From family commitment and future champions, Interschools has it all

With the 2025 snow season officially underway, it won’t be long before Interschools competitors and their families begin flocking to Australia’s snowfields for the Interschools Snowsport Championships. 

This year’s events are expected to attract more than 7,000 students from nearly 700 schools. With teachers, coaches, volunteers and officials also in tow, the Interschools community extends well-beyond the number of competing students. 

Parents, siblings and extended family members also add to the vibrant community.  From shuttling children to and from competition, taking time away from work, enduring long commutes and overnight stays and ensuring gear and equipment is prepped and packed, snowsport families are a driving force of this mammoth annual series.  

Brad and Melisa George have supported their children Juan and Airish since they first learnt to ski. Both children are now members of the Snow Australia Emerging Talent Program (ETP) having experienced Interschools success from an early age. 

From starting to snowboard as a way to learn new skills and make new friends, to competing overseas and having dreams of representing Australia, Interschools provided Juan and Airish with the foundations to build their skills. 

“(In the beginning), competition wasn’t something on our radar, we just wanted Juan to enjoy his snowboarding and meet some friends, otherwise he was riding with us all the time,” Melisa said. 

“He joined the part-time program when he was 10 and was keen to try the Interschools competition. It is a great introduction to competition, testing their skills and having fun meeting kids from so many other schools. 

“In his first year of Interschools, he became the Australian Champion for Snowboard Cross, and that really sparked the fire within,” Melisa said.  

Airish followed in Juan’s footsteps and loved her time on the snow. After a few years of skiing, she was keen to get on a snowboard and started her Interschools journey at eight years old, taking out individual Regional, State, and National Championships. 

“Interschools has been such a great introduction to competition and is a lot of fun, not just for the kids, but also for the parents. It's competitive but very encouraging for all levels, with a great emphasis on coming together with friends from school and racing as a team,” she said. 

The upside of long days on snow is the friendships that have been forged, some of which Melisa says have become lifelong.

“As parents, we’re the ones encouraging them to do their best and have fun, cheering them on at the finish line. It’s so exciting to watch them race down and check their times as they cross the line. It’s also heart-warming to see the kids gather at the finish, cheering on their friends, riding the chairlift together for the next run, and then heading out to free ride after the races are done.

“These days have taught them not only snowboarding skills but also independence and how to enjoy all that the mountain has to offer,” Melisa said. 

The family now spend upwards of three months each year in Canada and the US, where Juan and Airish train at Copper Mountain and compete on the USASA circuit.

A former professional snowboarder who competed in slopestyle, big air and snowboard cross at World Cup level, Brad is now a qualified coach through Snow Australia and coaches Juan and Airish when they on the road. 

As members of Snow Australia’s ETP, Juan and Airish receive access to performance services and education through Snow Australia coaches and athlete mentors in a variety of settings including development camps, dry-land and off-snow training and access to the National Snowsports Training Centre (NSTC).  

“It’s a fun and supportive program where they get to meet other talented snowboarders and skiers, and for us as parents, it’s a way to connect with other families on the same journey,” Melisa explained. 

“We are so fortunate to have access to the NSTC facility for airbag training, arco, and gym, which we use consistently both at home and in Jindabyne,” she said. 

As well as finishing school, the children plan to progress their snowboarding here in Australia and overseas. From there…they want to earn a place on the Australian team and wish to become professional athletes. 

“They aim to work toward opportunities such as the Youth Olympics, World Cups, the Winter Olympics, and international invitational events—and, most importantly, to live the snowboarding dream wherever the journey takes them,” Melisa said.