Snowboarder

Home Town:
Arbory, Isle of Man

Disciplines:
Snowboard Cross

World Rank:
6

Website: www.zoe.org.im

How long have you been riding?
Since I was 10 years old, so 11 ½ years
What is your preferred discipline?
Snowboard cross although I mess around with all of them
What are your snowboarding aspirations?
Win an Olympic gold medal, or 2?
If you were not a on the snowboard team what would you be doing?
Probably doing something normal like university
Whats on your iPOD?

My First Snowboard competition was 1996 Brits at Meribel, France.

Things started to get good when I came 3rd overall at the 1998 Brits in Saas Fee.

I had a great time when I went as part of the GBR Youth Olympic team to Vuokatti, Finlan, 2001.

That was my first international snowboardcross event.

It was super fun being there in a team with other sports too.

I remember Finland being just snow and trees and wearing 2 jackets alot of the time because it was so cold.

Then I went to Canada - where it is really cold - 35 degrees celsius. Lucky for me thaw has sponsored me for ages with thermal underwear and I needed it!!

I got to travel around Canada and the US alot.

Sometimes it was interesting but usually it was just miles and miles and miles of road. We often had to have one of us on "Moose Watch" so we didn't run over any wild animals. I went to Canada because that's where my coach Craig Smith was, and he ran a team with alot of girls my age. There just wasn't anything like that in the UK at the time.

It was a bit scary at first as I didn't know anyone but Canadians are all really friendly and I've made some great friends there. Of course they all thought I talked funny - but now at home all my friends, here, think I talk funny - sometimes you just can't win!!

I stayed out in Canada for 2 seasons and then 2 years ago Craig and his Family came over to Europe to train me and other guys from Britain (see snowboardgb website)

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Zoë Gillings, Britain’s No.1 female snowboarder, followed up her excellent result in the Snowboardcross World Cup with 7th place in the NOKIA Snowboard FIS World Cup competition on Saturday 29th September 2007 in Valle Nevado, Chile.

2/ Zoe Gillings grabs 6th Place in first NOKIA Snowboard FIS World Cup Competition of the 2007/08 Season

Zoe Gillings, Britain’s No.1 female snowboarder, started off the 2007/08 winter season in style by achieving her best result in a World Cup Snowboardcross for three years. photo Mike Weyerhaeuser

Zoë Gillings is Great Britain’s number one female snowboarder. With 11 years experience and a world ranking of sixth - at just 22 years old - the Boardercross rider has achieved so much already.

Making her first appearance in the 1998 British Championship at only 12 years old, Gillings embarrassed a few older competitors by finishing 3^rd. Following her impressive performance, it was no surprise that Zoë was picked to represent the British Junior Team. Gillings dominated the youth category in the British championships, winning an amazing 37 consecutive competitions.

After moving to Canada in 2001 to concentrate on her snowboarding, 16 year old Gillings earned 14^th place in her first World Cup performance. Three years later, at the World Cup in Chile, Gillings took gold and silver medals.

Following her 9^th place finish at last weekends World Cup Snowboardcross at Bad Gastein, Austria, there is no doubt that Gillings has the potential to progress to the finals and bring home a gold medal.