sarah Murphy in Gravity Cross Board and Cross Country Skiing.

Free skier Greig, 21, who lives in Queenstown, said the QRC course enabled her to continue training at Coronet Peak while providing her with an education and learning the skills to achieve her goals.

“Ultimately I want to start my own tourism business and attending QRC means I can work towards that while also training to compete in the Sochi 2014 Olympics in Russia,” she said.

Murphy, 22, who is half Canadian and half Kiwi, competes in biathlon which combines cross country skiing with shooting. She has a ten-year plan that includes the 2014 Olympics and ultimately running her own tourism business.

“As a full-time athlete, in the past I haven't had much time to study, however the programme at QRC allows me to combine my on-going training with studies. Queenstown is awesome and QRC is a great place to study for me,” she said.

Graduates can continue on to a Bachelor of International Tourism at Thompson Rivers University in Canada or the International College of Management (ICMS) in Sydney, Australia.

For more information about QRC diplomas please visit www.queenstownresortcollege.com.

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