Team GB’s “big family” gives Huntly cross-country skier Andrew Young the perfect platform to succeed.
Young will compete in his third Winter Olympics when he challenges for a medal in Pyeong-chang this month and has grown up alongside those who accompany him to South Korea.
The men’s team remains exactly as it was in Sochi four years ago, with Oyne’s Andrew Musgrave and Callum Smith completing the line-up. Annika Taylor is the sole female cross-country skier, while Young’s father, Roy, is the coach.
The men’s trio has worked with Roy Young since the three were 11 years old and members of Huntly Nordic Ski Club – meaning they know each other inside-out – but that is no bad thing.Andrew Young, who is based in the Norwegian town of Lillehammer, said: “We’ve come through the system and grown up together. When we go away to competitions or on training camps, it doesn’t feel like it’s athletes competing against each other. It feels like friends trying to get better at their sport. There’s a good balance between our personal and professional relationships and it’s the kind of atmosphere you need. It’s like a big family.
“Jostein Vinjerui is the sprint performance coach, so I work with him more closely than my dad. My dad is more involved with logistics and planning, ensuring we’ve got everything we need. He’s jokingly called Lord Roy by the rest of the guys, so everyone knows he’s in charge.”
There are two types of cross-country ski-ing – freestyle, which is the faster method following a similar motion to roller blading, or classic, which is essentially walking with a glide between steps. Starting on Sunday, the men will compete in a 30km skiathlon, which involves competitors completing 15km each of freestyle and classic ski-ing. An individual sprint, a 15km freestyle, the 4x10km relay and a team sprint follows, with the programme concluding on February 25 with the 50km mass start classic.
Young, 25, will compete in the individual sprint and the 15km, with hopes that he can also take part in the two-man team sprint race as it takes place on his birthday – February 21. He said: “It would be a fun event to do. It depends on the other guys, as the 50km classic is a few days later, but fingers crossed they’re up for it and I do well enough to be selected.
“There’s an opportunity for a good result in the sprint. I want to make the final, which means being in the top 12. Those guys are at a really high level and the ones that consistently make the finals tend to be on the podiums.”
He also wishes he could spend more time in Aberdeenshire during the year and has praise for the range of facilities available to skiers, such as the Garioch Sports Centre and Aberdeen Sports Village. However, a lack of training partners – and snow – makes Norway a more suitable choice for him.
Young added: “We travel about a lot and it’s a stressful part of the job. But it’s enjoyable seeing new places and I’m fully aware not many people get to experience what I do.”
