About Gary King

I’m a writer, speaker and lover of all things that raise the heartbeat and tickle the senses. If there is one thing that I’ve learnt from my years of extreme sport and adventure travel is that life is for living - not spectating.

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Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong - The Snow Leopard - 25 Feb 2010 Update

By Gary King on 25 February 2010 06:46:34

Kwame

With only two days to go until Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, The Snow Leopard takes part in the Slalom at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver here's the latest dispatch from the Ghanaian Ski Team.

From The Ghana Ski Team in Vancouver

Ghana’s Snow Leopard looking for a fairy tale end to an incredible journey

when he races in the Slalom on Saturday 27th Feb 2010

After an incredible roller coaster ride of a journey from novice skier to Olympian

in a little over 6 years Ghana’s Snow Leopard is looking to beat a few smaller

nations to achieve ‘Middle Dog’ status. Standing at the top of the Dave Murray

Downhill course the Ghana Ski Team will be looking for a fairy tale end to the

incredible story.

Training has been going well with the Ghana Ski Team training alongside ski

racers from Greece, Uzbekistan and Ireland. Given the slow start to the season

with only a little over a month in Val Di Fiemme, Italy and a week on Mount

Washington, Vancouver Island this training time has been essential. The Snow

Leopard feels he is ready and commented “ Training has been a very nice

experience, as skiing on ice has been very different from the usual ski slopes I

have trained on, the icy slopes of whistler have been a real confidence booster.

The last time I skied on ice like this was in the World Champs in France and its

nice to have some practice on such slopes before the big day. So we as a team are

waiting for Saturday and our chance to make our own Olympic history“. Ghana

Ski Team Coach Denis Grigorev added ”Training has been going well and

Kwame’s confidence is high and he will be ready for the race.”

Kwame was disappointed not to be racing the Giant Slalom having originally

been sent the forms and told he was allowed to do it. Watching it he said”I would

really have liked to race the GS, it is an event I really enjoy”. The Snow Leopard

has become a phenomenon attracting the attention of the world media and fans

across the planet. This is all part of a much bigger plan to create a future Ghana

Ski Team and athlete development programme. “I am a guinea pig and I want to

show the world what we have achieved in a little over 6 years. With funding,

government support and resources then Ghana and African nations could

provide serious competition to the bigger nations” – Kwame.

The world will be watching and fans have been expressing their words of

support via the Paddy Power Kwame’s Army on facebook. Kwame has called for

his fans to follow his lead and come to support Ghana with their faces painted

with Ghana Flags or as Snow Leopards. “We may not be the biggest team, and

skiing is new to Ghana but our Kwame’s Army fans have done us proud” –

Richard Harpham, Team Manager.

Ghana’s Snow Leopard is looking for a fairytale end to an incredible journey when he races in the Slalom on Saturday 27th Feb 2010.

After an incredible rollercoaster ride of a journey from novice skier to Olympian in a little over 6 years Ghana’s Snow Leopard is looking to beat a few smaller nations to achieve ‘Middle Dog’ status.

Training has been going well with the Ghana Ski Team training alongside ski racers from Greece, Uzbekistan and Ireland. Given the slow start to the season with only a little over a month in Val Di Fiemme, Italy and a week on Mount Washington, Vancouver Island this training time has been essential. The Snow Leopard feels he is ready and commented, “Training has been a very nice experience, as skiing on ice has been very different from the usual ski slopes I have trained on, the icy slopes of Whistler have been a real confidence booster. The last time I skied on ice like this was in the World Champs in France and its nice to have some practice on such slopes before the big day. So we as a team are waiting for Saturday and our chance to make our own Olympic history”.

Ghana Ski Team Coach Denis Grigorev added ”Training has been going well and Kwame’s confidence is high and he will be ready for the race.”

Kwame was disappointed not to be racing the Giant Slalom having originally been sent the forms and told he was allowed to do it. Watching it he said, ”I would really have liked to race the GS, it is an event I really enjoy”.

The Snow Leopard has become a phenomenon attracting the attention of the world media and fans across the planet.

This is all part of a much bigger plan to create a future Ghana Ski Team and athlete development programme and Kwame says, “I am a guinea pig and I want to show the world what we have achieved in a little over 6 years. With funding, government support and resources then Ghana and African nations could provide serious competition to the bigger nations.”

The world will be watching and fans have been expressing their words of support via the Paddy Power Kwame’s Army on facebook. Kwame has called for his fans to follow his lead and come to support Ghana with their faces painted with Ghana Flags or as Snow Leopards.

Richard Harpham, team manager says, “We may not be the biggest team, and skiing is new to Ghana but our Kwame’s Army fans have done us proud.”