Olly Fox De Klerk, Snowsports Society President
Olly Fox De Klerk, President of Snowsports Society, tells us just exactly what makes hitting the slops with everyone so special.
It's my job to make sure Snowsports is welcoming and inclusive
I am a 3rd-year history student, and I'm currently the President of Snowsports. I’ve been a member of the society since my first year, having served as Treasurer last year.
As President I am responsible for the club, organising committee members in order to run club activity; more often than not this involves fixing problems when they arise. Beyond that, as President, it is my job to make sure that the culture of the club is as welcoming and inclusive as possible.
We cater to all abilities
The best thing about Snowsports at UCL is that we truly cater to all abilities.
At one end of the spectrum, we have our competitive teams who compete (and medal) at BUCS, and at the other end, many of our members are complete beginners who join through either our project active beginner sessions, weekend day courses or our ski trips - around 25% of people who come on our trips have never skied before.
My biggest highlights
My biggest highlight from this year has to be selling out our winter ski trip in under 10 minutes...closely followed by crashing the Students' Union website due to the demand for our boat ball! These moments are so rewarding because they are the most pressured, but also because they are a confirmation of the hard work that committee puts in to run the society - selling out every event we have run this year shows that we are doing something right as a club.
On the flip side, we weren’t as successful last year when I was Treasurer and this was an incredibly formative experience. Any failure was a learning opportunity for this year. We have learnt from our mistakes to reach new successes, and they taught us that nothing ever goes to plan and how to deal with adversity.
The most rewarding part is seeing impressive breakthroughs and skill development
The most rewarding aspect, however, is seeing experienced skiers and snowboarders try slalom racing and freestyle for the first time; we have GB-level coaches who help take people from complete newbies to competing at the highest level.
In my three years at the club, I went from never having done slalom racing before to now racing for the 1st team at every competition and being in a position to help others achieve similar progression. Our most impressive breakthrough this year came from freestyle, where one of our members went from never having done it before to taking bronze at the BUCS Indoor Championships in five months!
We are currently planning an even bigger and better winter trip for next year, as well as a long list of new socials, competitions and events!
