September 12, 2014 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – The first ever FIS Coaching seminar for females on the initiative of the FIS Cross-Country Sub-Committee for ladies was a great success. From 5th-7th September, former top Italian Cross-Country skier Gabriella Paruzzi and other international speakers presented an intensive program for 18 participants from 10 different countries.

FIS Women's XC Coaching Seminar © FIS

Topics ranged from choosing the right skiing equipment, setting a training schedule, differences in training between male and female, technical competition formats for kids, nutrition as well as physiotherapy and psychology. The seminar programme was completed by a common strength training session.

After the long day, participants enjoyed Italian hospitality and shared experiences from their countries during a pasta dinner and a pizza party. A lunch break at the Rifugio Passo Feudo, which is situated at 2200m and delivered a great view to the surrounding mountains of the Dolomites, was a clear highlight.

“We are really pleased with results of the seminar. It was great to see how many active ladies there are in the skiing family. We hope this programme will help to bring even more active ladies in the future,” Gabriella Paruzzi, Chair of the FIS Sub-Committee for Ladies’ Cross-Country said. “We want to thank the Tourism organisation of Val di Fiemme, the Organising Committee of Val di Fiemme as well as Sandro Pertile for the support in the preparation of the event,” she added.

FIS Cross-Country Committee Chairman Vegard Ulvang was happy about the first edition: “I’m personally extremely happy to see the great work of our Ladies’ Sub-Committee. The seminar was only the first step on the way to involve more ladies in our sport. We need ladies as coaches, leaders, technical delegates and athletes.”

The FIS Coaching seminar for females in Cross-Country Skiing will now be evaluated and next steps will be defined during the FIS Technical Committee Meetings in Zurich (SUI) in early October.