A champion snowboarder from Steyning, West Sussex, will take a step towards his goal of competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics and X-Games after securing further support from QTS Group’s Youth Athlete programme.
Charlie Lane joins 13 other athletes from across the UK as he continues to be supported by the national rail contractor’s Youth Athlete Programme.
The sponsorship enables the 14-year-old freestyle snowboarder to travel to the Swiss and Austrian Alps from the beginning of September, where he will commence with his full-time pre-season training with some of the best international coaches to help him prepare for the full diary of European and World competitions planned for this coming winter.
Charlie started snowboarding at the age of five after seeing his older brother Ben hit the slopes on a family winter holiday in France. By the age of eight, Charlie started competing in Regional and National Freestyle events at the indoor snow centres and outdoors dry slopes in the UK.
Since Charlie has been competing, he has been National Champion in many disciplines of snowboarding including U12s Slopestyle, Big Air and Boarder Cross Racing, as well as being crowned King of the Valley, a four-stop tour across Austria, runner-up in the German Boardercross Series, Winner of both German & Austrian Masters Champion, and last year just before the pandemic outbreak worldwide, Charlie won in Canada, the finals of the Junior Games for Slopestyle at U13.
To retain his position as one of Europe’s leading junior snowboarders, Charlie follows a full-time fitness and training programme with his coaches and GB Park and Pipe Squad, preparing for many of the top world events scheduled for 2022 including The World Rookie Tour, and embarks this winter to gain even more experience in participating in many of the Men’s Europa Cup Slopestyle and Big Air events.
Charlie’s dad Peter said: “For Charlie to be selected to be sponsored by QTS Group again, for the third year, is a real privilege, especially after the last year and a half, with all of the travel restrictions and after the outbreak of Coronavirus, it has made training and getting out to the mountains to compete, very difficult.
“QTS Group truly understand the importance of supporting young talent at grass roots level, when it is particularly crucial and often harder to come by, especially in snowsports where the UK is obviously not naturally blessed with the facilities that are on offer in the Alps.
QTS Group launched its Youth Athlete Programme five years ago and to date has helped 22 young athletes across a range of sporting disciplines including, snowboarding, ice skating, kickboxing and beach volleyball.
Alan McLeish, Managing Director of QTS said: “Charlie, like all our Youth Athletes, is a role model to other young people looking to get into sport. It’s a privilege to sponsor him for another year and help him on his road to Winter Olympic or X-Games glory.”
