An 11-year-old from Aberdeen has proven he is a rising star in snowboarding by winning another gold medal.
Saul Brown triumphed at the Kendal K-Jam under-12 freestyle snowboarding competition in England last month, winning the event for the second year in a row.
The youngster, who trains at Adventure Aberdeen Snowsports Centre every evening after school and at weekends, has won four golds and one silver from his first five snowboarding competitions.
His first taste of snowboarding was aged three at Glenshee Ski Centre and he has been going to Aberdeen Snowsports Centre since the age of six.
To complement his snowboarding, Brown visits Transition Extreme once a week to skateboard, as well as skateboarding at outdoor spaces and using a garden ramp built by his father Marc during lockdown.
Describing his love of snowboarding, the youngster said: “I like being able to go high off jumps, it makes me feel like I’m flying!
“It is lots of fun, you come along and get accepted and then learn some new tricks.
“Everyone is hyped up and builds each other up.
“Most of my school friends play football so it’s cool that I have a different hobby and I’ve made loads of friends through snowboarding.”
X Games dream for Saul
Since competing for the first time at the age of 10, Brown has won every competition he has entered in his age category and came second in the under-16 Brits rail JAM at the Cairngorm this winter.
Brown’s father Marc has been snowboarding for almost 35 years, while his younger siblings Roman, aged nine, and Anayah, seven, also snowboard at Adventure Aberdeen Snowsports Centre.
Marc said: “The coaches put so much into Saul.
“He is like a little brother to them, they’re all buddies.
“When youngsters like Saul are performing well at snowsports, they get instant access to grown-ups.
“It’s a community here at the snowsports centre, everyone knows everyone.”
Brown is now preparing for the Scottish triple crown dry slope freestyle events, starting in Aberdeen on June 25 and then in Edinburgh on July 8 and Glasgow on July 23.
He hopes to compete at European level in winter 2023 with a long-term aim of competing at the X Games.
Brown added: “My snowboarding idol is Mark McMorris, and it would be awesome to be sponsored and become a top pro in the world.”
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