First Year pupil Charlie Turner is the Men’s U12 British Indoor Snowboard Freestyle Champion for the second successive year after competing in the British Snowboard Championships in Manchester.

Charlie, 11, is also the Men’s U12 Scottish Freestyle Snowboard Champion and has begun to train with a Team GB feeder group, progressing his ultimate aim of representing his country in the Olympics.

He said: “It is awesome to be the Champion and to retain the title for a second year. The Championships were great, the snowboard park we competed on was amazing and the competition was good as always. There is a lot of tension as you wait at the top and watch your competitors do their runs. If you fall or land badly you can lose points so easily.”

Charlie began snowboarding when he was six and caught the bug for freestyle snowboarding (which involves tricks) aged eight when he attended a freestyle club at Snozone in Castleford. Snozone’s coaches were quick to spot his talent and have helped him develop his skills.

He is also part of the Snozone Freestyle Team, which competes in a national league, and already has the support of sponsors. Last year he was selected for Team GBX, part of the Team GB Snowboard Cross feeder group, and has now been invited to apply for the Team GB Park & Pipe Academy, feeder group to the main GB Team for freestyle snowboarding.

Charlie also plays rugby for Pocklington RUFC and tennis at Sutton Upon Derwent Tennis Club, where last year he was awarded The Kimberley Trophy, presented to the most promising junior player in the club each year. But snowboarding remains his passion.

He said: “I love the danger. The risk is great but making the landing feels awesome. I also love the snowboard community and have made a lot of friends all over the world from snowboarding. Even though we are competing against each other we are all good friends and enjoy riding together and pushing each other to do a bigger, more difficult trick.

“My next aim is to be selected for the Team GB Park & Pipe Academy. That would be amazing and help me move forward with my snowboarding. I am currently trying to perfect my 540s [540 degree rotations] which I am landing successfully but not every time yet - and I hope to be front flipping successfully by the end of this season. In the future I would love to represent Team GB in competitions overseas, maybe the Olympics.”